During the last few years, Bitfenix offered a great number of mini-ITX cases, managing to merge great performances into little systems: the new Bitfenix Phenom Mini-ITX is just the last one of a long series of great products.
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Today, we have a pleasure to show you yet another little PC case, the mini-ITX Phenom from Bitfenix. It is clearly inspired by its older brother, the Bitfenix Prodigy, but also corrects a few little flaws seen on earlier models.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Preview
Specifications
| Model | Bitfenix Phenom |
| Case Type | Mini-ITX |
| Dimensions | 250 x 330 x 374 mm |
| Material | Steel, plastic and SofTouch |
| Color | Black |
| 5.25'' drive bay | 0 |
| 3.5'' drive bay | 6 |
| Expansion slots | 2 |
| Form factors | Mini-ITX |
| Cooling | 2x 120mm |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Bundle
Overview |
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| The Bifenix Phenom bundle is pretty straight-forward. The actual box is made out of cardboard with all the basic informations printed on it. Inside, we found the Phenom wrapped up in a plastic bag, and safely placed inside two big pieces of styrofoam, so that even the roughest shipping can't break it. Along with the case itself, the bundle also includes an instruction manual, which is always helpful, and a few other things: a little plastic bag with enough screws needed to assemble your system, an USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 converter, so that you can use the front USB ports even if your motherboard does not have USB 3.0 connectors. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Product overview
Overview |
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The Bitfenix Phenom features a well-known design, especially if you already own or have seen a Bitfenix Prodigy case. The internal design of the case is basically the same with a few little upgrades. The motherboard tray is horizontally placed over the PSU area, there are two HDD cages that can fit up to five 3.5" drives. Above the HDD cages, where you might think to find the 5.25" slot, there is an extra HDD slot, so the total drive count is up to six, which is not bad for a mini-ITX PC case. Talking about the external design and features, we have a front panel made of out matte black SofTouch material, with the Bitfenix logo carved in it. The top side is also made out of matte black SofTouch, and it features a big opening with a removable dust filter. The left side panel is absolutely plain, all painted in black without any kind of opening, which is really odd since it covers the GPU, the hottest component of the system. The right side panel is quite useful as it features the I/O panel with two USB 3.0 ports, audio jacks, as well as Power and Reset buttons. Inside the panel, there is a really neat vertical grid that can fit two more 2.5" drives. Both side panels are secured to the PC case with two thumb-screws, something you are never tired of seeing. On the bottom panel we find four hard plastic feet with a shiny metal finish, which also lift the case up so that the PSU can get all the fresh air it needs, but not without making it pass through a dust filter first. In the back of the case, finally, we find the opening for a standard ATX PSU, the cut for the I/O motherboard panel, two expansion slots and a fan slot. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Installation
Overview |
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| To assemble a system inside a case this small might look like a job for a professional, but when it comes to the Bitfenix Phenom you could not be more wrong as the inside space is well managed. Securing the motherboard to the tray is the easiest job, thanks to the soldered standoffs you find on the tray. The PSU fitting area is quite big, and allows you to hide all the useless cable you might have, even though it would be better to use a modular PSU so that the cables would not take any extra space. Drive bays are very easy to use, thanks to the tool-less rails which are already in the HDD cages, and as long as you use a dual-slot GPU, you will not have any problem on that side either, unless it is longer than 330mm. As far as the CPU cooling is concerned, the Phenom can fit tower coolers as high as 175mm, so you should be able to overclock your CPU with an aftermarket cooler, without any particular fuss. If you encounter any problem, you should try and look inside the instruction manual, which is quite complete, and shows you how to capitalize on every little feature of the Phenom. With a little patience and some cable management skills, the Bitfenix Phenom can fit high-end rigs and hold them at manageable temperatures. The only flaw we found during our assembly process concernes the 5.25" slot as even though it is clearly there, you can't really use it for what it was originaly meant to beused , since the front panel has no openings whatsoever. We think it would have been better to create a hinge system, so that the frontal panel could rotate and allow for a usable DVD/Bluray burner. | |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Ventilation options
Overview |
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| The Bitfenix Phenom offers an incredible amount of cooling solutions. Inside, it is very similar to the Prodigy and pretty wide, so the possibilities are really amazing. In the original version, the possibilities were many as you could can install two 120mm fans in the front (one 120 mm is already included), or a single 140/180/200/230mm fan. In the upper part, however, you can be install two 120mm fans, while at the rear, there is enough space for a 120mm fan, which is already included, or a 140mm one. Of course, with a bit of effort you can also install radiators for water cooling in these locations. To create the space for a five 120mm fans within a mini-ITX is quite impressive, especially if you think that even some ATX cases do not have support for that many fans. As already mentioned, you can install the CPU heatsinks up to 175mm high, or all-in-one on the front, top or the rear part. | |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Conclusion
| General | + | - | |
| As usual, Bitfenix rolled out a very good product. The Phenom is a small PC case that can fit high-end systems without any problems. We recommend this particular product if you are looking to make a smaller system, but you do not want to settle on lower performance. |
- Lots of
interior space
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| Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics | + | - | |
| The manufacturing quality on this case is really good, the SofTouch finish that covers the front and top panels is just awesome, while the internal metal plates are well finished, without any sharp edges. Thumb-screws and toolless systems make the assembly process really simple and fun. | - SofTouch finish - Tool-less systems |
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| Design | + | - | |
| Design-wise, it is always hard to be objective, but I do not think there would be a single situation where this particular case would not fit. Whether you are a teenager which is into hardcore gaming, or an high-tech lover that wants an HTPC for your living room, the Bitfenix Phenom will fit like a glove. There is one tiny aspect we did not really understand is the fact that it features a 5.25" slot (with a 3.5"/2.5" adapter), but the front panel has no opening of any kind, so this slot can't be used for what it was originally designed. | Simple look |
-No usable 5.25" slot |
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| Recommendation | + | - | |
| Despite the large number of features and modern technical solutions you get with the Bitfenix Phenom, the Mini-ITX version is sold for 65 to 70 €, which is more than reasonable for this kind of quality. Of course, this is not the right case if you have a multi-GPU rig with a huge cooling system, but it is more than able to deal with all the dual-slot GPUs on the market, and mid-size liquid cooling systems. | - HTPC |
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| Rating | |||
| The Bitfenix Phenom gets good 4.5 out of 5 stars. | |||
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |