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  • Sgt. Stinger - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link

    BitFenix is definitley an interesting company. They seem to be a very small operation, and thats probably why they get to these amazing price points.

    BTW, what happened to this review earlier today? Saw it at work, but when i tried to continue to the next page, the review was down... Puzzled me a bit :)
  • JarredWalton - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link

    Someone changed the post time to later in the day, probably to give another article time at the top.
  • Andrew Rockefeller - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link

    I'm a fan of the left-handed mount arrangement. TBH, I've thought that everyone has been doing it wrong all these years. The next step is to abandon multiple 5.25" bays in mid-towers.
  • know of fence - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    Current case designs may very well be outdated in a year or two.
    Abandon the ugly, stupid drive bays (in favor of external drives), ditch ALL front interfaces and move USB, audio and the power switch to the top of the desk (like a docking bay). It's a no-brainer.
  • Andrew Rockefeller - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    For my own needs, I couldn't agree more. I do however accept that would make it just a little too niche right now. 2 years, absolutely.

    Strangely, I actually sketched up an external front panel remote a few years back. Glad to hear that there are others out there thinking along the same lines.

    ...which makes me think. What if someone designed a case with an external slimline optical enclosure which included the standard front panel functions?? We might finally get rid of gaudy plastic fascias altogether. The external enclosure could even be a standalone product connecting back to a PCI bracket.
  • StevePeters - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link

    Am I seeing the photos correctly - it looks like there is no space at all between the tray and side cover (and none is needed)? I am starting to think that the guys at BitFenix must actually use they cases themselves - they sure look like they know what works!
  • JonnyDough - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link

    "BitFenix has opted for a negative pressure design instead of a positive pressure one, with the exhaust fan pulling air out of the back of the case instead of placing a fan in the front and letting the fan in the heatsink do the rest of the work."

    Preferable. Reason? Noise.
  • jwcalla - Friday, December 23, 2011 - link

    Do people still buy cases this big?
  • colmiak - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    this is kind of an unimportant detail but i'll ask anyway.. ;p

    is the logo seen on the bottom of the case on microcenter's site removable?

    i dont see it on your review case and it looks much nicer like that!

    http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results....
  • Dustin Sklavos - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    It's not removable; it's not affixed to begin with. ;)
  • colmiak - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    yay! :)
  • xbournex - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    Hi colmiak,

    The logo seen on the bottom is just a sticker (as an accessory) that we provide, just like the merc.
  • colmiak - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    thank you!

    gonna be picking up one of these soon at my local microcenter, looks so much nicer than the antec 300 for the same price!

    and it's quiet :) !
  • Malih - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    i'd buy a premium but smaller version of this case, for mATX board, with better cable routing, and different angle for mounting hdd with detachable hdd mounting, with no 5.25 bay or just one of them but with a 3.5 adapter provided plus eSATA and USB 3 front panel.

    Well, just a little christmas wish...
  • Dustin Sklavos - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    SilverStone Temjin TJ08-E. We reviewed it this year. :)
  • Malih - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    Never noticed the Temjin case is also left-handed, should've paid more attention, thanks.
  • buzznut - Saturday, December 24, 2011 - link

    I've been impressed with this enclosure since I first saw it online. It really is a great budget case and I can't wait to order one and begin a mod with it.
    Of course I have to put in a window to show off the right side up video card!

    BTW, if readers want to pick one up in the US, visit www.Xoxide.com. I've actually seen it below MSRP, for $48.00.
  • rockfella79 - Monday, December 26, 2011 - link

    Real VFM cabbie. Only one CON : No USB3.
  • xbournex - Wednesday, December 28, 2011 - link

    USB 3.0 Kit is available for purchase now.
  • geniekid - Tuesday, December 27, 2011 - link

    FWIW, you can purchase these cases directly from their website.
  • wutsurstyle - Wednesday, January 4, 2012 - link

    Very good to see a setup where the motherboard is upside-down. Now those massive cooling pipes on video cards are rightside-up and more effective.
  • binqq - Friday, January 6, 2012 - link

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  • Zebble - Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - link

    I wouldn't have even considered this case, but after reading the review I decided to try one. What a very pleasant surprise! Very well-built, and the rubber-like coating on the front face makes for a very impressive high-quality feel.
    The up-facing USB ports were the clincher for me, as I like to use a USB key off my keychain without having to detach it. Front-mounted USB ports left my keys hanging and pulling down on the USB key which can't be good for the USB key or the USB port! Up-facing USB ports
    solve this problem...
    I was also surprised at the quality hardware included. Almost all screws were thumbscrews, and even a hex-to-philips adapter was included to make installing the motherboard stand-offs a breeze. Haven't seen this in any other case I've purchased. Nice touch BitFenix!
    Cable room/routing was very good. It's the cleanest build I've done because of all the cable room behind the 3.5" drive-bays. Again, nice touch.
    Was so happy with the case, I snagged another the next day.

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