An interesting design, with some serious flaws, but still another IKONIK case worth a closer look.
IKONIK has been around for a little while now, and its mentality seems to be to make a case out of steel, and then make it twice as big as the competition. The company's done exactly that with this case, and though it's priced well under $200, the case has support for a whopping six external 5.25in drives as well as EATX motherboards. IKONIK's naming of products has always been a little iffy too, with the Ra moniker completely failing to make any sense at all. Some would say that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet - but they'd be wrong!
Visually the case isn't our favourite design, mixing hi-gloss plastic that gathers fingerprints more effectively than a black hole absorbs light, and mesh that looks a little cheap. It doesn't help the overall feeling when each drive plate can be unlocked with a light press; ejecting the cover accidentally when you're trying to move the case and avoid getting greasy fingers everywhere. Thankfully the top I/O panel of the case boasts all the usual inputs we've come to expect, as well as a fanspeed control knob. The knob has a very smooth action, and the power buttons also felt pretty great (though you'll need a pen or screwdriver to actually use the reset button).
We're actually quite impressed with the sidepanel on the Ra, as it comes with a large two-section window that shows the internal build quite well - and with the included replacement mesh, can be easily modified for high heat output builds. The mesh even has cutouts for fans to be mounted, a very nice touch. Touching the case proper seems to be an exercise in fingerprint hell though, with every surface of the case looking pretty messy through normal use. Not even a cloth cleans it off easily!
Interestingly because of its height the Ra is compatible with dual power supplies, and offers plenty of cooling capacity. Annoyingly there isn't room at the top of the case to install a radiator without modification - and seeing as the roof is plastic, that's a tricky addition. While it's sort-of-nice to have the exhaust 'chimney' at the top, we'd rather the potential for more airflow.
Internally the build quality is quite good, with a black powdercoating on all metal surfaces and tooless solutions used where possible. Of note are the HDD rails; very smooth and quick to install, but also vibration dampened. For those storage nuts out there the two 120mm intake fans will definitely provide some much-needed comfort - though we reckon there should be less 5.25in bays to make room for more 3.5in drives.
All things considered this case isn't wanting for space, and though the motherboard tray is removable, there isn't actually a need to do so. We're also worried about the all-plastic roof in terms of build quality - it lifted upwards dangerously with minimal pressure, and didn't feel securely attached.
Filtration is also a problem, with none of the intakes filtered to catch dust. Cable management will also prove tricky thanks to limited space behind the mobo tray, disappointing considering the gigantic window will show off just how tough you had it.
For the price we're not complaining too loudly, and after all, you do get what you pay for. If you're in the market for a massive case to hold silly amounts of tech, the Ra 2000 is a great budget choice - for anything smaller than EATX or requiring the normal amount of drives, a smaller case will be a major improvement.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012