A few weeks back I had the pleasure of reviewing an ASUS prebuilt that was, on paper, upper mid-tier but performed well above my expectations. Now I get to play with ASUS’ themed build centered around the decades popular mecha anime, Gundam.
I went into detail on the case specs and build quality of the Helios case in the previous review and this case is exactly that, just with Gundam detailing. Starting with the front-tempered glass panel, instead of the ASUS ROG Strix etching, we have a picture of a Gundam mech. I am not a fan of the anime but am told that this is from one of the most popular series and well known mechs. With the integrated RGB lighting along the side of the panel glowing through, the etching pops and becomes the focus of attention in any setup.
The case frame itself is finished in a brush aluminium. At first glance it’s not an obvious Gundam theme, but against the white interior and the white components, the aluminium offers a wonderful complement and the choice avoids the mistake of the aesthetics being too similar and thus losing any sense of detail. The side panels are the same tempered glass as the normal Helios – a nice choice, but also not one that I would want to move around to often for fear of shattering the glass in transit.
The right-hand side paneling makes sense in this build as the appropriately themed Z590 motherboard shows off a lovely white silk-screened picture of the Gundam mech through the motherboard tray cut-out. This white picture against the black PCB again draws the eye and is a great detail for any owner to show off.
Finally, the straps on the top of the case are present, but like the rest of the case, it’s Gundam themed with the anime logo set against a predominantly blue nylon strap with red and gold accents. The straps made moving the case from the box to my desk and back again easier. However, given the weight of this case plus all the components and the fact that this midi case is not that midi, its use case is more aesthetic than for dragging the system to LAN parties or for any frequent moves.
Internally the case is snow white, so it’s going to require frequent cleaning. The PSU shroud has a cut out to show off the themed PSU, but along the convenient bottom “basement cover” is some themed script, a detail carried through to the built GPU anti-sag bracket. A lovely detail that is probably never going to be seen is that three of the GPU slot covers are coloured red, yellow and blue. Being at the rear and with at least one likely to be removed for a horizontal GPU install, it is a detail not many will see let alone notice.
A themed case is only the start of the build, especially when you have one that is 70% glass.
To start tying your theme together and show off your fandom, the motherboard is key. The PCB is black with white silk-screened accents allowing it to stand out from the white case. The heatsinks and other shrouds are painted white with red, blue and yellow accents to match the case.
The matching paint is remarkable as getting that right is very difficult in the manufacturing process and while Asus manufacturers all these components, they will be made at the very least in different parts of their factories, so matching tones is a remarkable achievement. As mentioned, the rear has a silk-screened Gundam mech on it. Sadly, the detail will be lost as only a portion is on view via the rear tray cut-out. The board is a Z590 supporting both 10th and 11th gen Intel CPUs.
To cool the Core I9-10900k, a powerful CPU – even if it is now two generations old – is the ASUS ROG Strix LC360 RGB AIO. While not as fancy as the Ryujin II with its LCD screen, this is a cooler that is just as capable. The CPU block has the picture of the Gundam mech, which may not be as striking as a video or as useful for stats as the Ryujin II LCD, but it brings the theme together and reminds you that this is a Gundam themed build.
Of course a powerful CPU requires a powerful GPU. While a 3080 is in the works, this system had a still very powerful 3070. The white shroud stands out with RGB accents that can either be set to rotate through the Gundam colours of red, blue and yellow or via Aura sync to whatever colours you would like.
The final piece of this anime puzzle is the PSU, a ROG Strix 850G. Following a theme (hah) it is a white, fully modular PSU with the same coloured accents. It does come with optional badges off the mech’s head that can be affixed to the PSU, but it may restrict airflow to the PSU slightly. The cables are individually sleeved cables and come with red, blue and yellow cable ties.
When put together, the system is a near perfect themed build – as close to perfection as you can get with off-the-shelf parts.
Unfortunately South Africa only has access to these components locally. Overseas, ASUS has completed the theme with one of their brilliant XG279Q monitors. This 1440p 27” is one of the most sought-after panels on the market. To go along with the build and monitor they have manufactured a matching keyboard, mouse, mouse mat and headset. For the true fan, there is the RT-AX82U router.
If you had all that, you would be a true Gundam superfan. And yes, you have to be. While the premium for these components is not as high as you would think, there’s still a premium over normal versions to be paid for the privilege of owning this build. No one ever said that being a fan was cheap.
It goes without saying that this 10th gen system coupled with the 3070 is a gamer’s dream. 60FPS minimums in games was a given with the system often coming close to 100FPS averages in games like The Division 2. Raytracing, while not widely adopted, is gaining support quickly in AAA games and with DLSS2.0 performance, hits are not as noticeable. Control is one of the acknowledged games that pushes raytracing performance and the system handled it with ease. Gaming performance is not sacrificed on the altar of aesthetics.
The ASUS ROG Strix Gundam build may be a themed build, and when you start upgrading, the likelihood of their off-the-shelf themed components being available is unlikely. However, while the technology is relevant and theme coherent, it is something that you can show off to fellow geeks and something that you can be proud to display. It is unfortunate that we do not have local access to all the components available in this collaboration, but what we do have access to is enough to show off your fandom.
