Raidmax Vampire Case

[JKershner]

I received a case from Raidmax/Sunbeamtech on a personal request and was recommended that I should post it here in the forums. I treated it as a true review.

Introduction
We have the new Raidmax Vampire full tower case in review today. Weighing in at just under 30 pounds, the Vampire bold but sleek design makes it stand out. The materials, design and build quality are excellent and quality are excellent and apparent that a lot of thought went into the design and features that enthusiasts demand.
The case is packed with all the features you would expect in its class like cooling with the 200mm front intake fan, water cooling support both internal and external setups, a top mounted SATA hot-swap bay, USB 3.0, five 5.25” external bays and a large side panel window.
Will this sleek designed case enriched in features meet your requirements? Read on to find out more.
Before we begin, let’s find out more about the company.

In early 2003, Raidmax was the first to debut the design “Scorpio”: an alien eye shape on its general front panel. At the time, it was the bester ever hit in the gaming case business and almost every factory had owned at least one similar design back in China. Two years later, Raidmax released another cutting-edge design, Samurai, and people who had seen the case itself instantly fell in love.
After numerous global feedback, Raidmax is known all over the world. It is said our company is not only a case designer but also the perfect budget keeper. You can simply spend a little but you receive higher quality than you expect.
It has been more than 10 years since Raidmax began its work on its unique product lines and market position. The name of Raidmax is synonymous to gaming design and budget cases. In the United States, Raidmax is considered to be the best second tier brand; in Asia, it is said that only Raidmax can offer the budget cases with great designs; in Europe, with almost no brand management, Raidmax’ follers are still showing their loyal support in many ways.

Specs and Packaging

BASIC SPECIFICATION
EXTERNAL DRIVE BAYS: 5 X 5.25"
INTERNAL DRIVE BAYS: 7 X 3.5" H.D./ 2.5" SSD
SYSTEM BOARD: Micro-ATX,ATX,SSICEB,SSIEEB,MINI ATX,FLEX ATX
EXPANSION SLOTS: 10 SLOTS
I/O PORTS: 2 X USB3.0 / 2 X USB2.0 / 2 x AUDIO
DIMENSIONS: 590(L) X 250(W) X 580(H)mm
COOLING SYSTEM
FRONT: 1 X 200mm LED fan
SIDE: 2 x 120mm fan (optional)
BACK: 1 x 140mm fan
TOP: 2 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm or 1 x 200mm fan (optional)
BOTTOM: None

Packaging
The box came shipped double boxed, the outside box was a high gloss black while the inner box was a generic corrugated box that replicated the outside box but less details and cheap printing.
The front of the outer box shows a 3d image of the face and top of the case highlighting the 3 external drive bays and off black rubberized design with a blue background building up behind the case.


We notice that both sides are identical giving the same information as the other side. The outer box shows a 3d image of the case including the face and allowing a visual appearance of its massive window on the left access panel . Below the picture of the outer box and centered on the inner corrugated box is a list of the cases basic specifications.


The back of both boxes has more detailed information and feature locations of the case including a closer look of specific features of the case including its cooling and filtration features, included fans, design, and the included hot-swap SSD drive bay.


Inside the inner box there is hard 3 inch thick Styrofoam to protect the case from drops and bumps wrapped in a felt cloth bag with the Raidmax logo printed on both sides while traveling to its new home.


Exterior
As we unveil the case we see a pure black case, the face and top panels are rubberized in a sleek design with off black contours that says nothing more than style seeking appreciation. The top half of the face is filled with bay doors that are quick and easy using the lever to quickly remove one of the five filtered 5.25” bay doors. The bottom half has square-ish designs cut out with a filter behind used to filter the intake fan keeping dust particles from entering the case.


Moving our concentration to the left side of the Raidmax Vampire we find a nice side window that takes up approximately two-thirds of the door, allowing you to view all of your internal components. The window also provides an option of installing two 120mm fans that has an unfiltered slotted opening to pull cold air directly onto your graphics card and processor. The door is held on by thumb screws that are stubby with a short thread length making it quicker to remove the door. However, this door is difficult to remove as the top and bottom rubs against the frame of the case so a little force may be necessary.


Moving to the back of the case our attention is brought everywhere, the 4 grommets supporting external water cooling kits, the I/O board opening, to the right of that is an included 140mm fan. The Vampire case offers 10 expansion slots as the covers have a mesh design for air circulation and are easily removable with the included thumb screws. Instead of having an air vent to the right of the expansion slots, Raidmax has engraved their name into the case. The bottom mounted power supply is compatible of being mounted in either configuration with the fan towards the bottom or topside of the case.


While there’s really nothing special about the right side panel, I did find it much easier to remove then the other side.


Taking a quick look at the bottom of the case we find a filtered air vent capable of holding a 120 or 140mm fan that sits between the power supply and 3.5” drive bays, the power supply intake also has a railed washable filter that is easy to remove. The feet are raised and cylinder in shape that allows maximum airflow into the case from the bottom.


Moving on to the top of the case, The top section is easily removable by the two thumbscrews located on the backside allowing the section to slide off allowing access to maintain top mounted fans and/or radiators inside the case. The bottom section as pictured, near the front of the case we find the side mounted 2.5” hot-swap SSD bay. In the center of the case from left to right is the power switch, two USB 2.0 ports, Audio/Mic jacks, two USB 3.0 ports and the reset switch. On the right side of the top we find the integrated fan controller which includes a low/high speed switch, an X-Speed push button and an on/off push button. The controller is capable of controlling 3 fans with a max output of 30w.


Interior
Removing the cover is easy with a light tug using a slot located center just underneath will provide access to the included blue LED 200mm fan protected by a honeycomb grill.


With the case opened, we find the interior layout has a very clean look. The black interior matches the coloring of the exterior. The motherboard positioning and mounting follows the standard layouts for ATX, MINI ATX, SSI EEB, SSI CEB, FLEX ATX and MICRO ATX motherboard sizes. Although the hard drive cages are not modular, there is still enough room for the longest Video card on the market with enough room to expand on cooling and airflow by adding additional fans.
Along the front of the case, we find seven 3.5”/2.5” tool-less hard drive sleds, five tool-less 5.25” external drive bays and the included 200mm intake fan. On the rear of the case, we find the included 140mm exhaust fan.


Taking a look at the back of the motherboard tray we can see that there are grommets around the cable management holes with a 30mm clearance between the motherboard tray and the side of the case. The holes are big enough to fit cables through along with the pre-routed cables leading from the top of the case


Closer look
We really didn't get the chance to go into details about the features on top of the case including the hot-swap bay, USB port locations or the fan controller.
The hot-swap SSD drive bay comes with a dust cover and is easily accessible on the top left of the case.


In the center of the case from left to right is the power switch, two USB 2.0 ports, Audio/Mic jacks, two USB 3.0 ports and the reset switch.
While the USB ports come with dust covers, the 2nd USB 2.0 port came dead on arrival.


On the right side of the top we find the integrated fan controller which includes a low/high speed switch, an X-Speed push button and an on/off push button. The controller is capable of controlling 3 fans with a max output of 30w. The low/high switch works together but is really a low/med speed where the X-SPEED runs fans at 100% and has a red led when the switch is activated overruling the switch regardless if it is in the low or high position. The last button on the right, is the on/off switch with a green led when the fan controller is turned on. I'm not sure why you would completely turn off the fans as they are connected directly to the power supply via molex connector.


System Build
Here is what we used for this build.
Hardware:
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth 990fx R2.0
CPU: AMD FX-6300
GPU: EVGA 550 ti
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB (2x8)
PSU: NZXT Hale90 V2 1000w
DRIVES: 320GB Western Digital 2.5" SATA2, 2TB Western Digital 3.5" SATA2
Radiator: AlphaCool 120mm
Reservoir: Danger Den dual bay, Alphacool DC-LT res/pump combo
This is what the case looks like with all the components installed; there is lots of room for all the components while still providing good airflow.


Pros:
large window
cable management
great airflow
Included fan controller
hot-swap SSD bay
Cons:
Doesn't support larger custom water cooling without case modding
Single USB 2.0 port doesn't function
left side panel rubs against side.

Summary
The Raidmax Vampire is a great case and had a great time looking over it. If you’re in the market for a case ranging from $125-$150 which comes with a 2 year manufacture warranty; The Raidmax Vampire should be on your short list. The case includes several great features such as excellent cable management with plenty of tie down points and grommeted cut-outs, provides support for external water cooling and a 30w fan controller. The hot-swap 2.5” SSD exterior bay is a great feature for those on the go drives that are often dismounted for storage.
Although the 3.5” bays are not modular like most cases, the Vampire is still fully capable of supporting the largest graphic cards on the market while supporting up to 330mm in length
Installing the test system was nothing but a breeze and found a lot of room for expanding for a larger system or a better loop. With the entire motherboard tray extended out from the rear, it allowed enough space to mount the 120mm radiator in an abnormal position.
Unfortunately, the largest radiator this case supports is a 240mm unless you want to step up to the 200mm on top, modifying the case and pulling the hard drive bays will be necessary in order to have a front mounted radiator. The biggest Issue that I saw with this case was the left side panel catching, a simple 1-2mm shave on the top or bottom would do the trick and open flawlessly. Another minor detail was the second USB 2.0 port was not functional while the rest were in perfect working condition.
On a positive note, the large window gave us a full view of all our components when installed in the case and gave a slight blue glow from the installed blue LED fans installed during the build. Although this case has a few minor technical issues, this is an excellent case in the full tower category.

[calemus]

it looks like after the build was finished there was still enough room for me to crawl up in there and take a nap

[JKershner]

With some light modding, there's plenty of room to fit a 360 radiator up top even with the hot-swap bay right above that region. Over all it's a great case and completely recommended.

[TeeBlack]

dont like the look of that case. the inside looks ok though.

[Mgutierrez33]

dont like the look of that case. the inside looks ok though.

The outside screams "tryhard," while the inside screams "I really wish my outsides would stop trying so hard, 'cause I'm really not such a bad guy once you get to know me." I personally would be taking out those HDD bays and seeing about a big 'ole rad in the front as well, and getting solid acrylic for a window. Deffo has some potential to be a decent chassis, but it's a bit too boy-racer-ish.

[Cyberburnout]

I would chop it up. No bays at all. No point in having them. I never use Optical drives anyways. Pop those rivots and slap in a fat rad in top and maybe the front. Not really feeling the front of the case. Not sure how I could fix that.

[Doctor_Death]

Joe, you still need to work on your photos, some came out nice and clear, but to be honest with you, the front, rear, top, and bottom exterior shots do not look good at all. What kind of cam are you using ?

[Cyberburnout]

Joe, you still need to work on your photos, some came out nice and clear, but to be honest with you, the front, rear, top, and bottom exterior shots do not look good at all. What kind of cam are you using ?

I thought it might be from an attempt to fix pictures is photoshop by using the contrast, Exposure and Gamma correction tools. If you over do it with any of them it looks like the pics above. Pixelated and grey washed.

[Doctor_Death]

I thought it might be from an attempt to fix pictures is photoshop by using the contrast, Exposure and Gamma correction tools. If you over do it with any of them it looks like the pics above. Pixelated and grey washed.

I can tell, due to some of them looking like they taken in black & white, which is why I said he still needs to work on his photos.

[JKershner]

I can tell, due to some of them looking like they taken in black & white, which is why I said he still needs to work on his photos.

That's exactly it, over working the contrast in photoshop and insufficient lighting but working on getting a proper lighting kit for further reviews. My apologies for the picture quality

[Doctor_Death]

Hi Joe No need to apologize, I would have sent you the light kit, but things came up at a house we rent, and it cost me $750 for a lawyer, so we could get the people living there evicted, and now were looking at between $2000 - $3000 to clean up the mess they made. If I wanted to rent the house again, we would be looking at 10-15 grand to fix everything, so we might just sell it.

[JKershner]

It's all good, I know things come up. Just makes me work a little harder to show my dedication and earn my position being the baby in the family.

[Doctor_Death]

lol which reminds me, it's time for your afternoon feeding

[Cyberburnout]

Its a learning process. Photoshop can be your freind or your worst enemy. Check out Lightroom. Play around with it and look at some videos on youtube to learn a few tricks.

[JKershner]

Does the feeding process include a couple cases being shipped my way
I started with photoshop first and ended to be my "worst enemy" so I switched to Lightroom 5, a bit easier but still unforgiving at times.

[Doctor_Death]

Try Ashampoo Photo Commander 10 they have free trials up to 45 days for the full program, I also believe they just released their latest version, which would be photo commander 11