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Product:
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Raidmax X1 Mid-Tower Gaming Case |
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Price:
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$79 (CAN) / $65 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Raidmax
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Author:
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Skaal-Tel
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Date:
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July 19th, 2005
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The fan present on the side is a standard blue led 80mm fan with a black grill. The grill serves no
filtering purpose, but looks pretty cool. Also provided with the case is a Raidmax branded 120mm black
fan and power supply. The 120mm fan produces a slightly irritating threshing sound when run at full
speed, but is otherwise very quiet for its size. Despite Raidmax's claims to the contrary, I can see
no way in which the supplied fans are temperature responsive. The fans appear to be completely mundane
2 wire units. The power supply is a 450 watt model, but with a measly 14 amps on the 12v rail, don't
plan on hooking up an SLI system. It should be perfectly fine for the average system however, and
definitely a cut above the usual 300 watt supplies found in basic cases. The power supply has a single
SATA plug, the ATX plug and a P4 AUX plug. However, there are no video card connectors present and no
adapter or add-on to power an SLI board.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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All external and internal drives as well as AGP/PCI cards are all to be held with a locking clip system.
The clips work just fine, and are extremely easy to figure out. The clips seem to be of above average
quality, using metal dowels to secure the drives via their screw-holes. With the large window on the
side of this case the clips can easily be seen and the black doesn't really jive with a white case.
The hard drive cage is rotated 90 degrees and provides enough space for installation of system
components. I did note during my evaluation that you can route cables behind the cage to minimize
clutter. A vent is present at that location as well to help cool the drives. In front of the drive cage
is sufficient space for another 120mm intake fan, if you wanted to install one.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The X1 also features a removable motherboard tray, an item I have longed for in many of the cases I've
had to work on. This tray has a single screw on the back of the case to lock it down, while various tabs
on the back secure it to the case. Unfortunately, the tray does not include the back panel and
expansion card slots. All the tray is good for is to install the basic board minus expansion cards. While
the implementation is kind of weak, the presence of any kind of removable tray is welcome.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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All the requisite screws, case feet and case badge were present and accounted for. However, Raidmax went
a step further in providing a SATA power to Molex converter, as well as a 3-pin to Molex pass-through.
If you use the 3-pin to Molex pass-through to connect either of the two case fans to the front panel
display you'll be disappointed since the fan display does not light up unless you use a true 3 wire
fan. Both of the fans bundled with the case are 2 wire and Molex equipped.
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Conclusion:
In essence the Raidmax X1 Mid-Tower is aimed straight at the PC builder or budget gamer looking for a
pre-modified case to display their computer parts. It is not overly quiet with 4 fans present and is not
overly aesthetic, as the black version of this case is a bit better looking. It is definitely not
sufficient for an enthusiast, as much as I love removable motherboard trays but is a cut above the usual OEM
case, with tool-less installation but that's not saying much. On the plus side the X1 includes a
side panel window, complimentary 80mm blue LED fan and an integrated real time Thermal LED temperature
display. The fault of the temperature display is that it's limited to Fahrenheit readings only. If you're
looking for a budget case the X1 is a decent unit but there are currently better designed units at the
same price point, even within Raidmax's own list of offerings. Overall, I'm rating the Raidmax X1 Mid-Tower
Gaming Case a final score of 6 out of 10.
If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Raidmax
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Pre-modified side panel window
- Integrated real time Thermal LED temperature display
- Tool-free drive rail system
- Includes 450W PSU
- Removable motherboard tray
- Price
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Cons:
- Thermal LED temperature display limited to Fahrenheit readings only
- USB and audio ports shielded when front panel is closed
- Stock airflow configuration can be improved
- PSU is under powered for SLI configurations
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