I just got paid $6784 working on my laptop using these simple steps leaked on this web page. Make up to $85 per hour doing simple tasks that are so easy to do that you won't forgive yourself if you don't check it out! Weekly payments! Here is what I've been doing Epic2.c(om)
Bought and built in a Shinobi a few days ago. The current iteration has rectified some of the earlier problems - the rubber feet are now screwed in from the factory. 2 USB 3 ports at the top. Still at the same price.
So hopefully this case will get the same treatment after a while.
I was fortunate enough to get this case for a steal at $69. Overall I really like it, although as reviewed I agree that it is a few touch ups from being a case I would use again. One thing I didn't see mentioned in the review is the intake fan placement on the bottom of the case. My power supply (Coolmax 1000w) is too large to allow me to use a 120mm fan in that bottom intake. Seems like a small oversight. Because there is no side fan blowing directly on my GTX 480, even a throttled 80mm fan mounted (rigged up) here lowers my temps on the card by about 10c.
I mounted bitfenix 200mm fans in the front and top, the thermal performance increased quite a bit with them.
Yes, it would be awesome but if it it was an ATX case it would only be able to fit mATX motherboards (sorry I'm only joking :) ) But in reply to thesavvymage, can some case manufacturer make it so.
Thanks you for finally reviewing this case Dustin! I've been eyeing it for about a year now and am thinking about starting a new build soon. This would have been a case I considered, but given the issues with it I'll probably pass on it now.
If they revised it with all the suggestions Dustin had I would buy it immediately. Your move BitFenix.
I have this case and I quite like it. Indeed the feet aren't screwed on but use good quality sticky tape, which doesn't bother me one bit since it sits on the floor all day anyway. It might even help with the noise! Also indeed the cabling is tight, but I actually like that. It took some care to route things but I don't intend to change/add things often. The fans that are pre-installed are of high quality and the speed control is built in. Very silent even on high, and I consider myself sensitive to that.
My only minor complaint is that the power LED is too bright. It's not matte but shines like a keyhole finder LED. Fixed that by cutting a corner out of a sticker and placing it over it. All-in-all a very minor thing to make it pretty close to my ideal case.
I mean seriously. Why, in this day and age, would I ever have a need for 4 5.25" bays? I can see the need for having 1 on any case, or 2 on larger cases (full height and bigger).
My preference would be to lose all 5.25" bays. I never touch a CD/DVD/BluRay any more at all. If there is a way for me to download it or get in on USB that is what I prefer and it is only getting more common every day.
Certainly I understand there are edge cases that require more than 1 or 2, but just imagine what you could do with that area freed up. Imagine how many 3.5 bays could fit in the space of 4 5.25" bays. That would be one slick storage case.
Get a smaller case if 5.25" bays bother you. I use 2, one for the optical drive (all my backups are on DVDs), one for my 3.5" drive that I put in an elastic sling to stop it from spreading vibrations inside the case. Since the fan controller lever on the case started crapping out, I'm thinking of adding a PWM on one of the 5.25" drive bays, so then 3/4 will be in use.
Anyone noticed EVERY SINGLE review this guy does is negative?
I mean, what a shocker, he didn't like this case!
And he always uses the old line negative reviewers use at the end, some variation of "there are better options". Sometimes he names these, sometimes he doesnt.
Well if there are better options, why dont you review them! And if there are good products, and presumably you've reviewed some of them, then why are all your reviews negative??!! If these better competing products exist, then where are your positive reviews?
Really? I can't tell if you're serious or trolling?
For a positive review read his assessment of the Nanoxia 1 in which he positively purrs about the case. Ok, so he's critical of a lot of cases, but I'd rather have someone who errs on the side of negativity, than someone who thinks every case is great and so gets 8/10 or some kind of award.
What I think it comes down to is Dustin is looking for that perfect case, and when a case falls short like this Betfenix, he quite rightly points out where they've gone wrong and I prefer this approach. I imagine it's also good feedback for the designers of these cases.
And those are just the ones that I could remember the conclusion after having re-read the title of the review. If something's wrong with the case, he calls them out on it, which I like. I just wish he'd start using bigger than mATX (I kid, I kid! :-p)
""Their breakout product has probably been the Prodigy (which got picked up by almost every boutique under the sun), but really, they've had great stuff for a while now.""
Really, do tell. After getting the BitFenix Prodigy, it actually lost my expectations. It just sucks, it just sucks, it just sucks. I replace it with a lot better case such as the Lian Li PC-V354.
There are so many reasons why it suck. I did review of the BitFenix Prodigy on newegg, so you can read it there. What BitFenix only has is they got style, but quality is their lowest priority or is not part of the engineering process.
Bought it 4 months ago. What I don't like about it:
Dust filters don't stop as much dust as you'd like, except when they get clogged with dust themselves. That's why I don't vacuum them anymore (airflow is still pretty good).
Why does it have a mesh on top? Dust FALLS IN THE CASE, despite the positive air pressure inside (I never turn my computer off). I had to put filters on the holes on top of the case to stop dust from falling inside.
You can't completely remove the top mesh to clean the top of the case - it's connected by wires so you can only lift it and move it so much until the cables snag.
After 3 months, the fan controller lever started crapping out and now it's impossible to set it to the slowest speed. I didn't even use this lever that much, it's just really flimsy.
Finally, when I put a 7200RPM (Samsung Spinpoint F3) disk in, it's very loud even at idle because of vibrations. I had to make a sling out of elastic in one of the 5.25" bays and stick the disk in it, and now it's quiet (no vibrations).
Just bought and assembled it. The soft touch material on the from and top is really nice. The cables for the USB 3.0 ports are 20 pin only, but one cable adapter to 2.0 is provided . As someone mentioned in a previous comment, the rubber feet are now screwed. I struggle a little bit to pass the 24-pin power connector through the routing holes, but it was not something to make someone cry or trash the case. The part that is really really bad is the dust filter for the power supply, it is curved when it should be just plain. My biggest problem was that the cables of my power supply (XFX TS 550W) are on the short side for a midi-case with a mini-ITX MB (gigabyte z97n-gaming 5). Moreover I installed a Club3D R9 280 royalking and it just barely fit without removing the HDD case's wall. Overall, good value for the money, I paid €75.
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26 Comments
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Death666Angel - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
Someone is a busy little bee! :D Keep up the good work Dustin! :)Gonna read the review now, just wanted to say that first.
rwei - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
@Dustin - With this many case reviews...I assume that you must have enough of these things sitting around to build a fort.So what gives? Where is the fort? I believe that I represent the readership when I assert that you are underserving our needs.
In case you need inspiration, I would invite you to consult the following image:
http://asilentbob.deviantart.com/art/Box-fort-1454...
ilihijan - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
I just got paid $6784 working on my laptop using these simple steps leaked on this web page. Make up to $85 per hour doing simple tasks that are so easy to do that you won't forgive yourself if you don't check it out! Weekly payments! Here is what I've been doing Epic2.c(om)Locktile - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
Bought and built in a Shinobi a few days ago. The current iteration has rectified some of the earlier problems - the rubber feet are now screwed in from the factory. 2 USB 3 ports at the top. Still at the same price.So hopefully this case will get the same treatment after a while.
Good work as allways Dustin!
abhaxus - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
I was fortunate enough to get this case for a steal at $69. Overall I really like it, although as reviewed I agree that it is a few touch ups from being a case I would use again. One thing I didn't see mentioned in the review is the intake fan placement on the bottom of the case. My power supply (Coolmax 1000w) is too large to allow me to use a 120mm fan in that bottom intake. Seems like a small oversight. Because there is no side fan blowing directly on my GTX 480, even a throttled 80mm fan mounted (rigged up) here lowers my temps on the card by about 10c.I mounted bitfenix 200mm fans in the front and top, the thermal performance increased quite a bit with them.
For 70
thesavvymage - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
It amazes me how no company has hired Dustin to help design their casesfutrtrubl - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
I am quite sure he would design an awesome case. It would also be a case that could never be made due to patents.Pbryanw - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
Yes, it would be awesome but if it it was an ATX case it would only be able to fit mATX motherboards (sorry I'm only joking :) ) But in reply to thesavvymage, can some case manufacturer make it so.Dustin Sklavos - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
HA!I ain't even mad. :)
ezridah - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
Thanks you for finally reviewing this case Dustin! I've been eyeing it for about a year now and am thinking about starting a new build soon. This would have been a case I considered, but given the issues with it I'll probably pass on it now.If they revised it with all the suggestions Dustin had I would buy it immediately. Your move BitFenix.
c0d1f1ed - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
I have this case and I quite like it. Indeed the feet aren't screwed on but use good quality sticky tape, which doesn't bother me one bit since it sits on the floor all day anyway. It might even help with the noise! Also indeed the cabling is tight, but I actually like that. It took some care to route things but I don't intend to change/add things often. The fans that are pre-installed are of high quality and the speed control is built in. Very silent even on high, and I consider myself sensitive to that.My only minor complaint is that the power LED is too bright. It's not matte but shines like a keyhole finder LED. Fixed that by cutting a corner out of a sticker and placing it over it. All-in-all a very minor thing to make it pretty close to my ideal case.
jminneman - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
I mean seriously. Why, in this day and age, would I ever have a need for 4 5.25" bays? I can see the need for having 1 on any case, or 2 on larger cases (full height and bigger).My preference would be to lose all 5.25" bays. I never touch a CD/DVD/BluRay any more at all. If there is a way for me to download it or get in on USB that is what I prefer and it is only getting more common every day.
Certainly I understand there are edge cases that require more than 1 or 2, but just imagine what you could do with that area freed up. Imagine how many 3.5 bays could fit in the space of 4 5.25" bays. That would be one slick storage case.
killerclick - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
Get a smaller case if 5.25" bays bother you. I use 2, one for the optical drive (all my backups are on DVDs), one for my 3.5" drive that I put in an elastic sling to stop it from spreading vibrations inside the case. Since the fan controller lever on the case started crapping out, I'm thinking of adding a PWM on one of the 5.25" drive bays, so then 3/4 will be in use.rickon66 - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
It looks like they got tired of putting the Antec 1100 on the charts, seeing as how it kicks all the other cases butts time after time.Dustin Sklavos - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
Actually, I have my results spreadsheet broken down into sub-$100, $100-$149, and then $150 and above. The 1100 hangs out between $100 and $149. ;)bill4 - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
Anyone noticed EVERY SINGLE review this guy does is negative?I mean, what a shocker, he didn't like this case!
And he always uses the old line negative reviewers use at the end, some variation of "there are better options". Sometimes he names these, sometimes he doesnt.
Well if there are better options, why dont you review them! And if there are good products, and presumably you've reviewed some of them, then why are all your reviews negative??!! If these better competing products exist, then where are your positive reviews?
Pbryanw - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
Really? I can't tell if you're serious or trolling?For a positive review read his assessment of the Nanoxia 1 in which he positively purrs about the case. Ok, so he's critical of a lot of cases, but I'd rather have someone who errs on the side of negativity, than someone who thinks every case is great and so gets 8/10 or some kind of award.
What I think it comes down to is Dustin is looking for that perfect case, and when a case falls short like this Betfenix, he quite rightly points out where they've gone wrong and I prefer this approach. I imagine it's also good feedback for the designers of these cases.
WeaselITB - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
Seriously? Are you new here?Just from the past couple of months --
Fractal Design Define XL R2 -- generally positive
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6764/fractal-design-...
Nanoxia Deep Silence 2 -- positive
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6742/nanoxia-deep-si...
Corsair Carbide 200R -- positive except for drive cage
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6515/corsair-carbide...
Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 -- positive, Bronze Editor's Choice
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6479/nanoxia-deep-si...
NZXT Phantom 820 -- positive, Bronze Editor's Choice
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6367/nzxt-phantom-82...
And those are just the ones that I could remember the conclusion after having re-read the title of the review. If something's wrong with the case, he calls them out on it, which I like. I just wish he'd start using bigger than mATX (I kid, I kid! :-p)
-Weasel
tecknurd - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
""Their breakout product has probably been the Prodigy (which got picked up by almost every boutique under the sun), but really, they've had great stuff for a while now.""Really, do tell. After getting the BitFenix Prodigy, it actually lost my expectations. It just sucks, it just sucks, it just sucks. I replace it with a lot better case such as the Lian Li PC-V354.
There are so many reasons why it suck. I did review of the BitFenix Prodigy on newegg, so you can read it there. What BitFenix only has is they got style, but quality is their lowest priority or is not part of the engineering process.
lmcd - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
which color, what's your name, etc.Thanks for the worthless comment. You didn't even refer to your own review well.
Bitfenix isn't bad; there are far worse and Bitfenix has many great ideas in all of their cases.
kukujin21 - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
I think 14 months ago you gave a better review of the internals although you still had the same complaints?. anything look familiar Dustin?http://www.anandtech.com/show/5157/nzxt-phantom-41...
Dustin Sklavos - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
That's a good catch. I have them side by side right now, though, and they're similar but by no means identical.Of course, fourteen months ago would've been ~42 cases ago, and I may have become slightly more cantankerous in the interim. ;)
killerclick - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
Bought it 4 months ago. What I don't like about it:Dust filters don't stop as much dust as you'd like, except when they get clogged with dust themselves. That's why I don't vacuum them anymore (airflow is still pretty good).
Why does it have a mesh on top? Dust FALLS IN THE CASE, despite the positive air pressure inside (I never turn my computer off). I had to put filters on the holes on top of the case to stop dust from falling inside.
You can't completely remove the top mesh to clean the top of the case - it's connected by wires so you can only lift it and move it so much until the cables snag.
After 3 months, the fan controller lever started crapping out and now it's impossible to set it to the slowest speed. I didn't even use this lever that much, it's just really flimsy.
Finally, when I put a 7200RPM (Samsung Spinpoint F3) disk in, it's very loud even at idle because of vibrations. I had to make a sling out of elastic in one of the 5.25" bays and stick the disk in it, and now it's quiet (no vibrations).
killerclick - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
Yeah, I also didn't connect the power LED because it's way too bright.lmcd - Friday, March 1, 2013 - link
Last time you had to install feet on a $100 case was the SG09, I believe.prodigy23 - Wednesday, November 5, 2014 - link
Just bought and assembled it. The soft touch material on the from and top is really nice. The cables for the USB 3.0 ports are 20 pin only, but one cable adapter to 2.0 is provided . As someone mentioned in a previous comment, the rubber feet are now screwed. I struggle a little bit to pass the 24-pin power connector through the routing holes, but it was not something to make someone cry or trash the case. The part that is really really bad is the dust filter for the power supply, it is curved when it should be just plain. My biggest problem was that the cables of my power supply (XFX TS 550W) are on the short side for a midi-case with a mini-ITX MB (gigabyte z97n-gaming 5). Moreover I installed a Club3D R9 280 royalking and it just barely fit without removing the HDD case's wall. Overall, good value for the money, I paid €75.