Ikonik Ra X10 Liquid Cooled Aluminum Full Tower Case Review

Conclusions

[ad#review982-top]So how did the Ra X10’s liquid cooling perform? Well.a 20C drop in overclock load temperature from the most expensive LGA 1366 air cooler, and a 10C drop in the same from the second most expensive LGA 1366 air cooler is nothing to sneeze at. These are the kind of temperatures I expect from liquid cooling, but the first time I’ve seen them. I’m sure that some watercooling purists may scoff at these temps, but this is an in-case cooling system, and as far as I’m concerned, they can keep their large out of case reservoirs and radiators. I move my equipment around too much to have to deal with the external hoses and hardware.

The Ikonik Ra X10 Liquid’s liquid cooling system is ready to go straight out of the box, mount the waterblock, fill with coolant, and you’re up and running immediately.

The Ra X10 case is excellent. Flawless fit and finish both inside and out, with one small exception. Aluminum construction makes the case weigh about half of a similar steel case. This case has some massive cooling with 13 fans, but near-silence can be achieved with the included software. And the system cools as well with the fans in silence as it does with everything running full blast.

The clean lines should appeal to the more conservative enthusiast, but there is just enough flair to please those desiring more than a plain box. No enthusiast, regardless of extreme tastes, should be ashamed to own this case.

I personally really like the looks and function of the chassis I/O panel. I especially like the USB ports, which are spaced far enough apart to actually use them for more than just cables. The twin eSATA is also very nice. The way the panel is built into the case top gives it a very clean look that appeals to me.

The huge drive capacity, six 5 1/4″ external and eight 3.5″ internal, should accommodate most users. The auxiliary drive bay is removable, as is the main 3.5″ bay. The case is pretty much completely tool free, everything but the waterblock utilizes supplied thumbscrews.

The design of the liquid cooling system is well thought out, the twin radiators makes it much easier to add such an expanse of radiator surface area within a case, and allows for placing the reservoir/pump unit to be placed on the floor of the case rather than in the drive bay. I suppose that there may be better designs, but I can’t imagine a waterblock design more efficient at heat transfer than the copper pillar/wavy floor design of the Ra X10’s waterblock.

I can’t think of a thing that this case needs, except maybe a larger reservoir capacity, though that would add weight, clutter, and price to an awesome case. The only flaw I found in the entire case was the left side panel channel was a little too open, allowing it to rattle a little when the case is closed. A very light tap with a hammer on the side panel channel totally corrected the problem, no rattle whatsoever now.

I couldn’t find the Ikonik Ra X10 Liquid for sale in the states. The non-liquid version is, and the liquid version is available in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Reportedly, the US retail price will be $499, but that could just be an estimate based on exchange rates of where the case is available. That sounds like a lot, but considering you will pay well over $150 for a high quality aluminum full tower (the non-liquid version of the Ra X10 runs around $200), and an in-case liquid cooling system of much lower capability, and not custom fit to the case can cost $250 or more, so that really isn’t as expensive as it sounds. ThinkComputers.org gives the Ikonik Ra X10 Liquid Aluminum Full Tower a 10 out of 10 score.

rating10 10 small

Pros:

– High quality aluminum full tower
– Clean exterior lines makes it appealing to more conservative enthusiasts
– Extreme ventilation with 13 case fans, but cable management has been done at factory
– Included fan control software quiets the fans to near silence
– True watercooling goodness with OC load temp 20C lower than the most expensive air cooler on the market

Cons:

– Limited availability

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