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[nextpage title=”Introduction”]
Aerocool separate their cases in five series: PGS V (Value), PGS R (Professional), PGS S (Aluminum), PGS B (Gaming), and PGS Q (Compact). The Bx-500 belongs to the PGS B series, coming with eight fans. Let’s check it out.
Figure 1: Aerocool Bx-500 case
Figure 2: Aerocool Bx-500 case
The first thing you will note on the Bx-500 are the four 140 mm fans available on its left panel, glowing orange when turned on (Aerocool A1425M12, 1,500 rpm, 86 cfm, 23.13 dBA). They all come with three-pin power connectors, meaning that you can install them on your motherboard to monitor their speed – if your motherboard has that many fan power connectors, of course. You can connect these fans directly on the power supply using the four adapters that come with the product or you can install them on a very practical “fan power central” available inside the case (we will talk about this feature later).
The main drawback of this case is that it doesn’t come with an air filter on its left panel, meaning that these fans will keep blowing dust inside your computer.
Figure 3: Left panel
The Bx-500 comes with a place for an optional 80 or 90 mm fan on its right panel to cool down the bottom side of your CPU, a feature that is not so common. Just pay attention that this fan must be 15 mm thick instead of 25 mm.
Figure 4: Right panel
[nextpage title=”The Front and Top Panels”]
No door is present on the front panel, and the Bx-500 comes with five 5.25” bays, all using meshed covers with air filters. The top bay comes with a 5.25”-to-3.5” adapter.
Figure 5: Front panel
At the bottom part of the front panel the Bx-500 has a 120 mm fan with an air filter (Aerocool A1225L12, 1,500 rpm, 58.35 cfm, 26.67 dBA, glowing orange when turned on). This fan uses a three-pin connector, so you can install it directly on your motherboard, on the “fan power central,” or directly on your power supply, using an adapter.
Figure 6: Front fan
The top panel of the Bx-500 can be seen in Figure 7. It features two 140 mm fans identical to the ones available on the left panel.
Figure 7: Top panel
The Bx-500 comes with four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire port, and the audio jacks on its top panel. A small compartment with a rubber mat to hold small components (e.g., your MP3 player while it is connected to one of the USB ports of the top panel) is also available.
Figure 8: Buttons and connectors
[nextpage title=”The Bottom and Rear Panels”]
On its bottom panel, the Bx-500 comes with air intakes for the power supply and an optional fan (which can be 80, 92, 120, or 140 mm in size).
Figure 9: Bottom panel
The rear panel features a 120 mm fan identical to the one used on the front panel. As you can see in Figure 10, the power supply is installed at the bottom of the case, and the Bx-500 follows the standard ATX design with seven expansion slots, and the slot covers aren’t vented (with so many fans, we don’t think this feature would be necessary), but there is a small mesh above the area where the expansion cards are installed. The rear panel and the interior of the reviewed case aren’t painted black. The Bx-500 also has four holes with rubber covers for hoses of liquid cooling systems.
Figure 10: Rear panel
Let’s now take a look inside the Aerocool Bx-500.[nextpage title=”Inside the Aerocool Bx-500″]
Both side panels are attached to the chassis using silver thumbscrews, so opening the Bx-500 doesn’t require tools. The motherboard tray has a removable fan support around the area where the CPU is installed. So, if you want to have access to the backplate of the CPU cooler, you will need to remove this support. As explained in the first page, you can install a 80 or 90 mm fan on this support to cool down the bottom side of the CPU. Just pay attention that this fan must be 15 mm thick instead of 25 mm.
The motherboard tray has a couple of holes for you to route and hide cables behind the tray, and the case comes with three cable ties behind the motherboard tray.
Figure 11: Overall look
Figure 12: A view behind the motherboard tray
The case comes with individual plastic mechanisms for holding expansion cards.
<
/a>Figure 13: Overall lookThis case supports video cards up to 15” (380 mm) in length.
In the Bx-500 you can install the power supply with its bottom fan facing up or facing down, so you will have to decide if you want the power supply to be pulling cool air from outside the case (fan facing down) or hot air from inside the case (fan facing up). Unfortunately this case doesn’t come with an air filter for the power supply fan.
On the other hand, this case comes with an air filter for an optional fan at the bottom panel (see Figure 14). This fan can be 80, 92, 120, or 140 mm in size.
Figure 14: Power supply compartment
[nextpage title=”Fan Power Central”]
One of the highlights of this case is its “fan power central.” There are two small printed circuit boards inside the case, one at the top and one at the bottom, that allows you to install all fans on them, and then you need to use only one power supply connector to feed all fans.
Figure 15: Top “fan power central”
Figure 16: Bottom “fan power central”
[nextpage title=”The Disk Drive Bays”]
The Aerocool Bx-500 comes with five 5.25” external bays and five internal 3.5” bays, all featuring tool-less installation mechanisms. The top-most 5.25” bay comes with a 5.25”-to-3.5” adapter if you need to install an external 3.5” device such as a floppy disk drive, a memory card reader, or a fan controller.
Figure 17: Disk drive bays
One very interesting feature of this case is that all the screws come attached to the case, on the 5.25” bays (see Figure 17 closely to spot them). This is a terrific idea.
Each 3.5” bay is actually a small drawer, as you can see in Figure 18, with anti-vibration rings.
Figure 18: Drawer
Unfortunately this case doesn’t support 2.5” devices.
[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]
The main specs for the Aerocool Bx-500 case include:
- Style: Mid-tower
- Application: EEB, E-ATX and smaller form factors derived from this one
- Power supply: Doesn’t come with the product
- Available colors: Black
- Material: Steel
- Side panel: Meshed
- Dimensions: 18.9 x 8.5 x 22.4 inches (480 x 215 x 568 mm) (H x W x D)
- Net weight: 23 lbs (10.4 kg)
- Gross weight: 27 lbs (12.4 kg)
- Bays: Five external 5.25” bays, one external 3.5” bay converted from one 5.25” bay, and five internal 3.5” bays
- Expansion slots: Seven
- Maximum video card length: 15” (380 mm)
- Maximum CPU cooler height: NA
- Fans: Four 140 mm fans on the left panel (Aerocool A1425M12, 1,500 rpm, 86 cfm, 23.13 dBA), two 140 mm fans on the top panel (Aerocool A1425M12, 1,500 rpm, 86 cfm, 23.13 dBA), one 120 mm fan on the front panel (Aerocool A1225L12, 1,500 rpm, 58.35 cfm, 26.67 dBA), and one 120 mm fan on the rear panel (Aerocool A1225L12, 1,500 rpm, 58.35 cfm, 26.67 dBA), all glowing orange when turned on
- Optional fans: One 80 or 90 mm fan on the right panel and one 80, 92, 120, or 140 mm fan on the bottom panel
- Extra features: Fan power central
- More Information: https://www.aerocool.com.tw
- Average Price in the US*: USD 100.00
* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.
[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]
The Aerocool Bx-500 may me an option for users looking for a case that comes with several fans and won’t require the latest technologies like frontal USB 3.0 ports and 2.5” bays for SSDs. It is true that there are better products out there, but they cost more.
Strong Points
- Air filter for the front fan
- Meshed 5.25” bay covers with air filters
- Optional fan for cooling down the bottom side of the CPU
- Good number of disk drive bays (five 5.25” and five 3.5”)
- Tool-less mechanisms on all disk drive bays
- Anti-vibration mechanisms for the hard drives
- Holes with rubber covers for liquid cooling solutions
- A hole in the motherboard tray for accessing the backplate of the CPU cooler
- Holes on the motherboard tray for routing and hiding cables behind the tray
- Fan power central
- eSATA port
- FireWire port
- Good cost/benefit ratio
Weak Points
- No air filters on the left panel
- No air filter for the power supply
- No fan speed controller
- Rear panel and interior aren’t painted black
- No support for 2.5” devices