There’s almost an abundance of PC cases, especially mid-tower chassis. The issue is the majority of these enclosures are similar in that they offer the basics without much else, yet manage to charge a small premium. Enter Asus with its ProArt PA602. The ProArt series of products from Asus are designed for professionals in the creative industry, but they can be used by anyone seeking an ecosystem of sleek-looking hardware. The Asus ProArt PA602 is an extension of this, bringing a unique design to the mid-tower ATX PC case.
This pricey PC case has a stealthy design, a smart filter monitoring system, wheels and handles for easier movement, excellent thermal performance with directed airflow, three included large fans, integrated GPU support, and the ability to hold up to a 420mm radiator in the top compartment. There are more features than I can round up in this introduction, so I’ll show you why this is one of the best cases I’ve tested so far and how it’s my go-to recommendation for professionals.
About this review: Asus provided XDA with a sample for this review but had no input to its contents.
Asus ProArt PA602
The king of professional PC cases
Asus has created the Mac Pro chassis of Linux and Windows PCs. The ProArt PA602 is a master case with smart features, best-in-class cooling, and a stealthy design without obnoxious RGB lighting.
Pros
- Smart dust sensor
- Sleek stealthy ProArt design
- Easy to build a system inside
- Excellent thermal performance
Cons
- Expensive
- Awkward PSU access
- Limited open-loop liquid cooling support
Price, specs, and availability
The ProArt PA602 can be bought for $269, which is a hefty price for the PC case alone. This doesn’t include the motherboard, CPU, GPU, and other parts that make a system work. Asus does include three beefy case fans to sweeten the deal. This currency will bag you a mid-tower chassis that feels like a full-tower. The Asus ProArt stylish design language is on show with plenty of branding and gold accents to compliment the all-black look. There’s a good use of metal, tempered glass, and ABS plastic to create a premium enclosure for a professional workstation.
The maximum motherboard size the ProArt PA602 can take is E-ATX, which is all you’d need for a workstation. With 450mm of space for the largest graphics cards, even the beefiest Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 will fit without problems. Four 3.5-inch drive mounts are at hand with an additional four 2.5-inch storage locations. When working with big data or numerous games, storage quickly becomes an issue, but not inside the PA602. All four 3.5-inch slots can be used for 2.5-inch SSDs if going all-flash.
RGB lighting is absent, aside from some LED indicators for power and the dust filter sensor. A six-pin fan controller is preinstalled and connected to the three fans Asus includes with the case. A power supply up to 190mm in length can be installed below the shroud (more on this later), and this is matched by the 190mm clearance for a CPU cooler. With many larger air coolers capable of handling an Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9, this is good to see from Asus with its professional chassis. The Asus ProArt PA602 has some beefy specifications.
Specifications
- Material
- Steel, ABS Plastic, Tempered Glass
- Motherboard Size (Max.)
- E-ATX
- Graphics Card Size (Max.)
- 450 mm
- 3.5″ Drive Slots
- 4
- RGB Lighting
- No
- Fan Controls
- Yes
- 2.5″ Drive Slots
- 4
- Power Supply Size (Max.)
- 190 mm
- Exterior Dimensions
- 593 x 560 x 245 mm
Design and features
One of the best-designed PC cases
The Asus ProArt PA602 has a unique box in that you remove the top half after four clips have been extracted. This allows for the case to be easily lifted out of the bottom section without needing to slide it out one side of the box, for it to hit the ground at an awkward angle. It’s also not the lightest mid-tower ATX case around, so it’s good to see the brand take this approach. Alongside the case is a manual, which is one of the best I’ve seen. Each process is laid out with illustrations and short, easy-to-follow steps.
Then there’s the small box of accessories. This holds some cable ties, screws for the PSU, motherboard, and drives, as well as brackets for customizing aspects of the PA602. The chassis is enclosed inside a black cloth bag to protect it against dust and wear through shipping. ProArt branding can be found throughout. Even if this is the first PC you’ll be building alone, Asus lays out every step of the process, getting you up and running in no time.
Even if this is the first PC you’ll be building alone, Asus lays out every step of the process, getting you up and running in no time.
Like many other PC cases, the Asus ProArt PA602 is a black slab of metal, plastic, and tempered glass. The front panel has 15 plastic vertical slits protruding from the filter. Like the Fractal Design North, this helps create channels for the front-facing fans to draw in cool air, but unlike the North case, Asus makes sure there’s ample space between each slit to allow enough air to pass through unimpeded. On top of the front panel is the I/O, consisting of a single 3.5mm jack, one USB-C port, two USB-A 2.0 ports, two USB-A 3.2 ports, fan controls, a reset button, a power button, and a physical power button lock.
The top panel is a massive grill for exhausting hot air from additional fans or an AIO liquid cooler radiator. This is flanked by two metal handlebars for lifting and moving the case. Within each channel are also two buttons to unlock the front panel and allow it to be removed to access the dust filters. The rear is your usual ATX mid-tower case affair, but Asus added a nifty GPU latch to hold the top three PCI slots without needing to remove screws. The right side of the PA602 is bare metal; the left is a tempered glass panel with a GPU vent.
Two wheels are hidden below the power supply, making it easy to slide the case around on the floor or a large desk. When fully built, the Asus ProArt PA602 can weigh almost 20kg. It’s a clean-looking PC case with dark aesthetics and gold accents for the ProArt branding, which can be found all over the place. It’s tastefully done, unlike some ROG branding where Asus can get too carried away. No part of the PA602 requires a tool, including removing the side, top, and front panels. Everything is secured using latches and thumbscrews.
There are some notable features not found on other PC cases. Asus installed an IR sensor on the front, just behind the filter, which monitors for dust. When the filter becomes clogged, a small LED illuminates showing it’s time to check the filter for possible cleaning.
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Building a PC
This is the easy part
Building a PC inside the Asus ProArt PA602 is a breeze. Removing all the panels is straightforward, leaving ample space to access everything stored within. The PSU shroud doubles up as angled deflectors to channel air up from the front area of the case to the most important section, populated by the motherboard, CPU, GPU, and other hot components. The same goes for the cable covers to the right of the motherboard tray. These are also angled to help direct air onto the motherboard.
Removing the PSU shrouds is an easy process, but this does involve removing a total of four Philips screws and extracting the front plastic and rear metal shrouds. This is required to access the PSU area since there’s not enough space on the opposite side for sliding in the power supply. Cable management is already well established on unboxing. Asus neatly aligned all the preinstalled cabling, making it easy to match their efforts with the various channels and included cable ties. It’s not quite as advanced as some of NZXT’s premium cases, but it’s more than good enough.
The six-pin fan controller is a nice touch that makes connecting three more blowers easy and keeps as many cables out of view as possible. Two HDD cages are at the bottom of the case for three 3.5-inch trays. If you do not plan on using 3.5-inch HDDs, these can be used for 2.5-inch drives or removed altogether for more space. Four SSD mounts can be found alongside the cable management column, with a further HDD/SSD slot behind the motherboard tray. This case has numerous storage options, especially when using a motherboard with a few M.2 slots.
Supporting E-ATX motherboards, installing our ATX test board was a non-issue. Almost all air coolers and AIO liquid kits will fit inside this chassis. With three fans preinstalled, Asus wants you to use a powerful CPU cooler and case fans to help exhaust hot air through the top of the case. I opted for a 360mm AIO kit and two powerful processors to see how airflow is inside the PA602. The GPU bracket makes installing (and swapping out) the card take a few seconds, especially when the motherboard has a quick-release latch.
Not too many GPUs will require support to prevent sagging unless the shroud is incredibly heavy or you’re using one of the more powerful AMD or Nvidia GPUs. Asus included a built-in stand to help elevate the GPU and maintain its form, primarily for aesthetics but it does work. Routing all the cables between the PSU, motherboard, and drives was easy with the available channels, cut-outs, and cable ties. Creating a clean-looking PC with this case is straightforward.
Thermal performance
Keeping everything cool
For thermals, the Asus ProArt PA602 is amazing. The two large 200mm fans on the front can suck in large volumes of air, sending it through the case. The 140mm rear blower is good for exhausting with positive pressure from the front of the case, but adding some fans up top with an AIO allows this ProArt case to shine. The Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X were no match for a decent 360mm AIO liquid cooler and the ProArt PA602. Playing games and general computing with video editing software rendering in the background saw CPU temperatures of around 75C and 69C for the two chips.
For thermals, the Asus ProArt PA602 is amazing. The two large 200mm fans on the front can suck in large volumes of air.
Testing an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT with the GPU support bracket and angled airflow toward the fans was a positive experience. I saw slightly lower temperatures that would be the case on one of our test benches, showing just how good the ProArt PA602 is at pushing cool air to where it’s needed most. Even with no active VRM cooling on the test AIO cooler, the amount of air moving through the motherboard didn’t see the VRMs hit as high temperatures as they typically would on our test bench with no active airflow.
It’s just a shame Asus was unable to add support for open-loop solutions. A custom liquid cooling inside the ProArt PA602 would have looked great. There are mounts for fans that can hold reservoirs and pumps, but to have everything separate makes for easier maintenance. This is a minor complaint as most PC owners will opt for air and AIO liquid coolers that don’t require much to install. But this is an enthusiast case, at least for professionals who can be somewhat tech-savvy when building a PC.
Competition
There’s stiff competition in the mid-tower PC case segment. Almost everyone and their grandparents have released a mid-tower PC case. Asus manages to set itself apart with the array of features on the ProArt PA602 … and that price. Mainstream cases that come close to what Asus is offering for airflow include the NZXT H9 Flow RGB. PC cases are becoming more like furniture and form has certainly taken over function in many cases (pun intended!). The Asus ProArt PA602 foc uses on function while looking great.
be quiet!’s Dark Base Pro 901 deserves a mention. It has it all, including a wireless phone charger and some of the best noise-dampening on the market. It’s also expensive, making the Asus ProArt PA602 look reasonably priced. The ProArt chassis isn’t as modular as the be quiet! case and all three of these cases I’ve highlighted are designed for different markets, but for mid-towers, they’re about as good as you can get outside the trusty Lian Li O11 Dynamic.
Should you buy the Asus ProArt PA602?
You should buy the Asus ProArt PA602 if:
- You have powerful components and need a case with more than adequate cooling.
- You will be using a larger GPU and can use a support bracket.
- You don’t want a chassis with countless RGB LEDs.
You shouldn’t buy the Asus ProArt PA602 if:
- You don’t feel comfortable spending more than $250 on a case.
- You don’t have powerful hardware that requires high-end cooling.
- You want to build a custom open-loop liquid cooler.
The Asus ProArt PA602 is not only a gorgeous PC case, but it’s also functional. Taking apart the chassis to install all your components, using it daily, and cleaning out filters are all straightforward. Asus has thought of almost everything. The PSU shroud in sections to reveal everything underneath and aid installation, but this is required for the power supply. While one won’t be swapping out their PSU often, other PC cases have an easier process of sliding in the PSU from the side. Four 3.5-inch bays and four 2.5-inch mounts can hold HDDs and SSDs, or you can go all-flash with eight drives.
It’s an excellent case for professionals and anyone seeking a high-end chassis with premium features and great performance.
The HDD cages can be removed for extra space below, but the ProArt PA602 does a stellar job directing cool air within the chassis, you won’t have to worry about them being present. The integrated fan controller is good to go with the preinstalled blowers already connected. It’s up to you whether you wish for an additional three to be controlled through this device (and the front panel I/O) or for an AIO radiator to be installed for the motherboard to handle CPU temperatures. The PRoArt PA602 can be used with air and liquid coolers without issue.
The dust sensor is a nice touch and one I’ve not seen on any other PC case that has passed through XDA’s doors for review. The power button lock is great for ensuring no one can interfere with your work and your PC hardware can run at designed speeds with the amount of cool air that can be pushed through this case. It’s an excellent case for professionals and anyone seeking a high-end chassis with premium features and great performance.
Asus ProArt PA602
Designed for professionals and those who want more from their PC case, the Asus ProArt PA602 is a masterful chassis. With three massive fans preinstalled and ready to go, this behemoth of a case will keep your internal components cool inside a sleek enclosure. There’s even dust filter monitoring!