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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.
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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.
