1. Introduction
AeroCool Advanced Technologies (AAT) was founded in 2001. With their solid and innovative design experience in thermal engineering, AAT was the first company to adapt U-shape heat pipe and heat colum technologies to CPU cooler design.
Today AeroCool is one of the market leaders in the “Gaming Market”. Offering a full line of performance products including gaming cases, gaming PSUs, gaming mouse,gaming keyboard, gaming headsets, Multi-functional panels and fans. AeroCool will continue to innovate and deliver the best user experience to gamers world-wide.
Be Cool! Be AeroCool!
Official product link:
http://www.aerocool.com.tw/index.php/chassis/ds/ds-200/78-case/ds/1257-ds-200-black-white-edition-information
2. Packaging and accessories
The product comes in a simple cardboard box. On the front side we have the image of the case, the name & logo of the manufacturer and a few features of the product. On the backside we have a image of the case, the name & logo of the manufacturer and the specifications of the product. On the sides of the box we have a description of the product and its specifications in multiple languages.
Accessories
The product comes with the following accessories:
– 7x HDD Tray thumb screws
– 10x 3.5 HDD screws
– 5x Motherboard standoffs
– 5x Screws for PSU
– 45x Screws for Motherboard/HDD/ODD
– 8x Black Zip-ties
– 1x DVD front mask
– 1x 3.5” front mask
– 1x Motherboard standoff adapter
– Adhesive strips
3. Specifications
Dimension: 210(W) x 527(H)x 485(D) mm
Form Factor: Middle Tower Chassis
Material(s): Steel & Plastic 0.8mm
Motherboard Support: ATX/Micro ATX / Mini ITX
Front I/O:
– 2 x USB3.0
– 2 x USB2.0
– HD Audio + Mic
– 1 x Temperature LCD display and Fan Controller
Expansion & Drive Bays:
– Expansion slots: 7
– 5.25″ bay x 2 (Exposed)
– 3.5″ FDD bay x 1 (5.25” To 3.5”Adapter)
– 3.5” Drive Bays x 5
– (Internal 3.5” HDD Tray, all compatible with 2.5”HDD/SSD)
– 2.5” Drive Bays x 2 (Internal 2.5” HDD Tray)
Cooling:
FRONT FANS:
140mm Fans x 2 / 120mm Fans x 2 (140mm fan x 1 pre-installed)
REAR FANS:
120mm Fan x 1 (pre-installed)
TOP FANS:
120mm Fans x 2 / 140mm Fans x 2 / 200mm Fan x 1
Clearance:
CPU Cooler: 170mm
GPU: 290mm (410mm – Without 3×3.5″ HDD Tray)
PSU: 220mm
4. Visual inspection
The DS 200 chassis has a pleasing & elegant design due to the rounded corners & and color scheme.
The front side of the chassis features two 5.25” bays on the top side, on the bottom side we have placed the logo of the manufacturer.
The upper part of the case features a detachable plastic panel, this panel can be replaced by a detachable metal mesh (which is included with the product).
The I/O panel and the LCD Display/Fan controller are placed on the top of the chassis, the I/O panel is composed of the following: 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 2x Audio Jacks, 1 x Temperature LCD display and Fan Controller.
On the back side of the chassis we have a pre-installed 120mm fan, below we have 7 expansion slots, and on the bottom we have the space for the Power Supply.
Both side panels are simple (the case comes in a variant with a windowed side panel). Also both panels have sound dampening material on the inside side.
The base of the chassis consist of one solid piece of plastic with 4 rubber strips to prevent slipping. Under this plastic base we find a removable dust filter for the Power supply intake.
The DS 200 chassis has a spacious interior, the wire management holes are covered by rubber grommets, the distance between the motherboard tray and side panel is approximately 20mm.
From the three storage cages, only the top cage is removable. The middle cage can only fit two 2.5″ drives while the top & bottom cages can fit 3.5” & 2.5″ storage units.
Above we have the tool-less system for the two 5.25” bays.
With the top HDD cage removed, the space for the graphics card is extended from 300mm to 430mm.
The power supply sits on 4 rubber mounts.
The top part of the chassis can easily fit a 280mm radiator and fans with different dimensions, such as: 120mm Fans x 2 / 140mm Fans x 2 / 200mm Fan x 1.
The space between the chassis frame & the plastic panel is approximately 41mm.
The I/O cables in the case of the DS 200 chassis are completely black, here we have included a temperature sensor for the LCD display and 3 Molex 3Pin connectors for the integrated fan controller.
5. Testing
The following system was mounted in the chassis:
– CPU: Intel i5 4690K
– Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z97WE
– RAM: 8GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical
– GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 660 OC Gaming
– HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB
– PSU: In Win GreenMe 750W Bronze
– CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE
Mounting the system into the chassis was easy due to the space available for wire management and the case’s size.
Installing the storage units in their trays is easy due to them being flexible thus allowing the HDD to be fixed when the tray is straight again.
Behind the front panel we find a preinstalled 140mm fan, the front of the chassis can support the following fans: 140mm Fans x 2 / 120mm Fans x 2.
The top panel can be removed/fixed in place using the switch found at the back of the panel.
Behind one 5.25” bay we find one 5.25” To 3.5”Adapter.
The LCD display can measure/display the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit, also the user can change the colour of the display, having 7 colors to choose.
The noise level was measured at three different distances from the fans (10cm, 20cm, 30cm.) the noise was measured with a margin of error of ± 5 db.
6. Final thoughts
The DS 200 model offers a multitude of possibilities & accessories such as a multicolor LCD display with temperature reading (included sensor), integrated fan controller(four stages) which can sustain up to 3 fans, a 5.25” To 3.5”Adapter and one additional metallic top cover. The cases offers a good price-performance ratio with a pleasing design, the only inconvenient of the DS 200 is the exterior which is made out of plastic.
In conclusion, the DS 200 chassis is a good case, with a solid frame and a simple & functional interior layout.
