BitFenix Phenom M & ITX Review
Up Close: Exterior Sides, Rear and Base
Published: 8th November 2013 | Source: BitFenix | Price: £74.95 |
Up Close: Exterior Sides, Rear and Base
Having glanced briefly at the sides of the case in our initial overview we can now look in more detail. The mesh area that we saw that is recessed into the upper and front edges is vey fine indeed, but owing to the large total surface area (as a product of its length more than its width) it should serve to give reasonable ventilation, which is just as well as it's through this mesh that the PSU draws its breath. The left hand side of the case is devoid of features, and even the right hand side keeps it clean and simple with a subtle I/O area towards the front lower corner. A brace of USB 3.0, audio jacks and a separate power and reset buttons are the order of the day.
It's when we look round the back of the case that we get the first hint that the internal layout of the Phenom differs somewhat from the traditional. The keen eyed amongst you will have already worked out that the Motherboard is inverted as the five PCI slots are towards the top of the case. Another unusual (and as we found when we came to the build, slightly annoying) feature of the PCI slots is the use of a single clamped bracket to hold the five covers in place. Releasing the thumb bolt and sliding back the clamp releases the grip on all five of the slot covers, which if you only want to remove one often ends in a small cascade and a few choice words.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that you're looking at the PSU fan through the rear grill. Actually we wouldn't forgive you as we'd assume you'd totally forgotten that we're dealing with an inverted motherboard layout so there's no way on Bobs green earth that that could be the PSU. It is in fact a mounting point for either a 120mm (included) or 140mm (optional) fan. In the bottom right hand corner lies the socket for a standard IEC mains lead known to you and us as a PSU plug, and to the wife as a kettle plug. This fitting attaches to a cable that runs through the base of the case and meets up with a fitting at the other end into which your PSU attaches.
The base of the case is predominantly mesh with a large aperture at the front for the vertically mounted PSU. Two 120mm fans (one included) can be mounted in the base, alternatively a pair of 3.5" drives can be housed down here. If you're not using it for ventilation then you may chose to use the magnetically located cover shown below right.
Most Recent Comments
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Originally Posted by Feronix
1) The front of the Phenom is completely closed. Why is there still a 5.25" bay on the inside? You couldn't acces it from the front anyway. I know it's easily removable and most people won't use an optical drive anyway but it just leaves me wondering.
2) Would it be a bad idea to drill some more holes into the sides where the front fans would intake? Would it make the case less stable or anything? And also is there no 'gap' in the bottom (of the front panel) for air to get through, and if so, would it look silly to create one? |
2) All pretty much depends on your modding skills, but there's not too much that can be done to improve matters significantlyQuote
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Originally Posted by G-Dubs
1) The 5.25" bay is there as it is on all models that share the same original Prodigy chassis. From a manufacturing standpoint it's cheaper to leave it there than it is to press new panels without it.
2) All pretty much depends on your modding skills, but there's not too much that can be done to improve matters significantly |
1) That's fair enough from them I guess. I'd remove it anyway. Leaves me with a 5.25" tray for a scratch build or something
2) That's a bit unfortunate. I was actually thinking if the things I've just mentioned, then watched the video and saw Tom had the same idea. Do you reckon that would give enough airflow for a 5v Bitfenix Spectre Pro 230mm?Quote
BitFenix Phenom Mini ITX Cube Gaming Case
i7 4770k cpu
16gb corsair vengence memory
asus gtx780 oc gpu
has anybody else had this issue with this case?Quote
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I seriously want the Phenom mITX in white. Wish they made a side panel window option available though
Edit;
Hey I have just read through it (skipped some of the mATX parts) and it leaves me with two questions.
1) The front of the Phenom is completely closed. Why is there still a 5.25" bay on the inside? You couldn't acces it from the front anyway. I know it's easily removable and most people won't use an optical drive anyway but it just leaves me wondering.
2) Would it be a bad idea to drill some more holes into the sides where the front fans would intake? Would it make the case less stable or anything? And also is there no 'gap' in the bottom (of the front panel) for air to get through, and if so, would it look silly to create one?
I have lots of ideas for this case but I want to do a high-end build and if it's not good enough, it's just not good enough, as much as that sucks cause I love the way it looks and the options that it offers for the price.Quote