Raidmax Blackstorm

California-based tech company Raidmax are primarily known for its exuberant if sometimes gaudy PC cases, and the Blackstorm bears that torch with pride.

The Blackstorm is a standard ATX form factor case. However, it boasts one feature which is very unique in this price range: a fold-down motherboard tray.

This functionality makes installing or swapping components in and out of the motherboard, such as the CPU or RAM, a much less stressful affair than with standard cases. It provides easy access to those areas, however it is not without its shortcomings.

First, there’s no cut-out in the motherboard tray to give you access to the rear of the CPU socket, which means installing an aftermarket CPU cooler may require you to remove the motherboard completely.

Second, tall ‘tower’ type CPU coolers like my Prolimatech Megahalems bump into the power supply tray, rendering the fold-down option useless for me. Personally I prefer power supplies mounted at the bottom of the case in the first place, for weight distribution and airflow reasons.

The cable management system – or more accurately, lack thereof – is also a bit of a letdown. Things can get a little cramped on the inside, although you can remove some of the hard drive bays to leave more room for larger video cards which is good.

Other than those gripes, the Blackstorm is a good case. It’s lightweight, yet solidly constructed, with a fully painted interior, tool-less drive bays and good airflow.

If you’re after a decent case which looks a bit different and the above shortcomings don’t concern you too much, then the Raidmax Blackstorm is worthy of consideration.