Asus Prime AP201

[JustBuyLianLi]

Just an update for anyone interested, the Asus AP201 is a wonderful case. I appreciate TPU's review as I wouldn't have even known of its existence or considered it without said review. The case is 100x better than my previous case, the Fractal Focus G Mini, an absolutely horrible case which I've now relegated to my secondary PC.

And under the load of playing MSFS at 3840x1080, I can't even hear the fans ramp up at all in the AP201, unlike in the Fractal case where the fans would end up louder than the planes on a single 1920x1080 monitor.

I didn't do a very patient cable management job but even with low effort it was much easier to make my build at least somewhat tidy.

Only issue I had was my MSI B560M Pro motherboard doesn't have the proper connector for the USB-C connector on the front panel. Not Asus's fault, just thought it was worth mentioning. Full system specs are in my profile if you care.

PS: I love the way the side panels and front panel detach. A surprisingly solid tool-less system given the price of the case. I'm a cheap person but I would have happily paid $20 more for this case, it is far more premium than its price point.

Very nice looking. I’m considering the white version. I have a lancool ii mesh performance and the one thing I can’t stand about it is it’s too heavy and bulky should I need to take my pc to the shop to have diagnosed for potential issues.

I’m considering this case for a lightweight and more smaller form factor as my lancool ii mesh weighs around 15kg vs the 5.8kg of this case. Wondering if anyone can comment as whether the white version makes it more difficult to see the interior lighting vs the black version. Alternative I was considering was the pop air mini and focus g mini although the comments above are making me second guess the focus g mini now.

 

[phxrider]

ASUS!!!!!! Why do you not make this case in a mid-tower size??????

Actually, the problem is, no one makes any Micro ATX MB's above low-end. The case is perfection. Doesn't need a million loud fans, because it has excellent airflow without them. I'd build everything in this case if I could get it in a mid-tower or get decent M-ATX motherboards.

 

[AusWolf]

ASUS!!!!!! Why do you not make this case in a mid-tower size??????

Actually, the problem is, no one makes any Micro ATX MB's above low-end. The case is perfection. Doesn't need a million loud fans, because it has excellent airflow without them. I'd build everything in this case if I could get it in a mid-tower or get decent M-ATX motherboards.

Asus TUF and MSi Pro series are decent and come in M-ATX form factor as well.

 

[kapone32]

The AP201 is not that big. What I like about it is that it can fit more fans than just about an case out there and the build quality is great. It is also (funnily enough) one of the cheapest M-ATX cases with those features.

 

[phxrider]

Asus TUF and MSi Pro series are decent and come in M-ATX form factor as well.

What I'm saying is there are no good M-ATX motherboards. All the M-ATX boards are cheap, low end boards. If you want a non-low-end board, they only come in ATX and ITX.

The AP201 is awesome. No complaints about it at all. I got one because I had 80% of the parts for a computer laying around and figured I'd buy a MB, case, and PSU and build another one. I got the cheapest MB I could find and this case, and I was blown away by the case and wish they made an ATX version that can take a bigger motherboard.

Everyone keeps talking about how many fans they can put in it, the thing I like is you don't need to. It's all mesh, all you need is a decent air cooler and you can even leave the stock exhaust fan and put nothing else, and it still runs cool, and doesn't sound like you have a turbine engine in your room.

This has become how I like my cases, good natural air flow without fans. I did an ITX build in a Silverstone sugo 14 to the same effect. The thing is a gaming beast (7800x3d+7900xt), runs air cooling with one fan on the case - the exhaust fan behind the CPU - and that's it. And it still runs reasonably cool and you can barely hear the thing. I'm looking for full size cases built the same way, and not having much luck. Everything has multiple fans.

 

[kapone32]

What I'm saying is there are no good M-ATX motherboards. All the M-ATX boards are cheap, low end boards. If you want a non-low-end board, they only come in ATX and ITX.

The AP201 is awesome. No complaints about it at all. I got one because I had 80% of the parts for a computer laying around and figured I'd buy a MB, case, and PSU and build another one. I got the cheapest MB I could find and this case, and I was blown away by the case and wish they made an ATX version that can take a bigger motherboard.

Everyone keeps talking about how many fans they can put in it, the thing I like is you don't need to. It's all mesh, all you need is a decent air cooler and you can even leave the stock exhaust fan and put nothing else, and it still runs cool, and doesn't sound like you have a turbine engine in your room.

This has become how I like my cases, good natural air flow without fans. I did an ITX build in a Silverstone sugo 14 to the same effect. The thing is a gaming beast (7800x3d+7900xt), runs air cooling with one fan on the case - the exhaust fan behind the CPU - and that's it. And it still runs reasonably cool and you can barely hear the thing. I'm looking for full size cases built the same way, and not having much luck. Everything has multiple fans.

Some yes but not all M-ATX boards are bad. You mention ITX and that can be 3 times the cost of a MAtx and have the same specs. Like when you get a X670EI board and realize that you could have spent $100 more and gotten the Strix E. They are also more flexible than any ITX board in their tech channel. Where the AP201 and Micro ATX shine are HTPC. Make sure you get an AS Rock board as they are the only boards I know that support 4K 120hz on the MB HDMI port.

 

[gffermari]

There are some decent mATX mobos out there but probably only one at enthusiast level. The Asus Rog Crosshair Gene.
But it's ridiculously expensive and no point spending that much on a mobo unless you want to play with LN2 or other stuff on this caliber.

 

[HBSound]

Would some consider this a solid M-ATX option - Asus Pro WS W680M-ACE SE - https://www.asus.com/motherboards-components/motherboards/workstation/pro-ws-w680m-ace-se/

 

[kapone32]

Would some consider this a solid M-ATX option - Asus Pro WS W680M-ACE SE - https://www.asus.com/motherboards-components/motherboards/workstation/pro-ws-w680m-ace-se/

That is a workstation class board. The only issue is that it is LGA 1700 with all of the issues. That could also be a problem as this board is set to run at the highest voltages.

 

[AusWolf]

What I'm saying is there are no good M-ATX motherboards. All the M-ATX boards are cheap, low end boards. If you want a non-low-end board, they only come in ATX and ITX.

And what I'm saying is that you're mistaken. Look up the boards I mentioned, you'll find that they're pretty decent, comparable to their ATX counterparts.

 

[phxrider]

And what I'm saying is that you're mistaken. Look up the boards I mentioned, you'll find that they're pretty decent, comparable to their ATX counterparts.

Actually, your suggestions proved my point. Those boards are "pretty decent", but not even mid-end like the Strix B650E boards or the X670E Tomahawk.

I'm very familiar with the MSI Pro boards, there's an MSI Pro B550M in my AP201, and I put one in another system I built for a poor person who wanted a decent system for as little money as possible.... and it's a super low-end board, maybe MSI's lowest model, which I bought specifically because it was the cheapest AM4 board on Amazon. It's actually quite good, but for my own personal builds I'm looking for something in the ASUS B650E-F / B650E-I range with good audio and better USB ports (Pro only has 5Gig Gen 1 USB including the front-panel-only USB-C, vs 20Gig on my Strix boards) and more of them.

If ASUS made a shorter version of the B650E-F, it would be a perfect midrange M-ATX motherboard. But there is nothing that high up in anyone's range. They put all the effort into ITX.

 

[AusWolf]

Actually, your suggestions proved my point. Those boards are "pretty decent", but not even mid-end like the Strix B650E boards or the X670E Tomahawk.

I'm very familiar with the MSI Pro boards, there's an MSI Pro B550M in my AP201, and I put one in another system I built for a poor person who wanted a decent system for as little money as possible.... and it's a super low-end board, maybe MSI's lowest model, which I bought specifically because it was the cheapest AM4 board on Amazon. It's actually quite good, but for my own personal builds I'm looking for something in the ASUS B650E-F / B650E-I range with good audio and better USB ports (Pro only has 5Gig Gen 1 USB including the front-panel-only USB-C, vs 20Gig on my Strix boards) and more of them.

If ASUS made a shorter version of the B650E-F, it would be a perfect midrange M-ATX motherboard. But there is nothing that high up in anyone's range. They put all the effort into ITX.

I don't know what you're on about. You must have some unreasonably high standards or something. I have the MSi Pro B650M-A WiFi, and I can tell you, it's a great board. It has the same connectivity as the ATX version (except for the extra PCI slots), the same 14-phase VRM that runs cool, 8+4-pin CPU power for higher end models, a pretty decent BIOS, etc. What more do you want that this board doesn't have?

 

[phxrider]

I don't know what you're on about. You must have some unreasonably high standards or something. I have the MSi Pro B650M-A WiFi, and I can tell you, it's a great board. It has the same connectivity as the ATX version (except for the extra PCI slots), the same 14-phase VRM that runs cool, 8+4-pin CPU power for higher end models, a pretty decent BIOS, etc. What more do you want that this board doesn't have?

20 (or 40) gig USB-C ports and ALC1220 or ALC4080 audio, and better amp section.

Yes, of course, the Pro M-ATX has the same connectivity as the ATX version of the Pro. It does NOT have the same as, say, the B650 Tomahawk or Edge boards, which are MSI's mid-range ATX offerings, nor the MAG Mortar, which looks to be the M-ATX version of the Tomahawk and is probably the best M-ATX board out spec-wise. Specifically, the Pro maxes out at 10gig USB and has ALC897 sound, vs 20gig USB and ALC4080 sound on their mid-end boards.

Like I said, I've built 2 systems with B550M-Pro VDH boards and they are great boards when it comes to the basics, and I would not hesitate to recommend to someone looking to spend as little as possible on a computer. MSI even upgraded the Wi-Fi they put in them to the MT7922 / AMD RZ616 in later models.

I could live with a MSI Mortar Wi-Fi, it's not ideal because of the lack of PCI-E gen 5 M.2, but that's a future-proof concern, not immediate (I don't care about gen 5 on the x16 slot, as nothing even comes close to saturating gen 4 x16). The TUF and ASRock Riptide boards have gen 5 m.2, but are stuck with ALC897 sound, hence my recommendation for the MSI.

But back to the original point, which is: even with these boards, it's impossible to build a mid-level, future-proof AM5 PC in M-ATX. For a today-PC, the Mortar looks great though, IMO an easy choice in AM5 as its ALC4080 sound is a today-feature, while gen 5 M.2 is more of a future-proofing feature for if/when gen 5 SSDs come down in price and heat output.

 

[AusWolf]

20 (or 40) gig USB-C ports and ALC1220 or ALC4080 audio, and better amp section.

Yes, of course, the Pro M-ATX has the same connectivity as the ATX version of the Pro. It does NOT have the same as, say, the B650 Tomahawk or Edge boards, which are MSI's mid-range ATX offerings, nor the MAG Mortar, which looks to be the M-ATX version of the Tomahawk and is probably the best M-ATX board out spec-wise. Specifically, the Pro maxes out at 10gig USB and has ALC897 sound, vs 20gig USB and ALC4080 sound on their mid-end boards.

Like I said, I've built 2 systems with B550M-Pro VDH boards and they are great boards when it comes to the basics, and I would not hesitate to recommend to someone looking to spend as little as possible on a computer. MSI even upgraded the Wi-Fi they put in them to the MT7922 / AMD RZ616 in later models.

I could live with a MSI Mortar Wi-Fi, it's not ideal because of the lack of PCI-E gen 5 M.2, but that's a future-proof concern, not immediate (I don't care about gen 5 on the x16 slot, as nothing even comes close to saturating gen 4 x16). The TUF and ASRock Riptide boards have gen 5 m.2, but are stuck with ALC897 sound, hence my recommendation for the MSI.

But back to the original point, which is: even with these boards, it's impossible to build a mid-level, future-proof AM5 PC in M-ATX. For a today-PC, the Mortar looks great though, IMO an easy choice in AM5 as its ALC4080 sound is a today-feature, while gen 5 M.2 is more of a future-proofing feature for if/when gen 5 SSDs come down in price and heat output.

So you define midrange as having PCI-e 5.0 nvme which adds nothing to the user experience over 4.0, and having ALC 4080 instead of 897 where 99% of people can't hear, or don't have the equipment to hear any difference? This proves my point, your expectations are unrealistic.

Personally, I define midrange as having at least PCI-e 4.0 all around, a decent number of USB ports (about 6-8 will do), and a good enough VRM with a heatsink to run any CPU. Both the Asus TUF and MSi Pro classify.

 

[phxrider]

So you define midrange as having PCI-e 5.0 nvme which adds nothing to the user experience over 4.0, and having ALC 4080 instead of 897 where 99% of people can't hear, or don't have the equipment to hear any difference? This proves my point, your expectations are unrealistic.

Personally, I define midrange as having at least PCI-e 4.0 all around, a decent number of USB ports (about 6-8 will do), and a good enough VRM with a heatsink to run any CPU. Both the Asus TUF and MSi Pro classify.

MSI Pro is their lowest end, cheapest board. It is not in any sense "midrange". I'm not bagging on your stuff, I've already said the Pros I've built with are good boards, but they are entry-level, and the feature set backs that up. There are literally no AM5 boards without PCI-E gen 4, even the A620s have it - it's not something you get when you pay more. Features that every board has are not what defines a product range, it's the more/faster/better things that justify an upcharge over the cheap model. Midrange is B650E-F or X670E Tomahawk, like ~$230-$330. Sub $200 is not midrange in AM5.

And I don't care as much about audio CODEC per se, but the ones with ALC1220/4080s also typically come with better amp sections and if you have it hooked up to any decent speakers or an AVR via analog out, you WILL hear that in the form of lack of audible hiss and screeching during cut scenes where the frame rate goes through the roof. If you have $10 speakers, or use something with its own DAC in it like USB headphones or speakers, that won't matter to you.

 

[AusWolf]

MSI Pro is their lowest end, cheapest board. It is not in any sense "midrange". I'm not bagging on your stuff, I've already said the Pros I've built with are good boards, but they are entry-level, and the feature set backs that up. There are literally no AM5 boards without PCI-E gen 4, even the A620s have it - it's not something you get when you pay more. Features that every board has are not what defines a product range, it's the more/faster/better things that justify an upcharge over the cheap model. Midrange is B650E-F or X670E Tomahawk, like ~$230-$330. Sub $200 is not midrange in AM5.

And I don't care as much about audio CODEC per se, but the ones with ALC1220/4080s also typically come with better amp sections and if you have it hooked up to any decent speakers or an AVR via analog out, you WILL hear that in the form of lack of audible hiss and screeching during cut scenes where the frame rate goes through the roof. If you have $10 speakers, or use something with its own DAC in it like USB headphones or speakers, that won't matter to you.

Actually, the Pro series has a wide range of boards, ranging from ones with small and cheap VRMs and no extras (like the B650M-B), which I agree, are pretty low end. Although some others are pretty decent. I didn't choose the B650M-A WiFi because it's the bottom of the barrel cheap shit. It's pretty much comparable to the Tomahawk, just in a less fancy dress (which is a positive for me). Instead of generalising an entire range of products, maybe you should look up some specific models and decide for yourself in each case.

This is why I hate questions like "which brand of motherboard is the best". There's no such thing. Each model is different.