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View Full Version : [Review] Raidmax Raptor



Fuganater
07-15-2012, 05:48 PM
Raptor


Introduction

The Raidmax Raptor is one crazy looking case. Before I even started this review, I had high hopes for this case. I know Raidmax has been working hard on improving their product and I have noticed the changes through the cases I have reviewed for them in the past. So lets dive in and see how they did.


Packaging

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02139.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02140.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02141.jpg

Raidmax has always been good about making an eye catching box. They list lots of the features the case has right on the side of it so you know what your getting when you buy the case.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02142.jpg

Once you pull the case out of the box you notice one huge difference. The "bag" is no longer a cheap plastic bag. It is a cotton fiber type material that covers the case inside the 2 closed-cell foam ends. Granted, this might actually be cheaper but I was very surprised to see this. They even went as far as printing their logo on both sides of the bag.

Specifications and Features

I grabbed some info off of the Raidmax website. For all of their cases, they make nice tables that gives you all the necessary details you need. They also have a great "Features" tab that really shows the highlights of the case. I put them below for quick reference.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/raidmaxraptorspecs.png

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/container_raptor.jpg


A Closer Look

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02144.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02145.jpg

This is one crazy looking case. It has a slotted front with 2 "wings" on the front of it. You can see that each door has outward indentations on them to give the case some depth. This also adds some cable management space behind the motherboard tray. When I install the system we will see if it really does help.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02152.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02167.jpg

Another sign of higher quality from Raidmax is the parts bag. It is a "zip-lock" type bag that holds the manual and all the other extras that comes with the case. Two nice things to see were the fan screws for the side of the case and the fan screws for the front of the case. Both of these areas require a longer screw that most people would not have lying around so its nice to see that they included those. One other thing is that they now include Velcro cable ties instead of cheap, white zip ties.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02147.jpg

The front panel has (3) 5.25" bays which features Raidmax's "One-Click" latching system. It works well because removing and installing the bay covers is very easy to do. The bottom half of the front is covered with a slotted design and some mesh for keeping dust out. Behind the front panel is (1) 120mm Red LED fan and space below it for a second 120mm fan.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02148.jpg

The back of the case is pretty standard to what we have seen in the past from Raidmax. You can see the (7) expansion slots, (3) small water cooling holes and a 120/80mm fan hole.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02150.jpg

The sidepanel features a mesh grill that has grommets for a 120mm or 140mm fan to be installed. The placement is good because it will allow you to have the fan blow directly onto your GPUs.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02161.jpg

The backside sidepanel is a mirror image of the other except it does not have the mesh grill laser cut into it. I suspect that they are made the same to cut down on costs.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02149.jpg
To hide the top fan holes they added some slanted vents that remind you of scales.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02165.jpg

The top of the case features a case handle. Raidmax seems to be making this standard and its a really nice feature. It feels very sturdy even when fully loaded with a system.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02163.jpg

The front I/O panel features (2) USB 2.0 ports, (1) USB 3.0 port, audio and mic jacks, fan speed dial, LED brightness dial, power and reset buttons. Having a fan controller built into the case is an awesome plus. Granted it only controls 3 of the 4 stock fans but it is better than nothing or having to spend money to buy one.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02158.jpg

The bottom of the case has a removable PSU fan filter. This seems to be standard on all Raidmax cases now.

Lets move inside the case now.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02151.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02153.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02154.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02156.jpg

Inside you can see that the motherboard tray is painted red to match the case accents. I think it looks good but some people like the motherboard tray to be the same color as the res of the chassis. You can also see that you have room for (5) 3.5" HDDs and (2) 2.5" HDD/SSDs. The 5.25" bays have the same tool-less mounting system as the previous Raidmax cases I reviewed had. There is 430mm inside the case for your GPU and 315mm for your PSU if you remove the 2.5" HDD/SSD cage.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02157.jpg

The top 3.5" HDD cage has a latching system which allows you to remove it from the case. This latching system is extremely flimsy. They HDD trays are still flimsy. No changes have been made to them yet that I have seen.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02160.jpg

In the top of the case there are (2) 120mm LED fans. They look to have proper spacing for a radiator but there would be no room to put fans on it. I really wish Raidmax would add 250-50mm of space above the motherboard so that you can water cool their cases with a custom loop.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02162.jpg

Behind the motherboard tray is already a mess yet organized. Having the fan controller installed in the case creates a lot more cables to hide. Its great that they fit behind the tray but it makes it really hard to get the 24-Pin ATX connector through there.




Installation

System Specs:

Gigabyte 880GA-UD3H
AMD AthlonII X4 640
4 GB DDR3 Sector 5
Raidmax RX-600A 600W PSU
Western Digital 80GB HDD
Galaxy GTX 460
CoolIT Systems VAN-R120 Vantage CPU Cooler


http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02180.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/Fuganater987/Reviews/Raidmax%20Raptor/DSC02181.jpg

Installation was generally easy. The lack of cable management behind the motherboard tray makes it tough to get the 24-Pin ATX cable routed but it does fit. Also the cable management holes are very narrow. There is some space behind the 3.5" HDD bays so you can store your extra cables there if your PSU is not modular.


Conclusion

Pros:

Stock fan LEDs match case
Knobs to control the LED brightness and Fan speeds
Handles on the side panels
Handle on the top of the case


Cons:

Cable management
Flimsy HDD trays
Top HDD bay is not sturdy
Can't put a fan in the side panel if using a AIO CPU cooler
"Wings" are annoying when trying to put side panels back on



Raidmax is defiantly making changes to their cases which is a good thing to see. They have added some extra cable management behind the motherboard tray by adding the extra 5mm indentation into the door, the HDD bays are now stackable and they added 2x 120mm fans to the top of the case.

I have to the the Raven a 6/10. The flimsy and unstable HDD cage and trays really hurt this case. The bottom one doesn't even lock in place! There is virtually no space behind the motherboard tray to store the extra cables, you can't route the 8-Pin CPU power cable behind the motherboard tray and you can not mount a fan on the side panel if your are using a AIO Liquid CPU Cooler which really hurts the cooling performance of the case.