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Introduction:
First a little about the company,
Raidtronics, Inc.
Most of us know them as
Raidmax. This next blurb is from
their website:
“Raidmax's mission is to consistently offer best in class PC
enclosures and accessories to our OEM clientele, as well as
the fast growing retail market segment. Our constant effort
to provide innovative designs, quality products, and
excellent customer service is what sets Raidtronics apart
from our competitors. At Raidmax, we will not only work hard
to earn your business, our goal is to always meet or exceed
your expectations.” ~
more
info
A case is a little like clothing, car, or house. They make a
statement about the individual. Although, sometimes reading
a person by what they wear or have is not a true reflection
of the true individual. So can a case reflect your
age/personality? Obviously, everyone has different interests
and tastes. For that reason there are many cases on the
market. Some look overstated, and others very elegant but
simple. While silver and black are the standard colors,
cases come in many colors depending on the model. Who's to
say what's looks the best? Well, in this review I do ;)!
Let's have a peek at this case.
Packaging:
This product came in the original case box, which is
common shipping practice. Sometimes though, cases will come
shipped in another outside box to insure no damage.
Thankfully, there was no shipping related damage to this
product - the Styrofoam padding and plastic bag added extra
protection. Notice the black tape on both the top and
bottom. This case was clearly opened after it was shipped.
This is a normal occurrence by Canadian Customs officials
when products are coming into the country. Everything
changed on 911 and now customs are even more cautious and
inspect most items, the larger ones in particular.
Included
in this package is the case, bag of screws/washers/standoffs,
etc., speaker, and Power Supply cable.
Case Layout and Specifications:
The Raidmax Pure Color 02 Case w/420W PSU is mostly steel
with a plastic front. The case dimensions are: 48.5cm (L) x
20cm (W) x 43.7cm (H), and it weights in at
7.8 kilograms. The overall look of the case is
good and should appear to a wide audience. Although, there's
nothing that's really stands out about it's looks. I believe
that's not a bad thing. Sometimes cases can have to much
bling-bling!
This
case is available in a couple of different color
configurations (see picture below). By the way, the car-like paint job is a
high-gloss, reflective, and appears to be tough. While high
gloss is good, it's a little bit high maintenance when it
comes to keeping that finish looking pristine - you can
easily see smudge marks and fingerprints. Break out
the wax and polish cloth!
This case doesn't come with a door. A door, for the most part,
is just for look anyway. Generally, I find doors to be a
nuisance because it hinders access to drives and can block
air flow. So no door is just fine with me! At the front
there are 4 x 5.25" drive bays and 2 x 3.5"
external drive bays. The two top 5.25" drive bays have flip
open covers. This means you can install a CD/DVD drive and
preserve the look on the front of the case.
At the bottom left there are 2 x USB ports, a microphone,
and a headphone jack. There's a place for a Firewire port
but one is not included. The location of these ports
is great if you have the case on your desk, but not so good
if your case is on the floor. This is common for many cases
though. I personally prefer they at the top because I have
my case on the floor, so it's really a personal
preference. The power button is located in the center and the reset button is at the bottom middle.
Just inside the case at the front bottom, an
optional 80/92/120mm fan can be installed. A fan in this
location provides excellent case air circulation and is
strongly recommend. I believe a 120mm fan should have
been included.
Both side panels can be taken off by first
removing the four (2 on each) screws at the back.
Unfortunately there are no thumbscrews for easy
removal/installation. The left panel comes with
a few ventilation holes and a port, but no fans. The port
though does provide the motherboards cooler to intake cool
air from outside the case.
At the back of the case at the very top they
include a Raidmax 420 Watt standard ATX Power Supply. While
the budget builder would appreciate this PSU, any hardcore
computer user would require their own high-end power supply. They
also include a 120mm fan (exhausts warm air from the inside to
the outside the case), an IO shield plate, and at the bottom
back there are 7 expansion slots.
This is a mid-tower case so there isn’t a lot
of room to work on the inside and unfortunately the
motherboard tray isn’t removable. The form factor of this
case is ATX, however, there's no support for BTX. As mentioned previously, there
are 4 x 5.25” and 2 x 3.5” external drive bays. Well, there
are an additional four internal 3.5” drive bays.
Installation of these drives is not a tool-less operation. A
screwdriver is required for installation of drives in the
drive bays and cards
in the expansion slots.
Also, note the location of these drive bays. They are
ideally placed behind a optional intake fan. This will
insure that the hard drives stay cool if a fan is installed.
Below is a picture of the bottom of the case. Not a
flattering part of any case really, with four standard
plastic feet. Plastic feet are fine, offering stability and
some reduction of vibration as well.
Conclusion:
There's a reason why this case is called Pure Color. That's
because it's available in a number of different high-gloss
colors. Most cases come in the standard silver and black
colors. I personally like silver (aluminum) cases but
others may prefer something radical. There are plenty of
drives bays and it's good to see the four internal 3.5"
drive bays in a mid-tower case. Nothing really stands out
with this product though. It does offer good value but
overall it's your basic computer case. Something to
definitely keep in mind, however, is that this case may be a
good choice for modding, if you need something low cost and
you're willing to spend time to tinker :).
Pros:
- Excellent color selection
- Nice paint job
- Adequate air circulation (remember to install a fan at the
front)
- Includes a 420W PSU
Cons:
- No tool-less design
- No removable motherboard tray
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