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Today we are taking a look at the Aerocool GT-R Black Edition. Aimed at enthusiasts on a budget, the Aerocool GT-R Black Edition supports Micro ATX and ATX motherboards, graphics cards up to 293 mm in length and coolers up to 172 mm in height. Retailing for around £50, can the Aerocool GT-R Black Edition cater to the needs of demanding users?
Specifications:
- Mid Tower Case.
- Motherboard support: Micro ATX / ATX.
- Chassis Dimensions: 510 mm (H) x 224 mm (W) x 520 mm (D).
- Drive Bays: 4 x 5.25″ (Exposed) / 6 x 3.5″ HDD or 2.5″ HDD (Internal)
- Expansion Slots: 7.
- Max length for PCI slots: 293 mm.
- Height limit for CPU coolers (without side fan): 172 mm.
- Supports to 6 fans.
- I/O ports: 1 x USB 2.0 + 1 x USB 3.0 + HD Audio / Mic.
The Aerocool GT-R Black Edition ships in a box listing several key features on the front and back. Styrofoam layers protect the case from damage during transport.
Traditionally, Aerocool cases are easy to recognize due to their distinct designs. The Aerocool GT-R Black Edition is no exception. Overall, the GT-R Black Edition mixes an industrial design with futuristic elements.
A closer look at the top panel shows the GT model proudly displayed on the front.
The I/O panel offers access to one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, audio and mic jacks, a large Power button and a reset button.
A full view of the top shows Aerocool have chosen to use a large mesh top cover to aid with airflow. Towards the back we find a more traditional vented design.
Panning down we can see the front panel's red accents, as well as eight mesh front panel covers.
Along the bottom we can see the only visible Aerocool branding on the case.
The GT-R Black Edition's side panel has a large mesh to facilitate the installation of either a 120 mm or 140 mm fan.
Turning the case around we can see the included rear exhaust fan.
Like other Aerocool cases that we have reviewed recently, the GT-R Black Edition lets users secure expansion cards from outside the case.
Flipping the case on its side reveals a removable dust filter underneath the power supply.
The GT-R Black Edition's feet provide plenty of clearance for the PSU to draw air in, even if the case is placed on a carpet.
Removing the front panel reveals the included 180 mm front in-take fan. This fan is rated to deliver 23.20 CFM at 700 RPM with a maximum noise level of 25.5 dBa. It features red LED's.
The 5.25″ drive bays are covered with snap-off brackets.
Turning the front panel around we can see there are four LEDs to light up the red accents found on the front. The soft padding acts as a dust filter whilst helping to keep noise levels down.
The I/O panel's connectors are routed through the top of the case. It is recommended to disconnect the I/O panel before removing the top panel entirely.
Removing the plastic top panel reveals that users can install either two 120 mm fans or two 140 mm fans in the top.
Moving to the interior of the case and starting at the bottom left we can see there are four rubber feet to reduce vibrations from the power supply.
A large CPU cut-out is available to facilitate the installation of coolers without removing the motherboard.
Four rubber grommets are available along the centre of the case to aid with cable management. The bottom drive cage houses five caddies for the installation of 3.5″ and 2.5″ drives.
Finally, in the top right corner we can see Aerocool has chosen to use a plastic locking mechanism for 5.25″ drives.
Overall, the interior of the Aerocool GT-R Black Edition shares many similarities with the Aerocool Strike-X Xtreme Black Edition that we reviewed earlier this year.
A closer look at the 120 mm rear exhaust fan reveals that it is rated to deliver 36.40 CFM at 1200 RPM with a maximum noise level of 26.5 dBa.
Keeping costs down, the front I/O panel's connectors have not been sleeved and display a variety of colours.
Moving in closer gives us a better look at the drive caddies. The covers help to create a cleaner look and certainly do add to the overall aesthetics of the case.
The locking mechanism for 5.25″ drives is simple, yet effective.
Around the back of the case we can see a small number of cable tie points, though there appears to be plenty of space behind the bottom drive cage to keep cables out of the way.
As always we aim to find out how forgiving a case is by deliberately stacking cables and only applying minimal cable management.
Overall, we managed to route every cable without much effort and the available cable tie points have been positioned strategically.
Given the similarities with the Aerocool Strike-X Xtreme Black Edition we initially had concerns that our 24-pin ATX connector would not be able to fit through the rubber grommets. Luckily, we had no issues with this build.
We are using the Gamer Storm Lucifer cooler to keep a Intel Core i7 3770k cool and perform tests with the processor at its default clock speed before then overclocking it to 4.6GHz with the voltage set to 1.3v.
Test System:
- Processor: Intel Core i7 3770k
- Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX2
- Memory: 8 GB G.Skill Ares Blue
- Graphics Card: Sapphire HD 7790 2GB GDDR5 OC
- Power Supply: Seasonic G-Series 650W
- Chassis: Aerocool GT-R Black Edition
- Monitor: Acer X243HQ
- Boot Drive: Intel SSD 510
- Storage Drive: 2TB Seagate Barracuda
System validation can be found here.
Software:
- CPUID HW Monitor 1.23
- CPUID CPU-Z 1.65
- Prime95 v27.1
- Furmark 1.11.0
We are testing the Aerocool GT-R Black Edition's performance as follows:
- Room temperature is kept at 22° throughout our tests.
- The CPU Fan is set to 100% to eliminate inconsistencies as a result of PWM control.
- Idle temperatures are obtained after booting the PC and idling on the desktop for 30 minutes.
- CPU load temperatures are obtained after running Prime95′s Small FTTs test for 15 minutes.
- GPU load temperatures are obtained after running Furmark’s Burn-In Test for 15 minutes.
- To measure noise levels we disable the CPU fans and GPU fan.
We cleaned up our cable management to ensure nothing obstructs the path of airflow to the components we test.
With a maximum recorded temperature of 49 degrees on our overclocked i7 3770k, it is safe to say airflow in the Aerocool GT-R Black Edition is not a concern.
We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the closed chassis and 4 foot from the ground to mirror a real world situation. Ambient noise in the room measures close to the limits of our sound meter at 30dBa.
The minimum readings for our acoustics tests are obtained with the fans running at 5V. For our maximum readings the fans were left running at 12V. The CPU and GPU fans are manually disconnected to eliminate unwanted noise.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
Running the fans at 5V we were unable to obtain a reading above the lower limit of our decibel meter.
Increasing the voltage to 12V resulted in a noise level of 38.4 dBa. At this point the fans are very noticeable, but we would not classify them as annoying.
Overall the Aerocool GT-R Black Edition is a very capable, well priced chassis.
The build quality of the GT-R Black Edition is surprisingly high, considering the £50 price point. It is important to remember the cost when comparing directly against competitors such as Fractal Design and Corsair.
The Aerocool GT-R Black will easily withstand multiple rebuilds and rough handling. A large percentage of budget cases are made from extremely thin plastic which deforms and marks easily, even after only limited handling.
The design of the GT-R Black Edition is bound to split opinion. We feel gamers will like the aggressive panel design, but some people may want something a little less ‘in your face'.
Aerocool's latest releases have consistently performed well in our cooling tests and the GT-R Black Edition is no exception. The option to add an additional four fans certainly offers the enthusiast crowd enough flexibility to incorporate powerful processors and graphics cards.
Retailing for £51.58 inc vat, the GT-R Black Edition is approximately £10 cheaper than the Aerocool Strike-X Xtreme Black Edition. At this price point we feel the GT-R Black Edition offers excellent value for money.
Pros:
- Inexpensive.
- Great cooling performance.
- Good build quality.
Cons:
- Snap-off covers.
Kitguru says: A competitively priced case with plenty on offer for demanding users.
This is really good value for the money, going to order a few for other builds.