Although its initial case, the Colossus, launched a month ago, we know you guys have been waiting for more news on BitFenix's curvier and less blingtastic, Survivor.
The company classes Survivor as a "ruggedised" midi-tower with a stronger angle towards gamers than the Colossus, which was more about swanky looks and wavy-lightly lines. The 'SofTouch' coating was actually the reason for the recent launch delay - the BitFenix team informed bit-tech at the start of September that it was unsatisfied with the quality of finish and were going back to the factory to re-jig it.
The case will come in two flavours - the (full fat) Survivor at 99 Euros and the Survivor Core at 79 Euros (both inc. 19% VAT).
In the top there's a handy hideaway carry handle, concealed IO ports with USB 3 and a lot fewer LEDs than the Colossus (although there's still one in the backlit logo, but it can be turned off).
The cooling capacity still seems a bit limited though, with two 200mm red LED fans plus fan filters included in the package, and space for another 120mm fan at the back to fill at your own cost. Despite our concerns to BitFenix about the missing rear 120mm affecting performance in the Colossus review, it's still missing.
Despite its moderate size, there's support for two full-length 12in graphics cards and ATX motherboards, although naturally, don't expect the specialist XL-ATX or E-ATX treatment here. Similarly water-cooling support is limited to external kits as well.
LAN gadgets include BitFenix's "S2" peripheral security system, where you basically loop in your mouse and keyboard wires through a special, lockable plate to prevent them from sprouting legs and going walkies, and "Lockdown" straps that secure long graphics cards to the case for transport. Even if you don't buy a Survivor case, BitFenix says these two will soon be sold separately as well.
The hard drive cages are modular and support nine 2.5in or seven 3.5in hard drives respectively. While the motherboard tray isn't removable, it has a big hole to help mount rear brackets to large CPU coolers, as well as cable-routeing holes along the sides. We've no idea how much space is behind the motherboard tray, however.
The Survivor Core gets a slightly cut-down feature list - with only a single 200mm non-LED fan, no USB 3 and no Lockdown or S2 included in the package, although the 'core' case itself remains the same.
At 99 euros/$109, it goes up against the Cooler Master HAF 922 and Scout cases, the Lancool PC-K62, and it's somewhere between Antec 902 and 600. Whereas the Core model fires directly at the Fractal Design Define R2/3, Xigmatek Utgard, Cooler Master 690 II Advanced and its latest HAF 912. With all these fine case choices, it will be interesting to see how the Survivor stacks up in this hotly contested market once our sample arrives shortly.
There's a YouTube video if you like m-m-m-metal guitar and swirling cases, or you can let us know if you're interested in the Survivor or its competition in the forums.
The company classes Survivor as a "ruggedised" midi-tower with a stronger angle towards gamers than the Colossus, which was more about swanky looks and wavy-lightly lines. The 'SofTouch' coating was actually the reason for the recent launch delay - the BitFenix team informed bit-tech at the start of September that it was unsatisfied with the quality of finish and were going back to the factory to re-jig it.
The case will come in two flavours - the (full fat) Survivor at 99 Euros and the Survivor Core at 79 Euros (both inc. 19% VAT).
In the top there's a handy hideaway carry handle, concealed IO ports with USB 3 and a lot fewer LEDs than the Colossus (although there's still one in the backlit logo, but it can be turned off).
The cooling capacity still seems a bit limited though, with two 200mm red LED fans plus fan filters included in the package, and space for another 120mm fan at the back to fill at your own cost. Despite our concerns to BitFenix about the missing rear 120mm affecting performance in the Colossus review, it's still missing.
Despite its moderate size, there's support for two full-length 12in graphics cards and ATX motherboards, although naturally, don't expect the specialist XL-ATX or E-ATX treatment here. Similarly water-cooling support is limited to external kits as well.
LAN gadgets include BitFenix's "S2" peripheral security system, where you basically loop in your mouse and keyboard wires through a special, lockable plate to prevent them from sprouting legs and going walkies, and "Lockdown" straps that secure long graphics cards to the case for transport. Even if you don't buy a Survivor case, BitFenix says these two will soon be sold separately as well.
The hard drive cages are modular and support nine 2.5in or seven 3.5in hard drives respectively. While the motherboard tray isn't removable, it has a big hole to help mount rear brackets to large CPU coolers, as well as cable-routeing holes along the sides. We've no idea how much space is behind the motherboard tray, however.
The Survivor Core gets a slightly cut-down feature list - with only a single 200mm non-LED fan, no USB 3 and no Lockdown or S2 included in the package, although the 'core' case itself remains the same.
At 99 euros/$109, it goes up against the Cooler Master HAF 922 and Scout cases, the Lancool PC-K62, and it's somewhere between Antec 902 and 600. Whereas the Core model fires directly at the Fractal Design Define R2/3, Xigmatek Utgard, Cooler Master 690 II Advanced and its latest HAF 912. With all these fine case choices, it will be interesting to see how the Survivor stacks up in this hotly contested market once our sample arrives shortly.
There's a YouTube video if you like m-m-m-metal guitar and swirling cases, or you can let us know if you're interested in the Survivor or its competition in the forums.
RELATED ARTICLES
MSI MPG Velox 100R Chassis Review
October 14 2021 | 15:04
Want to comment? Please log in.