BitFenix Shogun Review

Conclusion

This is actually going to be quite a difficult conclusion to write, as we genuinely can’t quite decide how we feel about the Shogun.  We know we like the looks, and we know we like the flush fit of the tempered glass side panels, and as we’re demon loomers here at OC3D we also know we like the idea of showing off our cable management prowess through the reverse side glass panel, even if the sloping angle of the glass does get our eye twitching a bit.  What we’re not so sure about is the need for all those HDD racks.  OK, so they’re removable, but why do they need to be there in the first place?  Most builders are going to take them out, either because they’re putting a large radiator in the front, perhaps mounting an E-ATX board, or simply because it’s not 2010 anymore and they’re ugly as hell.  Why does this matter?  Well if they weren’t there, BitFenix would have been able to bring the cost of the case down a bit, which is always appreciated.

If we’re not too convinced by the HDD drive cages, then we’re even less enthralled by the three GPU support mounts.  To be honest, they look like they’ve been put in to take up space on the front panel and although perhaps nice to have with massively long cards, again, we suspect they’re going to come out for the same reasons the HDD cages will.

So with the niggles out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff.  First and foremost is that with 75mm of room available the Shogun will take a 50mm thick 360mm rad and fans in the roof.  Despite not quoting compatibility, the Shogun will also take a 360mm rad in the front (although not at the same time as one in the roof).  In the front mount position, which, like the roof will also take 280s, there’s a good 115mm of space to be had for radiators, all of which is very impressive.

Then we get to the Bitfenix Chroma control ASUS AURA compatible RGB illuminated show off SSD mounts.  These sit on a panel at the base of the case and do what they say on the tin, so if you have an ASUS AURA motherboard, or are thinking of getting one, you’ll now be able to sync your lighting to your SSD mounts…nice.

So are there any other niggles?  Well as it happens, there are.  We’re not to sure we like the absence of a false floor PSU cover.  With Bitfenix making the Chroma SSD mount removable, along with practically everything else in the case, it would have been easy enough for them to design and make a removable PSU cover, and perhaps even a sectional one that allowed for longer front radiators or alternatively provided full cover for the base of the case. 

OK, we’ve worked out why we’re having trouble here.  The Shogun is not a bad case, far from it, but it is one of those cases that could have been better if just a little more thought had gone into it.  It’s great that it’s got great water cooling, but to be honest, that’s almost becoming the norm right now, and in enclosures that are both smaller and cheaper than the Shogun  We like the Shogun, we really do, we just wish it could have been that little bit better.  Perhaps this one’s a case for the modders out there? 

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