Someone installed an e-ink stats display on their PC, and it looks great

It’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of e-ink displays. Usually I check out ESP32 and Raspberry Pi projects that use the technology in some way. They don’t update very often, but that makes them great for status displays and dashboards. And they use so little energy that you barely notice them on your energy bill.

However, I’ve never seen one used in a PC version before. So when I saw that someone had managed to integrate one into their PC case, I knew I had to check it out. It turns out the e-ink display isn’t just there as a pretty centerpiece; it actually acts as a sensor monitor allowing the system to keep up to date with your temperatures.

The engine block is a PC 5090 which uses an e-ink display as a status monitor.

I think I’m in love

On the PC Master Race subreddit, user InvaderJ presented his new project. They made a PC using an Xhuttle case and a 5090, designing it so that the GPU was placed vertically. The idea was that the PC would stay in the living room and remain pleasant to look at even when it was turned off.

However, the best part of this version is its e-ink system display:

I wanted a dynamic system monitor but refused to use an LCD because when it’s off it’s black and I already had two large black elements. A third would have made you lose your balance! So I grabbed a ReTerminal e-ink display and created a custom stats system that uses a partial screen refresh to update temperature, usage, and clocks every 5 seconds.

The most interesting part of this e-ink display happens, strangely enough, when the PC shuts down. Since the e-ink display has a matte screen and white frame, the whole thing blends in with the rest of the PC when it loses power, preserving InvaderJ’s desire for the PC to maintain its attractive aesthetic even when it’s turned off. Very cool.