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Aerocool Strike-X Xtreme Black Edition Case Review


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Removing the front panel reveals the 180 mm front in-take red LED fan. This fan is rated to provide 23.20 CFM of airflow at 700 RPM with a maximum noise level of 25.5 dbA.

The cable leading to the LEDs in the front panel is tied up with the other front panel connectors so users may want to loosen the cable before taking it off.

Aerocool have chosen to use snap-off face plates for the 5.25″ drive bays. A layer of padding acts as a dust filter across the entire front panel.

 

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Lifting up the top panel shows the front panel connectors are routed neatly through a grommet. Again, we would recommend loosening the cables before removing the front and top panels completely.

Towards the back we get a glimpse of the  included 140 mm top exhaust red LED fan, protected by a metal mesh. This fan is rated to provide 39.40 CFM of airflow at 1,200 RPM with a maximum noise level of 29.5 dbA.

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Starting at the bottom we can see the dust filter underneath the power supply.

The lowest rubber grommet is curved, which gives it a rather unusual look.

On the right side are the five 3.5″ drive bays, each of which has a cover with the Aerocool brand on it. Directly next to to that is the 180 mm front in-take fan.

The front panel connectors are tied up neatly, routed through one of the three rubber grommets in the centre of the case. In the top left we can see the red rear exhaust fan and a modest CPU cut-out.

Aerocool uses a locking mechanism to hold 5.25″ drives in place. Rotating the lock lets users remove it completely. Simply lining the pins up with the drives' mounting holes and returning the lock to its original position firmly secures the drive.

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The rear exhaust fan has received a bright red coating and Aerocool branding. Its 3-pin connector has not received a braided finish, though it is worth pointing out that none of the cables will be visible as there is no windowed side panel.

Moving down we can see the clip holding the expansion slot cover in place. Like the front panel, these covers snap off.

We can also see the blue USB 3.0 connector. In an effort to reduce cable clutter Aerocool have included the USB 2.0 connector as an extension cable.

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The 140 mm top exhaust fan has a transparent red color and a very smooth coating.  Users who do not have enough available fan headers for its 3-pin connector can make use of the molex extension.

Directly next to the top exhaust fan we can see the four mounting holes for an additional 120 mm or 140 mm top exhaust fan. The raised profile of the roof's mesh ensures a 5.25″ drive will not be blocked.

Rather than use one of the available rubber grommets, the front panel connectors run through an additional cable routing hole in the very top of the case.

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This view of the case gives us a better look at the curved rubber grommet in the bottom of the case.

The bottom 5.25″ drive bay houses an adapter to mount a 6th hard drive.

Included in the bundle of front panel connectors are two molex connectors. One serves to power the front in-take fan and comes with a 3-pin extension whilst the other is used for the LEDs in the front panel.
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Moving to the back of the case we can get another look at the curved rubber grommet.

Cables can be tied down to the right of the CPU cut-out, below the CPU cut-out and above the bottom rubber grommet. Holes between the rubber grommets can be used to tie down cables on either side of the case.

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The caddies hold 3.5″ drives in place with screws on both sides of the drive.

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Like 3.5″ drives, solid state drives are mounted with screws.

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We were unable to route our 24-pin ATX connector through one of the rubber grommets, regardless of the angle we attempted. Even after we removed the rubber grommet we would have required just under a millimeter of additional clearance to route the cable without damaging the case or connector.

Our large Gamer Storm Lucifer cooler fits easily, though it does eliminate the possibility of using a side in-take fan due to its height.

Around the back we did not have many cables to tie down, though an additional cable tie for the CPU Power cable would have allowed us to keep the CPU cut-out clear.

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A final look at the lighting before we move on to our tests. Under very low lighting conditions the effects appear brighter on camera than they are. In our opinion, the lighting is complimentary to the design.

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