A Closer Look

Taking a closer look at the system, the front, or if you use the vertical stand, the top, is the reservoir, which of course features addressable RGB lighting. Turning to the left side, you can see one of the major intake vents along with the various logos of the companies involved, including Comino and ASUS. Towards the bottom-right corner, the power button is placed in the Otto logo, along with a USB Type-C connector. No front panel audio ports are available, nor are there any other USB ports here. Instead, only what's included on the motherboard is available.


Taking a look at the back, no optional expansion slots are available at this time, but keep in mind that our review sample is a pre-production version. Currently, the graphics card uses a custom I/O bracket that holds it snug to the chassis, which would make future upgrades a bit tricky. However, according to Comino, final production units will utilize standard PCI brackets. As for the motherboard I/O, it is your usual setup with no custom cover—any typical Mini-ITX board should fit, so there is no cause for worry if you want to take the plunge and build your own custom Otto. As for the right-side panel, it's mostly a mirror image of the left, but lacks the front panel I/O from the other side.


A quick look at the top shows the white 280 mm radiator, which handles the system's cooling with two 140 mm Noctua fans. The amount of venting on the top, sides, and bottom should mean plenty of fresh air gets sucked in from all sides to eventually get forced through the radiator and out the top. As for the bottom, it has the same massive vented surface as the top, but with a small white strip, which is part of the internal divider separating the power supply from the other internal zones. It also makes it a bit easier to identify the bottom and adds a bit of support as an added bonus.


Taking a closer look at the rear of the system, or bottom if vertical, we can see it has 1x DP out (1.2), 1x HDMI out (1.4), 4x USB 3.1 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x LAN RJ45, 2x ASUS Wi-Fi GO!, 5x audio jacks, and 1x optical S/PDIF out. On the GPU side, the RTX 2080 Ti provided by ASUS comes with 2x DisplayPort, 2x HDMI, and 1x USB Type-C. You can also get a closer look at the custom bracket which screws to the GPU and holds it firmly to the chassis, although it is limited to the pre-production samples. A closer look at the front shows the channels the coolant takes through the reservoir with the pump secured directly behind it. As for the front I/O, while minimalist in design, the way it is incorporated into the Otto logo is quite elegant; sadly, it is a bit spartan if you use the included stand for a vertical setup.


A slightly closer look at the top and bottom shows the chassis is not flat, but instead features concave panels. This gives the system a slightly more striking look than a more traditional, boring boxy design.


As for the vertical setup, it's a pain and limits your ability to plug anything else in, especially with the limited front panel I/O, although it looks pretty nice. The only other thing I don't like with the vertical design is the lack of lighting towards what would be the bottom of the case. In the vertical position, it looks more like the LEDs in that region are dead, although there in fact aren't any. Regardless, the system is capable of lying flat, which looks much better. Some extra RGB lighting down in there would of course make the vertical orientation more appealing visually, but the traditional setup with no base is the way to go in terms of usability even then, all while making the lack of lighting in that spot less of an issue.


As for the RGB lighting, it look pretty damn good overall. To be honest, my photos don't really do it justice. it's not overly bright or in your face, but does make for nice ambient lighting, and ASUS Aura Sync via Armoury Crate worked just fine, so you have plenty of lighting options and modes to pick from.