Often considered just an option for cheap budget pc enclosures,
Raidmax is trying to break into a very recent niche in the market – the mid-range gaming case, complete with a pre-modded window, glowing front door, and led fan on the side. This new line of “gaming cases” is trying to mimic the looks and performances of more expensive cases, while still carrying a price tag well within the means of most users – let’s see how it does.
Specifications/ FeaturesExternal Drive Bays: 4 x 5.25" and 2 x 3.5"
Internal Drive Bays: 4 x 3.5" H.D.
System Board: ATX Form Factor 12" x 10.5" or smaller
Expansion slots: Standard ATX 7 slots
Material: 0.7mm SECC Steel
Power Supply: PS2 size/ 420 watts ATX12V P4 ready Power Supply
Dimension(WxDxH): 200 x 450 x 430 mm
Features:4 Different colors
Good show car paint job
Pre-modified side panel window
Front USB 2.0 version and Audio ports
Temperature controlled cooling fans
Aesthetically pleasing design
Good stock cooling options
Stylish laser-cut fan grill with filter
Raidmax’s design on the Cobra very much emulates their Scorpio line of cases, with changes in the front bezel mainly, and in production versions of the windows. Each use the basic chassis design most popular in mid-tower cases, with the exception of nicely rounded corners on most of the edges inside, and the build material of the case, which is lightweight steel which very greatly lightens the weight of the case while still providing more stability than budget-range aluminum cases.
The Cobra also comes with a 420w power supply, which has fairly good rails and carries on Raidmax’s fine reputation for PSU’s. The case comes standard with one side panel led fan, and two clear rear panel fans, which work very well with thermal diodes, attached in-line to regulate fan speed.
While there is nothing wrong with the fans, a lot of airflow is blocked by the restrictive grilles, as can be seen. While this may be bad for the less technically-inclined users, someone with a Dremel could easily cut this out and have it fixed in only a few minutes.