Introduction

I would like to thank MonsterLabo for supplying the review sample.


MonsterLabo is trying to achieve something that is a bit of a myth: to run gaming hardware passively. Instead of going big and offering a huge heatsink in hopes of achieving thermal supremacy, The First actually goes as compact as possible, which makes it quite the unique case. Made up of four former Calyos employees who were involved in the NSG, a fully passive system proof-of-concept that made the rounds at trade shows a few years back, their brain child, the MonsterLabo The First, has been designed independently from the ground up and comes in three color options: anodized black, painted black, or painted white.

As many parts as possible are manufactured locally in Belgium. An exception is the heatsink, which comes from China, while some other parts are finalized in France. The cases are then assembled by hand in France and shipped around the world. MonsterLabo tries to be efficient and not waste parts or packaging. The First is manufactured in small batches and hand assembled, which makes it a little pricier than any mass-market chassis but allows for a type of customer service you would rarely find otherwise. That is why, unlike most other brands, they don't simply throw out everything but hand-build a product that can be repaired and upgraded, which is why you see them openly sell B-grade as well. Safe the planet, everyone!

Specifications

Packaging

MonsterLabo shipped The First in an unassuming brown box with nothing but a single sticker. Once you open the box, you are immediately greeted by a long screw driver, hex tool, and a piece of paper telling you where to find the manual. MonsterLabo recently published a PDF, available online, to help you through the trickier parts of assembly also described in this review, but you will have to figure out some other elements on your own, or dig through some of their YouTube videos.


We received the white version of the The First, which comes encased in foam and is further protected by a thick plastic bag. Fun fact: That plastic bag is the same the heatsink ships in from China, reused to keep their waste footprint as low as possible.