A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box the Sharkoon AK5G RGB goes the trusted and true route in terms of design. The retail version of the front actually looks a little bit different from what we had seen at Computex, as the blackout section is now much bigger on the front glass section, so just the fans are exposed. This is a much cleaner look, as you can't see wires or mounting clips anymore.


That front pane employs straight lines and 45° cuts around the edges to create a bit of a beveled look. The fans sit right behind the glass, which can't be good for airflow. You may pull off the front cover with a strong tug, the plastic pins hold it in place quite well. This reveals the three fans which do not have any mounting holes on one side and are designed to look a specific way from the front. These 120 mm units have ARGB rings embedded into their frames with unique looking, all-black blade designs. In the rear, the case looks pretty traditional with an upright motherboard tray and the PSU below it.


The main side panel has a full glass panel which is held in place by clips, so that there are no screws needed. It is nicely framed in black and has very little tint, so that you will clearly be able to see all your hardware within. On the opposite side, the steel panel has a section which is vented to accommodate any side cooling elements you may install inside the chassis. This is also where we assume you should be placing the included dust filter - even though that feels quite unnecessary as the holes punched into the side are already nice and small.


Looking at the rear, the PSU bay sports two sets of mounting holes, so you could choose which way the fan in your power supply will face. Above that are the standard seven horizontal expansion slots, each held in place by a classic screw. A cover has been placed next to it, which uses plastic thumb screws so you can slide it over when adding expansion cards. Above that is a fourth 120 mm exhaust fan set to push air out the back of the chassis. It is mounted on elongated holes, so you can adjust its vertical position to best suit your needs. The Sharkoon AK5G RGB is a fairly skinny case, there is no room for a 140 mm unit for example, but there is still plenty of room above the section, so an AIO should fit just fine. Sharkoon has also included four little dents to allow you to grip the side panels easily when wanting to remove them from the chassis.


On the top of the AK5G RGB is a magnetic metal mesh dust filter which protects a vent for up to two 140 or three 120 mm fans. Alternatively, this area may be used for a radiator of up to 280 or 360 mm. The I/O on the chassis is exactly what we have come to expect from an enclosure of this price segment as it consists of two nice black USB 3.0 ports, a single USB-C connector, and an audio combo plug. Sharkoon re-purposed the reset button for ARGB control instead of providing a dedicated one, which is the only real shortcoming of this part of the case.


Taking a look at the case underside, you will find a basic mesh cover to protect the PSU. This is the simplest form of dust protection, and it would have been nice to at least have a pull-out mesh filter instead. If you look closer, the HDD cage on the floor of the case has two mounting locations and is secured by screws out-of-the-box.


As we also received the mesh panel used on the AK5M RGB, we went ahead and popped that unto the body to show you what that variant would look like. The flowing shape of the mesh does help to break apart the monotony but seems to contrast the straight and edgy overall design.