$14,000 gaming PC features 70 handcrafted titanium cherry blossoms which unfurl as temperatures rise
Forget RGB, OLED screens, figurines, and dioramas. We've never seen anything like the Cherry Bloom PC from Aftershock PC in Australia, though. This liquid-cooled, high-end gaming PC includes a Cherry Blossom tree, featuring 70 handcrafted, heat-reactive titanium-alloy cherry blossoms that unfurl when the machine heats up.
What makes this even more remarkable is that the PC - heat-reactive blossoms included - is actually commercially available, and isn't a one-off custom mod. You can buy one from Aftershock PC right now. There are no motors to break; the blooming blossoms are completely 'powered' by the heat generated from the high-end components in the PC, too. Those components include an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, 64GB of fast DDR5 memory, a 1300-watt modular power supply, and most notably, a GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card.
The presence of an RTX 5080 might be surprising considering the price we mentioned in the headline; yes, this PC costs approximately $14,150 USD ($20,000 AUD, or around 10,650 GBP). But if you've got the cash to spare and are eyeing the PC up, just note that the eye-watering price doesn't include shipping. At that price, it's fair to expect truly top-end components, like a Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition and a GeForce RTX 5090 (as found in the very best PCs for gaming), but honestly, this machine is as much a work of art as a functional PC. You're not merely paying for the components; you're paying for the brilliant display inside.
The chassis used for the Cherry Bloom is the "V2" by Taiwan's Advanced Performance Nexus, better known as APNX. The case has what APNX calls "one of the largest viewing area in its class," with wrap-around glass on three sides to allow you to admire the gorgeous sculpture in your case. Along with the previously mentioned components, you also get a 2TB Lexar NQ790 PCIe 4.0 SSD, a custom open-loop liquid cooling setup, eight Aftershock Chrome RGB fans, and Windows 11 Professional, naturally.
Obviously, the Cherry Bloom PC isn't something that many people are going to buy. Much like the KFC console before it, it's a curious piece of marketing from Zotac Gaming, which designed the PC, according to the product listing. Nevertheless, the mechanism is indeed mind-bending enough. You can check out Aftershock's website and click through the slideshow to view videos showcasing the petals of the 'tree' unfurling; if nothing else, it's impressive to see the mechanism working in motion.