Raidmax Atomic ITX-107WB Review
(sumber dan artikel lengkap bisa di baca di : http://benchmarkreviews.com/25670/raidmax-atomic-itx-107wb-review/)
By Julian Duque
Manufacturer: Raidmax Co.
Product Name: Atomic Mini-ITX Case
Model Number: ITX-107WB
UPC: 854190107007
Price As Tested: $59.99 (Newegg)
Product Name: Atomic Mini-ITX Case
Model Number: ITX-107WB
UPC: 854190107007
Price As Tested: $59.99 (Newegg)
Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Raidmax.
Back in 2005, it was almost unthinkable to build a small form factor system due to the existence of a major trade-off between performance and efficiency. Nowadays, the market for small form factor systems has catapulted itself, and has gotten as far as to make companies like Raidmax to adapt and introduce itself to this market. A month ago, Benchmark Reviews took a peak the Raidmax Hyperion, the first Micro-ATX case from a company mostly known for their aggressive looking Mid-Towers. Today, we take a look at the Raidmax Atomic Mini-ITX Case, an even smaller case, with a lot of potential.
A quick look at the specifications found on Raidmax�s website, it is quite surprising that the Raidmax Atomic can fit an ATX power supply, one 3.5? drive, a dual slot graphics card, and a 120mm all-in-one cooler in a 13 liter enclosure. However there is several limitations in terms of compatibility with power supply length, and graphics cards, something that will is discussed in the interior section of this review.
Features & Specifications
Courtesy of Raidmax.com
image: http://www.raidmax.com/images/specatomic.jpg
If black is your preferred color, you will probably be happy to hear that Raidmax only offers the Atomic in a black color. However I wouldn�t be surprised if later on they release more color variations of this case, ast they have frequently done with other models.
It was a bit of a stunner to see brushed aluminum on the Atomic, a first time on any Raidmax case which are more frequently constructed of steel with some bits of plastic. However there are still some remnants of its predecessors, including the Raidmax logo on the front and the glossy portion of the front panel. Certainly, there is nothing too flashy about the Atomic, it is rather minimalistic and simple.
At the bottom we find four plastic legs with rubberized tips, which are unnecessarily tall. In other enclosures, legs are tall to provide better airflow below the case, which in turn provides some breathing space to the power supply intake. However the way in which the power supply mounts on the atomic exhausts air through the bottom, and therefore does not need to stand as tall as other cases.
Towards the back we find two expansion slots, and the only fan location on the case. There is also a power connector which leads to the bottom mounted power supply. You might have also noticed that this part of the chassis is not aluminum, but rather steel. This is not a bad choice, considering how expensive aluminum can be, and how sturdy steel is.
The Input and Output panel constitutes of one USB 2.0, one USB 3.0, a microphone and headphone jack at the top and a power button on the front. The power button is illuminated by a very subtle white LED, which has a very nice contrast with the brushed aluminum finish of the Raidmax Atomic.
Surely the exterior might have been a good crescendo of excitement to what I think is the most exciting part of the Raidmax Atomic. Unlike the exterior which, was simple and quite simply corporate material, the interior is unique and a bit different from other more popular Mini-ITX designs.
image: http://benchmarkreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Raidmax-Atomic-Accessories-600x343.png
Included with the Raidmax Atomic are plenty of screws which are all black coated, as well motherboard speaker, which most modern companies fail to include, and two zip ties. Also included is a manual, which many will find as too short. People who are building a system for the first time will probably have better luck looking for online guides, instead of relying on this manual.
Before jumping inside the Raidmax Atomic, the first thing that caught my attention is how difficult it can be to open the side panels. On our test sample the screws were so tight, that I almost had to result on using a ratchet, add to that that there is four of them on each side panel. This was probably done to maintain costs down, and it is also a good way to maintain the low profile design of the case, but it makes the building process a lot more cumbersome.
Inside we find a layout very similar to that of the NCASE M1, however the Atomic improves on that design by turning upside down the motherboard so that the power supply can be installed and supported at the bottom, instead of hanging at the top. The Atomic is also smaller, that means not being able to fit a 240 mm radiator, and only two expansion slots. You are also limited to graphics card length of 230mm or 9? considering you install an SFX power supply, otherwise you are limited to 170 mm or 6.5?.
image: http://benchmarkreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Raidmax-Atomic-Inside-View-600x435.png
The Raidmax Atomic is also tall enough to support tower coolers with 120 mm of height such as the raijintek aidos, and the Noctua D9L and even some 120 mm AIO liquid coolers like the Corsair H60. It should be noted that not all 120 mm fans will fit due to how the tubing has to flex which can sometimes cause kinks. Raidmax also includes a 120 mm LED fan, which is a bit out of place considering the simple design of the rest of the case. Next to the fan, there is two expansions bays and a 3.5? drive mount, that can be removed in order to give more breathing room to the graphics card.
One very cool feature of the Raidmax Atomic is that it is all held together by screws, something that is becoming sort of a trend in the case market. This allows for users to take off any panel they desire, as well as being more modder friendly. These is also a very good feature for very small enclosures, which allows people with big hands to easily install components by removing a desired panel.
System Building with the Raidmax Atomic
The main debate with ITX cases in the past, is the trade-off between size and footprint versus ease of use and compatibility. It is clear now that the Raidmax Atomic has tried balance compatibility with size and footprint, but there is still to see how easy it is to build within the surprisingly small enclosure.
Installing a 3.5? drive requires that you remove the bracket located at the top of the case. Being the only 3.5? drive on the case it would have been ideal that it was tool-less, considering the price of the Atomic but unfortunately all you will find is screws. There is also no 2.5? hole mounts on this bracket, but a 2.5? to 3.5? drive converter will work just fine.
The Raidmax Atomic could easily fit a full gaming rig, that is if you use an SFX power supply to fit a longer graphics card. However due to the minimalistic and compact design, the Raidmax Atomic could also be home to an HTPC system which is what I decided to build on it. There was no major setback in terms of ease of us, cable management can be easily handled by bundling all the cables on the top of the case. If you are using a modular power supply, this process could be a lot easier if you get a set of short cables. Airflow is canalized by making the fan at the back as the only intake, and using the power supply as an exhaust. This allows for the CPU to get fresh air, and exhaust it through the power supply.
Of course, exhausting air through the power supply is not exactly a very safe option, specially considering that one of the main goals of an HTPC is to be quiet and hot air in a power supply will not exactly keep noise levels down. However, not having to use a graphics card, this system idled at just 12 watts, and went as high as 70 watts under load using a 4670k at stock settings. Adding a graphics card is indeed an option, but there is a really big chance it will throttle under load.
Mini-ITX Case Final Thoughts
In the end, the Raidmax Atomic is a good entry into the mini-ITX case for Raidmax. It manages to fit plenty of hardware into a very compact enclosure, but it failts to give users flexibility. There is only one fan mount, which raidmax expects you to use as an intake. There is also no way of cooling the graphics card, as the top of the case is completely closed and there is no ventilation holes. There are other minor details that should be corrected, like including a more detailed manual, making the side panels easier to open, and providing a dust filter for the only fan included..
On the positive side, the Raidmax Atomic has superb build quality with an aluminum exterior, and steel interior. It is also mod friendly as you can remove every single panel off the case using screws. There were no major flaws in terms of ease of use, with the exception of the manual. Otherwise, I found it really pleasing to build a system inside the Raidmax Atomic.
Raidmax Atomic Conclusion
Considering how much you can fit inside the Raidmax Atomic, I think it deserves a really good score in performance. However there are still some things to be corrected, like adding more cooling support, specially at the top were there is no way for the graphics card to exhaust air. One way to avoid the heating issue is perhaps to remove the top panel on it�s entirety, but then again, your computer will probably be filled with dust if you do so.
The Atomic�s strongest assets constitutes of look. It�s black nature get�s along really well with the brushed aluminum, something we come to expect from really expensive cases. Both side panel windows are made from a very thick tinted plexi-glass which makes sure to hide any messy cable management yet still allows any internal lighting coming from inside the case.
If you thought Raidmax would never use aluminum in any of their chassis, it is time to think again. The Raidmax Atomic is covered in aluminum at the front, top, and on it�s sides. The interior is made from steel, which gives the Atomic a really sturdy design overall. The plexi-glass found on the side panels does not scratch easily, but it does make the side panels a bit flimsy.
The Raidmax Atomic is capable of fitting long graphics cards, or a very long power supply. Given that you won�t be using a lot of power within the Atomic, it is most probable that you will choose a long graphics card. However, having a long graphics card means having lots of heat introduced into the case, which unfortunately the Raidmax Atomic fails to exhaust with only one 120 mm fan. There is still a lot of room for improvement, but until then this design has a big flaw.
Raidmax Atomic is available online for $59.99 (Newegg), a very capable and compact mini-ITX case that�s a good choice for being home to your next gaming build. At this price point there are still some things missing, like a more detailed manual, and an SFX to standard ATX power supply bracket, and a dust filter. Unfortunately, there are some very similar cases to the Raidmax Atomic with a very noticeable price difference, making the Raidmax Atomic score low in value.
Pros:
+ Very small and compact.
+ Can fit standard ATX power supplies.
+ Brushed aluminum exterior.
+ Elegant and simple design.
+ Case can be easily taken apart.
+ Can fit standard ATX power supplies.
+ Brushed aluminum exterior.
+ Elegant and simple design.
+ Case can be easily taken apart.
Cons:
� No dust filters included.
� Limited cooling support.
� Expensive when compared to the competition.
� Limited cooling support.
� Expensive when compared to the competition.
Ratings:
- Performance: 8.75
- Appearance: 9.50
- Construction: 9.00
- Functionality: 8.50
- Value: 7.25