12.2.2014

Big review so prepare yourself!From the forums I've visited and the threads I've read, there has been a fair bit of controversy regarding this case, much of it about the handles/feet and how it's too big for a mini ITX / microATX chassis. Bottom line is: it's supposed to be! Just wanted to clear that up first! This is a case for an upgradable workhorse that takes up less than a third of a traditional tower, and it looks good too.As a former owner of the original model that was ITX-only, I was in process of modding that case into a would-be microATX model when I heard this beauty was going to be released. So i sold my somewhat modified ITX chassis and bought this one, sadly not from Amazon,sorry folks.The MicroATX variant here - denoted by an M in the title - is pretty much the same as the ITX case, except the motherboard goes vertical (as in tower cases) from being horizontal, the PSU also follows this trend and thankfully allows longer PSUs to be installed. You will need to remember to leave enough room however, for cables and also if you install an optical drive as I did.It is rather gorgeous. The surface treatment is velvety amazing on the front panel, and the handles and feet; it really is a great finish.Forget the 'bendy feet' flexing - they do flex considerably, yes, but they don't break, even with my load of 2x 3.5" drives, an optical and a couple of SSDs. Not to mention a 650W PSU and a Corsair H80 cooler. It just doesn't break the svelte Power Mac style. The handles are a great secure, safety feature - allowing one to cart the PC easier that a tower from one place to the other, even if it is just a flight of stairs. The panels are super tick and do not flex at all -I bought mine because I wanted a powerhouse that wasn't the size and heft of a full tower, and I also wanted the reassurance of being able to upgrade it at a future date (5 expansion slots, 7 places for hard drives - actually NINE on my model, I'll say more in a bit!).My optical drive is actually an aluminium SilverStone unit that combines a slot-loading optical drive, and space for FOUR 2.5" drives. I'm sure you can imagine that it is an awesome addition, and I wholly recommend getting one - Amazon no. 4710713968165. This gives me the extra space for 2.5" drives that would usually be mounted on the bottom of the case, on the side panel or the removable side bracket. Note only a max. of four 3.5" drives can be installed by default in the case (two on the bottom, two on the side plate/arm). A total of seven 2.5" drives by default are available, the additional four given by my drive bay.Inside, it is cramped. I have had to forgo my front panel audio connectors - although this isn't exactly a concern, and more a design flaw of my motherboard (Asrock Z77 Pro4-M) by placing the connectors under the graphics card slot - and opt for a modular power supply. Also, note the orientation of the PSU: the chassis' front panel is a duplicate of that from the initial prodigy, and has all the mounting holes for fans from 120mm to 220mm, and useless, since the PSU goes there.With my PSU, I had to buy a separate right angled kettle mains lead since the pass through cable included with this case would not bend enough to connect to the PSU. Hard to explain here, however if you turn your PSU to blow air in (not what i was going for), then the pass-through cable WILL fit fine.Other things: No dust filters except the one on top - pointless really as you want to draw air in from the bottom and push it out the back and top as hot air rises // the heat shield is a gimmick and I wouldn't want to put magnets of any strength near my 2.5"/3.5" HDDs, plus if you fill the bottom of the case with hard drives you can't install any fans, so your PSU would be the main intake source, and no dust filter on that either.As much as I love the portability, and somewhat upgradability of this case, it could do with a being a few cm bigger. Forget the alternative BitFenix Phenom, which is just like this minus the optical bay and the handles, and you have to choose between whether you want ITX or microATX - this case HAS BOTH options.The Silverstone Sugo SG08 or 09, where you can get them, is probably a better case although its radical design lies on the inside.This is an OK case, a modders dream too, but please measure the length of your hardware to go in, how many drives you'll use and if you want an optical drive or not. Definitely get a modular PSU, even re-sleeve your cables and braid them.Pros+++++DesignFeelHandlesSolid ConstructionFair Expansion2.5" drive slotsBig enough for a H80 cooler with two fans (just)PortabilityCons-----Slightly too short of space insideMy left panel is way too tight (have to hit it up from the back with a spatula every time!)Lack of fan mounts (granted, there are five 120mm slots in total, but if you fill these completely, that means no optical drive and no HDDs on the bottom)Lack of dust filtersGimmicky heat shieldPass through cable too shortIn other words, buy it, or don't buy it. I will cope. Look at video reviews to get a feel of it some more.

27.12.2014

Wow, this is an exceptionally well designed and flexible case. I'm not sure you could get one with more options in the ITX format, nearly all bases are covered.1) Watercool? No problem! Throw in up to 2 240mm radiators!2) Gaming rig? No problem! Throw nearly all the largest graphics cards available today.3) Huge air cooled heat sink? No problem. There is space to install almost all sizes thanks to the extra height the layout gives.4) File server? No problem! Up to 5 3.5 inch disks in standard layout, or repurpose the 5.25 inch bay for another. With 2.5 inch drives doubled up caddies and using all the mounting slots I count 13 spaces not including the 5.25 inch drive!5) System stored in a cupboard?No problem! A massive 230mm fan can be installed in the front, two can fit in the top and on in the back to force as much air through as possible, keeping things nice and cool.6) 'Normal' system? No problem, plenty of room for a standard setup.Other cool features like the PSU having it's own compartment is also a great touch for managing heat and air flow.** Cable management **One thing many cases, let alone ITX cases, suffer from is bad cable management. With this there is actually SPACE to tuck cables next to the PSU and handy guide channels to route things like the 24 pin lead and CPU power leads through. All things considered, this is the easiest case I've worked with, particularly with non-modular PSUs as the combination of small size and sensible layout means you can tuck cables into well designed space and route even short cables easily thanks to the compact dimensions.** Air flow **There are so many options here. Suffice to say I have mine in a desk cupboard thing with rubbish airflow. It still runs cool thanks to the number of fans you can put in to force air through.The supplied fans are totally silent. As it even the wind noise is absolutely minimal. My 3.5 inch drives are by FAR the loudest things in the case and with the cupboard door shut I really only hear the vibration they cause.The feet ensure great airflow to the PSU too, a nice bonus if you're on carpet as many systems with their tiny feet do not deal well with carpet.** Build Quality/ Style **It's not the best ever build quality (Fractal Design Define XL takes the title for what I've worked with) but it's not far off and I love it. The MacPro styling is great and the handles make carrying easy. Overall it's a really slick looking case that you carry about easily and fit a lot of incredibly powerful hardware in.** A Niggling annoyance **The 'front' IO is on the side. This is awkward to get to in many cases. Also, because it's on the side the power button and therefore the leads are installed on one of the removable sides. Taking the case apart needs extra care as a result. There are also two 2.5 inch slots in the side door for a couple of disks. Routing cables in there is a pain.** IN CONCLUSION **I'd absolutely be buying one of these again and recommending these for friends/family if their needs aligned. It's an absolutely superb combination of design layout, build quality and practicality. 10 stars!

12.1.2015

You can't really call this a 'Mini'-ITX... it's more of a breed between an ATX and a mini-ITX. With that said, it doesn't mean it doesn't do well! It's small enough to fit snug in the place you want it to be (and look quite cute too) but still have enough space inside to fit all the things you need and more.First off, the PSU positioning is inside it's own little metal cage and has holes on the left and right to feed your cables out to your components. Just be aware that they advise that your PSU doesn't exceed 160mm, otherwise it won't fit inside! I'd personally recommend a PSU that's 150mm so that you have some room for your cables to fit snug.Next is the motherboard,it comes with mounting standoffs already in the case so no need to fit your own! Unlike other cases that mount the motherboard vertically, this one mounts it horizontally flat. Makes it nice and easy for the cables at the back and your video card stands upright, which in turn helps the GPU fans using the vent holes on the case side. Very smart implementation!The case itself is very modular too, if you want more space for a watercooling system or something else, you can remove 4 drive bay cage (leaving 2 more left) or remove them all for even more space! The 5.25" drive bay can also be removed for two fans at the top or a radiator system. The front of the case has mounting points for fans from 120mm up to 230mm fans for even better airflow, and the back up to 140mm.The other side of the case houses the power, restart and audio jack buttons, along with power and HDD leds. Below these are also two USB 3.0 ports to connect to your motherboard, with a very useful feature of having a USB 2.0 wires included if your motherboard doesn't support 3.0. This also comes with a mounting bracket space for 2 SSD drives which gives you space for a massive number of drives (up to 5 HDDs and between 3-5 SSDs!).Even with all that stuff, this case WILL fit full-length graphics cards up to 340mm, but you may need to remove the upper drive bays to accommodate for this. However, I've found that my GeForce GTX750 Ti (which is 218mm) will fit even with the upper drive bays included. This required rotating the bay cage around but it means I have a powerful graphics card inside along with 3 hard drives and space for 2 more! You can see this configuration in the attached photo.Finally, the handles on the top and bottom are great for moving the case around. They are made of plastic so they do tend to make the case wobble a little on hard surfaces (fixable with some rubber pads, I would hope BitFenix will maybe take this advice and include some with future cases) but handle well at carrying it, making it handy for taking to LAN parties and events.All in all, it's a great little case that can house a beast of a machine, even a water cooler and radiator system if you want to do that and lots of space for huge fans and storage capacity. And it's only £68! What a steal!

30.9.2016

good case for mini itx builds i have 2 in blue and orange modded with carbon fibre to give it the edge i was looking for . rear 140mm fan fronti think it needs a big 230mm spectre front fan but the case only comes with a front and rear 120 mm in the case fitted . which do the job but not on a decent board and components you need air . as for the graphics drill outs on the side panel it gives plenty of air to a single gpu .room for a 240mm top rad but at the expense of losing a cd or blu ray player slot so it has options but not a bad case and i would recomend the case but not for bigger motheboard builds .there are plenty of reviews on youtube and they show all you need to know .

16.12.2020

This was my first ever ITX build... and cable management is not my thing. Overall the case was worth the money. The good/bad comments are just that, things to be aware of.The good:Beautiful design. Solidly built (except handles). Easy to remove panels for access. Internals are easy to remove. Handles were easy to replace (the bottom piece was broken and Bitfenix was stellar with the replacement). Side panel cable length decent. Overall... a lot of flexibility.The bad:The handles. Plastic is too thin. The weight of the case is placed on them because of the foam packing and if shipped roughly, they are likely to be damaged. Power supply spacing. I think I lucked out because there was a cutout in the metal,

25.9.2019

First off, it comes with a drive bay expansion which is much appreciated. I won't be using it for now, but it's definitely appreciated.Right off, I love the fact that this was a steel case, but I'd have been willing to pay for a full-on steel case. Everything feels sturdy and well-manufactured. The drive bay expansion comes out smoothly and without tools. It looks like I'll be able to use my 280mm Windforce OC 1070.I've edited as of 11/03, I put an R5 3600 and a 280mm 1070 in this thing for a little VR machine.Pros:* Great layout, roomy enough* Can use bigger GPUs (none of that 3u stuff i.e. high-end 2070's and up)* Good for a portable gamer (in my case VR) or an HTPC like I saw others in the reviews doing.

22.12.2017

This case is actually pretty amazing (i'll explain why only 1 afterwards) there is a lot you can move/take out and has space for 5 fans in total 2 x 120mms in the front and the same on the top, it is possible to put either a 120 or 140 in the back for the exhaust. The PSU bay is built with space either side and inside for the cables on a normal ATX PSU. You can remove one or both of the drive cages and it is possible to also remove the disc drive bay altogether. I was fitting this with an MSI 1060GTX AERO edition and being able to remove everything and build in only what i needed made this a really good case to build in.Reasons for the lack of 1 star comes literally because I have bought four other cases in my life...

21.8.2013

I bought this case for a gaming rig, not wanting a full sized tower. Overall it's a quality case for the money.You'll need a mITX motherboard which themselves can't hold masses of components (ram slots, pci etc) but for most people they will be perfectly adequate. It will house a regular sized psu though (go for modular though to save space). The motherboard will lie flat horizontally in the case which means plenty of height for ram with heat sinks and graphics cards. It will easily accommodate large graphics cards as long as they don't take more than 2pcie slots. For those worried about how much space there is the case- dont! There is plenty of space in there for cables and extra hard drives as well as different ways to orient them.

14.6.2013

This case is fantastic, looks beautiful, the white on the metal and the plastic matches up perfectly, which is something you don't see very often.Pro's: Tonnes of space to mount Hard drives. You can fit up to 9 hard drives if you wanted too, not that any ITX board I know of goes up that high. (5x3.25inch, 4x2.5inch)Loads of space to mount fans. can mount up to 5 140mm fans. can fit 2 280mm Radiators.Power supply is kept in separate compartment so not much heat is transferred into the rest of the case.VERY well built, I'd would say this case could stop a bullet, the side panels are >1mm thick steel.Con's: Not a lot of room for cable management,

16.3.2017

Pros:Excellent layout. Lots of places for SSDs other than in the main body, so you can take out the hard drive cages and fit a full size CPU cooler and 11-inch GPU just fine.Airflow. Comes with two 1000 RPM, 120mm case fans, which I moved to the top, and I bought a 230mm for the front and a 140mm for the back, which run at 900 and 1200 RPM respectively. Add in the 120mm on the CPU cooler and it's got amazing airflow and whisper quiet even under heavy graphics strain.Looks. Very pretty, and the soft touch coating is nice. Small and sleek, which is good because I don't have a lot of room for a tower.Cons:Cramped. Build was tricky and delicate, though everything fit without bending cables awkwardly or anything.

13.7.2014

What can i say...Superb!This is an amazing case, looks great, top quality materials, lots of room and easily upgrade proof for future hardware.The case provides plenty of screws and clips for your hardware and wiring needs, and also comes with two BitFenix Prodigy fans for both front and rear cooling. I previously had the Alienware x51 case, which is console sized and limited as to what you can and can't upgrade. This case has done the trick in providing me with both a small and compact size PC upon upgrading but at the same time helped with further giving me the opportunity to add my new hardware and more until my hearts content.The top handles, and lower feet stands are very sturdy also and supportive and have a matte finish like feel.

28.7.2013

This is an awesome case, in every sense of the world. The amount of expansion and features it has for a mini its case is amazing by any standard. It can house an open-loop water cooling setup with mounting points for 240 and 120mm rads. I have a 120mm closed loop water cooler cooling an i5 4670k, and I have had no issues whatsoever with compatibility, in my opinion it is well worth purchasing a mini itx board and this case. as it gives you a wide range of features by any standard, and its transportable if your into lan parties or whatever. Its very quiet and looks badass. This motherboard mounts horizontally so installing components is MUCH easier as you don't need to tip the case on its side and then back upright to do cable management.

19.2.2013

I wanted to build a smaller format system after having many different PC-s built in large or medium ATX tower cases. After some research on internet I decided mini ITX and then this case. No disappointment so far.Slightly larger then I imagined, but the design is just great, easy to work in it, silent and cooling is excellent. Also the design has a "wow" factor.. :) I am going to put a capable 3D videocard into it later and there is plenty of space to do so. The case can house normal ATX format PSU and cable management is very easy.Pros: stylish, easy access to every part, plenty of space for storage drives, long video cards can be used, easy to assemble (tool free), silent,

24.12.2013

I'm gonna start this review off by i didn't get to use this case as my main. It's in the retail box as i got another case. I planned on building in this but changed my mind and got a Corsair 350D. Here's why.Cons first.-Size. When i stumbled over this i thought it was small. Compared to the Corsair 350D it's not that much smaller and only ITX instead of Micro-ATX. This is fixed with the Matx version so i suggest you pick that up instead. EVGA released a X99 matx motherboard so if you get the Micro-ATX version you will be able to upgrade it much more.Now to the pros.-Tons of space.-Place for lots of radiators.

23.4.2013

What can I say about this other than, get the right motherboard and CPU and it's a winner. The case is a good size with great customisation as stated, it's all they say it is. I fitted the 'Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe' Motherboard, an Intel i5 3570K and an older MSI Nvidia GTX 460 Cyclone GPU and it's great for everything. OK you might not want to go that far, but with that MOBO and all it's features I can acess anything I load via the onboard WIFI and network facilities. The new Asus, auto-tune software took the whole thing to over 5GHz, but I knocked it down to 4.8GHz and it is well withi the coolness range to avouid worry.The case really looks good, although restricted for adding anything other than a DVD/BD drive in the front,

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