A Closer Look - Outside

Taking a look at the chassis, it looks clean, using straight lines and a mixture of plastic and metal mesh. The one thing that becomes apparent when looking at the construction closely is its very smooth plastic, which some may not like. A small issue we also noticed are the loose dust filters in the front and top. You can wiggle them around a bit even though they clip onto the top two corners and use a thumbscrew. We made a point of asking SilentiumPC and they let us know that they will address this issue in future revisions. I would suggest simply using thumbscrews instead of spring-loaded clips on the corners. Regardless, it is not a big issue and, as we will see later on, these filters cause no vibration-specific issues either.


The front of the chassis is completely level, and SilentiumPC has steered clear of doing anything to disturb this edgy but clean look. Turning the case around 180°, it becomes apparent why the Aquarius X90 is so tall as it can hold another PSU in the very top.


By default, both sides of the chassis are completely solid, devoid of air vents or fan-mounting possibilities. We will use the optional windowed side panel towards the end of the review to show you how it looks.


Taking a closer look at the front, most of the space is taken up by the aforementioned removable dust filter. This is also where you find the only mention of the company in the form of a SilentiumPC logo. Above that are the two 5.25" drive bays, but the company has also included a 3.5" frame and adapter, so you may install such a unit right out of the box.


In the rear, the bottom is taken up by the primary PSU bay. It comes with two sets of mounting holes, so you can install your PSU with the fan either facing up- or downward. Above the bay are the eight horizontal and a vertical motherboard-expansion slots, which easily allows for a large motherboard to be installed while giving you the option to route an expansion-slot-based I/O or fan controller through the vertical opening without having to sacrifice any motherboard expandability. SilentiumPC also placed a 140 mm fan into the rear, even though they could have gone with a 120 mm unit instead. It is nice to see them going all out here. Last, but not least, the secondary PSU bay comes covered up by default. If you do not plan on using a second power supply, you may use it for another fan instead.


You will find the same type of dust filter (with the same wobbling issue) as in the front on top. The I/O was a bit of surprise as the Aquarius X90 comes with four USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 connectors and the usual audio plugs. Six USB ports may not be a requirement for most, but considering that most motherboards offer many USB headers, it is nice to see a case that puts them to use.


Pull off the front to reveal three more 120 mm fans, which brings their total count up to four right out of the box. You may also remove the PSU bay's bottom dust filter by pulling it out the back of the chassis for easy cleaning, without having to tip the X90 over.