Exploring the ASUS ProArt PA401 Wood Edition: Thermals, Noise Levels and User Insights

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The ASUS ProArt PA401 Wood Edition is a compact mid-tower case designed with creators in mind. It blends a minimalist aesthetic with subtle wood accents, aiming to offer a quieter, more refined alternative to typical gaming-focused enclosures. While it doesn’t scream for attention, it does promise thoughtful design and practical features. 

You can check out the full unboxing experience in the video below.

We put it through a full build to see how well it holds up in real-world use. From layout quirks to thermal behaviour, here’s how the PA401 performs once you start working with it. 

 Starting with the build experience itself. It was relatively smooth, but there are some quirks worth pointing out. 

The motherboard tray includes a captive standoff in the middle, which helps guide the board into place. That’s a simple touch that makes a noticeable difference, especially when installing the board vertically. However, there's no GPU support bracket included, which feels like a bit of a miss for a case in this price point, especially one that supports vertical GPU mounting. 

The side panel design is nice in terms of usability. It's tool-less and locks securely, but once removed, you really notice how compact this case is - it’s not built with bulky GPUs or massive coolers in mind. There's very little flex, which is great for build quality, but that compactness does come with trade-offs, especially in terms of component fit. 

The cable cut-outs don’t have rubber grommets, but they’re well-sized and smooth enough that you won’t need to worry about damaging cables during the build. That said, the lack of grommets does take away a bit of that clean, polished look you'd expect from something in the ProArt line-up. 

If you’re routing your GPU cables through the lower cut-out, I’d recommend planning ahead. Ideally, deal with those cables before fully installing the PSU. If you've already got the power supply in, you'll want to undo the two mounting screws, slide it back slightly, and then route your cables before locking it in place. It's doable, but tight.

One of the high points for me was cable management. The included velcro straps are massive, like hilariously oversized in the best way, and they do a great job at keeping everything in place. There are also a lot of tie-down points on the back, which can help keep things neat. You can actually get a clean finish without much effort, which I always appreciate. 

Fan and radiator installation? That is mostly painless. The top bracket can be removed completely, which makes installing a radiator or fans up there significantly easier. But remember, 240mm is your max here. No 280 or 360s. This again brings us back to the limitations of the form factor. 

One last aesthetic point I want to mention is about the wood accents. I really like the idea, and I get what ASUS was going for, but I think they could’ve leaned into it more. The current implementation is so subtle that it looks like fake wood at first glance, especially under indoor lighting. If you’re going to call it a “Wood Edition,” then let that natural material shine a bit more. 

With the system up and running, it was time to put the ProArt PA401 through its paces to see how it handles thermals and acoustics. 

Let's start with the 100% fan speed mode first.  

The CPU peaked at 54 degrees Celsius, and the GPU reached 53 degrees. These temperatures are fairly typical for a case of this size with a more compact airflow layout. The larger front intake fans clearly help keep the system cool while staying quiet, but we're beginning to bump into limitations when it comes to high-end hardware. The fans on this case run much slower than recently reviewed Lancool 217 from Lian Li which also makes them run significantly quieter. 

Switching to 40 dBa fan mode paints a slightly different picture. The CPU temperature increased to 55 degrees, while the GPU saw a 5-degree increase, landing at 58 degrees. This places the PA401 solidly in the middle of the stack. The thick 160 mm front fans are doing a lot of the heavy lifting, but it would be nice to have a few extra fans in there to push the hot air out.  

Compared to the Lian Li 217, which peaked around 51 to 52 dBa, the ASUS lands in a nice sweet spot, especially at full fan speed, which makes sense given the inclusion of that fan selector switch. I’d actually make use of it, probably setting it to the quieter 40 dBa mode by default and toggling to full speed only when extra cooling is needed. 

In both scenarios, the case performed close to other compact mid-tower designs we've tested, especially those with similar cooling constraints. It's not a thermal powerhouse, but it holds its own, particularly for users prioritising a clean and quiet desk setup over squeezing in some power-hungry components. 

Now to sum it all up: it’s a case that delivers on its promises for the right type of user. If you’re a creator, designer, or someone who values a clean aesthetic and a quieter workspace, this could be a great fit. The build quality is solid, cable management is genuinely impressive, and features like the fan mode toggle and power button lock show that ASUS has put thought into real-world use cases. 

Of course, it’s not for everyone. The limited clearance, modest radiator support, and the wood styling won’t appeal to all tastes. But for those who appreciate that blend of form and function, it hits the mark really well. 

This isn’t a case designed to push limits - it’s built to stay out of your way. And for many creators, that’s exactly the kind of reliability they’re after.