Overview of the Aerocool LS-5200 PC Case

Most cases from Aerocool fully justify the name of the brand as all their chassis lines are mainly made for air cooling. However, the case LS-5200 belongs to a series specially designed for the installation of liquid cooling systems.

Characteristics

Case type: Midi-Tower
Dimensions, mm: 530 (H) x 220 (W) x 430 (D)
Material: ABS plastic, steel, acrylic
Weight, kg: 6.1
Color: black/white
Form factor: ATX
Devices 5.25": –
3.5" external devices: –
3.5 "/ 2.5" internal: 5/2 devices (2.5" drives fit to slots of 3.5" drives)
Number of supported expansion slots: 8
Fans: front – 3 x 120/2 x 140 mm (optional)
rear – 1 x 120/140 mm (1 x 120 mm installed)
upper – 2 x 120/140 mm (optional)
Interface slots: 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, microphone in and headphone out
Other features: transparent side panel, two three-position speed controllers for two fans, removable dust filter of the power supply unit.

Packing and Equipment

The box is quite simple, but very informative. It contains the most important for the user parameters: the permissible height of the processor cooler, the maximum length of the video adapter, the type and number of fans to be installed, etc.

A set of fasteners is contained in a small cardboard box and looks rather laconic:

• • assembly instruction;
• • five cable ties;
• • plastic adapter for a crosshead screwdriver for mounting motherboard racks;
• • 12 motherboard racks (though 9 would be enough);
• • 21 screws with hexagonal cap for PSU, expansion cards and 3.5" hard drives;
• • 25 small screws for 2.5" drives and a motherboard.

Outlook

The exterior of the Aerocool LS-5200 is dominated by angular motifs with sharp bevelled edges. The front panel is almost entirely composed of a translucent metal mesh with cells of medium size and everything here emphasizes good ventilation of this case.

All external interfaces and switches are assembled on the upper bevelled edge of the front panel. There are two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0, two 3.5 mm audio inputs for a microphone and headphones, two three-way sliders that control rotation speed of two fans each. The power button has a blue power indicator built in, and a red indicator of the activity of the drives is placed a bit lower in the corner. There is no forced system reboot key.

The whole top panel consists of a metal mesh. Most of the left panel is a large fully transparent acrylic window.

Inside the panel is equipped with stiffeners, and the acrylic window itself looks very solid. Although the metal of the case cannot be called thick, the overall strength of the carcass structure and side panels is acceptable.

The right door is all solid and even. Inside everything is similar to the left panel. There are stiffeners, but no noise-insulating material.

At the rear side everything looks quite standard for a case with the bottom power supply location. The cut-out in the top panel serves simultaneously as a recess for its dismantling and improves ventilation. A little lower, behind the lattice with round large cells, there is a seat for one 120- or 140-mm fan. There are eight PCI expansion slots here, although there are only seven of them indicated in the specifications.

The seat of the power supply allows orienting it with a fan up or down. Below, there is a quality removable dust filter.

The case rests on two plastic legs at the back and one common massive stand in the front. The total height of the legs is 27 mm.

Internal Organization

The Aerocool LS-5200 case supports vertical installation of ATX, MicroATX and Mini-ITX motherboards. The permissible height of the processor cooler declared by the manufacturer is 170 mm, although in fact all 180 mm cooling systems will fit here without any problems. The possible length of the expansion cards in all the slots is 340 mm, while there is still space left for installing standard 25 mm thick fans. The length of the standard power supply should not exceed 180 mm, since even with these dimensions there are problems with its installation and the connection of wires. Optimum limitation of conventional PSUs is 160 mm.

Under the upper panel there is a spare of 23 mm, which, at first glance, will not suffice even for the installation of standard fans. However, all the seats are shifted towards the left panel, which means that the frames of the propellers will not touch the elements of the motherboard. Two turntables size 120 or 140 mm can be installed here.

The rear panel has a pre-installed 120mm fan for blowing out, although a 140mm model can be easily installed in its place. The cards are locked using conventional screws for an L-shaped bend from the outside.

The propeller is the most common, with an impeller for seven standard-shaped blades. The bearing is a sliding sleeve.

The case inside is divided into two separate zones. A large casing covers the seat of the power supply unit and the storage basket. It is not possible to remove the cover.

In the front part of the case there are seats for two 140- or 120-mm fans, or radiators of the liquid cooling system of a suitable size. Nothing interferes with the movement of air here.

Additionally, in the cut-out in the front of the power unit casing one more 120 mm fan with a thickness of no more than 25 mm can be placed, which will perfectly blow out the drives baskets that are located near.

On the back of the motherboard pallet there is a large cut-out for the amplifier plate of the processor cooler. The number of lugs for fixing cable ties is sufficient and they are located in the right places. For the openings of the vertical bar in the front part of the pallet, two additional carriages for 2.5" drives can be fixed, as well as the expansion tank of the liquid cooling system, since the holes for this are provided.

Just below the reinforcement plate cu-tout, two more carriages for mounting 2.5" drives are placed. A basket for three 3.5" hard drives is located in front of them. Its walls can be removed if necessary by unscrewing several fixing screws.

On the mounting holes of the front panel a series of three 120-mm fans can be installed, or a combination of two 140-mm propellers on top and one 120-mm at the bottom. The space between the metal part of the front panel and the plastic cover is 30 mm, so it is possible to install a narrow radiator of liquid cooling system here.

The elongated mounting holes on the metal grid of the top panel assume two mounting options for two 120mm fans, allowing them to be placed closer or further away from the motherboard. 140-mm propellers are devoid of such variation and have a single mounting option – close to the left edge of the case. The space between the panel and the plastic overlay is also 30 mm, so either propellers or a thin radiator can be installed here.

The set of wires includes a USB 3.0 shoe, USB 2.0 socket, system start wires, drive and system activity indicators, HD-audio shoe.

Speed regulators have four three-pin sockets for connecting fans (two for each) and are connected to the power supply by an individual through-socket.

Assembly

Assembling the system in the Aerocool LS-5200 case is burdened with minor complications: the processor power supply with the installed tower cooler is complicated by a small margin of space at the top. Mounting the power supply in a confined space under the casing will also require patience and dexterity. And stacking multiple cables can be difficult for an inexperienced user. Nevertheless, in its final form everything looks good, and even the rear door closes without much effort, despite a pile of cables under it.

The inside of the system can be seen through the side window and look neat. The LED of the power button glows dimly blue, and the drive activity indicator blinks bright red.

Conclusions

The Aerocool LS-5200 is a good and modern PC case. Its main advantages are neat outlook, an excellent ventilation scheme and high capacity. In addition, the case is equipped with dust filters and step fan speed controllers. Setting the contour of the liquid cooling system here will also cause no problems.

The LS-5200 is not deprived of some disadvantages as well. They are mainly connected with the use of thin metal which is traditional for Aerocool. In addition, to organize effective cooling of components, purchasing and installing at least three additional fans will be needed.

In general, the Aerocool LS-5200 can be recommended for purchase as an optimal budgetary case with good ventilation for a powerful and very non-budget system.