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BitFenix Outlaw PC Chassis Review (Hardware, PC Case)

Posted by Christophor Rick (TheSuperGuido), 2 days ago

There were some things I didn’t like about the The BiFenix Outlaw PC ChassisBitFenix Shinobi. Things that were design decisions which just didn’t sit right with me like the stick on feet. With the BitFenix Outlaw the top of the case is no longer rubberized. In its place is a plain jane metal top with mount points for two 120mm fans. That means that if you mount fans there to pull heat from the graphics card(s) directly below them, you’ll need to make sure that those fan don’t get covered with anything. In addition there are also a fan mount point on the bottom of the Outlaw, adjacent to the power supply mount point. None of them have micro-mesh covers which means good airflow but zero dust collection. It almost seems like this case was designed to sit on top of a desk instead of under it.

Improved from the Shinobi are permanently mounted feet that bring the case about a half inch off the ground. Moved but not really improved is the placement and design of the extra ports on the front. Where there was a single top piece of soft touch rubberized plastic and a separate frontBitFenix Outlaw internals piece, not there is just a single front piece. The ports: 4 USB, headphone and mic along with power button are all attached to this piece. Yet still, the same problem that the Shinobi had, the Outlaw has as well. The front plate that the ports are mounted to needs to be removed when you do things like mount optical drives or fans on the front of the unit.

They’ve all got short wires attached as they must, but even just pulling the panel off for inspection saw one of the wire plugs undone and they are far from fun to put back on. Again, a design failure as far as I’m concerned. I don’t understand why it is so difficult to make a case with those ports on a permanently mounted piece and a separate piece for the front or top panel that can be removed as needed. My NZXT case has the ports mounted right to the steel case which works great.

The BitFenix Outlaw also comes with one 120mm fan mounted on the back panel.

BitFenix Outlaw Tech Specs

Materials     Steel, PlasticBitFenix Outlaw poorly mounted ports
Color (Int/Ext)     Black/Black
Dimensions (H x W x D)     438 x 180 x 478 mm (ATX Mid Tower)
Motherboard Sizes     Mini-ITX, mATX, ATX
5.25" Drive Bays     x 4
3.5" Drive Bays     x 4
2.5" Drive Bays     x 1
Cooling Front     2 x 120mm (optional)
Cooling Rear     1 x 120mm (included)
Cooling Top     2 x 120mm (optional)
Cooling Bottom     1 x 120mm (optional)
Cooling Side Panel     2 x 120/140mm (optional)
PCI Slots     x 7
I/O     4 x USB2.0, Audio
Power Supply     PS2 ATX (bottom, multi direction)

 Our Rating for BitFenix Outlaw PC Chassis Review (Hardware, PC Case)
7.0
Construction
It seems that the side panels are thin as a corner of one was bent outward while inspecting the unit. The front ports are still a pain much like those of the Shinobi. Not terrible but certainly not premium grade.
7.0
Installation
No screwless drive bays and no room for cable management, plus I pulled a plug off the front panel simply by pulling it off to replace the face plate for an optical drive bay.
0.0
End-user
6.0
Style
The case is quite plain and the top fan mounts are sort of unattractive but the rest of it is decent looking in a plain jane sort of way.
7.0
Functionality
This is a no frills $50 case that houses your stuff without all the bells and whistles of higher priced gaming cases and premium rigs.
6.5
Overall
You can find some really cool cases in the $50 range, this is one of the blandest of the bunch. If you are building a rig for someone who does not care what their rig looks like or if you just need a secondary case for your LAN computer or if no one will ever see your case. Even then you could find cooler for about the same price.

Rating: 1.0, votes: 1
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