As mentioned earlier, the Raidmax Seiran case is loaded with unique features usually reserved for a chassis costing substantially more. Our exterior tour begins with a look at the front of the case, which is made up almost entirely of nine 5.25″ meshed bay covers. The top of the front area is where the fan speed and LED light controller is located. Incorporated in the design of the fan controller is the HDD activity light, the power light, and the power and reset buttons. At the very top is where you find the two USB 2.0 connections, headphone and mic jacks, and a single USB 3.0 connection.

All of the bay covers are made of plastic and incorporate a foam filter on the back side to aid in keeping a dust free environment inside the chassis. The covers are easily removed by simply pressing the lever towards the left and swinging out and off. Behind the bottom three bay covers is an included 120mm red LED intake fan. The top most bay cover is intended for use with a 3.5″ bay device, such as a card reader. The accessory pack includes an additional 5.25″ bay cover, should you have the desire not to use the 3.5″ option.

With all the bay covers removed, you get an initial look at the HDD trays and accessory pack – more on these later.

The left side of the Seiran case has a large, see through mesh area and a 180mm red LED fan attached. The appeal of the large mesh area in lieu of a standard clear window will be up to one’s individual taste, but we actually think it blends in very nicely with the overall appearance of the case. The rest of the left side is comprised of the standard steel panel design.

The right side of the chassis is comprised of a stamped metal design, which enhances the theme of the Seiran case. One added benefit to the stamped design is the additional room it provides for cable management behind the motherboard tray area.

The top of the chassis does not have any ventilation or the option to mount a fan, but it does feature a grab handle area to aid in transporting the case.

Looking at the rear of the Raidmax Seiran, you can see that the case incorporates a bottom mount power supply design, which seems to be the standard now days. Just above the power supply mounting area are the seven expansion slot covers and three rubber grommet holes for water cooling system tubes to pass through. The rear top area of the Seiran is where the I/O shield gets installed and where you will find another 120mm non LED exhaust fan. You may have noticed the two handles at the back of the case, these are attached to the side panels and are used for removing them. While the handles are certainly a unique feature, their usefulness is in question. When the handles are closed, they interfere with the water cooling tube holes on one side and partially cover the expansion slot on the other side. If you have an add on card installed that has several connection points, such as a high end sound card, you may find that the handle will get in the way of some of the jacks. You can’t blame Raidmax for trying something new here, but the additional cost of implementing these handles may have been better spent in other areas.

We’ll conclude the exterior tour with a quick look at the bottom of the Raidmax Seiran. The four feet are larger than most cases, both in length and height. The size of the feet provide excellent stability and because the case sits a bit higher, this allows for good air flow to the power supply’s fan. Each of the four feet have a rubber strip applied to them. This keeps the case from sliding around and provides good anti vibration qualities. Lastly, at the bottom of the case you will find a mesh filter that covers the power supply ventilation holes.  This filter is easily removed by simply sliding it rearward and out, making cleaning a breeze.

Next up we will pop the side panels off and explore the interior of the Raidmax Seiran!