We like it when companies publish 3D printable mods for their products.
We like it even more when they are well designed and aesthetically pleasing.
That’s why in this article, we will be taking a look at a few 3D printable widgets from Taiwanese PC manufacturer ASUS, who have uploaded a bunch of CAD files to their website.
ROG
First up, let’s just point out that this is NOT a sponsored post…but I use a ROG for all my CAD and rendering work, so that’s why the interest here.
Quick review: They are pricey, but powerful, fairly reliable, and they don’t come bogged down with bloatware. That’s it. That’s the review.
Let’s take a look at some of the 3D printable goodies on offer.
The ASUS 3D Printing Project
The project page features mods for the ROG Strix X99 Gaming and ROG Rampage V Edition 10 motherboards.
First up, we have the Z170 Pro Gaming AURA – M.2 fan holder, as you can see in the image below. The ROG machines can get a little toasty sometimes, so anything that helps to keep them cool while playing the latest games on max graphics is welcome for sure.
Next up on offer is the SLI bridge cover, as seen below. The SLI (Scalable Link Interface) bridge is the bit that joins your graphics cards together, if they are SLI capable.
Cables
Nobody likes a bunch of cables hanging out all over the place. Good cable management not only looks good but keeps things orderly for when you wish to assemble/disassemble your hardware in the future.
The ASUS 3D Printing Project has a couple of items to this end, the first being the Z170 Pro Gaming AURA – Cable Cover, as you can see below. For those interested, the Aura feature on ROG machines allows you to control your RGB hardware features such as illuminated keys, and lighting on the CPU casing. This little widget covers the unsightly cables running from your power supply board to the RGB strips.
And that’s not all for cable management.
If you have more general cable needs, then you can print the cable comb, which features 24 pins to keep everything orderly and nice.
If you can’t beat em…
Interestingly, there are a lot of websites (such as Carousell / Lazada / Shoppee) that have been selling knockoff 3D printed ROG hardware for quite some time. You can see an example of that in the image below.
Has ASUS decided to put an end to this by offering “official” files for printing? Maybe. But given the huge range of printed ROG hardware from “3rd parties”, it seems ASUS may need to step up their game a little if they want to stop people from profiting from their brand.
But for now, it’s a nice start, and as ASUS mentions on their website, they are the first motherboard manufacturer to offer 3D printed parts for their systems.
Who will be next?
If you would like to get your hands on the “official” ROG files, which include the items listed in this article (and more), then you can check out what is on offer from ASUS over at this link here.
