Make an Impressive Style Statement with the Bitfenix Shinobi Gaming Case

For those customers who are very picky on spending their money on Gaming cases, the remarkable Bitfenix Shinobi Case comes across as an attractive choice. The entire case framework is constructed keeping in mind the typical needs of frugal customers. However one needs to understand that the low price of the chassis has no effect whatsoever on the overall edifice of the product, thus making the Shinobi case a high value product.

 

 

The chassis is a blend of steel frame that is covered with plastic panels on the top. This structure gives it a very solid look along with the black metallic interior that gives it a superior feel that you will not normally find in most of the other budget chassis out there. It has 4x USB 2.0 ports along with ports for microphone and headphone that can be easily accessed.

 

 

It is interesting to note here that very little difference is present there in the non-windowed and windowed versions of Bitfenix Shinobi, contrasting to other market players who make cases. The only difference one can make out is that the windowed version embraces tool-less drive mounting, whereas the other version does not.

 

In the windowed version of BitFenix there is a scope of attaching seven 120mm fans while the non-windowed version allows you to attach only 6. Dust filters are fitted-out on the intake fans, and for dusting access, the frontal panel needs to be removed.

 

 

 

What works for BitFenix Shinobi is that it is blessed with a very refined look, and has a close resemblance to the Lancool PC-K7B.  The simple and subtle look is preferred over various gaudy style chassis in the market by Evetech. Though we can understand that looks mostly is of personal preference, the Shinobi case does score high on aesthetics. The front and top panels of the case are made of plastic and a rubber coating is present over the plastic which is known as ‘Soft Touch’ called by BitFenix. This feature makes the chassis finger print resistance which makes it very durable.

 

 

Front view of the chassis displays a stylish front intake grill, three 5.25 inch bays and the Bitfenix logo. The bays are situated lower than usual because of the front ports which are actually placed on the top.

While the intakes look pretty unfamiliar cluster of metal work, the architecture still looks great. There is a measurable reduction of airflow because of the dense structure but it won’t matter much to the user as it is unlikely hamper the performance of the system .On a closer look, you can find plastic plugs are used to hold the front in place and can be easily un-fitted by a jerk form the bottom.

Dust filter of the front fan can be cited as soon as the front is removed along with the 5.25inch metal bay covers which might at times need to be removed for installation of any 5.25inch device. The dust filters are made of plastic and has a mesh structure- just like the front intakes. But the filter may not be able to resist the fine dust particle though it, but definitely can certainly block bigger particles like hairs, wigs etc.

 

 

The screws at the front can be easily accessed for changing or replacing the front fan. The exhaust and ports predominately are located towards the top. Both the power button and the reset button are millimeters away, but can be easily distinguished because of their sizes. The top fan mounts can be noticed as soon as the top panel is removed- exactly the same way as the front panel. Plastic clips and hot adhesive is used to hold the power along with reset switches. But LEDs of the power and HDD are fitted by hot adhesive that makes gives it a firm stature.

 

 

There is no doubt that many system builders tend to stay away from tool-less mounting that is being used in Shinobi, as they can’t normally withstand the severity of shipping. Fortunately  this problem can be easily averted in the case of BitFenix Shinobi as the mounting tool-less drive can easily be removed which when after the shipment is received, can be easily installed by the customers if required. All the inlets or bays have a standard screw holes for mounting of the screws.

 

 

The available 5.25inch bay seems to be pretty simplified for the tool-less mounting. On the rear you can find the latch hinged with couple of pins. The latch is basically one sided whereas the other side is a friction fit. This mounting holds the drive on only one side. And therefore it will be recommended that if DVD drive is used frequently tool less drive will not be a preferable choice. But in other cases tool less mounting will definitely be a good choice.

 

 

You can find minute difference among 3.5inch and 5.25inch tool-less drive mountings. The 3.5inch tool less drive mounting has two pieces. In the first piece, the plastic plate has two bolts that go through screw holes into the required holes. The second piece is fitted in between the plates and drive cage that can be locked by rotating it 90 degrees. This results in loose mounting and huge amount of noise is made by the vibration of the HD installed in it. More over very less effort is given in preventing dampening of the hard drive which is common with other budget chassis too. Both the top and front fans can be easily accessed by removing their respective panels. Though it’s easy to remove both the panels, one should be careful in handling the wires connected to them for preventing any potential damage.

 

The power supply must be mounted as such that it will confront the fresh air that the fan is drawing through the vent placed at the bottom. Since a small space is available, large power supplies (built inside the chassis) may not be a feasible option to ship. Often you can see simple designs for mounting motherboard in a variety of chassis but in BitFenix you can find a specialized mount designed to support motherboard has a unique combination of screw and standoff.  Various standoff holes are present that enables the chassis to hold varied motherboard sizes which can be hardly seen in budget chassis.

 

With the help of zip ties the motherboard tray, which is full of points, can be easily secured using cables. Now here are the key facts; you need to be very careful while fixing any wire or during connections for installing any GUP or fitting any slots as just 4inch of max room is available between the side panel and mother board tray. Certainly though it is thick enough for 24pin cables.

 

The air flow and noise-level of this brand is by far the same as compared to its other brands at the same range. Comparing this to Antec tri-cool fans, BitFenix scores high on low noise level. But when compared to Scythe slip-stream fans, BitFenix makes louder noise though the latter wins in better airflow. Best performance of the BitFenix fans can be obtained at 5 to 7volts.

 

Now coming to the pros and cons we found out considerable pros that out classed the cons.

 

Few of the points where we can rate this chassis as an avant-garde product are

 

Countering to the pros we are left with few cons for Shinobi:

 

After observing the Bitfenix Shinobi, the only thing that one can behold as to how a budget cost chassis be so mesmerizing. Leaving aside the tool-less mounting that doesn’t encourage in shipping the product and a few glitches, Shinobi defies all those factors which customers usually dislike about a budget chassis. In fact it is quite likely that many customers may rate the product as a premium offering owing to multitude of well thought-out features.

 

Significant number of HD bays along with intake fans fitted straight in front makes the Shinobi afabulous computer case and with no acoustic dampening the chassis becomes the preferred choice for a budget oriented customer.