Go grease lightning you’re burning up
the quarter mile
(Grease lightning go grease lightning)
Go
grease lighting you’re coasting through the hit lap trial
I thought I would start this review
with a song about a car, since today we will look at a mid tower case
with a car style “Engine Start” switch. This is not the most
unique feature of this case. What differentiates this case from all
others is the 40 cm fan that pushes out 250 CFM of airflow. My
friends that is a big fan! The case in question is the AeroCool
AeroRacer Pro which features the biggest side panel fan in the world.
Besides the gigantic fan, the AeroRacer Pro has four 5 ¼”
bays, five 3 ½” bays. In addition the case features a
mostly screwless design.
So let’s see if the AeroRacer Pro is
the ultimate case cooling solution. Let’s get started…..
AeroCool AeroRacer Pro Case Review
Reviewed by: Tomas Ratas
Tech Specs,Features or the
Basic Info:
Features:
– Car style
“Engine Start” power switch
– Leather
painting surface finishes – 2x USB / Mic & Headphone
– Biggest side
panel fan in the world !!! – Complete tool free design
– HUGE 40cm
fan pumps out more than 250CFM of airflow (for AeroRacer Pro models)
– Metal mesh
ventilation design for good airflow with dust filter (for AeroRacer
Pro models)
Specifications:
Case
Type :Middle Tower
Material
: SECC 0.6mm
Motherboards
:ATX & Micro ATX
Chassis
Dimensions :410(H) x 190(W) x 450(D)
Drive
Bays :4 x 5.25″ (External) 1 x 3.5″ (External) 4
x HDD (Hidden)
Expansion
Slots :7 Slots
I
/ O Ports :2 x USB2.0 / Earphone / Mic
Cooling
System:
Side:
Fan:400mm
Speed
(RPM): 400 RPM
Air
Flow (CFM):250 CFM (MAX)
Noise
(dBA): 12 dB (A)
Bearing
:2 Ball w/ Auto Re-Start
Rear:
User
can choose to install 80mm, 92mm or 120mm fan at rear of chassis
Fan not included
A Better Look at Things
:
The AeroCool AeroRacer Pro comes packed
in a standard PC case sized box with pictures of the case on the
outside of the box. The requisite feature list, specifications and
components can be found on the side panels. The AeroRacer Pro comes
in two colors – black and red. Today we will be looking at the red
model.
Included in the box, one finds a bag of
parts, instruction manual and the case. Removing the AeroRacer Pro
from the box we find it packed with Styrofoam protection.
The case measures 410cm
(H) x 190cm (W) x 450cm (D)
The AeroCool Racer Pro is primarily
black, with the front panel colored metallic red. It is interesting
to note that this red surface has a rubbery feel to it.
The front door, which open left to
right is a mirrored black plastic and has the AeroCool logo toward
the top. Below the door, one finds a button labeled: Engine Start.
Just below this button is a black grill for ventilation. Behind the
door, we find a smaller reset button and a hard drive activity light.
There are four 5.25” removable drive
bay covers and one 3.5” floppy drive cover
On the left hand side off the front
panel, we find two USB connectors and an output for headphones and a
microphone input.
On the side of the AeroRacer Pro, we
see the tremendous 40 cm fan behind a black plastic grate. The fan
itself is white.
The fan/panel is locked onto the case
by two thumbscrews on the back of the AeroRacer Pro. The opposite
panel is composed of black painted steel.
Once removed, the fan/panel is
unfinished SECC on its undersurface. There us a molex connector
that comes from the base of the panel. There is a second plastic
grate to lock the fan into place. The fan is made by Young Lin Tech
Company according to the label on the center of the fan.
The inside of the case is unfinished SECC 0.6mm Steel and can fit either a micro-ATX or ATX motherboard.
There a four 5.25 external bays, one
3.5 external and four 3.5 internal bays. These slots are screwless.
By disengaging the black locking mechanism on the outer part of the
bay, the associated drive can slide in and then be locked into place
by returning the black locking mechanism to its original location.
Towards the inner front of the case we
find the standard case wiring including the power switch and USB
connectors.
The rear panel of the AeroRacer Pro has
a grill that can accommodate an 80mm -120mm fan, which is not
supplied. The I/O panel is easily removable, so one can install the
I/O plate that comes with the user’s motherboard. Above the I/O
panel we find an opening for the power supply exhaust fan. Towards
the bottom are seven removable PCI slot covers. The PCI slots are
also screwless and can lock peripherals into place with the plastic
tabs.
The bottom of the AeroRacer Pro has
four black rubber feet to prevent the case from sliding forward.
Installation, Testing and
Comparison:
The AeroRacer Pro accommodates either
ATX or Micro-ATX sized motherboards. For testing I used an ECS
nForce-3A motherboard with an Athlon 64 3000 CPU. For the PSU, I
used an Antec EarthWatts 500Watt.
Aerocool designed the AeroRacer Pro to
be a screwless design, although, you will need to use the included
screws from the parts bag to secure the motherboard. After this
point, you can put away the screw driver as the rest of the build
does not require further use of the tool.
The AeroRacer Pro easily fit the
motherboard, hard drive, and DVD burner that I installed. There was
plenty of room, which allows for good air circulation. At the bottom
of the case is a molex connector that powers the blue light for the
Engine Start Switch.
At the rear of the case, I installed a
120 mm Yate Loon Fan. Finally, plug in the molex from the 40 cm side
panel fan, then reattached the panel door. The AeroRacer Pro is now
ready to go!
Once the Engine Start Switch is
depressed, the 40 cm fan starts spinning. Because the fan is so
massive, it does not have to spin at a tremendously fast rate to
provide airflow. At its peak, it spins at 400RPM and provides 250CFM
of airflow. This helps keep the volume of this beast to a minimum.
Unfortunately, because the fan is powered by a molex connection,
there is no way to manually control the fan’s speed.
The Engine Start switch is big and
nicely designed, but it is still just a power button.
Another issue that users may encounter
is the USB ports on the left hand side of the case are tightly spaced
together. This mean, if one inserts a fat USB thumb drive, then the
second USB port becomes inaccessible.
The inside of the case is spacious and
the screwless design makes working inside of it very simple.
Aesthetically, the AeroRacer Pro is a nice looking case. Running
with a 120MM exhaust fan and the 40CM side panel fan, keeps the
computer is fairly quiet and case temperatures at desire levels.
Summary and Comments
The AeroCool AeroRacer Pro is a nice
looking case that stands out from the crowd due to its huge 40cm side
panel fan. It has a few issues, but they are minor. This case would
be ideally used for a server, where ventilation is paramount. The
AeroRacer Pro is expensive and for the price should include a rear
exhaust fan.
DragonSteelMods gives the AeroCool
AeroRacer Pro a 4 our of 5 score.
Pros:
-Screwless design
-Excellent air flow
-Sleek design
Cons:
-External USB connectors too close to
one another
-Expensive
-Lacks external exhaust fan
-Lack of speed control for 40cm fan
I would like to thank Aerocool for the chance to review the AeroRacer
Pro and for their support of DSM.
review#510