Assembly

Begining the installation, I've chosen to mount the power supply first. Since this power supply does not have a larger fan, the mounting orientation is not as important. The power supply connections immediately fill the lower half of the case, it would be difficult to install a larger power supply and keep both hard drive bays installed (as you can see just below).


Hard drive installation is quite simple with the Aeolus, simply pull out the hard drive holder and snap in a 3.5" drive. The holders do allow for screws, for a more secure mounting alternative. SSD installation will require a screw or two as the holders have matching spacing to securely mount to the underside of these smaller drives.


Raidmax has implemented a tool-less installation design for installing optical drives. Simply pull the release tab on the front of the case to remove the bay cover and remove the locking bar inside the bay to insert the drive. After aligning the optical drive just insert the locking bar and turn the lock to the 'On' position. While the Aeolus has only three optical bay drives, it seems right on par with other mid-tower cases.


Installing the mainboard proved to be a bit of a task with the power supply already installed. There is just enough working space inside to screw it in properly. Connecting the power supply and drives challenged my cable routing skills. The cut-aways on the mainboard tray did help for some, but there was just not enough room for other larger cables. After installing the video card I made my best attempt at tidying up the cables and tucking them away but it still looks a bit messy.

Finished Looks

Replacing the side panels and stepping back, the Aeolus really looks clean. The side window is just big enough to peep inside while the rest of the exterior looks good.


The front remains sleek after installation while the back has a variety of colors from all the installed components. After installing all the components, the rear shows room for improvement, perhaps Raidmax could make adjustments to the space above the rear fan or change out the holes next to the PCI brackets for a fan controller. It just seems there could be more potential to the back end of this case.


Powered on and running the Aeolus has a mild blue glow from the front 120 mm fan. Since none of the other included fans are LED they do not contribute to any overpowering lighting effects produced by some cases. This single LED light is a nice touch that keeps a simple overall look.