BitFenix Shinobi: The Budget Ninja
by Dustin Sklavos on June 22, 2011 12:45 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- mid-tower
- bitfenix
- shinobi
Noise and Thermal Testing, Stock
The stock settings for our platform are fairly representative of a mid-to-high-end configuration, the upper perimeter of the kind of build we'd expect users to install in a case like the BitFenix Shinobi. Going into this testing I wasn't sure what to expect; there are certainly concerns about the hard drive and video card blocking air from getting to the processor heatsink. Note that both the NZXT H2 and Antec Sonata IV have selectable fan speeds with their built-in fan controllers, while the In-Win BUC and BitFenix Shinobi both use the motherboard fan controls. The H2 and Sonata IV results included here are from their "medium" fan settings which produced a good balance between thermal performance and noise.
Unfortunately the thermals are less than ideal. Once again In-Win's BUC pulls a victory, a testament to its slick design (and probably the extra fan it includes). The Shinobi features some of the highest idle temperatures, but load temperatures are at least on par with if not better than the Antec Sonata IV and the air-starved NZXT H2.
On the flip side, the Shinobi winds up being the quietest of the cases we've tested at idle, so while the temperatures are a bit higher, they're nowhere near dangerous and the Shinobi is able to keep things running silently. Under load it's still in good shape, hanging out in the same neighborhood as the well-ventilated BUC and the soundproofed H2.
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7Enigma - Thursday, June 23, 2011 - link
I have to agree with the other comments. Testing a worst-case scenario is extremely useful, but for a very small percentage of the target market at this budget level. There has to also be a test done at a more reasonable build configuration. I think reasonable build in this day and age is 1 SSD drive (boot), 1 large mechanical HDD (storage), and one optical drive. I'd wager >80% of the potential buyers of this case have that (or less with only a single large mechanical HDD) to install. Seriously man there are 8 drive bays! Very few if anyone is going to use 6, let alone all 8.I get it, it's extra work to retest with a slightly different configuration, but I believe to only test in worst case it unfairly showed this product that otherwise seems to be a great value for the money. So here is my recommendation:
-Standard testing (as mentioned above: 1 GPU, 1SSD, 1 HDD, 1 optical drive)
-Torture testing (2 GPU's in SLI/Xfire, 1 SSD, X HDD, 2 optical drives), where X is the number to fill the drive bays for the particular case.
For the torture test you HAVE TO ACTUALLY FILL THE BAYS! Just placing a few components in the worst airflow locations isn't accurately showing how the case behaves in a full build, it artificially kind of mimics what *might* happen, but isn't a real representation.
Please consider my comments and I want to clarify that I thought your review was fantastic. I just want to see the testing a bit more complete.
Cheers.
bhima - Thursday, June 23, 2011 - link
Pretty darn nice noise levels. I wonder how this stacks up to an Antec 900. I still think you need to review the Antec 900 since its possibly the most popular case designed and it has been copied by most of the other vendors.MeanBruce - Thursday, June 23, 2011 - link
If I was 15 years old, this would be my case of choice, how stupid, at least Bitfenix is finding their market.inspire2 - Friday, June 24, 2011 - link
The case looks good. The $70 price point is pretty competitive these days. It might be interesting to do a case roundup.I'd probably still lean towards the CM HAF 912 in this price range. This is at least a nice looking alternative.
cakeab - Sunday, June 26, 2011 - link
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benn - Wednesday, February 20, 2013 - link
I have been looking at this case and does anyone know if it will fit the h100i without moding the case using the fans as an intake?