The typical PC form factor has progressively evolved over time due to the advent of die shrinks and other efficiency savings which make compact systems a viable purchase. Unless you?re opting for a build with multiple graphics cards, it's possible to construct an extremely powerful machine in a sleek and slimline chassis. Saying that, full tower cases provide better airflow due to the larger surface area and tiny ITX cube cases tend to be reserved for low-end HTPC usage scenarios. Despite the higher thermal loads, consumers appear to be embracing smaller hardware and enjoy the concept of downsizing their PC. This market trend has inspired manufacturers to draft innovative, interesting designs which could potentially change the way we perceive systems with exceptional gaming credentials.

During CES this year, MSI unveiled the Vortex which employs a really unusual cylindrical shape and embedded RGB lighting. The original model accommodated either two GTX 960 or GTX 980 MXM cards in an SLI configuration and a remarkable cooling solution given the space constraints. Honestly, I was astounded by MSI's ingenuity and if you?d like to learn more, please remember to visit the Vortex G65 6QF's review. Since the original unit's release, NVIDIA has revolutionised the notion of mobile graphics solutions and narrowed the gap between discrete versions and MXM boards. Subsequently, Pascal systems are able to offer monumental performance improvements while being highly efficient thanks to the 16nm FinFET manufacturing process. Of course, NVIDIA's architecture doesn't solve the issues in certain games with lacklustre SLI support and this can be perceived as a flaw of the Vortex.