INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   No matter what we say one of the most difficult tasks consumers have when building a new system is to find the ideal PC case to cover their needs not just in terms of aesthetics (design) but also in required space (size), quality and available features. Now as we all know for good or bad the market is currently overflowing with a huge number of PC cases both by the leading and really popular manufacturers and others either less popular or even brand new in the field. That basically means that the chances of finding a feature unique to a single PC case are slim to none so the best one can hope for is to find one packing as many features as possible that also agrees with him/her in terms of size and design. Aerocool may not be amongst the top manufacturers in the market but they have released a large number of impressive products over the years and today we're taking a look at the GT-A Black Edition Midi Tower.

   AeroCool Advanced Technologies (AAT) was founded in 2001. At the earlier stage of operation we were committed to share our technical expertise and innovative design in providing total-solution for thermal management in industrial and personal computers. Aerocool is one of the market leaders in the "Gaming Market". Our strong brand and product image are well received by gamers and enthusiasts world-wide. We offer a full line of performance products including gaming cases, gaming PSUs, gaming mouse, gaming headsets, gaming keyboard, gaming headsets, Multi-functional panels and fans. Aerocool will continue to innovate and deliver the best user experience to gamers world-wide.

   Last time we had something here by Aerocool it was the Xpredator X3 Devil Red Edition Midi Tower which featured a nice black/red color combination and although the GT-A Black Edition doesn't bring as much red in the equation still it's not completely black. This time over however in order to cut down costs Aerocool has placed a top hot-swap 3.5/2.5" docking station, three 5.25" optical drive bays, three 3.5/2.5" HDD trays, three 2.5" HDD trays, room for up to 5 fans and/or one top 240mm radiator, enough space for graphics cards up to 310mm long and CPU coolers up to 165mm, two fan controllers and 7 PCI expansion slots. Still even though the GT-A Black Edition is not the top PC case currently offered by Aerocool it does offer a good number of features so let's take a closer look and see how they are implemented.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The GT-A Black Edition arrived inside a plain cardboard box with a product drawing at the front right next to the company logo, color and available features.

 

 

The features list is printed on both sides in 11 languages.

 

 

As you can see the rear is pretty much identical to the front but this time we also see the specifications table.

 

 

The tower is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed between two Styrofoam spacers.

 

 

Contained inside the box are the user's manual, USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 plug, 2 cable ties, PCI shield, 8 long screws (the ones we use with radiators) and a plastic bag with all the necessary screws and standoffs.

 

 

THE GT-A BLACK EDITION EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It may not be as good looking as the Xpredator X3 Devil Red Edition (at least for me) but the GT-A Black Edition still looks great thanks to the smooth corners and glossy/polished plastic used.

 

 

The right side panel has a large clear plastic window and extends outwards to allow use of tall CPU Coolers.

 

 

Most of the front fascia is perforated to allow air to enter (there are also two intakes on the lower end).

 

 

All three optical drive bays feature clip-on bay covers are extremely easy to remove and clean.

 

 

The fascia can be removed to reveal a dust-filter which has a 120mm LED fan on the interior.

 

 

Unfortunately you can't mount a 240mm radiator at the front but you can mount a 2nd 120mm fan on the filter.

 

 

The I/O is located at the top and includes the power and HDD activity LEDs, two fan controller knobs, two USB 2.0 ports, USB 3.0 port, on/off power switch, reset switch and the typical microphone and headset mini jacks.

 

 

Two LEDs are placed at the top of the case above the I/O.

 

 

The 3.5/2.5" docking station is placed at the top right beneath a plastic slide door.

 

 

There are 13 plastic flaps at the top but unlike the ones found on the XPredator X3 Devil Red Edition these are fixed.

 

 

Right beneath there's enough room to place either two 120mm fans or an 240mm radiator.

 

 

Two rubber grommets, a fan spot, 7 PCI expansion slots and the PSU area is what we see at the rear.

 

 

There's a 120mm fan preinstalled by Aerocool and unfortunately you can't swap it for a 140mm one.

 

 

Aerocool has placed a plastic cover above the PCI expansion slots.

 

 

To allow more room for cable management the left side panel also extends outwards.

 

 

At the bottom we see 4 tall feet and a removable air-filter beneath the PSU area.

 

 

THE GT-A BLACK EDITION INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interior is quite spacious and looks great thanks to the black/red color combination.

 

 

As expected all three 5.25" optical drive bays have tool-less locking mechanisms (and red ones at that).

 

 

To allow for long (up to 310mm) graphics cards right beneath the ODBs we find three 2.5" drive trays.

 

 

The GT-A Black Edition however does have three more 3.5/2.5" drive trays in a cage placed right beneath the 2.5" one.

 

 

Much like the ones used in the XPredator X3 Devil Red Edition these are not very sturdy but i can say the same for the majority found in PC cases.

 

 

The mainboard tray has a total of 10 openings used for cable management.

 

 

All 7 PCI expansion slots are all secured via typical thumbscrews.

 

 

The bottom of the tower is perforated for the PSU intake fan.

 

 

Not much room behind the mainboard tray but thanks to the side panel you shouldn't have a problem.

 

 

Here we see the top fan/radiator area from the interior.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

Since the GT-A Black Edition can accommodate up to EATX sized mainboards a regular one naturally leaves plenty of room around.

 

 

You should be able to mount the largest/tallest CPU cooler currently in the market without issues.

 

 

There’s room for cards up to 310mm long (just like with the XPredator X3).

 

 

The GT-A has enough room at the bottom for even the longest PSUs.

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically ontop of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one we use our own).

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The GT-A Black Edition midi tower may not be as impressive as its brother the XPredator X3 Devil Red Edition midi tower but that doesn't mean it's not good, quite the contrary actually. Build quality is quite good (we have to admit that it could be better however), design may not be something new in the market but we did like it a lot, airflow levels right out of the box are good (and can get even better since you can add 3 extra 120mm fans and/or one 240mm radiator and one extra 120mm fan), interior space leaves very little to be desired (you can mount graphics cards up to 310mm long and CPU coolers up to 165mm tall) and the available room for drives (6x2.5"/3x3.5"/3x5.25") should cover most users out there easily. Now i would like the ability to mount 240mm radiators in the GT-A (front/top) but for casual consumers i don't think this would change anything.

   As i type these lines the GT-A Black Edition midi tower by AeroCool has a retail price of 72Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) and although i can't call it a bargain still i do think it's good for the things it offers. Unfortunately i was unable to locate it inside the USA so i really can't comment on its price across the Atlantic (a store may import it to the USA however, we just couldn't find it). Overall the GT-Black Edition midi tower is no match for the XPredator X3 Devil Red Edition midi tower again by AeroCool but it does offer a good bang for the buck and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Design
- Spacious Interior
- Available In Black & White
- Top 3.5/2.5" Docking Station
- Two Fan Controllers
- Room For Up To 5 Fans
- Room For A Single 240mm Radiator
- Six 3.5/2.5" Drive Trays

 

CONS

- Not Available Inside the USA
- Glossy/Polished Plastic Quality Could Be Better