Raijintek Coeus Evo Computer Case Review

Introduction

Since building my first ever full PC all the way back in March 2014 all the way up to present day I’ve updates almost every component at least once. However, since that first build I have never bothered to update my case from the original amazon purchase of a Black Corsair Vengeance C70. However today all of this changes, as today we have in for review the Raijintek Coeus Evo computer case.

So as we always do, let us jump in on the easy part of the review and introduce the specs.

Specifications

A Closer Look

I’m just going to skip the unboxing for a second and go straight to the fact that this case makes window cleaners cry. I mean I get people like glass on cases these days, and so do I, but do we really need 4 whole panels of the stuff?

The answer is yes we do.

Ok to the unboxing!

So starting off with the box this case was shipped to me in. Gives a quick look at the case, and a big glass warning sticker as well.

On the side of the box we get more detail of what’s lurking inside in case you had forgotten since you ordered it, and with a handy little tick at which version of the case is inside. Only thing between them that actually changes is the Type-c USB on the front I/O. WHY DOES THIS ADD NEARLY A WHOLE 1KG TO ITS WEIGHT!? 

On the back we have more angles of case. Sexy…

Lastly on the other side, we find out that we also get some freebies. 1 broken wine glass, 1 pair of arrows, 1 umbrella (been needing one so thanks) and 1 set of broken bent arrows. These guys sure like their arrows.

Pulling the Raijintek Coeus Evo out of the packing we get a look at whats protecting all them glass panels, and I have to say it’s not really that much. Two bits of foam on the sides, and a plastic bag. However it did make it without any damage, so I can’t complain as it did its job.

I did actually have a mini panic attack though when I first pulled it out as the bubbles in the protective film look like a crack in the glass. But Nope, again it made it 100% unscratched.

Before I go removing the film on the glass, I got a few shots of the case as is. In my mind this is one beautiful looking case. And included with 4 LED fans is a nice touch. Will be using these in the finished build for sure. Also in regards to the rubber feet on the case, although they do their job and do look nice, they’re not the most stable things in the world; even when the case is fully built up it wobbles which makes me pretty nervous when I knock it.

Here we get a close view of the I/O shield, and going from left to right… The power button, which has the white LED for power behind it, and also in the left of the ring is a small red LED that’s used for the HDD. Moving over we have the mic, and headphone 3.5mm plugs. Then we have the USB 3.0 connectors, and the 1 Type-C USB, which inside the case terminates at another Type-C USB.

Pulling off the side panel we see inside the pretty roomy Coeus Evo. It supports E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini ITX. In this shot you can also see two mounting locations for two 2.5” drives. Also ample ways to run your cables.

The basement in this case is where you can put your PSU, and hide all the cables. Interesting note here is that the cover for the basement is just a thin plastic fan filter which is held in by magnetic strips. Really useful for installing the PSU and cables down there, as it can get pretty damn tight.

And after pulling off all the protective film on the glass here with have it. Reflections galore. I’m glad I was wearing pants taking these pictures.

Another point to note is the fans, although good looking, are not the most clever design. For some reason they can be powered by Molex, or a 3 pin fan connector. Which just adds more cables and clunk for no reason, and in a case like this where EVERYTHING is on show. You have to ask why? At first I thought the 3 pin was for the fan, and the molex for the LED ring. But nope, one powers all. Which could cause some damage to your system, or at least the fan if you didn’t read the instructions and plugged both in.

Also if your not a FAN of the LEDs, there is a button inline with them so you can just turn them off. But again this adds more bulk and crap to the cable.

Another thing before we continue, I know what you’re thinking, where is the film peeling pictures? Well I’ve got one better for you. Here’s the X-rated video.

Conclusion

So getting down to the nitty and gritty now, I’m going to talk mainly about the experience of building in the Raijintek. As performance impacts of cases is miniscule, and the look of a case is down to the individual.

It has to be said though, personally I love the way this case looks. The glass, glass, and more glass look is what I’ve been looking for from a case for a while now, and with this case’s large side panels, and front and top glass covers for the fans, it looks stunning. As you can see I loved the white included LEDs so much, I even pulled out an old Asus Deluxe for matching ‘whiteness’, as well as white sleeved cables.

Cases like this make me remember that it’s not all about RGB, and in fact I think putting RGB in this case would take away something.

Performance

Performance wise the Raijintek Coeus Evo does well, other then the already mentioned wobbly feet, it was a fun and easy build. The only issue that I really came across was it can be a tight squeeze with the cables in the back and in the basement behind the power supply. You really do need to hide as much excess cable behind there as you can fit, which is why it’s very useful that the top of the basement is just held on by magnets. If you leave cable down the back side panel, you’re going to kick yourself when it comes to trying to put the glass back on. Laying it down on its front is the best bet, but even then and with my pretty mediocre cable job, I still had to push on the glass panel pretty hard. Which shows they do take a bit of a beating, but wow it felt so wrong.

One thing the Raijintek website does fail to say is the clearance for any top mounted radiator. But let me say just that the only thing slowing anything down up there is where you run your CPU power. I currently have a Kraken x61 up there, which is known to be a fat bugger. And there is still room for more! Altogether you have a good 50mm of clearance before you get to the motherboard tray, and the way the case is designed, it’s also easy to put in a push pull setup in there. So long as your don’t mind losing the top glass panel, and having two fans stuck on top of your case, looking like some kind of ugly growth. But anything for that extra 3 degrees amirite?

Another thing I have to mention is the HDD bay in the basement. It a good little design, as you can pull it all out and just use the two 2.5” mounts on the back of the motherboard tray, or it can also be shifted further to the front of the case to make more room for the PSU and its cables (which is what I recommend). However, the included screws and sleds have a pretty crappy design fault. If you load both of them bays with 3.5” drives and want to use the anti-vibration mounts as well, you’re just out of luck. Because the drives sit so close together, they actually push against each other’s screw mounts. Which actually stops you from getting the second drive in because of how tight it is in there already. My only option was the ditch the rubber mounts and screw it on the the bare sled.

Design

Design wise the Raijintek Coeus Evo case does strike a nice cord on its looks, as previously said many times in this review, its all focused on the glass. Some small points to make are things like how the glass doesn’t actually sit flush with the metal work, and is instead held away by the rubber mounts it rests on. This gives the case a pretty cool open feel to it. Which in terms of air flow and dust however is going to be a nightmare. Have some compressed air on standby with this one, and while you’re at that, a duster and Windex. Like my god does this glass love finger prints.

Value

So as of writing this review, this case is currently on Overclockers.co.uk for £134.99 which I can not argue with. Compared to other Midi towers, this is a bargain with the amount you get for your money. Other cases really don’t come close to this price point and give you so much. Sure there are big names like In-win, and Phanteks, with a fair few cases around the same amount, but none of them are giving you this amount of glass and included fans, and the best thing is other the a few small hiccups, you’re not really losing out in terms or build and design quality.

Final Thoughts

So I think it’s pretty fair to say that this case for me is a winner. Again it’s not the best built in the world, and with the issues with the HDD bay, and the wobble, along with what is surely going to be a pain in the backside for dust, and weekly cleaning. If you can look past those issues, and you like the look of the case, there is no reason you shouldn’t pick the Coeus Evo up.

A few things to keep in mind before you do though, this thing is bloody heavy. Like never have I thanked god that a case was not made with steel. The aluminium keeps the weight down somewhat, but glass is heavy no matter what. So don’t think your going to be taking this out of the house for LANs, this is very much a stay at home puppy. All it’s going to take is one bad bump, and you’ll have a new open air test bench.

And I have to bring this up again, I like having cases on my desk next to me. You pay extra to have them look pretty, so why shouldn’t I? But with this case it wobbles, and you have a table that isn’t solid, and you bump into it when you pull up a chair, this thing is going down, and when it does I’m pretty sure you’re going to lose a side panel. But what’s worse? It smacking the ground and breaking, or you putting your foot though the panel? So keep this baby in sight.

This case gets a Silver reward from me, its has a flexible inside layout, looks amazing with all the glass and the LED fans, if only they had tested the HDD bay some more and given this thing some better feet to stand on it would easily get a gold.

Thanks to Raijintek, and Overclockers.co.uk for sending the Raijintek Coeus Evo in for review.