A Closer Look - Inside

Taking a look inside, it becomes apparent that the frame is of good quality, which is quite refreshing. Everything feels very solid, and the shroud sports the MSI logo. However, unlike the 110M we reviewed in the past, there is no 2.5" tray here anymore to show off an SSD. Turning the case around, you can clearly see the grommets covering the cable routing openings to the left of the motherboard area.


Instead, there now is a single mounting plate for two drives in behind the motherboard tray, you will also find a six port ARGB controller. MSI has gone ahead and pre-wired the cables from the four included fans and even went as far as taping them down so they don't end up disconnecting during shipping. Towards the front there are still those four Velcro strips, as we have seen in previous Gungnir enclosures for easier cable management.


Towards the front, the HDD cage underneath the shroud may hold two 2.5 or 3.5" drives on each individual plastic tray.. While not the end of the world, it is quite user-unfriendly, and essentially every other brand has either managed to provide direct access to such screws or engineered a tool-less way to move the cage around without having to go through so much trouble. Above that, you will find the three fans, as the entire front is intended for cooling.


The PSU bay on the underside comes with a uniquely shaped vent and four foam squares upon which the unit will be fitted. Above that are the seven expansion slots topped by the black 120 mm exhaust fan. Interestingly enough, the fans in the front come with rubber anti-vibration pads, while this one lacks those even though it uses exactly the same housing. This seems to be an odd cost-saving measure.


Taking a look at the ceiling, you can clearly see how far from the motherboard the mounting holes have been placed—you will not have to worry about any liquid cooling getting in the way of your components. It is also nice to see a solid PCB for the I/O and buttons next to it.


All the cables within the MSI MPG Gungnir 120R are sleeved black, and the I/O cables are all round. While this is fine, plenty of brands have transitioned to flat and thus more flexible cables, for easier cable management. The leads for the rest of the top panel are labeled clearly, including the one for the LED switch. The built-in ARGB controller utilizes SATA for power and also has a 3-pin connector, so that you may opt for motherboard control instead of the button on top of the enclosure.