Raidmax IceCube

Spacious chassis has limited cooling potential

IF YOU'VE BUILT A FEW PCs over the years and are intrigued by small-form-factor (SFF) systems, you'll find the Raidmax IceCube an excellent starter kit.

Measuring 9x12x17 inches (HWD), the Icecube is much larger than a typical SFF chasis. The top panek, side panels, and motherboard tray are removable, which makes installing components easier.

The interior is relatively spacious, with room for up to four hard drives, two 5.25-inch drives, one internal 3.5-inch drive, and a regular-size power supply. Although room exists inside for an extra-long power supply, the bracket that supports it is too small to support such a model (there's also enough room for a long-but not an extra-long-video card).

The case has four PCI slots, which should be adequate for most expansion needs. Only Micro ATX motherboards will fit inside the chassis, of course. The front of the unit features two USB ports, FireWire, and headphone and mic jacks.

Cooling is provided by a rear 120mm fan, but there's no intake fan in the front, a common problem with SFF cases. Still, Raidmax includes two holes on the rear of the chassis to be used with an external liquid-cooling system, an uncommon and appreciated feature on an SFF chassis. Raidmax has also tried to make the system quiet: Both hard drive cages are adorned with vibration-and noise-absorbing strips of rubber, along with rubber-grommet mounts that further reduce vibration.



The IceCube is a fine "tweener" case if you've built a desktop PC before but are worried that constructing an SFF system would be a hassle. It's large enough to make the process much easier than usual, yet small enough that it could sit unobtrusively on a desk. -Josh Norem

Computer Shopper November 2008
www.raidmax.com