An exclusive review of BitFenix Shinobi due out in April. A mid-tower case with window version, tool-less throughout and many more features!
Product on Review: BitFenix Shinobi Window.
Manufacturer and Sponsor: BitFenix
MSRP: £50 GBP / 59€ EUR / $69 USD (Inclusive of VAT).
BitFenix, since their entrance into the chassis market back in April 2010 have had great success due to their determination to provide the consumer with not only something different but something that oozes quality. Right from the beginning Vortez have followed BitFenix on their journey of success, bringing you – the reader, the very first of their product reviews.
As tradition would have it, we are here again with the first review of a new case from BitFenix, named Shinobi. Shinobi is a mid-tower case that differs from its bigger brothers the Survivor and Colossus cases by bringing a touch of sleekness and elegance to the table. Available in two variants – window version (being reviewed today) and none-window version this case features 2 pre-installed fans, tool-less mechanisms throughout and of solid steel construction.
Shinobi is due out in April 2011 and will be given the MSRP of £50 GBP / 59€ EUR / $69 USD (Inclusive of VAT).
BitFenix Take on Shinobi:
Named after some of the most feared assassins of the modern age, Shinobi empowers the digital warrior to silently and efficiently dispatch his opponents. Maximum expansion and compatibility with long graphics cards enables you to equip Shinobi with the tools you need to get the job done. Superior cooling options allow the system to stay cool and collected during the heat of battle, while a sophisticated yet understated styling shows the opposition you mean business.
Technical Specifications
Materials
– Steel, Plastic
Color (Int/Ext)
– Black/Black
Side Panel
– Tinted Window
Dimensions (WxHxD)
– 205 x 460 x 490 mm (ATX Mid Tower)
Motherboard Sizes
– Mini-ITX, mATX, ATX
5.25″ Drive Bays
– x 3
3.5″ Drive Bays
– x 8 (1 x external, using 5.25” adapter)
2.5″ Drive Bays
– x 1 (using 5.25” adapter)
Cooling Front
– 2 x 120mm (1 included/1 optional)
Cooling Rear
– 1 x 120mm (included) or 1 x 92mm (optional)
Cooling Side Panel
– N/A
Cooling Top
– 2 x 140mm or 2 x 120mm (optional)
Cooling Bottom
– 1 x 120mm (optional)
PCI Slots
– x 7
I/O
– 4 x USB2.0, Audio
Power Supply
– S2 ATX (bottom, multi direction)
Extras
– Tool-free drive locking mechanisms
Packaging & First Look
BitFenix in the past have opted for a simple approach towards packaging and this is even more evident with the Shinobi. It’s packaging is of the most basic, but with the environment in mind of course. The packaging still features impressions and features of the case on the sides. This eco-friendly approach to packaging is something that can only be encouraged, afterall the packaging will be going into the cupboard or even destroyed afterwards anyway.
Inside, the case is covered in a clear plastic bag and secured in place with 2 large polystyrene pillars.
Eco-friendly packaging
First impressions of the Shinobi are that it is a significant departing from typical BitFenix styling. Gone are the flamboyant colours and shapes that we saw on the Colossus and instead we have an elegance. The Shinobi appears to be quite simple in its aesthetics, sometimes this is what people prefer.
On the prominent side panel we have a transparent window that can have a 120mm fan attached to it for cooling the GPU. This region also has ventilation strips to allow heat to disspate. Note that this is the window version of the case and there is a non-windowed version that will obviously see this side panel completely solid. Over the other side of the case the alternate side panel is simple smooth, with no features.
Transparent window for seeing inside the case
Exterior
So lets go in for a closer look. The front of the Shinobi is, as I have said nice and simple. As with all of BitFenix’s cases we have SofTouch which is a surface coating that provides you with a smooth feel, and has anti-scratch features. Running on either side we have perforated mesh strips that run right from the bottom of the case to the top and back. 3 x 5.25″ drive bays are present and a BitFenix metallic emblem is positioned right in the center. This carries with it the elegance and simplistic of the Shinobi’s styling. In the Survivor and Colossus cases we have been familiar with a neon glowing insignia, none such with the Shinobi.
Around the back we have an opening at the bottom for mounting the PSU. Moving up, large mesh perforations and 2 rubber grommets for looping tubes/cables through. Surprisingly for a case of its size the Shinobi has 7 expansion slot covers for PCIe. Further up we have a rear exhaust fan which is 120mm. It’s good to see that BitFenix are now deciding to integrate this traditional component, if you are familiar with their other cases this element is usually absent.
Front and back of the Shinobi – simple and elegant
Removing the front fascia reveals a pre-installed 120mm fan in the bottom slow and above it another slot for a 120mm fan to be installed. Behind these fans, on the fascia side is a sheet that acts as a filter, this can be removed and clean/washed.
Front pops off to reveal 2 x 120mm slots
The front panel on the Shinobi sadly has USB3.0 missing which is a shame as this is now becoming a standard case feature. On the front panel we have 4 x USB 2.0, headphone and microphone jacks with activity lights above them for power and HDD and a large power button with accompanied reset button.
The front panel of the Shinobi
Moving to the top of the Shinobi this region features mesh panelling which would indicate positions to install case fans and indeed we can. At the top of the case we can install 2 x 140mm or 2 x 120mm case fans.
This top section can actually be removed quite easily by getting your fingers underneath the grove towards the back of the case and lifting up. The top pops off to allow you to fix those screws into place should you choose to install some fans at the top of the Shinobi.
The top can accommodate 2 x 140mm or 2 x 120mm case fans
Interior
Taking the side panel off reveals a well thought out interior. Tool-less mechanisms are positioned throughout to make installing devices easy. There is a large CPU backplate cut-out for easy removal of CPU coolers from the other side and we have lots of cut-outs on the motherboard tray to feed cables through and properly organise the inside – making it clean and tidy.
Lots of space and great features
So lets start looking at these features a little bit closer. First of all at the bottom of the Shinobi there is space to fit the PSU with rubber mounts to reduce vibration and scratching. Next to this we have space to fit a bottom mounted 120mm fan. The underside of both of these sections has a filter sheet that can be removed and cleaned.
PSU mounting and space for bottom 120mm fan
As already shown the Shinobi has 7 expansion covers. These slots feature thumbscrews for tool-less removal. Next to this section is honeycomb perforation for ventilation and 2 rubber grommets for tubing/cables.
7 expansion covers
Moving on up, we have a rear 120mm exhaust fan which has black cable insulation and features a 3-pin connector for power. At the top we can see spacing there for installing 2 x 140 or 2 x 120mm fans.
120mm rear exhaust fan and space for optional fans
Interior (Continued)
Continuing the tour of the inside the optical bay region has 3 x 5.25″ slots and feature a tool-less mechanism that requires you to pull the arm out, move the drive into place and slip the arm into place. This is actually quite a firm method of securing the drive, it works well.
Inside the top 5.25″ drive bay is a 5.25″ to 3.5″ fixture that allows you to mount a 3.5″ device such as a HDD at the top of the case.
Tool-less mechanisms for securing optical drives
Moving down the case the Shinobi also has double sided tool-less HDD mounting. To install a drive just turn the knob on either side, remove each clip and slide the drive into place and drop the clips back into the screw holes on the device and turn the knob. This provides a secure platform to keep 3.5″ drives in place, there is just one thing missing though – rubber mounting for anti-vibration.
3.5″ HDD mounting
Within the HDD rack is a pre-installed 120mm fan that acts as an intake to draw airflow over the devices here, past the motherboard and ultimately through the exhaust fan on the opposite side of the Shinobi. A little later we will be observing if these fans within this case are effective for positive thermal performance against a list of other cases we have reviewed.
Front mounted 120mm fan for intake
Installation
With the install complete I can confirm that the Shinobi is a pleasure to work with, the interior boasts some fantastic cable management cut-outs and places to conceal cables. Something that I always like to see with case design is the inclusion of cable routing for P4/eATX. There is nothing worse than having to route the cables across the motherboard – it makes more sense for case manufacturers to allow you to route this cable behind the motherboard tray. With the Shinobi, BitFenix have included 2 gaps at the top of the motherboard tray for this and it works very well.
As you can see from the picture, the inside is very tidy and achieving this isn’t very difficult thanks to the space and features inside Shinobi.
Install complete – great case to work with
Bundled with Shinobi is an accessories kit that provides you with a user manual for installation guidance along with an assortment of parts – cable ties, rubber feet, screws, and motherboard mounts.
The accessories kit that is included
In terms of clearance, installed inside Shinobi is the ZOTAC NVIIDA GTX 480 AMP! edition. This card fits inside the case no problem and even has 3″ of clearance. So available here is up to 13″ of space for installing a graphics card before it touches the HDD cage.
Plenty of clearance for high-end graphics cards
Over on the CPU cooler side of things, it is extremely tight. Installed inside the Shinobi we have the Noctua NH-U12P. This CPU cooler is 158mm in height. The side panel does fit without touching the top of the heatpipes but if the heatink was 1mm taller then getting that side panel on would prove a difficult task.
CPU Cooler clearance – max of 158mm in height
Switching Shinobi round we can see the cables that run behind the motherboard tray. Fitting the 24-pin ATX cable behind the motherboard tray is no problem at all, even though its thickness is challenging for the best of cases. As already mentioned the P4/eATX runs up to the top of the motherboard tray. It’s great to see that BitFenix have included this, however minor a feature – many overlook it and I have reviewed countless cases that fail to include cut-outs for this cable.
CPU cooler backplate coverage is good, even though the backplate on this AM3 motherboard I have used in the installation is quite long.
Front mounted 120mm fan for intake
Around the back of the motherboard tray is over 1.5cm of clearance for concealing cables. Certain areas on the back of the motherboard tray are concaved so that you can fit even more cabling behind should you need to.
Clearance behind the motherboard tray
Thermal Performance
The BitFenix Shinobi has 2 pre-installed 120mm fans. A front intake and rear exhaust. This fan placement is traditional in case design and can be relied upon. It should be interesting to see how Shinobi’s cooling performance fares against other cases that we have tested at Vortez
To discover the thermal performance of Shinobi I will record idle temperatures after 20 minutes from a cold boot. I will then stress the system and temperatures will again be monitored after 30 minutes have elapsed. Both fans are connected to 3-pin fan headers on the motherboard.
System Components
CPU AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8GHz
Motherboard ASUS M4A89TD PRO
Graphics ZOTAC NVIDIA GTX 480 Amp!
Memory 4GB Mushkin EM3-10666 DDR3
HDD Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU Enermax Revolution 85+ 850W
It has to be said, Shinobi’s thermal performance is pleasing. It settles amongst a wide range of popular cases, not forgetting that with a further 5 mounting positions for additional fans we can easily enhance the thermal performance within Shinobi but looking at stock performance its a very capable case.
Conclusion
BitFenix have opted for a cleaner, sleeker more elegant design in the Shinobi. It’s style differs from the Survivor and greatly from the Colossus with its brash visuals and flamboyance.
I found Shinobi to have great cable management. You only have to look at the previous pages to see that the entire job of getting components into the case from start to finish is an absolute breeze thanks to cable management cut-outs that are strategically placed within the case. Tool-less mechanisms feature throughout to allow ease of swapping out devices.
The Surivor and Colossus cases from BitFenix have stood out for lacking rear exhaust fans and breaking out of tradition, but with Shinobi we now have a pre-installed 120mm rear exhaust which is pleasing to see. At stock we get 2 pre-installed case fans but there is the option throughout the case to attach a further 5 case fans for increased thermal efficiency.
The only slight niggle I have with Shinobi is the absence of USB3.0 which we see coming to cases now as standard. That said, you still get a plentiful selection of USB2.0 on the front panel – 4 ports in total.
Shinobi Window is priced at £50 GBP / 59€ EUR / $69 USD (inc VAT) which makes it a fantastic buy for a mid-tower case. At this price it is in direct competition with Cooler Master’s HAF 912 PLUS, the difference with the 912 PLUS being that it incorporates entirely different styling alogether.
The bottom line is, Shinobi is a very roomy, feature laiden mid-tower that is great for cable management and comes at a very attractive price-point. It comes recommended by Vortez.
BitFenix Shinobi will be available to buy in April 2011
Pros
+ Elegant styling
+ Spacious, good cable management
+ Lots of fan mounting options
+ Great value for money
Cons
– No USB3.0
+ Elegant styling
+ Spacious, good cable management
+ Lots of fan mounting options
+ Great value for money
Cons
– No USB3.0
