GameMax has gone all-in on a blinged-out, fat-bodied RGB-fest to entice the gamer who wants a high-end case on a mid-range budget. Did they nail it?
It’s not easy to find a flashy gaming case that can fit into the budget of most PC gamers. And finding a mid-tower case that’s fully equipped for users who want more than just “I’m going to play some games” is even more difficult.
The GameMax DS360, however, is an affordable, fully-featured mid-tower case with tons of aRGB fans, tempered-glass front and side windows, and plenty of ventilation to keep your PC cool. If you’re looking for something that can fit into the budget of most gamers but still has a lot of features, the GameMax DS360 is worthy of your attention.
It certainly got mine, as I’m a little ashamed to admit that for many years my PC case has been of the more modest affair, with not an RGB effect in sight. It makes up for its lack of panache with excellent build quality, though, so it should provide a decent marker for me when evaluating the finish of the GameMax.
The really party-piece of this gaming case, though, is the dual chamber design, which chucks the PSU and cabling behind the motherboard, hence the super thick dimensions.
Nothing in the box but the case itself, and it’s a bit of a fatty
There’s no manual, decent cable ties or flashy stickers included, just a bag of unmarked screws and the case itself. A shame, but considering this RGB monster retails for around £100, it’s not surprising. Of course, you can always download the manual directly from the website.
The first thing you notice is how wide the GameMax DS360 is, a full-on 28cm deep. The design allows the PSU to be mounted sideways behind the motherboard but, in doing so, moves everything closer to the glass side panel. So if you have a massive air cooler like me, it may only just fit, despite the cases’ bloated waistline.
In addition to the traditional side window, it also has a clear glass front panel. A nice touch that makes this case feel far more open than most if you like that kind of thing.
As for the metal finish, it’s nice enough, despite being a bit on the thin side. There’s the odd blemish on the inside of the casing where the metal may not have been cured correctly, but it’s no big deal.
One little detail that did annoy me, though, was the poor fit for my IO plate, which had a significant gap at the bottom when fitted (see pic above). I guess it’ll help the thermals, but my eyes don’t like it one bit.
Tons of fans, messy cables and a fragile LED control module
This case ships with no less than six 120mm aRGB fans – one mounted at the back, two on the top and three mounted parallel to the open front. There are ten different mounting configurations if you don’t like the default setup. Personally, I left it as it came out of the box.
The fans themselves are unbranded and include a central mirror with a fantastic infinity effect, but it doesn’t look like anything until you turn the RGB lights on.
Are you mounting some old-school hard drives? They go vertically in front of the fan controller behind the backplate.
There is no real cable management to speak of, resulting in a mad tangle of wires stuffed into the backside of the case. In the middle of this is a dainty green logic board with six connectors, one for each LED module on each fan.
Unfortunately, I broke one of the connectors clean off while trying to sort out the mess of wires after I had plugged everything in, which was a little frustrating. The module is definitely fragile, so I would recommend plenty of patience when connecting everything up! Luckily for me, each cable has an extra connector allowing LEDs to be daisy-chained, so I didn’t need the little input that I so cack-handedly mangled (again, see the pic above).
The LED control board I butchered also comes with a 3-pin Aura motherboard connector, which should allow light customisation from your motherboards’ RGB software or 3rd party control centre of choice such as the excellent Signal RGB.
Turned on the case is absolutely dazzling, but a little noisy
Once I’d given up on perfecting my cable management and got the thing going, it was a beautiful sight to behold. The fans really do pop in a dark environment, and that infinity mirror effect is uber cool.
There’s a convenient button on the top of the case that you would easily mistake for a reset switch, but it’s actually a toggle for the 14 different lighting modes. You’ll need a SATA power connector from your PSU to use this option. To switch control between the case button and software, hold the button for 3-5 seconds.
As pretty as they are, the fans are a little noisier than I would like. The peak volume while gaming isn’t bad, but the general idle noise is a little distracting – like having an air purifier running across the room from you. Not a deal-breaker for sure, as you’re getting six aRGB fans included with the case here. But without spending a lot on branded higher-quality fans, the persistent hum is just a minor nuisance you’ll have to endure.
The DS360 boasts some decent thermal performance
Build: Intel 11th Gen i5-11400 / RTX 3060 Ti / Kingston Fury 32GB RAM / MSI B560-A Pro Motherboard
Idle temps: CPU – 36 C / GPU – 37 C
Light gaming: CPU – 59 C / GPU – 40 C
Heavy stress test: CPU – 71 C / GPU – 52 C
Temperatures are kept very cool, as you would expect with such an open case sporting six 120mm fans. Assuming you don’t stuff this thing in a cupboard with an RTX 3090 on board or plan on some major overclocking, I doubt you’ll need to think about temperatures at all.
Conclusion
Has GameMax succeeded in their quest to give gamers a flashy, RGB-festooned beast of a case at a reasonable price, without sacrificing quality and usability? For the most part, yes.
The case performs very well in terms of thermals, and the open front and side design is definitely a head-turner. There are some signs of cost-saving, though.
The case material is relatively thin and a little unfinished in places, although only on the inside. The fans are pretty to look at but louder than ideal, and the fan controller is flimsy and too easy to damage if you’re not careful.
There’s no physical documentation included, which makes the build harder for novices (although the website does provide all the details in an easy-to-read manner), and the lack of proper cable management ties is just a bit irritating.
Then there are the dimensions of the beast. Allowing the PSU to be mounted out of the way behind the motherboard plate is great, but the internal volume is a bit compromised if you have a big CPU cooler. And it’s challenging to place the thing adequately as it’s such a wide beast.
Nevertheless, for 100 quid, you’re getting a ton of cooling performance and some eye-catching looks. For me, this justifies the purchase for those on a modest budget who want a flashy well-cooled case and have enough room to accommodate it.
Does the GameMax DS360 appeal to you? Let us know in the comments!
