Asus Prime AP201: The emmental among computer cases

SSD cooling tests and under-ceiling temperature

Cheaper, yet decent cases are not completely gone from the market yet. One such case is the Prime AP201 from Asus’ lower-end. Considering the price well under 100 EUR, you get a case with a above-standard build quality, which is characterized by the “infinite” perforation. Cool air is thus available to components theoretically from all sides. But this also means that it doesn’t damp noise too much. The question is what weighs more in the bigger picture.

Basic parameters

Exterior

The case, packed in a cardboard box, is surrounded by foam, which is rare in its price range. It makes it much easier to take the case out of the box, and it also doesn’t make a mess like polystyrene balls. The accessories include screws and single-use zip ties in addition to, and unconventionally, spare studs/clips for securing the outer panels. After all, it’s a fairly fragile, moving part and being able to replace it when damaged will come in handy.

Out of the box, you have a sturdy mini-tower case in front of you, but with the length of those midi-tower ones. The tested AP201 version is largely made up of metal only and that includes the left side panel. Each side of the case has a large number of 1.5mm holes. Their number is over 57,000 according to the manufacturer, so it is a very well ventilated case with the potential for efficient cooling. You can also choose a variant with tempered glass instead of holes in the left side panel.

   

The only telltale sign that it is an Asus case is on the right side panel. Even that is very unobtrusive and quite small for the size of the case. The latching mechanism holds the side panels firmly on the case and thanks to it, it is also possible to easily take them off tool-lessly. Fractal Design uses almost the same method for more expensive cases. The only difference is in the shape of the handle and the pin.

   

The front part, as well as the side panels, is perforated almost entirely. On the top of it there is a strip of solid sheet metal with a mounted I/O panel. I appreciate its placement in the front and not on top, mainly because it makes it much harder for dust to get into the connectors. It also makes accessing the I/O panel easier if you have the case placed on a desk. There are three USB connectors, one of which is Type-C. Although the price of the case is well under 100 euros, its theoretical speed is up to 10 Gbps. The other two type As reach theoretical speeds of up to 5 Gb/s. There’s also a 2×3.5mm jack for headphones and microphone. In the middle between the connectors, you’ll find the power button lined with a white LED backlight, indicating active status. Pressing it is pleasant, with a tactile response.

   

Behind the front panel, which can be removed just as easily as the side panels, there are additional openings. But this time they are bigger. But this space is not intended for system fans as is usually the case. Along the sides of the top section is a trio of holes that allow you to adjust the positioning of the power supply mount from the inside. The bottom half can accommodate storage. Either 2.5″ into the holes marked “S” or 3.5″ into the ones marked “H”.

   

The top of the case only serves to vent the warm air from the case. Under the removable panel you will find positions for three 120 or two 140 mm fans. Alternatively, you can also use the space to mount a 280/360 mm liquid cooler radiator.

   

In the back of the case you will not find a hole for the power supply but only a power connector in the top. I miss the power switch here though, as there is no power supply outlet. There is plenty of space where the switch could be placed. You could cut out the perforations right next to the connector. You’ll also find a hole for the motherboard I/O panel and four slot covers for PCI Express expansion cards. The number of caps indicates that the ATX motherboard format is not supported in this case.

The lower part of the case is perforated like the rest of the case. As a bonus, there is also a fine nylon dust filter. This is attached to the case by magnets around the perimeter, making it relatively easy to remove and clean. That is, except that you have to lift some part of the case to remove it. The edges are precisely shaped to fit between all four feet. These are fitted with non-slip pads and these hold the case firmly in place.

Cheaper, yet decent cases are not completely gone from the market yet. One such case is the Prime AP201 from Asus’ lower-end. Considering the price well under 100 EUR, you get a case with a above-standard build quality, which is characterized by the “infinite” perforation. Cool air is thus available to components theoretically from all sides. But this also means that it doesn’t damp noise too much. The question is what weighs more in the bigger picture.

Interior

Even though it is a smaller case, the interior offers plenty of space albeit with minor compromises. For example, you can’t fit a MSI RTX 4080 Suprim X sized graphics card in the case. Their maximum length can be “only” 338 mm, which is still enough space to choose a graphics card on the more powerful side. You also have to take into account that if you want this airy case, you’ll have to look around for Mini-ITX, maximum mATX motherboard formats. Larger ones are not supported. What you will have a free hand in choosing though is a tower CPU cooler. You can install one in the case with a height of up to 170 mm.

On the front, there is a panel with the same inscription as on the right side: Asus Prime case. It serves to cover the cables from the power supply but also from the front I/O panel of the case. For easier handling and connecting, you have the option to remove it using four screws. But it’s already worse with its reinsertion. It has to be tilted at a precise angle to put it back. I admit that I found myself literally losing my nerve with this panel.

The grommets for the cables are not fitted with rubber caps, so they are not reduced in size. The holes are 29–30 mm wide, so you can easily thread a larger bundle of cables through them.

   

Behind the front panel is a cage for mounting an ATX format power supply. The cage can be stacked at three heights on the front panel as required. In the highest position you have 270 mm of space for the power supply with cables and in the lowest 230 mm. Under the cage you can mount 2.5 or 3.5″ storage directly on the panel.

   

You can use every part of the case, so even the ground floor doesn’t have to remain empty. You can fit two more 2.5″ or 3.5″ internal storage units, or a combination of both. Simply secure them with screws through the precisely marked holes (“S” and “H”) of the respective storage format.

   

If you don’t need more storage, the ground floor can also be used for two 120 mm fans.

The case comes with one 120 mm fan with the designation ZFH1225M. Asus does not offer this fan separately, so it will probably be an OEM fan. It is powered by a 3-pin connector, so you will only have regulation in the form of linear (DC) voltage.

Behind the right side panel are all the cables from the case and one, less traditional, extra – an extension for the power supply. They are all located in the trough along with the grommets, which is not an ideal combination for cable management. There is a solid 32mm of space in the trough for organizing and threading cables from both the power supply and the case’s I/O panel. For ease of use, you have three Velcro pull-tabs pre-installed, which isn’t always a given in this price range. Outside of the trough, you can use the other 20 positions to attach cables with single-use zip-ties from the accessory box. There is only 12 mm of space left for cables in these positions.

   

On the tray behind the motherboard is the last final position for storage, specifically 2.5-inch storage. This is mounted on a bracket this time, so you can easily remove it and the bracket with a single screw.

The side panels and the body are made of 0.85 mm thick sheet metal. This makes the Prime AP201 a sturdy case with minimal sheet metal flex. Of course, the perforated panels are slightly more flexible.

   

Mounting the hardware into the case was kind of a piece of cake. Manipulation inside was easy, which was greatly helped by the 60 mm of space above the motherboard. With that, connecting the power supply to the processor was a breeze. When managing the cabling, I was worried about the main trough for organizing it, as there are grommets in there as well. But the fears were unnecessary, and in the 32mm space you can easily hide and also thread the cabling in there as you need it.

If you can’t manage the cabling to your maximum satisfaction, it doesn’t matter so much if you have a version of the case with both perforated sides. The smaller the viewing angle of the side panel is, the more the imperfections are lost.

   

Cheaper, yet decent cases are not completely gone from the market yet. One such case is the Prime AP201 from Asus’ lower-end. Considering the price well under 100 EUR, you get a case with a above-standard build quality, which is characterized by the “infinite” perforation. Cool air is thus available to components theoretically from all sides. But this also means that it doesn’t damp noise too much. The question is what weighs more in the bigger picture.

Test methodology

The case only comes with one pre-installed fan, which Asus doesn’t even offer separately. In addition to the supplied fan in the rear exhaust position, we will also test adding two more 120mm Oxal 120 fans from Genesis. Specifically under the ceiling in the role of exhausting warm air, and we will also mount them on the ground floor under the graphics card for sucking in cool air.

Testing is done in a home environment where I strive for the most accurate results possible. In the room during testing, the air temperature in front of the case is 23 degrees Celsius and the minimum noise level I can measure with the Voltcraft SL-100 noise meter is 32.4 dBA. The sensor of the noise meter is aligned to the center of the top of the case at a distance of 10 cm, for the best measurement of the speed difference of the fans, which I change using the motherboard. For easy comparison to other cases, they are always regulated to fixed noise levels.

Individual components are heated for 10 minutes in FurMark synthetic stress tests and with Prime95 (custom settings) at the same time. This time is long enough to allow all components to warm up sufficiently. There are then 15-minute cooling breaks between tests, during which the component temperatures (and the case air temperature as well) are brought back to default.

Noise mode levels:

• 36 dBA
• 38 dBA
• 39 dBA

Cheaper, yet decent cases are not completely gone from the market yet. One such case is the Prime AP201 from Asus’ lower-end. Considering the price well under 100 EUR, you get a case with a above-standard build quality, which is characterized by the “infinite” perforation. Cool air is thus available to components theoretically from all sides. But this also means that it doesn’t damp noise too much. The question is what weighs more in the bigger picture.

CPU and GPU cooling tests

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Cheaper, yet decent cases are not completely gone from the market yet. One such case is the Prime AP201 from Asus’ lower-end. Considering the price well under 100 EUR, you get a case with a above-standard build quality, which is characterized by the “infinite” perforation. Cool air is thus available to components theoretically from all sides. But this also means that it doesn’t damp noise too much. The question is what weighs more in the bigger picture.

Motherboard cooling tests

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Cheaper, yet decent cases are not completely gone from the market yet. One such case is the Prime AP201 from Asus’ lower-end. Considering the price well under 100 EUR, you get a case with a above-standard build quality, which is characterized by the “infinite” perforation. Cool air is thus available to components theoretically from all sides. But this also means that it doesn’t damp noise too much. The question is what weighs more in the bigger picture.

SSD cooling tests

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Temperature under the ceiling

Cheaper, yet decent cases are not completely gone from the market yet. One such case is the Prime AP201 from Asus’ lower-end. Considering the price well under 100 EUR, you get a case with a above-standard build quality, which is characterized by the “infinite” perforation. Cool air is thus available to components theoretically from all sides. But this also means that it doesn’t damp noise too much. The question is what weighs more in the bigger picture.

Conclusion

The perforations on each side of the case played a big part with the single, factory-fitted fan as well. The graphics card has access to a lot of cool air from the bottom of the case, which it can use to its advantage. That is, unless you place two fans directly underneath it for intake. In this case, it had a negative result and the temperatures deteriorated by three to four degrees. It also had a negative effect on the CPU cooling and degraded it by two to six degrees Celsius. Fitting two 120 mm fans under the ceiling to suck the warm air out of the case has a positive effect, especially for the processor, but also for the voltage regulators of the motherboard or for the graphics card.

Asus took great care in crafting the case. The sheets are solid and fit together perfectly. Removing and fitting the side panels is very quick and easy thanks to the latching system.An almost identical system is also used by Fractal Design for mid and higher-end cases. The inside of the Prime AP201 can probably be used in its entirety. You can fit either two storage units or two 120mm fans on the ground floor. Connectivity-wise, the 80-euro case doesn’t disappoint. There are two USB Type-A connectors and one faster Type-C connector.

Hardware installation is very simple, that is, except for the inner side panel. Fitting it back into the case is all about precision – you need to hit the exact angle at which it can be put back in. Everything else was already very easy and quick thanks to the larger space between the motherboard and the ceiling. The case is undemanding when it comes to cable management, and thanks to the 32mm of space, it can forgive you quite a lot. Also, the large grommets were very helpful when threading cables.

Cooling performance, and the potential to improve it even further with additional fans/liquid cooler on the CPU, is at a high level. Especially for a graphics card. The structure is durable, meticulously crafted and the connectivity doesn’t lag behind either. With this combination and even with only one fan in the package, the AP201 with perforated side panels deserves the “Smart buy!” award.

• Contents
• Exterior
• Interior
• Test methodology
• CPU and GPU cooling tests
• Motherboard cooling tests
• SSD cooling tests and under-ceiling temperature
• Conclusion