[section_title title=”Closer Look – External”]Â Closer Look – External
Starting off with the front of the case the DS200 has a flat front and what I mean by this is there is no mesh or holes to allow for airflow, instead they have added them around the edges. It is definitely aesthetically pleasing but we will have to wait and see how it effects performance
Both side panels are fully black and have noise insulation which we will take a look at in a bit. They are quite heavy and between the two give the case most of its weight.
The Front IO panel is actually on the top of the DS200. It features a Temp monitor with inbuilt fan controller, 2 x USB2, 2 x USB 3 , power and reset buttons and the audio jacks (Mic/Headphones). One of the nice features of the Temp monitor is the fact you can change the colour of the LEDs to better suite your needs, there are quite a few to choose from.
One of the things I was quite happy to see was the fact Aerocool have gone and included a mesh top for the case to add for better thermal performance. Of course using this will weaken the acoustic performance but if you plan on mounting a rad of some sort into the top, the mesh cover will come in handy.
On the back are the normal culprits we would expect to see. We have two holes for tubing when using watercooling, room and a 120mm fan, cutouts for the motherboard and PSU and 7 PCI expansion slots.
Aerocool have included a dust filter for the bottom mounted PSU to help cut down on dust and of course improve the longevity of the components in use.
On the bottom we can see the 4 x non-slip feet grips and towards the top of the photo, a place for use to pull the front panel off to access the front fans. Also, instead of a generic flat bottom Aerocool have gone with a curved raised middle to allow for airflow and to add a bit of something special to the aesthetics.