BitFenix Shinobi XL Case Review: Something is Lost in the Process
by Dustin Sklavos on June 26, 2012 2:40 AM EST- Posted in
- bitfenix
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Assembling the BitFenix Shinobi XL
While it's easy to complain about BitFenix utilizing a very common design language for the interior of the Shinobi XL, it must be said that this design language also makes assembly a relatively painless process. BitFenix ships the Shinobi XL with the motherboard standoffs already installed in the tray, and the toolless design is largely flawless.
Where I did run into problems is that the motherboard tray itself is missing a hole for a standoff for the Micro-ATX motherboard we use for our testbed. It's not catastrophic, but it does result in a little bit of flex when connecting the case headers to the motherboard. Worth mentioning is that the Shinobi XL doesn't need separate USB 3.0-to-2.0 header adaptors; each USB 3.0 header cable comes with a built-in USB 2.0 header. Since boards with two onboard USB 3.0 headers are pretty rarefied, this is appreciated, though on the flipside it may be difficult at first to figure out which of your USB 3.0 ports are running at 3.0 and which are stuck at 2.0. Note also that the yellow USB port on the top of the case has no data header; instead it just has a SATA power lead (and I appreciate their use of SATA instead of molex).
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Installing any kind of drive in the Shinobi XL is a largely painless process, too. The drive trays feature pins on the sides that bend and snap into 3.5" drives while also featuring holes in the bottom for mounting 2.5" drives. The toolless clamps for the 5.25" bays are a little more confusing and require consulting the manual, but you can eschew them entirely and just use screws to secure the drives as well. Expansion cards are just as easy, using the familiar thumbscrews.
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Getting the power supply in was easy as well, although one of the screw holes on the PSU didn't quite line up. BitFenix actually has four rubber standoffs the power supply sits on as well as indentations in the motherboard tray that help line up the PSU, making it easy to fit in any standard sized unit.
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That's why it's unfortunate that when it comes time to cable the Shinobi XL, everything goes to pot. It's not absolutely awful, but the routing holes in the motherboard tray are frankly just too small and the spacing feels off. There's plenty of space behind the tray, but getting cables back there is another matter entirely, as each of the holes is a fairly tight fit. It doesn't seem so bad at first glance and you can definitely make it work, but the instant you start putting together a fairly busy system (e.g. multiple drives, multiple video cards), I can see things getting very complicated in a hurry.
The interior of the Shinobi XL just isn't that exciting, but outside of the cabling issues it comes together fairly well. Unfortunately, there are other cases in the Shinobi XL's price range (and cheaper) that are easier to put together. I get the distinct feeling this enclosure just isn't going to shine unless it's supporting a proper custom water-cooling rig.
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Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Of course it's not thorough if we ask you, I'm 95% certain you're BitFenix PR.soloburrito - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Hi Dustin I enjoy reading your reviews.Are there are fan filters integrated into the case? Are they easily accessible? Also is the hard drive cage module/removable? For the same price, it seems the Switch 810 comes with a few more bells and whistles. I personally don't like the cheap, glossy plastic though. I like the clean, subdued design of the XL personally.
Anyway, can Anandtech invest in a 360/240mm rad so at the very least you all can demonstrate the water cooling potential of cases in future reviews?
I know assembling a full loop would be very time-consuming and not really provide any extra insight, but just some pictures of a radiator installed in the supported areas would be a great addition to case reviews.
Dustin Sklavos - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
There's a filter over the front 230mm intake, but you have to remove the fascia to get to it. There's also a filter under the PSU intake that slides out from the back.The Switch 810 isn't a bad case and the boutiques seem to like it (though that may be because NZXT seems to have a very thriving business with boutiques), but honestly unless you're doing any serious watercooling I'd look elsewhere. The Shinobi XL seems pretty ideal under those circumstances, although Azza's cases seem to be good for it, too.
I feel like the problem with investing in a radiator just for the sake of pictures is that it seems like all it really does is just demonstrate "this radiator fits here." Watercooling is pretty niche to begin with, and I feel like with a lot of these you should be able to at least eyeball it and get a good feeling for whether or not a radiator can fit. Of course, the problem there is admittedly that I get to manhandle these cases all I want while you guys have to make do with the photos I post. :|
I'll keep it in mind, but it's an interesting thing that many manufacturers are really attacking what's a fairly small minority of end users. "Our case is fantastic for custom watercooling!" Yeah, but what about the aircooling that the lion's share of end users are going to use?
cjs150 - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
Dustin: I do hope you are accusing Xbounrnex and not me of being BitFenix PR.I have nothing to do with Bitfenix, I own no products by them, although I do have a water cooled Silverstone TJ07 so entirely capable of comparing the Bitfenix to that.
If anything I am a fan of Silverstone (with qualifications mostly related to build quality) as the TJ07 is the king for water cooled ATX cases and the TJ08-e (my next case) equally good for m-atx as long as you stick to one GPU
Dustin Sklavos - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
I'm referring to xbournex and it's not really an "accusation" necessarily...if you check out the review of the Prodigy, xbournex replies there basically as a rep for the company.Galcobar - Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - link
You may be 100 per cent certain Xbournex is Bitfenix-employed. He's a manufacturer representative who self-identifies as such on other sites, such as Hardware Canucks.Which to give him credit makes it pretty clear he's not trying to hide his status, since he uses the same screen name.
Personally, I like the idea that manufacturers are paying enough attention to reviews to not only read them, but provide feedback. It's only fair that they have the opportunity to respond, and it indicates they're interested in what's being said -- which makes it more likely for them to consider the comments when it comes time to do the next design.
danjw - Thursday, June 28, 2012 - link
It isn't common for 5.25" bays, but what you describe is called a backplane and is available in some cases with integrated data connections for 3.5"/2.5" bays. With 5.25" devices have a great deal of difference in their lengths, whereas most 3.5"/2.5" devices are standard size and connector positioning. I don't see how this would work well for 5.25" bays.Olaf van der Spek - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
> the larger scale allows two of the fans to be upgraded to 200mm partsShouldn't that be 230mm?
shin0bi272 - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Shouldnt I get one of these for free or something? meh anyway... i thought windowed cases were out of style now.SilthDraeth - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
Dustin, have you ever ventured into building your own case, and experimenting with design elements?You do a lot of reviews, and I am sure you have a good idea what works, and what doesn't, and I would think you could design a fairly well layed out ATX case with good thermals, and acoustics.
I often think about doing one myself and wonder if any of the case manufacturers would ever consider a contest of letting users submit their own prototypes for consideration with some sort of deal worked out for the winner.