The ROG ITX concept case is designed for serious enthusiasts

Anyone can build a killer gaming PC in a full-size ATX tower, but it’s much more difficult to finesse high-end hardware into a compact form factor. Even if you get a big graphics card and a beefy CPU to physically fit in a small case, good luck trying to keep them cool.

The very best components host sophisticated processors composed of billions of transistors packed into impossibly dense dies. As a result, they run hot, often dissipating hundreds of watts of heat. But those are the parts that deliver the highest frame rates, the lowest render times, and the smoothest multitasking. Perhaps that’s why small PCs packed with cutting-edge tech are some of the most impressive…and elusive. Not for much longer, though.

ROG is gearing up to help you triumph over physics with an ITX case that is naturally diminutive but loaded with provisions for high-performance cooling. Premium materials, fully modern I/O, and eye-candy extras like an integrated color OLED all reinforce this case’s top-shelf status.

A body to die for

Before you ever have the chance to reach out and inspect ROG’s new ITX concept case, the meticulously arranged interior, brushed aluminum, and tempered glass surfaces catch your eye. Much of the enclosure is see-through, allowing you and your friends to admire the handiwork within. Ribbed aluminum cuts across the clear side panel subtly cover the power supply and focus your eyes on the CPU, GPU, and cooling subsystem. Glass covers much of the top side too, ending at a strip of front-accessible I/O that includes two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, and one USB 3.1 Gen 2 port in Type-C trim.

The magic happens inside

While we know you’ll love the concept of this pretty case, the engineering that went on inside is even more impressive. There’s room for a mini-ITX motherboard of course, opening the door to a number of gamer-oriented Intel LGA 1151 and AMD Socket AM4 platforms. An 11-degree slant keeps the board off the bottom panel, creating extra room for air circulation and cable management. The angle also serves to turn heads, and your motherboard and graphics card become attention-grabbers behind the tempered glass.

There’s plenty of space for either air- or liquid cooling, and the chassis gives you 320 mm of length to accommodate a graphics card. Our Turbo GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11GB would be an excellent option since it pulls in cool ambient air and exhausts waste heat from its slot bracket. Even the mighty ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti OC Edition 11GB fits, though. Ventilation abounds, so you’re able to sit the chassis up on its raised panels in different orientations without affecting thermal performance.

Whichever bays you don’t populate with a radiator will accept 120 mm cooling fans. The top and side each take two, while the bottom has space for one right in front of the power supply. This leaves a nice big pad for a potent PSU. Whereas many ITX cases limit you to 100-mm-deep SFX form factors, this concept is also compatible with ATX supplies up to 160 mm long.

Thanks to the convenience of M.2, it’s possible to mount a couple of PCIe-attached SSDs to a mini-ITX motherboard like our ROG Strix Z390-I GAMING and never have to mess with a drive bay. However, if you’d rather add a SATA-based SSD or mechanical disk, the ITX concept case supports one of each.

Now we’re just showing off

Every crevasse of this case exudes enthusiast DNA, but to add a touch of pizazz that builders would have a tough time incorporating on their own, we included a 1.77” LiveDash color OLED that’s able to report important temperatures, voltages, fan speeds, and clock rates. The chassis also offers its own software capable of customizing the LED and adjusting fan speeds.

In the not-too-distant past, power users struggled to work fast hardware into their mini-ITX builds, but as manufacturing advanced and efficiency improved, it became possible to construct veritable workstations in the densest of cases without thermal complications. Our ITX concept case doesn’t try to be the smallest enclosure out there. Instead, it hosts a platform small enough to be slung over your shoulder and hauled off to a LAN party, while still offering copious room for cooling.

Designed in true ROG style with expert engineering and a host of extras, this case will have your friends wondering where you found such a tricked-out PC. Stay tuned for more updates on availability as we put the finishing touches on our newest chassis.

We announced a lot of hot new tech at Computex 2019. You can find all of the latest gear from ASUS and ROG in this article.

By Paul Cross