The Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA is a desktop PC that’s made for homes and offices. This is by no means a gaming machine, so it’s meant for maximum productivity with a functional design to boot. Equipped with Intel’s 10th gen processors for maximum stability, the D300TA is touted to be a reliable workhorse both in home offices or corporate workspaces.
Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA – Specs
OS | Windows 10 Pro Windows 10 Home Endless OS |
CPU | The 10th generation Intel® Core™ i3/i5/i7/Pentium®/Celeron® Processor |
Chipset | Intel® H410 |
Graphics | Intel® HD Graphics 630 Discrete graphics card (Optional) |
Memory | 4 GB Up to 64 GB DDR4 at 2933 /2666MHz 2 x DIMM |
Expansion Slots | 1 x M.2 (for Wi-Fi card) 1 x M.2 Socket with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode) 1 x PCI-e x 1 1 x PCI-e x 16 |
SATA | 3 x SATA 6Gb/s |
Storage | 3.5″ Up to 4TB SATA III Hard Drive (7200RPM) M.2 Up to 1TB SSD |
Optical Drive | Slim type DVD-RW 8X (Optional) Slim type DVD-ROM 8X (Optional) |
Wireless Data Network | 802.11 ax, Bluetooth® 5.0 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth® 5.0 |
LAN | Realtek RTL8111H |
Audio | Realtek ALC887 High Definition 8 Channel Audio |
Front I/O | 1 x Headphone 1 x Microphone 2 x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 |
Back I/O | 2 x USB 2.0 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 1 x HDMI 1 x RJ45 LAN 1 x COM Port(Serial Port) (Optional) 1 x Parallel Port (Optional) 1 x D-sub 3 x Audio Jack(s) |
Power Supply | 200 W Peak 250 W Peak, (80 PLUS) 350 W Peak, (80 PLUS) 550 W Peak, (80 PLUS) |
Dimension | 160 x 380 x 355 mm (WxDxH) |
Weight | 7KG |
Colour | Black |
Accessories | Keyboard Mouse Power Cord Warranty Card Quick Start Guide |
Software | Anti-Virus Trial Office Trial |
Utilities | ASUS Business Manager/ ASUS Control Center/ MyASUS(Optional) |
Design
The Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA isn’t much of a looker, so there’s none of that gamer-esque edgy design. It’s made for work, and it looks like it’s down to some serious business, literally. The desktop PC is a mid tower, which has a somewhat minimal footprint on your desk.
To sweeten the deal, the Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA is solidly built with MIL-STD-810G certification. This lets the desktop handle not just your everyday wear and tear, but also shocks from transportation, and workplace accidents. It’s tested to prevent:
- Vibration
- Shock
- Operation Humidity
- Non-operation Humidity
- High Temperatures
- Low Temperatures
- Thermal Shock
- Package Drop
- Cold Storage
- Damp-Heat Storage
- Package Vibration
Connectivity
On the front, you have the power button and above it there’s the headphone and microphone jack, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, as well as two USB 2.0 Type-A ports. The front is fairly simple, but what we would have liked to see is a full-sized card reader though. There’s even an optical disk drive bay if you or your company still uses CDs.
On the back, there’s the HDMI port, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, one D-sub, a LAN (RJ-45) port, as well as the microphone, line out, and line in ports.
User Experience
The Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA is simple to use, and all you need is just one simple phillips screwdriver. Though it isn’t tool-free as the D700SA, it still makes for quick and easy troubleshooting, maintenance, as well as upgrades.
You’ll be glad to know that the Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA does have Wi-Fi built right onto the motherboard, where most PCs don’t. Every purchase comes with a dual-band Wi-Fi module that can easily attach to the PC case magnetically. This is extremely useful because then the Wi-Fi antenna wouldn’t just be stuck at the back, but can be extended and placed almost anywhere on the PC chassis.
I also liked the fact that the Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA was using an 80 PLUS power supply. This means that the desktop is not only power efficient, but it also generates less heat, resulting in overall longer life expectancy.
Performance
Running on Windows 10 Pro, the Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA is equipped with the 10th gen Intel Core i5-10500 processor, the desktop is capable of handling daily tasks with no problems at all. Web browsing, word processing, simple image editing, or data management, the desktop can do it all without breaking a sweat. There is no audible noise coming from the desktop either when it’s running on high load.
If you require more graphics power than the integrated Intel HD Graphics 630 GPU, you can always add-on any graphics card of your choice. Do note that you will need to purchase that separately, but at least you’re given the freedom of choice when it comes to budget and specs for your graphics card.
Upgradability
You can customize the Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA when you purchase it from ASUS. But, if you wish to upgrade parts on your own later on, you’ll be pleased to know you can do so, easily.
There are a total of two DIMM slots for RAM (64GB Max) expansion, one M.2 slot for storage expansion (1TB Max), one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot for adding in a graphics card, and one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot in case you need additional I/O ports.
Upgrading is as easy as opening up the side panel, inserting your parts, and putting back the side panel. Also, make sure that your PC is turned off before doing any parts upgrade.
Storage wise, you can put up to a maximum of three drives in the PC – two 3.5-inch HDD (4TB Max), and one M.2 SSD (1TB Max) on the motherboard itself. With this configuration, you can slot in a 1TB M.2 SSD for the operating system’s main drive, and two HDDs for additional storage.
Security
To further secure the Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA, you can also equip the desktop with the Trusted Platform Module to store passwords and encryption keys. There’s also the Kensington Security slot and padlock slot to prevent physical theft when the PC is unsupervised. Not only that, you can also enable or disable the use of USB devices or optical drives to prevent data theft.
Accessories
As mentioned above, the Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA does come with a Wi-Fi module to allow for immediate Internet connection when you first purchase the device.
On top of that, it also comes with a complete keyboard and mouse set in matching black color. They are both wired, and the keyboard has a membrane switch, so nothing special there. It’s meant for getting work done, but if you prefer, you can always switch to your own set of keyboard and mouse.
Conclusion
The Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA is made to be functional and future-proof. It runs smooth and stable, and you can always add/upgrade components whenever the need arises. It doesn’t matter if you’re using it at home or for the office, the D300TA proves itself to be a reliable workhorse when you need it the most.
On top of the security features that make it business-ready, the Asus ExpertCenter D3 Tower D300TA also has a generous 3-year warranty to ensure any mishaps that happen to the PC is covered.