Bitfenix Raider Midi Tower Review

The Bitfenix Raider ATX mid tower boasts several features of note, including – Full USB3 support, soft touch bezel and top, superior air cooling, Integrated fan control and Pre-installed Spector fans to name a few.

Introduction:

Following on the heels of cases such as the Colossus and Survivor chassis much is expected from this case in terms of quality and features.
Offering Full USB3 support and integrated fan control is a good start.

Specifications:

Materials Steel, Plastic
Color (Int/Ext) Black/Black
Dimensions (H xW xD) 210 x 500 x 493mm (ATX Mid Tower)
Motherboard Sizes Mini-ITX, mATX, ATX
5.25″ Drive Bays x4
3.5″ Drive Bays x6
2.5″ Drive Bays x7
Cooling Front 2 x 120mm (included) or 1 x 200mm (optional)
Cooling Rear 1 x 120mm (included)
Cooling Top 1 x 200mm (optional)
Cooling Bottom 1 x 120mm (optional)
PCI Slots 7
I/O 4 x USB3.0, HD Audio
Power Supply PS2 ATX (bottom, multi direction)

Exterior:

Starting with a look around the sides it’s clear to see that Function is in the driving seat rather than Form as both sides are plain and devoid of any fan mounting.

Indentations have been made in the doors to allow purchase when removing the sides. Granted it is a little consideration to make but has been lacking with some recent cases from other brands.

The front and top receive the Bitfenix SofTouch treatment that gives them a soft rubber surface texture. Whilst reading through my preparation material before opening up the case I really did groan about this, rubber feel is something for TV remote controls, but I have to say I quite like it, it’s not too rubbery it’s rather nice and tactile. The majority of the construction of the front and top is a perforated sheet that, coupled with the ribbing beneath it, is surprisingly strong whilst having enough flex to not be brittle under impact and adds a striking matte black look.

Fine mesh prevails as the key styling on the top and front being both attractive and functional lending its self to superior air flow, the front is also filtered with a medium density soft foam

The IO is located conveniently on the top of the case with 4 very handy USB3 ports along with the standard audio ports, power and reset. A sliding fan controller is also added in to the mix, however this does lead to an extraordinary amount of cables coming from the IO and entering the case. There is a slight issue with the front bezel fitting partially inside the top cover at the front. This means when removing the front cover you must also remove the top cover from the case, dragging all the attached cables as you do so.

The case is optimized for Air cooling as evidenced once you remove the bezel fully with both the top and front supporting a single 200mm fan each with the front being able to be configured for a pair of 120mm fans.

The rear is a pretty standard affair, with 7 slots and space for a single 120mm fan and, of course, bottom mounted PSU.

The bottom has intakes for the PSU and an optional 120mm fan can be placed here too. I really like that Bitfenix have made the filters to the optional fan and the PSU air intake separate. They are a little loose on our sample so this could be something to think about if you are planning on transporting the case for LAN parties.

Interior:

All the major bases are covered here with regards to motherboard sizes (mini ITX, mATX, ATX). There are plenty of rubber-grommeted cable routing holes around the motherboard tray well-placed for a typical ATX installation.

There is support for plenty of HDD and of SSD with up to 7 Storage devices, with the ability to remove the left rail of the upper HDD cage to allow for longer graphics cards.

The HDD trays are made from flexible plastic and vibration dampening is included. These fit both 3.5 and 2.5 inch drives.

Along with the tool-less HDD cages the optical bays are also tool-less with a lever mechanism for fast release and replacement.

Extras:

In the accessories box you will find, case feet, cable ties, security bracket and plenty of assorted screws and standoffs to install a complete system.

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

Soft touch coating on exterior plastics.
Good build and material quality.
Removable HDD cage.
Tool-less Optical drive bays.
Tool-less HDD trays.
Integrated Fan controller.
4X USB3 ports.

Cons:

Limited fan options.
Case feet are included but not pre-installed so there is some self-assembly being required here.
Top bezel must be removed to remove the front bezel.
Very limited potential for internal watercooling.

Conclusion:

For the price this is a pretty good case. The build quality is really good and the features are a nice surprise in a tower of this size. The SofTouch coating Bitfenix applies to some cases may not be to everybody’s tastes but It certainly adds a nice tactile dimension.

Water-cooling support is almost zero. You may get an all in one WC unit inside but that would be it. BUT this case is optimized for air-cooling and this it does pretty well. With the addition of an optional 200mm fan in roof, the air cooling potential would be more than enough to keep a fairly good gaming rig in a safe temp zone.

Whilst it is disappointing that the feet do not come pre attached, they are supplied in the accessory box and are quite attractive and easy to install.

Cable management is quite adequate for a case of this size with plenty (3/4inch) of space behind the motherboard tray and a good size hole for ease of swapping out any retention plates.

The Bitfenix Raider is certainly worth buying for those who don’t have the space to house a big tower and who want value for money along with plenty of features.

Toby Kirkby

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————