BitFenix Survivor Case Review

1. Introduction2. The Survivor Case (External and Bundle)3. The Survivor Case (Internal)4. System Installation5. Testing Methodology and Performance Results6. Acoustic Performance7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

The Survivor arrives in a large colour box with the name of the product and company logo on the side.

It is well protected between stryofoam pieces and encased in a clear plastic cover for protection against scuffing during shipping.

The bundle is extensive, with a variety of cable tidies, screws and mounting brackets. There is a well written, illustrated manual supplied to aid with the building phase.

We much prefer the appearance of this case when compared with their earlier Colossus case. It is a more subtle refined design with attractive curved edges on all corners. Behind the plastic shell is a black painted steel interior that is very well made.

Behind the grille, there is a 200mm intake fan. You can remove this fan if you wish and add two 120mm fans, they have also included a dust filter to keep the insides clean.  There is another 200mm fan inside, which we will look at later.

The roof section hides buttons and connectivity behind a movable panel. There are button for power, reset and lighting controls for the two 200mm fans and the Bitfenix logo. There are also eSATA ports alongside two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports. Headset and microphone connectors are also available here. The movable plate wasn't such a smooth mechanism however and would sometimes stick.

A rather cool addition is an integrated handle which is positioned above the top 200mm exhaust fan and it folds back into place when not needed. Ideal for carting the case to LAN parties. It looks rather flimsy, but it is rated to support up to 40KG of weight, more than enough for a full system build, even with the heaviest components in place.

Both side panels are plain and I found them easily marked with fingerprints, due to the kind of material used. In fact, I was cleaning this case with a cloth many times before taking these pictures. The rear offers a nice layout, with two holes cut into the top for watercooling. The rear also has space for an 80mm or 120mm fan, although one is not supplied, which is an unusual omission. Even with a 200mm fan at the top, an exhaust fan at the rear is quite an important addition.

Underneath the case, is a dust filtered hole to aid with power supply cooling. This is removable for easy cleaning.

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