ASUS Announces New Motherboard with Customizable 3D Printable Features

Award-winning Taiwanese computer hardware and electronics manufacturer ASUS is releasing their Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura motherboard designed to offer customers top of the line looks and features on a budget. The feature-packed 3D printing-friendly design of the new ASUS motherboard is affordable and highly customizable thanks to a series of spaces on the board that are fully customizable with 3D printed components. This allows users to create motherboards designed specifically for custom machines, including personalized parts, color options and even useful features and functional accessories. The new design also includes ASUS’ cool Aura RGB lighting kit which can be programmed to light up based on sound, temperature or custom patterns.

The ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura motherboard.

The Z170 Pro Gaming line of motherboards include plenty of industry standard features that are usually included on much more expensive boards. It is an ATX motherboard for a LGA 1151 6th Gen. Intel processor with the Z170 chipset that includes 4 DIMMs capable of up to 64GB of DDR4 memory. It offers plenty of upgradeability, including a 2-way SLI or a 3-way CrossFire that can support multiple graphics cards. It offers stable overclocking options, SupremeFX audio, fast protected networking with Intel Gigabit Ethernet, LANGuard and GameFirst IV and RAMCache to speed up game loads. It supports up to 16 USB ports, including USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C and includes 6 SATA III ports for connectivity. Unlike other budget motherboards, the Z170 Pro includes a reinforced SafeSlot PCIe that will support the weight of even the beefiest of graphics cards.

However, the real star of the show is the option to create customized 3D printed parts and accessories for the motherboard. The Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura was built to be customized with several patent-pending mounting spots that allow board to have 3D printed parts integrated into it using standard M.2 nuts. ASUS will allow users to download and 3D print a selection of parts and accessories, including logos and decals for color-matching, brackets and cable management solutions. Users will also be capable of designing their own 3D printable designs for maximum customizability, including custom nameplates and logos, unique cable and airflow management, mounting brackets or custom enclosures. The 3D printing-friendly motherboard was part of the Make It Your Own 3D Printing Project that ASUS demonstrated at Computex 2016 using several modified X99 motherboards and concept designs.

The Make It Your Own 3D Printing Project that ASUS demonstrated at Computex 2016.

Some of the amazing motherboard configurations shown off by ASUS at Computex 2016 include the TUF Armor Specialist Kit (TASK) that offers extreme durability by literally encasing the motherboard in armor without sacrificing airflow-channeling or thermal management. Some of the 3D printed parts include a strong GPU holder, a fan cover, a DRAM-cooling shroud and custom-designed badges. The Signature X99 Deluxe II design is based on the aesthetics of modern city architecture. It includes a DRAM-cooling cover with clean lines and stylish vents that enhance airflow and let light escape. The ROG Strix X99 Gaming board is probably the most elaborate customized build with its huge fan cover that creates a virtual wind-tunnel over the graphics card for maximum cooling. It also includes several hidden LED strips for dynamic lighting effects and a PCH enclosure that is extended to PCIe area of the board.

Here is some video showing off the 3D printed component options that ASUS will offer:

In addition to the highly customizable motherboard design options the Z170 Pro Gaming includes ASUS Aura RGB LED-illumination technology. With Aura, users can easily light up their gaming rig with a full spectrum of color light and lighting effects. The user-friendly software controls for the LED lighting system offers users the ability to create customized lighting effects or select from preset options that include strobing, breathing effects, full spectrum color cycle or pulse to the beat of music or gaming sounds. It can also be set to indicate current CPU temperature so users can easily monitor any overclock settings. The Aura lighting mounts can also be 3D printed to offer more personalized lighting effects or configurations.

The Z170 Pro Gaming/Aura is now available for purchase at about $140 anywhere that sells computer components. You can find out more about all of the features packed onto the Z170 Pro Gaming motherboards over on the ASUS product page. Discuss further in the Motherboard with 3D Printed Parts forum over at 3DPB.com.