A Closer Look - Inside

To access the interior, simply remove all the thumb screws holding each panel in place. While the Armis AR7 offers external drive bays, these are extremely short to maximize both room and compatibility. The metal shroud on the bottom comes equipped with a movable panel towards the front, which allows you to install a 2.5 or 3.5 " hard drive. There is still plenty of room to add a radiator to the front fans without sacrificing any storage possibilities. Last but not least, the AR7 comes with a vertical GPU mount, but you will have to source the actual connector and riser cable separately.


Looking at the backside of the motherboard, you can clearly see a honeycomb cutout in the front area. This is where you may install additional 2.5" drives. SilentiumPC has included a fan/RGB controller with eight connectors for both the lighting and the fans. You may control both of these elements through the front I/O of the chassis. It is attached magnetically, so it may be moved around freely. Several Velcro strips are also present to allow for easy and clean cable management.


Underneath the shroud are two more hard-drive trays which may take 2.5 or 3.5 " drives, while the PSU bay is pretty traditional, but with two foam strips as an added anti-vibration measure.


The two fans in the front can easily be accessed, and there is plenty of space for up to 280 mm radiators to fit as long as they are thin enough. Above that are the two 5.25" drive bays with a short cage. The honeycombed part of the motherboard tray does not only offer the ability to mount three 2.5" drives, but may also be used to mount two more 120 mm fans or a 240 mm radiator if you do not plan to use the external drive bays.


In the rear, above the shroud, the 8+2 expansion slots utilize traditional screws, while the aforementioned 120 mm exhaust fan comes with a ring of LEDs and two leads—one to power the actual fan and the other to control the lighting elements.


A quick peek at the ceiling reveals ample space between the motherboard tray and mounting locations if you use 120 mm fans or a 360 mm radiator. Due to the lower 5.25" drive bays, you should not have to sacrifice either even if you go with liquid cooling in this area of the Armis AR7.


All the cables within the chassis are of the usual kind, which means you won't run into any connectivity issues. SilentiumPC also includes two magnetic LED strips you may place wherever you like. All RGB components come pre-wired to the internal controller, which means you won't have to invest any extra time into running the cables and connecting them.