Test System

Assembly

Installing the motherboard is done by traditional means, with the use of equipped spacers and screws. There is plenty of space along three of the motherboard's edges, but connectors along the top may be a bit harder to reach as the top metal cover is not simply a hole but a honeycomb air vent. On a more positive note, long GPUs and a 120 mm tower cooler will easily fit into the chassis.


Both the 2.5'' and 3.5" hard-drive bays come with plastic trays to allow for a drive's tool-less installation. You may also install a 2.5" variant into a 3.5" tray, but doing so requires a screwdriver and up to four of the supplied screws.


The smaller trays hold their drives in place with plastic pins, while the 3.5" trays use metal pins for some added stability. Once filled, simply slide these into their appropriate bays until you hear that satisfactory click to tell you that they have been secured; these now won't dislodge under normal use.


Installing the ODD is similarly quick as you only need to remove the bay cover of your choice to slide the unit into the bay until the plastic lock snaps down. While the lock does work, there is a tad bit of play, so you should use a single screw to pin your drive down perfectly, which would also kill any vibrations the unit might pass on to the frame as it operates.


The PSU is secured with the screws Aerocool supplies. There is plenty of space for a long unit - you should not find yourself in a pinch with a long, strong power supply.


With everything in place, the Aero-1000's interior makes a very clean impression, which is in part due to a good number of cable ties and loop holes for such on the motherboard tray. Given the traditional internal layout, you also won't have to sacrifice any space behind the motherboard tray on SSDs, for example.

Finished Looks

Once everything is back in place, the Aero-1000 makes a solid impression. The power button also acts as a power LED with the blue light being bright enough to notice in a well-lit room.


I am personally undecided on whether I am a fan of the silver latches of these 5.25" bays as they add quite the contrast to an otherwise black front. Especially when using one of the two bays, the left latch looks a bit out of place. I would have preferred something darker, like gunmetal gray. The side panel window is perfectly sized, just showing the motherboard, cooler, and graphics card. Looking at the rear, everything is where you would expect it to be.