When you first see the size of the Spiral Galaxies carton you immediately realize that this is not a normal case, a normal case carton measures 10" x 22" x 19" whereas the Spiral Galaxies is a whooping 11" x 22-1/2" x 24".  One of the keys to having a cool computer is space and the ability to move the air in that space so what AeroCool has done is try to isolate everything that generates heat to a specific region of the case where the the heat can be addressed.  With this case it basically boils down to two regions the processor and power supply, we will look at each region and how the heat is handle for that area as we go along.
 

Shipping Carton Front

Shipping Carton Rear

AeroCool has done great job on the presentation of the case with colorful galactic background and the oversized picture of the actual case on the front of the shipping carton.  The size of the carton permits a far larger picture than normal carton would permit allowing the customer to see what the case looks like in far greater detail.  The rear of the carton is used to display the seven key features of the case (see Page 1), once again this is well thought out and will greatly appreciated by the would be customer.

Score: 9+

The minute you pull all 26.5 lbs of the Spiral Galaxies out of the carton you are struck with just how well built this case actually is.  I have come to expect a small bit of flex from any case as I remove it from the shipping carton and sit it on the workbench or desk, with this case that was not the case. (no pun intended)

There is one upside to the shear bulk of the case, that being the mass seems to deaden any sound created inside of it whether it be from the 80mm or the 120mm fans.

I give AeroCool a lot of credit for the tricked out side-panel window used on the Spiral Galaxies,  the honey-comb effect looks pretty cool in its own right but it actually serves another purpose and that being to offer the case a tremendous amount of EMI shielding.  Being a Ham Radio Operator this is one thing that is very important to me since it can make the difference between me hearing a distant station and not.
 

Angle View

Side View

Let me take a minute and talk about EMI and how your computer goes about generating it and how it effect me as a Ham Radio Operator.  There are several things in a computer that can generate noise. All computers use digital signals -- square waves rich in harmonics. These signals can be generated by the several oscillators found in most computer systems. Signals from the oscillators can interfere with the signals we want to receive. In addition to the oscillators, all computer circuits sub-divide these oscillators into signals that are sub-multiples of the oscillator frequencies. Additional digital noise can be generated by the video monitor circuits. Computers also use switching power supplies. "Switchers" can also be prolific generators of RF noise. The monitor has a separate power supply, plus sweep and high-voltage circuits that can also generate noise. When you put them all together, a computer system can generate RF signals from below the HF band well into VHF!

Now all of that is well and good for poor Mr. Ham Radio Operator but I know your not one and why should you worry about EMI? Because all of those devices that I mentioned that create noise also create something else and that called is a harmonic, that means it doesn't interfere with just one place on the dial it it does it in multiples So if it initially was interfering at 10.00 MHz the 2nd harmonic would be at 20.00 MHz the 3rd at 30.00 so you get the idea. So now we are able to start interfering with things like cordless phones and answering machines, in other words it just got important to you to. Now I should add that some computers are cleaner than others, meaning that some come from the factory where they could be ran without a case and never cause a problem, while others are louder than signal generators.

Using the Albatron KX600 Pro Motherboard (known to be extremely noisy) in the The Spiral Galaxies proved to us that this case does indeed shield in our estimation 95 to 97 percent of the EMI noise given off by this particular motherboard.
 

Front Bezel

Rear View

The front bezel of the Spiral Galaxies is divided into two parts, the upper portion of the bezel contains the door along with the power switch and the reset button and the power indicator and hard drive activity light.  The door can be locked to keep access to your drives to a minimum.

AeroCool has made sure the rear exhaust fan will have maximum air flow by removing as much metal as possible form the an grill. There is also one other vent further on up the rear of the case which will works in conjunction with the 80mm fan which we will touch on here in just few minutes.
 

USB & FireWire Connectors

Placement of the USB and FireWire connector being located on the top frame of the Bezel is rather an odd location for these connections, but I think it was done out of necessity since the area normally reserved for these plugs is occupied by the front 120mm fan.
 

Lower Bezel

Drive Bays

The lower portion of the bezel has 10 louvers cut in it to allow air to enter into the case, the placement of these louvers correspond with the 120mm fan used on the "Air Tunnel" ™.

With the door open you can see that the Spiral Galaxies is slightly different than most cases, since this one has room to hold five - 5.25 drives.  This should provide more than enough room for even the most serious of CD burners.
 

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