The XTIA Xproto-L V2 turns an ITX build into something you actually want sitting on your desk. This open-frame project pairs a full-aluminum chassis with a black-and-white parts set — ASUS ROG B860-I board, RTX 4070 Founders Edition, Intel Core Ultra 245K — and nothing inside breaks the look.
First Time on an Open Frame
The Xproto-L V2 is full aluminum with double-sided CNC work, and you can feel the quality the second it comes out of the box. That actually matters when you're building open-frame — there's nowhere to hide, so every part has to look decent and be worth looking at.
Mounting everything straight onto the spine is what makes this feel less like a standard build and more like putting together a kit where you're genuinely in control. It's weirdly satisfying, the way only exposed hardware can be — and honestly, a great first experience with an open rack if you've never done one before.
Holding One Look From Start to Finish
Open builds either nail the aesthetic or they don't, and this one stays locked in black and white the whole way through. The ROG STRIX B860-I and the RTX 4070 Founders Edition both play the same color story, so the graphics card feels like part of the frame instead of something bolted on. Sitting on your desk, it stops being just a computer and starts being something you'd actually want to look at.
The Intel Core Ultra 245K does its job quietly — power stays manageable, and it handles everyday work plus some light creative stuff without sweating. Throw in 16GB × 2 of DDR5-6000, a 2TB Solidigm P44 Pro, and a 750W Platinum SFX unit, and you've got a balanced setup that's worth copying if you're looking for a solid starting point.
The Details That Matter When Everything Shows
Ditch the panels and suddenly all the small choices become the big ones. A down-draft cooler sits low against the board, the SFX power supply hangs at the bottom with its textured grille visible, and sleeved cables run clean behind the frame. Nothing gets tucked away — that's kind of the whole point of going open.
Editor's Notes & Summary
Every part was picked to maintain a single black-and-white story from top to bottom. Here's the complete build list if you want to start from here.
| Part | Component |
|---|---|
| Chassis | XTIA Xproto-L V2 open-frame ITX rack |
| Motherboard | ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WiFi |
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 245K |
| GPU | NVIDIA RTX 4070 Founders Edition |
| CPU cooler | DeepCool AN600 down-draft air cooler |
| Memory | ADATA 16GB × 2 DDR5 6000 C36 |
| SSD | Solidigm P44 Pro 2TB |
| PSU | Golden Field 750W Platinum SFX |
5 comments
Founders Edition cards really do look best exposed.
This kind of setup cools better.
Turns out the desk setup scene is where money goes.
True, my card is still on the small side 🥲
The graphics card is too short, a longer card would look better.