ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 PC Case Review

Conclusion

So what do we think about the TUF Gaming GT501? The long and short of it is that we think it is a solid case. Aesthetically, it’s design will be hit and miss depending on your own personal preferences, but if you have read this far, we’re going to assume that you like the look of this design.

With four pre-installed fans, the TUF Gaming GT501 features more out of the box airflow than most PC cases, which means that users of this chassis won’t need to buy and install additional fans to achieve adequate airflow. That said, you do have the option to install more fans if you want to. 

Cooling-wise, the only real criticism that we have for this case is that it’s fans are connected to a Molex connector out of the box, which implies that ASUS wants users to use this case with maxed out fan speeds at all times. The problem here is that this case’s included fans are loud when running at 100%, and we think this case runs at its best with lower fan RPMs, as they give us a much quieter experience with little to no impact on our thermal test results.

The TUF Gaming GT501’s fans did not scale when to higher RPMs, suggesting that the case’s front panel design is limiting airflow somewhat. That said, this case did not deliver bad thermal results, just results that may have been sub-optimal. Beyond that, changing the front panel design would dramatically change the look of this chassis. As always, there is an argument to be had as to whether cases should be designed to look nice, or to deliver optimal thermal performance for your hardware.

Water cooling enthusiasts should love the GT501, as it supports thick radiators, has space for a large reservoir, and would look great with a vertically mounted liquid cooled graphics card. Need a 60mm thick radiator at the top of this case? Yes, you can do that. And another 360mm radiator at the front? Yes, you can do that too. That’s plenty of cooling for a overclocked CPU and graphics card, even if the RTX 40 series decides to pull more watts.

Pricing-wise, we have found this case at retailers for around £165-170 at multiple retailers. To be honest, that price feels like it is on the high side. That said, between shipping/container prices going up and other supply chain issues, the same thing can be said about most PC cases these days. Beyond that, a fanless-version of this case is available for £100, but sadly this model is only available in black.

ASUS’ TUF Gaming GT501 is not a case that has wowed us, but it is a case that has given us a lot of ideal. After a quick look at this case, we were planning our liquid cooling loops and mods that could push this case to the next level. Overall, the GT501 is a solid design, and users of this case will have plenty of space to create an excellent PC inside of it.

The GT501 is a great project case, something that isn’t horrendously expensive that can act as a solid baseline for something excellent. If that is what you want, the GT501 is a great option, if not, you will have to accept this case for what it is. 

You can join the discussion on ASUS’ TUF Gaming GT501 chassis on the OC3D Forums.

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