BitFenix Colossus Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX Chassis Review

Final Thoughts

Price

At the time of writing the Colossus Mini-ITX and the Colossus Micro-ATX we’re both available for under £70. This puts them along side similar models from BitFenix and they’re both priced on par with rival offerings of a similar spec. I have seen a few deals available on each of these cases cropping up and if you shop around, you may even pick one up for around £50!

Overview

I started this review with mixed feelings, I love the original BitFenix Prodigy mini-ITX chassis, and while I think it’s great that BitFenix are brining out new designs, I’m also a little bored of them. There’s little new with the chassis’ I reviewed today and while they do look great from an exterior point of view, there’s much that could have been improved.

First of all, I love the mini-ITX model. It is a joy to work with, has removable storage bays that are easy to work with, room for a long graphics card, water cooling and more. This is the same formula that worked well for the original prodigy and that holds true. The only downside I can see is that the new LED light strip on the side panels has meant the removal of two 2.5″ hard drive mounts, which used to be on the side panel. Cable routing has been improved thanks to some revised cable routing cut-outs around the PSU area, which is certainly a welcome addition.

The Micro-ATX edition on the other hand, feels too much like trying to make this chassis something it’s not. The exterior panels are borrowed from the mini-ITX and the chassis keeps the same form factor, but it really does feel like it needs to be a little bit bigger in my opinion. I had conflicts between the PSU and the graphics card. I had conflicts with the PSU power extension cable and the power connector on the back of my PSU. Cable routing isn’t ideal, the default fan configuration is counter intuitive and storage space is limited. If you absolutely need a chassis the same size as the mini-ITX and absolutely need room for a micro-ATX board, then sure, get this model. However, there are far better solutions on the market that do a much better job with the Micro-ATX form factor.

So there we have it, a big thumbs up for the mini-ITX model, it’s a great little case and it’s very easy to work with. The Micro-ATX model is great, but it feels massively impractical to work with compared to its mini-ITX counterpart.

Pros

• Great build quality throughout
• Nice aesthetics
• New LED light strip looks great
• Room for long graphics cards
• AIO water cooler support
• Improved cable routing near PSU

Cons

• New LED lighting means the side panel SSD mounts are gone
• Micro-ATX model can be tricky to work with
• Panels re-used from older models, nothing innovative

Thank you OverclockersUK for providing us with these samples.