If you’ve been thinking about turning your Raspberry Pi 5 into a real desktop computer or even a small home server, the Elecrow Mini PC Case might be exactly what you’re looking for. I recently tested it, and it surprised me with just how many premium features it packs in for under $40.
This isn’t just a plastic box to protect your Pi. It’s a complete desktop transformation kit with an OLED screen, triple RGB cooling fans, and an M.2 NVMe slot for serious storage upgrades.
What Makes This Case Special
The first thing you’ll notice is the 1.3-inch OLED display on the front. It shows useful stats like CPU temperature, memory use, available storage, and even your Pi’s IP address—handy if you want to log in remotely via VNC.
Cooling is handled by three RGB fans plus a CPU heatsink and fan, which together keep temperatures around 45 °C even under heavy load. The case also includes a PCIe M.2 slot that supports NVMe drives up to the 2280 size. That’s a game changer for boot times and overall responsiveness compared to microSD cards.
The case is built from a mix of aluminum and acrylic panels, giving it a solid feel and a clean look that fits nicely on a desk. All the usual Raspberry Pi ports are still accessible, and thanks to custom adapter boards you even keep access to the GPIO pins. There’s also a proper power button with safe shutdown support when you install Elecrow’s software script from GitHub.
Building the Kit
This is not a snap-together enclosure. Expect to spend 30 to 40 minutes putting it together. You’ll be routing ribbon cables, mounting the heatsink, and installing fans, so a little patience and steady hands will go a long way.
I didn’t run into any real issues during assembly, though managing the ribbon cables takes some care. They’re fragile, so make sure you connect them in the right orientation. Installing the SSD is easy but requires a screwdriver. If you don’t install it during the initial build, you’ll have to partially disassemble the case later to get it in.
Real-World Performance
Once assembled, the case works well for everyday desktop tasks. I used it with an 8 GB Raspberry Pi 5 and was able to browse the web with multiple tabs, work on LibreOffice documents, and even watch 1080p YouTube videos without a hitch.
The cooling system does a great job preventing thermal throttling, but there’s one trade-off: the three RGB fans run at full speed all the time, and they’re not PWM controlled. That means about 50 dB of constant noise. For a desktop on your desk, it’s noticeable. For a home server sitting in a closet or utility room, it’s a non-issue.
The biggest performance upgrade comes from using an NVMe SSD instead of a microSD card. Boot times are faster, applications open quicker, and the whole system just feels snappier. Just make sure you get an NVMe drive—SATA M.2 drives won’t work here.
Pros and Trade-Offs
This case offers a lot for the price:
- OLED display with real-time stats
- Triple-fan cooling system
- Support for NVMe M.2 SSDs (2230–2280 sizes)
- Aluminum and acrylic construction with compact footprint
- GPIO and port access preserved
The main downsides are the constant fan noise and the fact that it doesn’t come pre-assembled. You’ll also need to provide your own power supply, keyboard, mouse, and cables, though most Pi users already have those on hand.
Should you get one?
This kit is perfect if you want your Pi 5 to look and behave like a real desktop computer without spending $70–90 on a premium case. It’s also ideal for anyone building a file server, media server, or web server where noise isn’t an issue.
If you enjoy DIY projects and don’t mind a bit of hands-on assembly, this is a satisfying and functional upgrade that brings real performance benefits to your Raspberry Pi setup.
Final Thoughts
For around $40, the Elecrow Mini PC Case delivers an impressive set of features that make the Raspberry Pi 5 far more capable. The build process is fun if you like tinkering, the OLED display is genuinely useful, and the M.2 storage option takes performance to the next level.
Yes, the fans are loud and you need to assemble it yourself, but if you can live with those trade-offs, this case turns the Pi 5 into a desktop or server you’ll actually enjoy using.
You can check out the case on Elecrow’s website here.