BitFenix Phenom Micro-ATX Chassis Review

Final Thoughts

Price

Fir around £75.00 @ Overclockers, the Phenom mATX isn’t cheap, but for its level of build quality and compatibility it is priced in line with the competition. It’s not overly expensive for what it is, but it’s specialist nature and design justify the cost nicely. It is also only £5 more than the BitFenix Prodigy, so in that respect it’s a good deal too.

Conclusion

I think I have to get one thing out of the way before I proceed with the conclusion, I don’t like this case. That isn’t to say it is not a good case, because for certain build types I’m sure it will do a great job. however, it just doesn’t appeal to me personally.

If you’re looking to build a HTPC with loads of storage in it, maybe as part of a home entertainment system then you’ll find a lot of love here, the sleek design on the exterior of the chassis matches up well with many subwoofer designs and shouldn’t look too out of place next to your big screen tv.

This would make a decent gaming rig too, so long as you put a little thought into the right components. Shorter GPU’s for example may allow better airflow to the rest of your components from the top of the chassis. You should also invest in some high quality fans and remember that if you want two GPU’s you will need to stick with a 120mm radiator at the back of the chassis.

For the build I tried, it felt wrong and I didn’t enjoy the build at all, but I can see the potential for this chassis, especially for those that want to cram a whole lot of components into a small space, something that can be a vital requirement for many HTPC or Steambox type builds. I don’t recommend this chassis for a first time system builder, but it could do great things in the hands of an experienced user.

Pros

• Sleek exterior design
• Native USB 3.0 support
• SLI / Crossfire ready
• Radiator support (variable dependant on other components)
• Plenty of storage mounts

Cons

• Tricky build process
• No room for optical drive
• Little ventilation on the front panel
• Heat exhausts downwards from PSU

“BitFenix have been seriously ambitous with this design and while they have done a lot with the Phenom to cram in so many features, it does feel like it has come at a cost. Certain configurations leave other features unusable. If space is limited, this is a great and very stylish looking solution with a competitive price. If space is not limited, then you may want to look at something a little bigger for your mATX build.”

Thank you BitFenix for providing us with this sample.