Aerocool Strike-X Air - Exposed in its Entirety
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Conclusion
Double-edged Blade
Users often complain that computer chassis are boring and that there is not much differentiation between one from Brand X and another from Brand Y. They are, after all, just black boxes that house your components. Well, the Aerocool Strike-X Air with its "open concept" is certainly not one of these chassis.
While the Strike-X Air is unique looking, its “"open concept" does bring about its share of pros and cons. Let’s begin with the good stuff. To begin, for users who often upgrade and swap components, this concept is a boon. Swapping graphics cards and memory modules cannot be any simpler. We have easy access to the optical and storage drives too, but we would have preferred a tool-free installation procedure, as opposed to using screws, since this is fast becoming the norm, even for entry-level chassis.
However, this ease of installation and swapping of parts is negated by a number of disadvantages of this design. To begin, the ease of which components can be swapped also means that dust can easily collect and settle on your system. Thus, frequent upkeeping is required, especially if you have pets in the house. The design of Strike-X Air also means that it takes up a lot of space - it measures a whopping 61.3cm in width and about 53cm in depth. Best be sure you have a large table set aside for it. We were also disappointed by the halfhearted bar that is used for installing radiators for liquid-cooling setups, it is certainly not ideal and we would recommend against using it on a long-term basis.
But the thing about the Strike-X Air that we dislike most is how difficult it is to install the PSU and manage the clutter of cables thereafter. There is simply no easy way about it. Users either have to ensure their cables are long enough and then tediously thread them through the bottom cut out and through the grommets on the motherboard tray, or simply tread them across from the PSU bay and into the motherboard tray area. Either way, both methods are equally undesirable - the first is far too cumbersome to achieve while the second results in a messy looking setup.
Despite all of its quirks and shortcomings, the Strike-X Air, with its unusual design, is a breath of fresh air. We also noticed that it has been fairly well received by chassis modding community. With a decent pair of hands, tools and lots of imagination, one could use the Strike-X Air and create designs such as this and this.
Clearly, the Strike-X Air is a chassis that will probably only appeal to a niche group of users. However, if you have a large enough desk and enough patience, then at S$155, the Strike-X Air offers pretty decent value for the money.
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