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Out of the three BitFenix chassis that we have seen recently, the Shadow is without a doubt our favourite. It costs less than the Colossus M and delivers a significant step-up in terms of quality when compared to the BitFenix budget offerings, such as the Comrade.
The soft touch material is very attractive to the hand, the magnetic door works well and the whole chassis has a rigidity that is reassuring.
If you were building systems on a production line, then the effort made by the BitFenix designers in creating a clean, easy access environment would make this a favourite. That said, even for a system build you get the distinct feeling that the case has been carefully created to make life as easy as possible.
That said, it's not all milk and honey. While we could install a physical hard drive into 6 of the 7 available bays, we were unable to find a way to get a drive into the top slot. This is unlikely to be an issue for most people, but it would make more sense to say that it has 6 hard drive bays and a 7th general bay.
Back on the plus side, the rubber grommets, cable ties and selectable colour LED at the base mean you can easily adapt this case for bling and/or silent running.
Lastly, in the unlikely event that you find your components getting warm, changing the fan configuration is straightforward.
Overall, this is a great chassis, especially when you consider the modest price tag of £55 inc vat – you can buy from Overclockers HERE.
Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.
Pros
- Manufacturing quality.
- Ease of assembly.
- Built-in LEDs.
- Large number of drive bays.
- Stays pretty cool and quiet.
- Price.
Cons
- One or two cable routing paths could be better.
- 7th Drive bay needs to be repositioned slightly – if you're a 7th drive kind of gal/guy.
- Adding a green LED would be appealing to nVidia fans.
- Windowed side panel would let you show off your build.
- Vented top would improve cooling even more.
KitGuru says: Great option for system builders who are looking for a good price, but who don't want to sacrifice features to get it. Easy to assemble, looks great and will definitely give Fractal something to think about.
Don’t trust Bitfenix. I have their case. Somehow they manage to give one case to review, but sell completely different case under same name. Many people got cought like that. Even images on the packing box is correct (like in review), the images in manual are good, but the actual case is different. Much poorer quality. Read buyers review of Bitfenix, they have something to say about this company. That’s live-one-day manufacturer.
Soft touch surface treatment? – hope that’s been improved from the days when it ALWAYS ends up going to a horrible sticky mess
Johnatan, maybe you have had a bit of bad luck ! don’t understand Why You Slag of Bitfenix ! on the grounds that your not happy with your case alone ? maybe have or show a little proof before diving in next time !
Ive used Bitfenix Cases now on quite a fue builds and i find them top cases ! really easy to use and even easier to modify , plus reasonable prices ! maybe you should of contacted who ever you bought your case from and try resolving your problem ?