Introduction:

Raidmax ICEBERG Case

Most cases tend to follow a similar formula nowadays, as many of you have undoubtedly noticed: Pack a bunch of fans into an enclosure and slap a nice plastic finish on to make it look nice. While this does work in most cases, it does leave something to be desired from a quality standpoint. Indeed, most complaints have to do with plastic parts breaking due to general wear-and-tear.

Enter Raidmax with their new Iceberg case. The Iceberg is a member of their "Elite Series Gaming Cases", which is a bit of a tacky name, but nonetheless the Iceberg does have some features which make it stand out. An almost all-aluminum construction and a chassis that looks like a heatsink aim to bring both quality and great cooling prowess to the Iceberg. Let's see if this case really lives up to its name.

Specifications:

In terms of capacity and pure specifications, the Iceberg is a fairly typical mid-tower case. Featuring four 5.25" bays and four HDD/internal 3.5" bays the Iceberg is right smack in the middle in terms of capacity for mid-tower cases - this sort of capacity is ideal for most systems. Perhaps most appealing though, is the all-aluminum construction of the case - both the chassis and front panel are made of this light-weight metal.

• Specs from the manufacturer

In terms of cooling, there are four 120mm fans - on front intake, two top exhausts and another rear exhaust, making for slightly negative air pressure. The Iceberg is also very solidly built - in addition to the all-aluminum construction, the metal is very thick, especially in the chassis, side panels and drive cages. This, however, increases the mass of the case - despite its aluminum make-up, the case comes in at about 28 lbs, shipping weight! This is without a power supply, and certainly makes it one of the heaviest aluminum cases and fairly heavy for mid-towers in general.

The Iceberg came packed in a non-descript box without many markings. Indeed, even the Raidmax brand was not attached to it; this may have been because it was a review unit. Nonetheless, it was very well protected with ample foam. Taking it out, you're greeted with a case that has some heft to it and an interesting appearance, despite having the typical black colour of most "gaming" or "enthusiast" cases nowadays.

Non-descript packaging.

Well protected.

Side view.

The case has a small side window without any fans on it. I'm not huge on windows but most cases tend to have them; the Iceberg's is small and utilitarian. Looking at the case, you will be immediately struck by the design: The top of the case is adorned with aluminum fins, much like a heatsink. (Albeit on a larger and coarser scale)

The aim of these fins is to increase the surface area and allow heat to dissipate from the case more effectively, just like a regular heatsink. Coupled with the all-aluminum material, this design should help improve temperatures within the case. Much like the fins, which you can see below, the rest of the case is made up of relatively thick aluminum, contributing to the 28 lbs shipping weight, far above other aluminum cases.

Other side view.

Front view.

Heatsink fins.

The front panel is easily removal, like those on Lian Li cases. It is held in place using metal parts, so there's no fear of snapping a plastic peg when removing/attaching the panel. This sort of high-quality construction is fairly rare when it comes to cases. The top drive bay has a cover for an optical drive to keep the look of the front consistent, but if yours doesn't fit with it for some reason, it can be removed or you can just use another drive bay. Looking at the front you can see the 120mm LED intake fan at the bottom. There's no dust filters here, so depending on your environment the inside of the case may get very dusty after a while, increasing temperatures.

Front fan.

Top exhaust fans.

Side panel latches.

The top has dual 120mm LED exhaust fans. Again, the grills are fairly open but since they're set to exhaust there's less chance of dust entering this way but you'll still want to be careful of dirt. The power/reset buttons, LEDs and USB/audio/Firewire ports are also located up here. Having an eSATA port might have been beneficial, but its absence is not a huge concern. Also, having the LEDs on the top might make them out of view if you put this case on your desk.

Both side panels are held in place using a very novel and easy latching system. Instead of screws at the back, there are two briefcase-like latches at the top of each side panel; push them down and the side panel swings downward, making side panel removal effortless. These are definitely some of the nicest and highest-quality side panels I've seen; as with the rest of the case, the panels are fairly thick, making them have some weight; they aren't your typical flimsy aluminum case panels so don't go swinging them around!

Side view.

Rear view.

Bottom view.

No PSU is included, as seen from the rear of the case. The last 120mm exhaust fan is also located here in the standard position; watercooling tube holes complete the picture, making the rear have a fairly standard layout. (You get a better view of the top "fins" from the below picture as well) The bottom view shows four fairly large feet as well as the gap between the chassis and front panel to allow for easy removal of the front panel. Overall, the Iceberg gives a good first impression of quality and craftsmanship with hardly any plastic present on the outside.

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