While Aerocool has its options in the high-end chassis market, it seems that the brand’s efforts have been going to the budget-conscious gamer evident with the Cylon Pro and the Bolt. This time around, we are going to take a look a case which is a bit more premium in its price point: the Aerocool Klaw.
| Case Size | Mid Tower |
| Dimensions | 228 x 445.5 x 461mm (WHD) |
| Steel Thickness | 0.6mm |
| Motherboard Support | ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX |
| Drive Support | 6x 2.5-inch, 2x 3.5-inch (3.5-inch and 2.5-inch share the same bay) |
| Expansion Slots | 7 |
| GPU Clearance | 370mm |
| CPU Cooler Clearance | 164mm |
| I/O Ports | 1x USB 3.1 Gen1, 2x USB 2.0, 2x 3.5mm Audio Jack |
| Front Fans | 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm |
| Rear Fans | 1x 120mm (included) |
| Top Fans | 2x 120mm or 2x 140mm (2x 120mm fans included) |
| Bottom Fans | N/A |
| Front Liquid Cooling | 240/280mm |
| Rear Liquid Cooling | 120mm |
| PSU Support | ATX PSU (182mm) |
| Others | RGB Lighting, Fan Speed Controls, RGB Controls, Motherboard RGB Integration, Fan and RGB Remote, 10-port hub with PWM Control |
The Aerocool Klaw is a far cry from its contemporaries. Instead of having a subdued appearance, the Klaw takes a more aggressive appearance. It’s a bit obvious that the case gets its name for the claw-like RGB strips that run through the height of its front portion.
The Klaw supports ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX form factors, which are fairly standard motherboard options for a mid-tower case. The space inside the case is a bit tight for ATX motherboards. You would most likely need to remove the included case fans first to fit an ATX motherboard.
The case comes with a PSU shroud that covers the mess of cables that will inevitably rest at the back. This also covers the whole PSU instead of having a cutout. Aerocool says that the Klaw can support ATX PSUs of up to 182mm fans in length.
Aerocool brings back the break-out covers for the Klaw’s seven expansion slots. Again, this shouldn’t be a problem if you’re using a single GPU. But it would have been nice if they included reusable covers for those who constantly change PCIe devices.
The Aerocool Klaw does come with tempered glass for both side panels. These panels aren’t as heavily tinted as the Aerocool Tor Pro but they do have a bit of shading that should pronounce RGB lighting inside the case even more.
For fan support, Aerocool has included three 120mm RGB fans: one at the rear and two at the top. Unfortunately, they have not included any intake fans at the front.
Popping the front panel is as easy as pulling a tab at the bottom. Here you can see mounts for three 120mm or two 140mm fans. Like some of their budget-friendly cases, the chassis doesn’t come with a dust filter at the front.
Oddly enough, the Aerocool Klaw’s front fans gets some of its air at the perforations on both sides of the case. This would be fine under normal circumstances but the tempered glass covers these intakes.
Placing the tempered glass side panel will only leave around a millimeter of space, which isn’t optimal. The only viable intake of the front fans is the bottom cutout of the front panel.
Liquid cooling support for the Aerocool Klaw includes a 120mm radiator at the rear and a 240/280mm radiators for the front. There’s barely any room between the top fans and the motherboard radiators can’t be placed at the top.
There’s ample space for tower coolers in the Klaw. A large cut out for the motherboard tray has been provided for easy installation of coolers. CPU tower coolers have a 164mm clearance before hitting the tempered glass, which should provide ample space for even large tower coolers.
The I/O ports of the device are located at the top of the case. I/O ports include a power button, a reset button, two USB 2.0 ports, a single USB 3.1 Gen1 port, two 3.5mm audio jacks, and an RGB button. Just behind the I/O ports is the Klaw’s magnetic dust filter for the top fans.
Drive support for the Aerocool Klaw include four dedicated 2.5-inch SSD mounts and two shared mounts for 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives. Two of the 2.5-inch drive mounts are located at the front to show off your SSD.
The rear of the motherboard tray holds two dedicated hot-swappable 2.5-inch mounts just above the PSU. Beside the PSU mount are two shared 3.5-inch/2.5-inch mounts. They seem a bit close to the PSU mount, which may require you to remove them if the cables of the PSU doesn’t fit anymore in their provided space.
One of the biggest selling points of Aerocool’s recent series of cases is the RGB lighting and that is no different in the Klaw. The chassis comes with a 10-port fan and RGB hub that supports RGB strips, fans, and PWM control. It is powered via a MOLEX connection although we would have preferred a SATA connection instead.
The RGB lighting of the Klaw can be controlled via the LED button at the I/O ports or with a remote. The remote does come with additional benefits, however, with fan and lighting speed controls. The case also comes with motherboard integration so you can completely synchronize the RGB lighting of your rig.
Building with in the Aerocool Klaw can be a bit problematic at the start if you don’t make the necessary preparations. ATX motherboards will just barely fit in and if you’re installing with the included fans still on, you’re in for a bad time.
Larger PSUs might also have a hard time fitting in the PSU bay. Our EVGA 650W GQ just barely fit in without all the modular cables. Once it was installed, we were forced to remove the 3.5-inch drives to route the cables properly. It seems that the space for the PSU mount was optimized for ATX PSUs of around 150mm in width.
If you want to show off your 2.5-inch drives, you can mount them at the front of the case. If you’re looking for a more subdued look, two 2.5-inch drive mounts are also available from the back. Mounting drives in either sides would only require a couple of screws.
There’s around an inch of space between the back and the side panel. This is a decent amount of space to be lazy when it comes to cable management. If you’re really lazy, you can also remove the 3.5-inch drives to tuck in more cables.
The RGB implementation in the Aerocool Klaw is a bit more tasteful rather than the vulgar show of lights with the Aerocool Tor Pro. Although not as aggressive, the Aerocool Klaw can still put on a light show with a lot preset modes in the controller. Of course, you can also synchronize the lighting if you’re motherboard supports it.
Priced at USD 80.00 or PhP 3,950 in the Philippines, the Aerocool Klaw comes with its fair share of flaws and boons. The motherboard tray is a bit tight when it comes to building although removing the fans can be alleviated a bit by removing the included fans.
PSU compatibility may also be an issue with larger PSUs. Make sure first that that the width of the PSU is around the 150mm mark. Using 180mm wide PSUs might not pose problems such as removing the 3.5-inch drives to allow proper routing room for the cables.
Both the tempered side panels also blocks the main intakes from the front-fans. Frankly, it would have been better if Aerocool shaved off a couple of millimeters from the tempered side panels to allow the fans to get fresh air outside the case.
Advantages of the Aerocool Klaw can be seen in its design. Again, it’s not as flash as the all-tempered glass Tor Pro but the RGB lighting is a bit more pronounced compared to other cases in its price range.
It’s also a plus that the case comes with a 10-port hub that supports both fan speeds and RGB lighting. Of course, the addition of addressable RGB fans and strips are a big advantage for RGB lovers. Even if you don’t have a compatible motherboard, you can still choose from a variety of pre-built lighting modes.
All in all, the Aerocool Klaw still offers a lot of features at PhP 3,950. Despite its faults, the Klaw is still a serviceable and pretty-looking case. It’s with these reasons that we’re confident enough to give the Aerocool Klaw our 100% Satisfying Gaming Chassis Award.
