Finished Looks

Fully built, the computer-1 is a miniscule system that is meant to draw your attention with is pungent orange color while still being sufficiently understated and clean in design to ensure one does not really care which components are within. The faux pas here is the fact that the 80 mm fan comes with branding, which adds a small visual wrinkle.


The front of the teenage engineering computer-1 with its multiple folds deliberately does not attempt to hide the fact that it has been assembled from several fully detached parts. That said, teenage engineering has designed it in such a way that both the front and rear of the computer-1 deliberately show no bits that pertain to holding the unit itself together.


However, looking at the sides, the use of black screws communicates that the teenage engineering computer-1 is not simply a chassis, as it is married to the parts it holds while providing that needed contrast between orange and black, with the latter also in the dark gaps between individual parts.

Turned On

Turning the computer-1 on, there is no unnecessary element to communicate that the system is running. The spinning, exposed fan is meant to be that mechanical component of an otherwise electronic device to bridge the gap between zeroes and ones and the tangible, real world with a small, red LED being the only other functional element. Flicking that spring-loaded power lever is such a surreal but enjoyable experience that I genuinely just turned the computer-1 on and offer a few times to take it in.


At the top, the vent provides fresh air to the graphics card. Any ARGB elements within the computer-1 would shine through this area and the gaps between the panels, which could make it feel like a power cube brimming with electricity. On the underside is a perfect opening for an SFX power supply to draw air from. Thus, while you may go for an SFX-L unit, teenage engineering really envisions the computer-1 with the more compact form factor within. In the rear, the GPU takes up the top-left corner completely, which further fuses it visually with the rest of the computer-1, as a part of the case itself instead of a component of the computer. As our ITX board backplate is classic silver, we had to make do with that, but for the visual experience, you may want to find a board with a black one, or even paint your classic silver one accordingly. The weight of the bottom-mounted power supply provides stability to the computer-1.