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RaidMax Iceberg Elite Series Case
Written by Brook Moore   
Monday, 10 November 2008 19:00

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RaidMax Iceberg Elite Series Case

An all Aluminum case at a price that would make Walmart happy. There are plenty of useful features on this case, so we take a close look at them.

Manufacturer:
Price: Check

Over the years I have reviewed many cases, some of which I enjoyed very much while reviewing. Several of these I no longer care for. Very few maintain the glitter after several months of use as they did when shiny and new out of the box.

Today I am unpacking my very first case, while I have known to make some very nice power supplies, I, along with many other people out there, have not readily known them for high-end cases. The model I am reviewing is the , which is part of their Elite series of cases. While the concept of an all Aluminum case is not new, at this price point, it is very exciting. Does this, along with some unique features give the lasting appeal? Only time will be able to tell us that one.

Before we can delve deeper and determine what is what, let's look at what the Raidmax Iceberg has to offer you and I on day one out of the box.

Specifications

Size: ATX Mid Tower

Construction: All Aluminum

Drive Bays: Four 5.25” (Exposed)

Two 5.25” (Hidden)

Four 3.5” (Hidden)

Power Supply: RaidMax Quantum RX700W
Available Colors: Black and Silver

Fan Configuration: 1 120mm Front intake / 1 120mm Rear outtake / 2 120mm Top.

Top I/O Interface: USB 2.0/1.1 x 2 / IEEE 1394 / HD LED / Power LED / Mic Jack / Headphones Jack / Reset and Power button

Miscellaneous: Pre-drilled holes for liquid cooling

Overview

When opening the shipping container, I had initially thought they packed it front facing up, on further inspection, I realized that the top has the power on / reset buttons along with the USB /Firewire ports. Also noticeable are the fins that run from front to back on the top of the case.

 Image 

The fins, along with the two fans positioned on top, should keep the inside of the unit rather cool.

The front of the Iceberg is all aluminum, even the face plates. The fins are present once again, left and right of the bays, more for aesthetics then for function in this case.

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It does, however, succeed in giving the case an edgy look.

The Bottom of the Iceberg sports rubber feet.

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while a nice touch for keeping the shakes silent, they do not feel as though they would be up to par when sliding the case around or moving it from LAN to LAN.  you might want to either replace these or just be careful when moving...

 

The back of the Iceberg sports yet another 120mm fan, your standard I/O slots and PSU bay hole.

Image Image

Notice also the inclusion of 2 Water Cooling in / out holes.  This allows for easy access of either externally powered pumps or external Radiators. 

The left and right side side of the Iceberg case are unique from this reviewers perspective. I have seen the clip panel cases online but have not had the opportunity to review one. I must say that I do like the style and design as much as I enjoy the function of a tool less entry side panel.

Image Image

A simple pull down of the tab and the side pulls away and up effortlessly. The clips on the bottom of the panels keep them in place and secure when installed. 
The windowed side panel is for aesthetics only, there is truly no function and no ability to install a fan here unless you were to retrofit something after the fact.

Now that the side panel's are off, I can look closer at the internals of the Iceberg case. A few things show up that are not on my favorites list as far as case attributes.

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Numero Uno is the Motherboard Tray is fixed, as in, you must work on it where it sits. Secondarily the PSU support is only on one side of the case. I like to see multiple PSU supports as some of these power supplies are getting upwards of 5lbs. Luckily, as it relates to the motherboard, the Iceberg is rather roomy inside (mainly due to its depth) and is not a horror story to install an ATX motherboard into. The single support that RaidMax has included for the PSU is rather substantial and should be enough for any PSU out there today, I would just like to see another to balance the load.

The USB / Firewire / Audio connectors are all labled well, they even have the Firewire connectors in either block or separate form in case you have a non-standard motherboard connector.

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Here you can see the two 120mm top mounted fans from the inside.

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Notice that RaidMax wants you to use Molex connectors and not draw power from your motherboard.

The hard disk tray pops out through the front of the case, not back towards the motherboard.

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This alleviates any cards or motherboards with tall risers getting in the way of changing hard drives. Getting the front panel is as simple as pulling on a lever. Well, it actually is pulling on a lever. The HD tray slides out, then you simply mount your HD's.

The PSU that RaidMax included with the Iceberg is a stud in its own right.

Image Image Image Image

A very clean 700W unit that is mirror black in finish and has the numbers you are looking for in a PSU. It's stats are as follows:

 

OUTPUT

MIN LOAD

MAX LOAD

LOAD REG.

LINE REG.

RIPPLE

+3.3V

0.8A

36A

±5%

±1%

75mV

+5V

0.5A

30A

±5%

±1%

75mV

+12V1

0A

18A

±5%

±1%

120mV

+12V2

0A

18A

±5%

±1%

120mV

+12V3

0.9A

18A

±10%

±2%

150mV

+12V4

0.1A

18A

±5%

±1%

75mV

-12V

0A

0.8A

±5%

±1%

75mV

+5VSB

0A

3.0A

±5%

±1%

75mVt

 

The has 4 12V Rails and uses “Active Power Factor Correction” which helps to provide High Efficiency (near 85%). You also get the following cable lineup:

2 x PCIe (6+2 pin)

6 x SATA connectors

20+4 pin main

4+4 pin CPU

A closer look at the Power Supply at idle and load:

Idle:

Image

 

~70% Load:

Image

My multimeter readings matched that of the Asus Probe, there was no fluctuation of Vcore or any of the other voltages during my testing. This PSU is rock solid in its delivery, this is a PSU that you would hunt down and purchase alone, much less include with a case purchase...



 
 
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