A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the Aqirys XO-1 isn't pushing any design boundaries. It features straight lines, sharp edges and instead tries to stand out with some interesting angles. This makes the front glass lean forward a bit, which also allows for a gap used for airflow. On the side, there is sticker to let you know how to gain access to the interior, which fortunately also comes off nice and easy.


The glass side panel of the chassis is clear & framed in black beautifully, so that the final appearance should allow you to focus on the internal components. On the opposite side, you will find two large vents. The one towards the front is intended to allow for side fans access to fresh air, while the one towards the back offers the same to any hard drives and the PSU.


The glass panel in the front means that you can clearly see the three pre-installed 120 mm ARGB fans. In the rear, the layout of the Aqirys XO-1 is pretty traditional with the unique element that things are segmented, allowing you to reduce the motherboard compatibility from ATX to mATX and then install a thick radiator in the ceiling for example.


The front glass comes off easily with a gentle push, revealing a fine dust filter in front of the fans. This setup is perfect to capture as much dust before it enters the chassis while also not obstructing the fans in any way so things end up looking really nice.


In the rear, the PSU bay is located at the very bottom and uses a mounting frame to which the power supply will be attached, which in turn is then slid into the chassis from the rear. Above that are the seven expansion slots. These are segmented into one 5-slot piece as well as a 2-slot part to allow for the aforementioned movement for thick radiator setups in the ceiling of the XO-1. In the very top you will find a forth 120 mm ARGB fan, set to push air out the back of the chassis. It is installed on elongated mounting holes, so that you can adjust its height to fit your needs the best. As you can see, out-of-the-box, there isn't a lot of room above this area within the case, meaning you are likely limited to classic AIO thickness at best.


At the top, there is a metal cover with a fine perforation to allow for airflow. As such there is no need for a dust filter. Underneath of this cover, you find mounting holes that are offset to allow for two 140 mm or three 120 mm fans. Alternatively radiators of up to 280 or 360 mm size will fit here as well. The IO ports at the top of the XO-1 are made up of two USB-A, one USB-C and the a pair of audio plugs. The power button sits in the center, while the reset button is at the left end & shaped like the USB-C port. This makes the whole set of IO look symmetrical, which is a nice little touch.


On the underside of the case, there is a full-length, fine mesh dust filter, which you may pull out the back of the Aqirys XO-1.


Before we dive into the interior of the chassis, it is worth taking a closer look at that modularity the case provides. You may remove the rear pieces and leave out the bottom two expansion slots, instead utilizing the separately provided cover at the very top of the chassis. With this configuration you gain a ton of extra headroom, while sacrificing ATX compatibility.