Installation

As I previously mentioned, removing the side panels of the RaidMax Iceberg case requires no tools. Simply pull down on the two tabs, pull towards you then up. Now that we are inside, lets get the gear in place.

Installing the PSU went without issue, of course, this is a RaidMax RX700 PSU going into a RaidMax Iceberg case, one would think they would fit nicely with each other.

The support bar for the PSU is lined with thin rubber, this should help keep things from rattling as well as protect the mirror finish of your PSU.

Mounting the motherboard on a non-removable tray is something I have not done in quite some time. I must say that due to the large interior of the Iceberg, space was not an issue.

Unfortunately, identifying which holes the mount screws went into was not cut and dry. A beginner could very well have had difficulty installing the mount screws in the proper places.

Strangely enough, installing the rear I/O plate was problematic, the rear 120mm fan was impeding the rear I/O plate from snapping properly into place, to me it still looks a little bubbled out. The other issue I see here is that the position of the rear 120mm fan could take air away from certain CPU fans.

Unfortunately, mine is the variety that I feel will be struggling against the rear fan to get air...

The rear I/O plates for the add-on cards are of the “use them or lose them” variety. In other words, they are aluminum and part of the case, once you bend them off (yes, they are connected so you must bend back and forth to remove) they are gone forever.

RaidMax did not see fit to supply you with any fillers, why would you need fillers you ask? Well, lets just say I have been doing this long enough to where I go from a Dual Generation 3 Video card setup to a singular Generation 5 Video card setup. They will be needed at some point and time if you keep the case long enough.

Speaking of Video Cards, that was my next installation, unfortunately it did not go as well as one would think. One of the disadvantages of using an all aluminum case is that the case itself is much more exact. By that I mean that if it is just a little bit off in its alignment, it is next to impossible to tweak or shift it into alignment. Mine was just a little off, and therefore my Video card was somewhat difficult to install, the screws kept wanting to go at an angle.

Installing a Hard Drive was an interesting experience. First you have to remove the front panel from the unit by pulling down on the front panel release (once again no screws) and then remove the retaining screws that hold the hard drive tray in place (of course there are two each side so each side panel needs to be removed).

Then you pull the hard drive tray out the front of the case (I knew this going in so I was not worried that I had previously installed the motherboard and video card), which, when you think about it, is the way you want I to be. A lot of removable hard drive trays or even hard drive mounts are rear entry devices, causing you to carefully maneuver the tray or hard drives when upgrading, unless of course, you remove the motherboard or pull out the motherboard tray. Once you install the hard drive(s) you simply slide the HD tray back in, secure it with the screws and snap the front panel back on, then of course the side panels when you have completed everything internal (cable hook ups and what not).

Connecting the cables from the case to the motherboard was a breeze. RaidMax gives you plenty of cable to reach even the furthest away USB / FireWire ports. There is plenty of room to work with for cable management so you can tuck things away cleanly, which also allows for more airflow. Speaking of the USB ports, they are just a bit to close to one another to allow for 2 USB Flash Disks to be plugged in simoultaniously.  One Flash Disk and One cable for Sansa was no problem, but if I tried to get two Flash disk's, it did not want to cooperate.

Lets take a look at a few temps while we are here.

Specs:

Asus P5W DH Deluxe

Intel E6400 (2.13GHz)

          Samsung SP2504C (250GB SATA-II)

          MSI NX8600GT Twin Turbo

I will be comparing the previously reviewed Cooler Master Praetorian to the RaidMax Iceberg.

I am sure you all see the interesting results for the CPU. While the Cooler Master increased a mere 2C under load, the RaidMax increased 4C. Conversely, the motherboard ran hot and continued to run hot through both test on the Cooler Master, the RaidMax kept things much cooler in the case itself. I take the CPU variance to be due to my specific type of cooler on the CPU. If you were to have a Scythe Ninja, Thermalright Ultra series or the like, you would probably see better numbers on the CPU temperature.

Both cases have a 120mm fan blowing air directly on their respective Hard Drive trays, as you can see they are neck and neck here.

Final Words

delivers a hard blow to the competition with the Iceberg case. The exterior is very appealing in design as well as function.  One of my favorite attributes is the use of the top of the case for the Power / Reset buttons along with USB / FireWire and audio.  The Blue LED's are neither here nor there for me, some will like them, some will replace them.  Tool-less entry is also a nice feature and one I will use frequently in my line of work.  The inclusion of 2 rubber cover pass through holes is a bonus for anyone going down the water cooling path.

Once you move inside you have high end attributes such as a front removable hard drive tray, nicely designed case cables and sturdy supports that are rubber lined for noise reduction.  You have a Front Panel that is easily removed with a pull of a bar so you now have access to replacing hard drives and DVD-ROM's (once again with rubber lined shelves) without worrying about what I/O cards you need to remove to gain access.  Unfortunately, you also have much tighter specifications that lead to things not fitting as nicely as you are used to and a motherboard tray that, well, isn't a tray at all as it is non-removable.

The function of the case is just as it should be.  The USB ports on the top of the unit make for easy connection of your USB gear.  The fans make minimal noise, which is speaking volumes considering there are 4 of them moving serious air.  The has some very nice features along with an all aluminum, good looking design, at a price point that will make the competition cringe. A few tweaks here and there from could make the an all star performer.

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