AeroCool Vx-E – Performance Gaming Case Review

AeroCool Vx-E External Impressions

Up front the design of the intake fan first grabs your attention with a jet engine turbine appearance sporting a silver bezel being restrained by four black clamps at what would be the corner positions if the bezel were square. A black mesh grill covers the center but does not contain a dust filter.

Just above that resides the AeroCool logo which leads up to the five drive bays. The bottom bay has a cutout for a 3.5 drive or I/O panel.

If you dont have one, no worries – just replace it with one of the other panel covers removed from installing a 5.25 bay device. When removed, the mesh bay covers reveal built-in filters to keep dust intake to a minimum.

At the very top is a narrow vent along with the power/rest buttons. This entire front plastic cover is composed of shiny black plastic and snaps off to assist in the build or cleaning.

On the right side youll find a blank panel thats thin and flexible yet not flimsy. This side panel requires a screwdriver to remove the two traditional screws that hold it securely. The panel only slides forward a fraction upon attachment; it simply fits on and is screwed in place, so without the screws it would likely fall off if jostled.

The left side features the wing design mesh panel for allowance for bringing in cooler air to the CPU and GPU with the addition of two optional case fans. The mesh is attached via strategically placed screws. As with the right side, the left side simply fits with a slight slide although unlike the right side, the left is secured with thumbscrews for easier access without tools handy.

On the top youll find the power and rest buttons with blue and red LEDs, respectively, flush mounted along the front edge, and behind those resides the two USB 2.0 ports adjacent to the headphone and microphone audio ports.

Towards the back of the raised panel sits the Ferrari-esque PGS V badge designation. No vents or other features are found along towards the back half of the top, but the top panel does snap off although Im not sure why you would need to unless performing some devious mod.

On the back of the case, you can see that the power supply will be positioned at the bottom of the case with the motherboard above and the usual placement for a 120mm exhaust fan.

There are two diameter holes for routing hoses for water cooled systems but absent are any rubber grommets or buffers between where the hose goes and the edge of the metal. They arent sharp edges but the metal is thin and can have a knife-like effect if the case is moved around often. Likely the diameter of the holes would need to be expanded if some protection were to be added in.

The expansion slots are covered with five semi-permanent, old-school removable cover plates which twist off the case. There are also two replaceable plates. While a more economic design, it usually ends up in uncovered slots when components are re-arranged or replaced. As such, Im not a fan of this design and replaceable slot covers are pretty much the standard anymore.

The bottom of the case has four non-adjustable rubber feet and two roughly 120mm vented areas for the PSU to draw in cool air from below.

Again, there are no dust filters here so periodic cleaning of the PSU will be necessary to maintain optimal cooling.