Final Words & Conclusion

Final Words & Conclusion

The concept that is the ARK 90 is based on the Genome project that DeepCool kicked off a few years back. They went back to the drawing table and improved on pretty much anything they could. And yeah, the results are there, the ARK 90 tick most boxes seriously and properly. It's a dreamy and lovely chassis to look at with its dark design. It is spacious as well as being able to fit up-to EATX motherboards. Cable routing is not an issue and even the largest power supplies would fit.

Combined with an embedded LCS system that was fitted with RGB fans and tubing that lights up at the top and front side as well as the usage of tempered glass, it all makes this a very special build. Really terrific aesthetics if you ask me. The one remark I should make aesthetics wise is that the PSU compartment has a see-through panel so you cans ee the PSU? That would not have had my preference, and neither the DeepCool logo that lights up there. other than that the ARK 90 does offer pretty much everything you need or require. The airflow is good enough as there is a tremendous pull from the rad fans. 

Aesthetics

Yeah, I kind of said it all already in the paragraphs above I guess; taste differs though and the chassis itself might be something to the preferred style of many, but not for some. The embedded liquid cooling with that a really nice RGB lighting system that you can control with three small buttons really give the chassis the finish it deserves. Looking at the chassis from the side window, well that's where the magic happens as the cooling block with RGB fans are in the direct vicinity of your eyesight. The combination of the usage of glass really works out well as well as hiding stuff that does do not want to show. I can say though that each and every little aspect of the chassis has been thought through really well. The design of the chassis has been made to make your life a little easier while combining the best features an enthusiast crowd seeks in a chassis. But yeah, this is a well thought through product with nice cooling, dust filters, USB 3.1 integration and relatively tool free design. The glass side and front panels obviously give it the killer looks.

Features

Internals, here we really cannot complain. I mean I could moan about the HDD trays being secured with a screw and accessed from the front side, but come on, who cares? DeepCool also extended towards EATX form factor support for motherboards, the more lengthy graphics cards (up to 31cm) will fit as well. There is no graphics card riser included with this kit, but that is optional. it would look great we think. There's plenty extra space for many forms of liquid cooling on the top, front and rear sides. Storage wise the optical 5.25" unit seems to be a thing of the past, easily solved with a USB based DVD/Bluray drive of course. There is sufficient space for three HDDs and another three SSDs. The chassis has nice motherboard cutout and there's enough but not plentiful space left for cable routing through the grommet holes, all in that all-black interior. The one downside is the visibility of the power supply, I wish the PSU would have been covered 100%. All wires, however, are nicely hidden behind a plate. The overall build quality of the chassis is good. The icing on top of this cake is, of course, the included liquid cooling solution combined with RGB fans. It really kicks ass, though not the most powerful enthusiast class liquid cooler this will certainly get the job done for your average needs.

The Verdict

Alright, conclusion time. I think the ARK 90 is an extremely well-executed chassis, I can't keep my eyes off it. Next, to that, it offers everything that I require in connectivity, storage, and aesthetics. The finish is nice, it's sturdy and the tempered glass really brings in an x-factor. The 280mm radiator and thus that included LCS cooling works well also. We do have to mention though that the fans can be loud, in fact, this chassis really reveals itself in terms of audibility once the CPU started to get stressed. However you connect the fan RPM cable to your motherboard, and basically, my advice is that you make use of a silent fan profile. That, however, could cost you a little cooling performance. But if silence is a necessity, that is the path to follow. The elephant in the room is pricing, it's expensive. The pretty sum of 299 USD and a similar amount in EURO is what is need to get yourself an ARK 90. That, however, is included with the 280mm based AIO liquid cooler and RGB FAN and controller, that that is an all in price. Remember that an AIO cooler kit at this level alone costs ~125 bucks, let alone the extra dough for the RGB fans. Also, the AIO and fans are fitted and built for you already into the chassis. Installation of the water-block is very easy, I have to give DeepCool props for that. The cooling performance is decent, surely not enthusiast class but remember this remains to be an AIO kit. Build a liquid cooled setup with handpicked liquid cooling parts yourself and you'll easily pass the 250~300 USD/EUR marker alone for cooling. The noise levels are however very moderate with default RPM motherboard settings. You will need to tweak that towards a low RPM, that is 2 minutes work tops. Design wise I just cannot complain, the chassis is easy to use and fairly maintenance free. Everything sits in the right place as well, albeit the HDD bay seems a little weird to reach through the front side, but in reality how often do you need to access your HDDs (if you still have them). The airflow more than plenty enough for any build, the air intake at the bottom is covered by a dust filter. The one gripe might be the fact that you can see the part of the PSU, I wish it was hidden compartment and right now a plexiglass shows the text on the PSU seen from the front side, but I am really nitpicking here. The ARK 90 chassis is very unique. Albeit the price might seem high, remember you get a factory built in liquid cooling solutions and four RGB fans with their own controller. The fans will need some low RPM tweaking, but other than that we think this chassis is just something you can feast your eyes on each and every day that you look at it, recommended for sure, and you know what, sure, a top pick even.

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