Skip to main content

Wish your PC looked like a Mac Pro? Cryorig has you covered, if you can wait

Although Apple computers sometimes seem like they steal the show when it comes to style, the big advantage of a non-Apple PC, is that you can do what you like with it. When it comes to the looks of your system you can do just about anything and now that includes making it look like a Mac Pro.

Cryorig has now announced its new, cylindrical, brushed aluminium chassis, known as the Ola. It looks very much like the casing of Apple’s current Mac Pro. But you can control all of the hardware that goes into it. Cryorig assures us that it can take a single, full size graphics card, though with a mini-ITX form factor, other hardware may be limited.

Cooling wise, the case features a single 140mm fan which helps pull air in from two side intakes, before blowing it out of the top so as to draw away the heat from the internal components. That’s not a lot in the way of cooling, but should keep things quiet, and the design is extreme efficient.

However not having much cooling potential means that we are likely limited by the thermal design power of hardware that can be safely placed in this chassis. Anandtech has it that the CPU should have a maximum TDP of 100 watts, which means every Skylake chip should be fine – though you should be careful if you’re thinking of overclocking. Some high-end AMD hardware won’t fit within that envelope.

However the real sticking point here is the potential TDP of the graphics card. Cryorig has said a full size GPU will fit, but we just don’t know what it will be capable of cooling. In the stock images, we’re shown a GTX 1080 sitting within the system, which would suggest a TDP of 180 watts from the graphics card is ok. But we wouldn’t be surprised if cards that put off more head, like AMD’s Radeon Fury X, won’t work.

Fortunately there’s plenty of time to consider, as the Ola isn’t slated for release until sometime in early 2017.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
My hopes for a new iMac Pro have been dashed — for now
An Apple iMac Pro in a dark room flanked by two monitors, one on either side of it.

Apple’s iMac Pro has been shrouded in mystery ever since it was discontinued in 2021. Over the past year, it has swung back into the news as numerous leakers and analysts have claimed a new one is coming soon. But when exactly? That’s far from certain.

Now, though, we might have moved a little closer toward knowing, and it’s not great news if you’ve been hoping for an imminent update. That’s because reporter Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter has outlined Apple’s plans for 2024 -- and the iMac Pro is conspicuous by its absence.

Read more
Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro: don’t make a mistake you’ll regret
The MacBook Pro open on a table in front of a couch.

When it comes to the best Apple laptops, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is the true flagship model. It contains the fastest chips, the most storage, and the largest and most impressive display. It’s also the most expensive MacBook Pro, easily costing you thousands of dollars with just a few upgraded components.

That makes it tricky to work out how you should configure it and which version you should buy. There may only be three main choices you have to make -- the chip, the memory and the storage -- but each one carries a lot of weight. It’s important to make the right decision when you pull the trigger.

Read more
Will the Vision Pro replace the Mac? Why Apple will have to tread carefully
A developer points to a Mac screen while a Vision Pro rests on the desk.

The Vision Pro headset is poised to be one of the most significant products Apple has introduced in years, and it has the potential to launch a new era of success for the company. But at the same time, there’s a risk that it could end up cannibalizing the Mac line by giving plenty of people something that could replace their computer altogether.

That means Apple has got to be very careful with how it handles the Vision Pro. It no doubt wants as many people to buy it as possible, but it wants that to happen without having to sacrifice sales of its other devices. How on earth is it going to do that?
The Mac killer?

Read more