Computing on Demand PC News & Reviews
There is another area to install a 120mm or 140mm fan just behind the PSU and just in front of the drive cage. There are rubber feet installed to reduce vibrations from your power supply and a filtered intake for fresh clean air. The air filters are very easy to remove and will do a decent job of keeping animal hair out of your rig. Dust, on the other hand, will not be inhibited.
System installation is somewhat of a breeze and everything pretty much fits where it is supposed to. There is plenty of room on the back side of the HDD cage to hide wires and the tie down points on the motherboard allows for some clean wiring. The 5.25″ drive mechanism keeps your drive snug and I feel confident enough in its strength that I am not going to further secure the drive with some screws.
This case is not without some issues though. First, there are no extra screws in the bag. If you lose some, you have to get them from somewhere else. Next, there is no USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 converter should your motherboard be ill equipped. Lastly, and the most annoying factor for me, although there are cutouts on the motherboard for wires, one in particular is misplaced. There is a cutout placed right where you would most likely run your 12V power supply connector, but with the motherboard installed you are unable to use this. If you think ahead, you can wire things then install your mobo, but that seems a bit backwards to me.
The RAIDMAX Cobra, for all intents and purposes, is a decent chassis. The case has some nice design elements and I especially like the simplicity behind much of it. The tool free 5.25″ bays are well designed and the 5.25″ bay covers are just plain cool. The lime green motherboard tray looks sharp with a side window and if you jazz it up with some lighting, you are looking at one sweet ride. The versatile hard drive rack and drive rails give you enough room for some serious storage. However, I would have very much appreciated some extra screws in the bag and I was extremely frustrated with the placement of one cutout. Weighing in at just $69.99 USD, the case is very affordable. If you are looking for a budget chassis with some flare, the Cobra may fit the bill.
