I hear a fly buzzing

With the development of technologies, powerful personal computers are gradually decreasing in size – what used to be bare in the huge Full Tower ATX, is now easy to pack in a miniature square case of bright color, put directly on the table and enjoy silence. It was such a compact building that came to us for testing. Meet the Aerocool DS Cube Green, where the letters DS in the name are deciphered as “Dead Silence” (grave silence).

The case is supplied in an unusual monochrome cardboard box – no bright images to you. All the most interesting lies inside. In addition to the housing, there are several bags with screws, clamps for laying cables, as well as an adapter of external USB.

We take out the case and be surprised at the compact dimensions (265 x 328 x 352 mm), the total density and the quality of the performance. The bright green insert on the front panel, smoothly crossing up, is covered with soft-touch plastic-it is not visible on it, dust, it does not collect fingerprints and looks great. Much more expensive than ordinary plastic, but not as good as, say, aluminum.

Minimalism rules the ball. Only the most necessary functions, only hardcore. Following this rule, there is one 5.25-inch and one 3.5-inch connectors on the front panel of the DS Cube Green. A little more “good” is located on top – two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0, audio unit, rubberized buttons on and restart, indicators of work. It’s nice that the manufacturer has retained Reset, which has long disappeared from most buildings.

A solid cover covering the upper panel can be removed-under it there are fixing compartments for two 140 mm or 120 mm fans. In case of installation of them, the continuous cover can be replaced with a grid to improve ventilation. If you leave everything as it is, the holes located around the perimeter of the walls will be responsible for drawing up air.

The rear panel DS Cube Green includes www.casinobarz.co.uk a 120-mm fan latch, four plugs of expansion slot, two weeped holes for a water cooling system. At the bottom there are holes for the power supply with fasteners for different models.

To assemble a computer, you must remove both side walls. Taking into account the form factor, the insides of the DS Cube Green are noticeably processed-the motherboard is mounted horizontally, directly above the power supply and two compartments for drives (2.5- and 3.5-inch models are supported).

Expansion boards are proposed to fix using a single moving plate with a screw clamp. In practice, it turned out to be quite convenient and reliable. The board, of course, are located vertically.

A basket for an external 3.5-inch device can be removed. In the event that a long video card is not placed. The dismantling of the basket will release several necessary centimeters and allow you to complete the assembly.

The default cooling system is represented by the only 200 mm fan behind the front panel.

Further, the assembly. The motherboard should be equipped with a processor and cooler before installation in the case – otherwise the unusual design will prevent the radiator from fixing. The board itself «sits down» on traditional six -millimeter racks. As for the height and design of the processor cooler. Formally, you can even put a large cooling system, but in practice we would not recommend this. Flagship coolers often use fans installed on the side, however, taking into account the specifics of the DS Cube Green, such solutions turn out to be ineffective. We recommend limiting ourselves to the average cooler with a fan installed on the side.

As for the installation of drives. We tried to install a 2.5-inch SSD in an additional compartment, originally designed for reduced hard drives. Nothing came out – the drive dangled. I had to use the base basket designed for a 3.5-inch hard drive. However, additional holes allowed to fix the SSD in place and go further.

Amazingly, flagship video cards are easily obsessed with the case (provided that you will remove the 3.5-inch basket, as we wrote earlier). Power cables are summed up without unnecessary problems, and the clamp on the extension cards can handle two floors without problems.

In a completely finished state and closed lids, the case almost does not make sound – the walls are perfectly held by all rustling inside. Thanks to numerous rubberized surfaces, low -speed fans, thick walls and general thoughtfulness.

The case is suitable for those who need a compact system of high power. A computer is easily placed in it based on the most modern Intel platform (taking into account the Micro ATX format board), the longest video cards, massive processor coolers and all expansion boards. It remains to understand the fastening of the hard drives. And, of course, we hope that no one will “clog” the beautiful front panel with the drives of the inappropriate color – in our age, optical discs are no longer needed, but still.