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Many of you may not have heard of BitFenix, a relatively new company on the scene. If you have been following KitGuru over the last few months however, you will have noticed that we have been focusing on them quite a bit. With industry veterans such as Coco Lee (ex Coolermaster) making up their ranks, BitFenix has been working to create the perception that their new chassis designs will redefine the market. With the launch of the Colossus, we get to see if this bit of tech has got what it takes to attract the enthusiast hordes.
A while ago we were offered a pre-production model of the Colossus, but we wanted to wait until a final production model was available and today we tear it apart to see if it is going to be worth your money. This is their only product to hit retail, a full tower case with the demanding enthusiast in mind.
The Colossus is a full tower chassis and it offers a long list of features to tempt a prospective customer. There are two colour schemes, Glacial White with a white interior and Monolith Black with a black interior. The top and front of the chassis are coated with ‘SofTouch' material – a much lauded feature that BitFenix have been mentioning regularly in their PR literature. This coating is developed to protect against markings and stains while giving it a very distinctive appearance.
Main Features:
- Ready for the Future: The next generation of USB connectivity is here. Equipped with two USB 3.0 ports, Colossus allows you to connect an ever-growing number of USB 3.0 devices and experience data transfer speeds up to ten times that of USB 2.0. With USB 3.0 already built-in, Colossus can last you several upgrades, further future-proofing your system.
- At Your Command: Designed to be the center of your digital domain, Colossus puts you in command with a PWM fan controller and multimode light controls. Tune your fans down for silence or up for extra cooling. Select your desired lighting color or turn them off completely. With Colossus, control is always at your fingertips.
- Advanced LED Lighting System: Perhaps the most striking feature of Colossus at first glance is the advanced LED lighting system. Not only is the light evenly distributed for a truly inspired look, but the LED color is also dual-mode, which means that users can switch between red and blue lighting with the touch of a button.
- Unmatched Security with BitFenix S3: Colossus introduces a BitFenix exclusive – S3. S3 is a storage compartment and security system in one. Place your iPhone, hard disk, or other valuables in S3 and lock them away for safe keeping. S3 will even lock down peripherals like USB mice and keyboards plugged into it, and secure everything under lock and key. Simple, safe and secure – that’s BitFenix S3.
- Complete Cable Management: Messy cables not only look bad, but they can also restrict airflow in a chassis. That’s why Colossus is designed to manage cables both inside and out. Keep cables from cluttering the inside of the chassis with Colossus' strategically-placed cable holes. Prevent cables from getting caught in opening optical drives with the unique cable-holding front bezel.
- Epic Expandability: Colossus gives you the space to build your own supercomputer. Capable of accommodating eight PCI express devices and seven 2.5″ SSDs or seven 3.5″ hard disk drives, Colossus is ready for multiple upgrades – perfect for a rig of epic proportions.
- Massive Cooling: When the action heats up, your system needs to keep its cool. Colossus can be outfitted with up to two 230mm fans, three 140mm fans or three 120mm fans, meaning huge cooling potential for all system components.
- Easy Installation: Big doesn't have to mean unwieldy. Featuring a motherboard CPU cooler cutout on the motherboard tray, specially-designed motherboard standoffs, and an almost completely tool-free design, getting your system up and running with Colossus is a joy. Large yet welcoming, if Colossus reminds you of a friendly giant, we wouldn’t blame you.
Specifications:
- Materials: SECC, ABS
- Color (Int/Ext): Black/Black or White/White
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 245 x 558 x 582 mm (ATX Full Tower)
- Motherboard Sizes: Mini-ITX, mATX, ATX, E-ATX
- 5.25″ Drive Bays: x 5 (1 x external 3.5″; tool-free)
- 3.5″ Drive Bays: x 7
- 2.5″ Drive Bays: x 7 (using standard 3.5″ drive bays)
- Cooling Front: 1 x 230mm
- Cooling Rear: 1 x 140/120mm (optional)
- Cooling Side Panel: n/a
- Cooling Top: 1 x 230mm (or 1 x 140/120mm optional)
- Cooling Bottom: 1 x 140/120mm (optional)
- PCI Slots: 8 (tool-free)
- I/O: 2 x USB3.0, 2 x USB2.0, eSATA, Audio
- Power Supply: PS2 ATX (bottom, multi direction)
I really like the looks of this, hopefully they sort out the build issues mentioned in the review. thanks.
What a great design ! It wont appeal to people who like lian li, but its certainly dramatic enough to get people looking in a store. I hope they address the problems. I dont get the 140mm fan option at the back? whats up with that idea?
This does not really appeal to me, but I like the way they are trying different ideas, the side panels look great, well externally anyway.
It is a good size, I like the concept idea,s such as front mounting area for buttons. Internally it needs some work, but its a great concept piece. hopefully they fix it.
I really do need to stress that this is either a very brave, or very stupid first case to release.
Some parts look very high class, some look unusual and some look unfinished. Weird they sent this out in the current state. It has a lot of potental as the reviewer said, but as a final product I am not sure I would part with my 130 quid.
The red is quite nice. I like the case and I would probably buy it. Why? well im so bored of aluminum chassis from people like Lian Li who do very little to further this market. its stagnant and I like what bitfenix might be doing over the coming year. Keep up the good work chaps
ITs certainly different, but im not sure I like it. would need to see it in the flesh to really know. I doubt our local store will get these in either.
Bitfenix will be big, trust me. In the next 6 months they have so many dramatic ideas to inject some passion into this industry.
it does nothing for me I’d pass on it
A little too flashy for my taste but at least someone is trying new things and not just copying CM and Antec. I believe the reason for the good airflow is because of the completely closed case with no meshes. Makes the HAFxxx products with a gazillion fans look stupid.
Personally i love my ATCS 840 for its minimalistic looks and the removable motherboard tray. Maybe someday i would be able to afford a Lian Li….