Introduction

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I would like to thank Caseking.de for supplying the review sample.

Caseking is one of the few companies out there, which will not just sell anything. They only offer hardware that performs well and is of high quality. The shop offers quite a few exclusive parts and devices from all around the world and it is also the official distributor for a long list of well known manufacturers. Their assortment has grown greatly in recent years, while great service and support is still a very important part of the shop philosophy. The website may be in German, but due to great demand, an English version is in the works. We received continous support from Caseking and they were kind enough to send us the latest chassis from Bitfenix - the Raider.

About BitFenix
The company has been in the market for just over a year now, and consists of a select few with an extensive knowledge in the industry. To give you an idea about the company's fighting stance in the case industry, here a quote from their "About Us" page:

Quote:

Combining a deep understanding of gaming and other high-demand computing applications with superior engineering and design know-how, the BitFenix team is dedicated to creating the go-to computing products and peripherals for those who refuse to quit.

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Specifications

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<th colspan="2">Specifications: BitFenix Raider</th>
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<th scope="row" width="160">CASE TYPE:</th>
<td>Mid-Tower</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">MATERIAL:</th>
<td>Steel & Plastic</td>
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<tr>
<th scope="row">WEIGHT:</th>
<td>8.52 kg</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">SLOTS:</th>
<td>7</td>
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<tr>
<th scope="row">DRIVE BAYS:</th>
<td>4x External 5.25"<br />
6x Internal 3.5/2.5"<br />
1x Internal 2.5" </td>
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<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">MOTHERBOARD<br />FORM FACTORS:</th>
<td>Mini-ITX<br />
mATX<br />
ATX</td>
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<tr>
<th scope="row">DIMENSIONS:</th>
<td>210 x 500 x 493 mm</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">FRONT DOOR/COVER:</th>
<td>No</td>
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<tr>
<th scope="row">FRONT FANS:</th>
<td>2x 120 mm Spectre</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">REAR FANS:</th>
<td>1x 120 mm Spectre</td>
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<tr>
<th scope="row">TOP FANS:</th>
<td>1x 200 mm (not included)</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">BOTTOM FANS:</th>
<td>1x 120 mm (not included)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">I/O:</th>
<td>4x USB 3.0/2.0<br />
1x Headphone<br />
1x Microphone</td>
</td>
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<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">FAN CONTROLLER:</th>
<td>Slider<br />
5x 3-pin connectors<br />
</td>
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Packaging

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Bitfenix packages the chassis in a brown cardboard box with the company logo and product name on the front. Turning it around you will find a simple image of the chassis along with the mention of a few features. Many manufacturers seem to be switching to plain brown packaging in response to the changing retail landscape. Very few customers nowadays go to a retail store to look at case packaging before deciding to buy a product.

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The case is held in place by two Styrofoam spacers. A plastic bag protects its from scratches and fingerprints during the packing process at the factory.

Content

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You will receive a basic set of extras with the chassis, along with an ample amount of zip ties. A simple but effective manual has also been placed within the package.

A Closer Look - Outside

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BitFenix - being a fairly young company - is really trying out new things with their cases, be it the surface or the design. A testament to that is their first chassis by the name of Colossus. With the Raider, the company takes a much simpler but still quite good looking approach to the overall design. Considering the success of the Shinobi, BitFenix is obviously dialing back on the design "craziness" a bit, while still offering something stylish for the masses.

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The front is constructed of metal mesh along with plastic, which features the so called "SofTouch" surface - something we have seen on all of their previous cases and on more recent cases from the competition like the Midgard II or CM Storm Trooper. The rear reveals a simple but nonetheless effective layout, something you would expect from a case in this price range.

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Both sides of the chassis are completely solid and only have a little extruded part in the rear to give you some grip when pulling these off the enclosure. There is a subtle difference in color between the plastic frame and the metal parts of the chassis due to the completely different surface of these two materials.

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Taking a closer look at the front, you will see a BitFenix company emblem at the bottom. This area gives way to fresh air for the two 120 mm fans as well. Above that are the four 5.25 inch drive bays. As you can see, there is no 3.5 inch drive bay, which would have been good to see in a case like this.

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In the rear, there is the PSU bay in the bottom. It is multidirectional, meaning that you may install the power supply with the fan facing up- or downward. Above that are the standard, seven motherboard expansion slots, each protected by a separate metal mesh cover. All the way in the top is a 120 mm exhaust fan - raising the total number of included cooling units to three. There are two openings to route water cooling through, along with a weirdly shaped hole next to it. I honestly have no idea what that one is for.

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BitFenix has clearly invested a lot of effort into the overall design. To keep anything from disturbing this look, the I/O has been embedded in the plastic parts on the chassis top panel. To the left are four USB 3.0 - a first for a computer chassis - along with the usual pair of audio connectivity. On the other side are the power and reset buttons, next to a blue power LED and a small, but effective slider to control up to five fans.

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Last but not least, the bottom holds two separate dust filters. One for the PSU and one for the optional floor fan. BitFenix has also lined the entire front with a non-removable dust filter, so you can rest easy that no dirt will enter the chassis through these areas.

A Closer Look - Inside

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To gain access to the interior, simply remove the pair of thumb screws holding each side panel in place. The entire interior is kept in black as well and makes a somewhat compact impression. There are multiple, smaller openings to route cables through, along with a large one to give way to a CPU cooler backplate. In terms of cable hiding space, the Raider manages to impress with around 27 mm, which should be more than enough for most scenarios.

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Before we dive into the interior, there is the 2.5 inch HDD bay on the floor of the chassis. Such a drive can only be secured with screws running through the metal underbelly of the chassis, so this bay is probably best employed for a system drive - preferably an SSD. Above that are six 3.5 inch drive bays, each holding a plastic tray. These are easily removable and offer screwless installation of 3.5 inch drives, while 2.5 inch variants require the use of screws as we will see later on. Most other manufacturers offer the ability to remove the entire top HDD cage containing up to three bays, BitFenix has made things a bit easier. To make room for large graphics cards with up to 38 cm in length, simply remove a single thumb screw and pull the wall of the top HDD area off - that is it. Such a system increases the stability of the other remaining drive bays. Above that are the four external 5.25 inch bays utilizing a plastic locking system. We will see later on, if it will manage to hold an optical drive properly.

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Turning our focus to the rear of the chassis, the PSU rests on four rubber pyramids as an anti-vibration measure. Above that are the afore mentioned, seven motherboard expansion slots, each cover held in place by a thumb screw. The cooling fans within the Raider are actually not simply a cheap OEM unit the factory offers to install when it assembles the chassis, as is usually done with most cases. Instead, BitFenix has decided to equip the Raider with three genuine 120 mm Spectre fans - the same kind you can buy separately in retail.

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You may install two additional fans within the chassis. One in the floor with a size of 120 mm and one in the ceiling measuring 200 mm. It would have been good if the Raider offered the ability to install a watercooling radiator in the ceiling, which is obviously not the case.

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All the cables within the chassis are black, which is a nice little touch. While the ones for the LED and buttons are of the traditional variety, the approach to guarantee compatibility with all motherboards for all I/O ports is a new one. BitFenix has chosen to go for the dual 20-pin connectors, even though many modern boards only offer a single such plug. On top of that each plug has an additional one for 9-pin USB 2.0 connectors. So no matter what constellation you have, may it be 2x 9-pin, one of each or two 20-pin connectors, you can utilize all four USB ports - pretty cool.

Assembly

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Installing the motherboard is done by traditional means. Even though the chassis looks quite roomy, there is actually very little space around the board. There should be no issues with big CPU coolers or long graphics cards, but in terms of cubic feet with the chassis, there is less than in most other ATX enclosures it seems.

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Installing hard drives within the Raider is quite simple as it employs the same systems as most other modern cases in this price range. You may simply clip the 3.5 inch drive unto the tray or use the included screws to pin down the 2.5 inch unit unto it.

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Once they are in place, simply slide them into the slot of your choice until the trays snap into place. You may also use a single screw to secure each tray - which is of interest for many system integrators out there who tend to ship around full systems.

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Installing the optical drive requires you to pull off both the top and the front, then remove the bay cover of your choosing. Once done, simply open the lock - which utilizes metal pins - slide the drive in and push the lock into place. It does hold the DVD drive quite alright, but there is still some play, so you may want to use a single screw to ensure that no vibration is passed onto the chassis from this area.

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Installing the PSU is nothing out of the ordinary. Simply place it in its location, screw it down, run the cables through the hole in the motherboard tray and that is it.

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Due to the compact motherboard area, you will have a hard time connecting SATA cables if the ports on your mainboard are of the angled variety. As you can see, I used SATA cables with short and long connectors to test this aspect. While both fit with a bit of fiddling and patience, you may want to ensure that they do in your scenario as well.

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Once everything is installed, the Raider is one of the cleanest cases out there. I have not invested any more time to route the cables as with any other chassis review, nor have I used additional sleeved cables. The reason why everything turns out so incredibly clean is dead simple: the compact openings in the motherboard tray. Having little holes means that I had to use some additional force to squeeze these in and by doing so enables me to bunch the cables together much better, which results in a perfectly clean case. BitFenix also sells sleeved cables and I can totally see some really nifty combination happening here. As you can see, the entire cable mess is hidden behind the mainboard tray. Thanks to the space you should not have any issues here.

Finished Looks

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Once done, the case makes a really cool impression. Even though the front cover is curved slightly, the straight ODD does not look out of place at all. This is mostly thanks to the straight and edgy, SofTouch covered strips running down the front of the chassis, as these "hug" the drive nicely. In terms of fan noise, the Raider really manages to impress as well. Thanks to the use of the actual retail Spectre fans, this chassis is dead quiet when running these at low speed and still really quiet when moving the fan controller slider to maximum.

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Taking a look at the chassis from the front, the BitFenix emblem shines into the camera, but you cannot see any of the fans as BitFenix has chosen not to use Spectre fans with LEDs. While this is a good thing for some, as one would grow bored of seeing the same light all the time, I think it would have been cool to have a bit of blue coming out of the front of the chassis. In the rear there is nothing out of place and all connectors are easily reachable.

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The blue power LED up top is clearly visible. BitFenix has chosen a good level of strength, so that you should not be bothered by the light. I would have liked to see a better insulation around the LED, so that the light does not bleed out as much. This may disturb the overall look of the chassis for some.

Value & Conclusion

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<td>

The BitFenix Raider will set you back 80 Euros including taxes or 90 US Dollars without taxes.

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Four USB 3.0 with 2.0 connectivity built-in
Great build quality
Three retail variant BitFenix Spectre 120 mm fans included
Nearly silent fans
Plenty of space behind motherboard tray
Excellent cable management possibilities
Screw-less 3.5 and 5.25 inch bays
2.5 inch SSD bay in floor
Fan controller for up to five fans in top panel
Easily removable side plate of hard drive cage for long graphics cards
All black cables
Dust filters on all intake areas
SofTtouch surface

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Somewhat compact mainboard tray
No external 3.5" bay
No eSATA or Firewire
Screw-less system for 5.25 inch bays allows for some play
Non-removable dust filter in front
Lack of LED lights in fans may be a downer for some

</td></tr>
<tr><th>8.4</th>
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BitFenix has managed to turn heads with the Colossus and the customizable Shinobi, so it is great to see the company steadily evolving and offering cases which cater to the masses without loosing the company DNA. The BitFenix Raider is such a chassis. While the Colossus called on a select few who wanted a massive chassis with unique lighting, the Raider goes the same direction of the Shinobi, but also offers a few unique features or refreshing approaches to existing ones. One of the new aspects are the four USB 3.0 connectors, while still allowing you to utilize USB 2.0 equipped boards as well. This flexibility makes the Raider surprisingly future proof. Another excellent choice are the three Spectre fans, which are already quiet when running at full speed, but become nearly dead silent with the use of the nicely embedded fan controller in the top of the chassis. While this is all great, the Raider seems a bit too simple or understated at times.<br />
The lack of an external 3.5 inch bay or the choice of non-LED fans may shy some of the focus group - gamers - away from the chassis. With the ability to hold large CPU coolers and graphics cards with up to 38 cm length these users would certainly be able to fill the case with their favorite hardware - even though the mainboard tray is a bit more compact than other cases out there. This is positively offset by the excellent cable routing and hiding possibilities, resulting in an extremely clean interior look with very little to no additional effort. Overall, the BitFenix Raider, clocking in at around 80 Euros, is a great chassis, with a few very, very cool features and great build quality.
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