ASUS PRIME AP202 ARGB PC Case Review
Meet the ASUS PRIME AP202 ARGB
ASUS’ newest PC case is stunning!
Let’s be honest, most PC cases from motherboard/GPU brands are typically for fans of that brand. In other words, they are for PC builders who want their hardware to match and come from the same family of products. In the case of the ASUS PRIME AP202 ARGB, that’s for “ALL-ASUS” PCs. However, I would argue that this case has elevated itself past the status of a mere “ASUS fanboy” PC chassis.
With minimal branding and a stunning design, the ASUS Prime AP202 is a case that I would be comfortable using, even if it weren’t ASUS-branded. By that, I mean that this case should be of interest to those who aren’t specifically looking for ASUS branding. This isn’t a case that will be bought for its logo alone.
This isn’t a generic case that happens to have an ASUS logo slapped onto it. The PRIME AP202 is a case that has its own ideas, and we love it for that. That said, there are some aspects of this PC case that we don’t like.
Patented GPU cooling Vent
One of the ideas that we like for this case is its “slot vent”, which allows air to be drawn in from outside of the AP202 and towards the user’s graphics card. Yes, placing fans under a graphics card isn’t new, but more often than not, these fans have poor access to air, often drawing air from inside a case’s PSU chamber. With this design, cool air is taken from the outside of the case and shot at the user’s GPU. Great news for anyone with a high-power GPU like an RTX 5080 or RTX 5090.
Hardware Support
The ASUS PRIME AP202 ARGB is a MATX PC case. That means that this case only supports ATX and MATX motherboards. Full-sized ATX motherboards will not fit inside this PC case. This makes this PC case smaller than most. Regardless, it can still fit a 360mm liquid cooling solution, a full-sized ATX PSU (up to 200mm long), and a GPU up to 420mm long.
One thing that we will note is that this case doesn’t support ASUS’ BTF series PC components. This is a shame, as ASUS has created MATX BTF series motherboards in the past (the TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI). We feel that this is a missed opportunity for ASUS, as this case would look great with BTF series hardware and its “hidden cable” aesthetic.
Custom Testing
Our standard PC case hardware test equipment is ATX-sized. That means that we will have to do some custom testing for this PC case. Sadly, this means that we cannot compare the ASUS PRIME AP202 to other cases. That said, if it can handle a PC with an AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and an RTX 3080, it should handle almost any modern hardware config that users can throw at it.
For our testing, we used a Ryzen 9 9900X GPU, a White ROG Strix RTX 3080 graphics card, an 850W ROG Strix White power Supply, an ROG Strix B850-G Gaming White motherboard, and a white ASUS ROG RYUO III 360 CPU cooler. We also installed two fans at the base of this case for additional airflow.
Lighting
As this case’s name suggests, the ASUS PRIME AP202 ARGB features ARGB lighting elements. The case’s three pre-installed fans (rear exhaust and side exhausts) are all ARGB illuminated. This case’s GPU vent is also ARGB illuminated, making this part both a functional and aesthetic addition to the case.
ASUS PRIME AP202 Pricing
On ASUS’ webstore, the PRIME AP202 ARGB is listed for £109.99.
