MSI MPG GUNGNIR 110R Mid-Tower Case Review

MSI is well known for its motherboards, graphics cards, and power supplies, but what about its PC cases? Yes, they do make PC cases. A few weeks ago, we reported that MSI had released many new USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C equipped cases. In turn, MSI has submitted several of these chassis for review. The first in this series of reviews will be the MSI MPG GUNGNIR 110R.  It’s been over eight years since I’ve had my hands on an MSI case, so I’m excited to see what MSI has to offer.

Features and Specifications

The MPG GUNGNIR 110R is a mid-tower gaming chassis with a unique prism-shaped front panel. It has an all-black satin finish with a tinted tempered glass left side panel and a tempered glass partial front panel. In addition to the 110R, the Gungnir 110M features a mesh front panel in place of the tempered glass.

The input/output panel is highlighted by a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port capable of up to a rated 20 GB/s. There’s also a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (5 GB/s) ports, HD audio jacks, ARGB controller button, power button, and reset button.

MSI has included four ARGB 120 mm fans for airflow, three of which sit at the front of the chassis, with one at the rear. The Gungnir 110R utilizes three filters located at the front, top, and bottom rear for the PSU intake.

As far as storage goes, the Gungnir 110R holds up to four storage devices. There are two SSD trays capable of mounting 2.5″ drives and a removable HDD caddy that houses up to two 2.5″ drives or two 3.5″ drives providing ample storage options.

Also included is a powered ARGB hub for powering up to six ARGB devices from either the I/O LED button or via the motherboard’s controller.

The MPG Gungnir 110R specifications and features tables below are from the MSI website.

MSI MPG GUNGNIR 110R Features
	MPG: Game in Style The MPG series brings out the best in gamers by allowing full expression in color with advanced RGB lighting control and synchronization. Experiment on another level of personalization with a front LED strip that provides convenient in-game and real-time notifications. With the MPG series, transform your equipment into the center of attention and top leaderboards in style.
	The Foundation of Excellence Excel with the MPG GUNGNIR 110 Series, the epitome of high standards in a mid-tower chassis. Designed with versatility, constructed from high-quality materials, and born for performance. Choose eminence and embrace excellence.
	Beautiful Craftsmanship The MPG GUNGNIR 110R is designed with a memorable high-performance look to impress on first sight. A sleek front glass panel offers a dazzling view of the interior lighting that highlights the quality of the parts in the rest of the system.
	Better Together Synergize MPG GUNGNIR 110 Series with an MSI motherboard, including bridging a USB Type-C port for convenient access. Establish a complete MSI gaming ecosystem with a graphics card and liquid cooling.
	Insta-Light Loop Button Quickly control the fan color and lighting effects with Insta-Light Loop at the touch of a button. Click through the profiles at ease and choose a favorite.
	Mystic Light ARGB Lighting Put on the show of a lifetime with 4 pre-installed ARGB fans powered by MSI Mystic Light.
	Tempered Glass Window MPG GUNGNIR 110 Series reveals your arsenal with a tempered glass side panel. Arm the system with MSI’s liquid cooler, motherboard, and graphics card for the ultimate display of power and performance.
	Magnetic Dust Filter A magnetic filter sits on the top vents keeping dust from falling inside while being easily removed for cleaning.
	Optimized Airflow MPG GUNGNIR 110 Series is well equipped to provide the most effective airflow for system cooling. The MPG GUNGNIR 110 Series comes with 4 fans and is capable of 6.

Packaging

MSI ships the Gungnir 110R in a traditional heavy-duty cardboard box. The printing on the front and rear are identical, displaying a pair of isometric views of the chassis. One side features a table of the specifications, while the other lists several features. Inside the box are two Styrofoam end caps and a large plastic bag protect the chassis during transport. It’s common for cases to be shipped in this manner as it does a great job of protecting the contents.

Contents

There aren’t any fancy or gimmicky gadgets included in the Gungnir 110R, only what is essential. The list of included items is a quick start guide, users manual, six mini zip ties, a pair of thumbscrews, a baggie of case screws, a baggie of motherboard/drive screws, and an ARGB header cable. The header cable will allow the user to connect three devices to a single ARGB header, further expanding the amount of ARGB devices permitted.

Exterior At A Glance

A quick trip around the case reveals a traditional motherboard layout. The front features MSI’s Dragon logo printed in black. This provides a more muted approach than an illuminated logo or bold red painted logo present on some cases. Seven PCIe slots confirm the mid-tower design of this case. Note, there is no option for a vertical GPU in this chassis. Finally, at the bottom of the case picture, you can see the rear foot is slotted to allow airflow to the bottom-mounted PSU.

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A Closer Look

With the exterior glance taken care of, let’s take our time and point out the highlights and potential lowlights for the MPG Gungnir 110R, one section at a time.

Front

The prism-shaped front panel creates the unique aesthetic of the Gungnir. The left side of the front panel is tempered glass, while the right side is steel sheet metal. The earlier-mentioned MSI Dragon is located at the top and centered on the right side of the front panel. At the top and bottom of the prism are vented triangular panels for allowing air to enter the chassis. There are air vent locations along both sides of the front panel and down the center where the glass and solid panel meet.

Removing the front panel, we find the front intake filter. Four tabs at the right and two punch tabs on the left hold the filter. Made from fine fabric, the front filter does a fantastic job of preventing dust from entering the chassis, while also making routine cleaning a breeze. With the front filter removed, we see the white ARGB MSI fans. A closer inspection of the frame reveals the slots for mounting 140 mm wide fans or water cooling radiators.

Left

The tinted glass left side panel is secured with a pair of thumbscrews and measures a beefy four millimeters thick. The motherboard standoffs are pre-installed for an ATX motherboard, and there is a massive opening to aid in installing the CPU cooler. Three of the seven cable pass-through holes are grommeted and positioned where you will need them the most. We find the rear 120 mm ARGB exhaust fan and seven vented expansion slots looking towards the back.

Focusing at the top of the main compartment, we see the exhaust venting and mounting holes located for a pair of 120 mm or 140 mm fans or radiators. The entirety of the front is packed full of intake fans. We will spend more time detailing the fans in a little while. At the bottom of the main compartment is the PSU shroud. A single SSD mount at the center allows for proudly displaying your hard drive; a stamped MSI logo is also at the center of the shroud. The front of the PSU shroud features a large opening for mounting up to a 360 mm radiator, while the rear of the shroud has an opening for displaying your PSU label.

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Right

Retained by a pair of thumbscrews, the solid right-side panel slides reward for removal. Casting this panel aside, we get a great view of the backside of the motherboard tray. Above and towards the front are five trapezoidal cable pass-through holes, three of which feature grommets. It is unclear why all five are not grommeted. The holes are less visible, making this less of a concern once the internal components get installed. To the left of the grommeted holes are three velcro straps for securing the bulk of the cables. Directly below the cooler mount opening is a powered ARGB hub along with an SSD tray. The ARGB hub attaches up to six devices and features SATA power and an ARGB input cable for controlling the lighting via the top button or through the motherboard’s software. There are a total of nine cable tie points if you include the velcro locations. These are all located at key points where cable management is generally needed.

We find the HDD caddy and PSU garage located below the motherboard tray. The HDD caddy features two HDD/SSD sleds that are tool-less and removable. Holding the caddy in place are five case screws—four at the bottom and one on top of the PSU shroud. With the caddy removed, the entire bottom chamber is opened up. This allows for a large power supply and cables, or either a 360 mm or 280 mm front-mounted radiator. Once installed, the power supply sits on top of four rubber pads that eliminate vibrations.

Top

Laying the chassis on the right side, we move to the top. Here there is a removable magnetic dust filter, which is the standard coarse filter customarily found at the top. It is not as effective at reducing dust as its fine mesh brethren, however, it is more durable and less likely to get damaged by feline predators resting atop it. Below the filter is steel mesh and mounting holes for up to two 120 mm or 140 mm fans or radiators. Intelligently offset to the left of the case are mounting holes allowing for clearance to the motherboard components and connectors. Located at the front of the top is where the case I/O panel resides. From left to right, we find the power button, reset button, a white LED power light, USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, microphone jack, headphone jack, and finally, the ARGB LED controller button.

Bottom

Rotating 180° to the bottom side of the case, we notice the two oversized trapezoidal feet. Both feature large rectangular rubber pads that effectively prevent the chassis from sliding on smooth desktops. Notice the rear foot has ten small openings to allow the bottom-mounted PSU to intake fresh cool air through another coarse-mesh filter. This filter is removable without removing the rear foot, however, it is tricky to get the filter back in place with the foot still attached. We found it easier to remove the two screws to re-secure the filter, but this is unnecessary.

Rear

Finally, looking at the back of the chassis, at the top is the rear 120 mm ARGB exhaust fan. This is a fixed location without accommodations for a 140 mm fan. To the left of the exhaust is the standard motherboard cutout. At the middle of the back are the seven perforated expansion slot covers with a removable panel is placed over the opening to keep fingers and paws out. Access to these screws is at the left side of the chassis. At the very bottom of the rear is the PSU mount opening. Here the power supply can only be positioned with the intake facing downward.

Fans

There are four ARGB 120 mm fans included with the Gungnir 110R. While there are no specific model numbers for these, we did reach out to MSI for confirmation and these are, in fact, MSI’s MAG MAX F12A fans. They feature nine swept vanes, anti-vibration rubber pads, a 3-pin addressable RGB connector, a 4-pin PWM connector, and a rated speed of 1500 RPM, which we confirmed via software. The fans also feature a hydro-bearing hub and rubber dampening mounting points to keep them very quiet even at full speed.

Storage

There are plenty of storage options with the Gungnir. Two 2.5″ SSD trays are located behind the motherboard tray and on top of the PSU shroud. They are secured using four tabs and slots with a single thumbscrew to lock them in place. A HDD caddy with two hard drive sleds can house either 3.5″ spinners or 2.5″ solid-state drives. They are completely tool-less and the whole caddy assembly is removable.

The Builds

This section assembles assorted parts to show what some potential builds could look like in the Gungnir 110R before performing our thermal testing.

Water Cooled Build

We’ve installed a 360 mm radiator up front and a 240 mm radiator at the top for a custom water-cooled, mock-up build. MSI uses mounting holes rather than slots at the top. The positioning of the top radiator is limited, only fitting with fans above the radiator and fittings at the front. This does create a potential interference with the front radiator and fittings, so it may be necessary to route the front radiator fittings at the bottom. The front radiator mount opening allows for 65 mm of radiator and fans. However, this is only the case if the top location is not used due to the interference mentioned earlier.

Water cooling in the Gungnir is a tight fit. A case depth of only 430 mm leaves little room for a water pump and reservoir when a full-length GPU is installed. A very short reservoir needs to be used or mounting the reservoir sideways as pictured may be necessary in this smallish case. It is, however, quite possible with proper planning.

Air Cooled Build

Moving on to the air-cooled build, we first verify the CPU clearance spec of 170 mm. Then we load up the chassis with a large tower cooler and fill all the HDD bays in preparation for the thermal testing. While custom water cooling may be complicated for the Gungnir 110R, air cooling is a breeze. Our 160 mm tall air cooler fits easily, and there was plenty of room for all the components.

Cable Routing

The right side of the case does get a little crowded with all four drives installed. There is only 19 mm of cable clearance behind the motherboard tray, so everything fits quite snugly. The PSU used in this review is a non-modular unit by design to show how cramped things can get. We stuffed cables in every crevice available under the PSU shroud. With help from the velcro straps and cable tie points were able to create a decently presentable cable routing. This represents a worst-case scenario, so simply using a modular PSU and not using every HDD/SDD tray will only improve this situation.

Lighting

The included ARGB controller and hub provide an impressive lighting display using MSI’s Mystic Light with plenty of room to expand. While MSI’s Mystic Light is fantastic, the ARGB hub also worked well with the ASRock motherboard used in this review. The embedded video below from MSI is an excellent example of just a few of the lighting options.

Thermal Testing

For testing this chassis’ thermal capabilities, we leave it in its stock orientation with all the fans set to full speed and an overclock applied to the CPU and GPU. The overclocks will be as high as possible while maintaining stability and staying within the thermal limits of the components. To apply a load to the CPU and GPU, we run AIDA64 Extreme and 3D Mark Firestrike Extreme simultaneously until we no longer notice a temperature rise. This provides a maximum internal case temperature. We then remove the left side panel and continue for another entire run of Firestrike Extreme, measuring the internal case temperature drop. If the case is getting proper airflow, the case temperatures remain within a few degrees of the original result. If there is a significant temperature drop with the side panel removed, the case is starving for fresh, cool air.

During our testing, we noticed a temperature increase of 4° C over ambient which is within the normal range for the installed components. With the left side panel removed, we registered a 1.4° C temperature drop. While this result looks worse on the chart than the other comparable cases, what is important to note is that the Gungnir is exhausting the warmed air properly. For example, the XPG Starker loses nearly 3° C with the panel removed, indicating it wasn’t cycling the internal air as fast. The Gungnir 110R performed well and can quickly exhaust the warmed air inside the chassis.

Conclusion

The MSI MPG Gungnir 110R has a unique look with its prism-shaped front panel. Customizing the aesthetics has never been easier with the tempered glass side and partial front panels in conjunction with four ARGB fans and an included LED controller. The addition of the USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port provides the user with proper high-speed connectivity and versatility.

This chassis is more than capable of handling custom water cooling loops or large tower air coolers. Cable management is a little tight when all four storage trays are populated. However, for a case this small, it handles it quite well. Thermally the Gungnir performed well, maintaining 4° C above ambient with the CPU and GPU pressed hard for an extended period. The included fans can cycle the entire volume of air inside the case quickly and efficiently while being relatively quiet.

MSRP for the Gungnir 110R is listed for $109.99 at Newegg and Amazon, though it did briefly sell for $94.99. We find this to be a good value at either price, placing it on par with its closest competitors. Factoring in the quality, aesthetics, extras features, and affordable price, we have no qualms recommending the MSI MPG Gungnir 110R and giving it the Overclockers.com Stamp of Approval.

-John Nester (Blaylock)

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