First Look: BitFenix Colossus and Survivor Cases

First Look: BitFenix Survivor

Where the Colossus was ground setting in its difference, the Survivor is more evocative of other high-quality cases. Its design is smaller, neater and more elegant thanks to its large curved corners, which bring something of the SilverStone TJ-07 to it, but without the heavy price of using a single sheet of aluminium.

The matt, velvety plastic used is addictive to touch and stroke, but also hard-wearing: scratches and finger prints simply rub right off. BitFenix wants to slightly rubberise the sides and corners, but we warned them against it as it would detract from the core style and possibly make the Survivor look a bit fetishist or an extra from Batman Forever. That's never good.


The Survivor is quite compact too - more square in shape than usual ATX tower cases due to the chunky plastic curves. However, the case still supports an ATX-sized motherboard with a large PSU below it. With space for three optical drives and six hard disks, the Survivor will comfortably house a powerful PC, although BitFenix was keen to state that the internal design of the sample we looked at was at an even earlier stage in the design process than the Colossus sample we saw.

The grille in the front panel hides vents for the front fan, and there's also an exhaust fan in the rear and in the roof of the case, much like the Colossus. Above all the drive bays in the front panel there's the BitFenix logo, but it's not been wired up with lights yet (actually, we're not totally sure at this point whether it ever will be). We were told that the slight but obvious gap between the two front sections will be gone in the final version of the case.


To maintain the gamer-friendly angle of things, BitFenix also includes a handle in the roof that neatly drops back into the case so as not to destroy the sleek lines. In front of this there's a door that slides back to reveal the front panel ports inside.

The Survivor is a case that will cause the biggest stir in the mainstream case market, because it'll go up against the immensely popular Cooler Master HAF 922, Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced, and the Antec Nine Hundred Two. Those are some of our favourite case of the last year or so, so BitFenix is pitching the Survivor at some strong competition.

Both the Colossus and Survivor cases are due to go on sale toward the end of June 2010, and we'll bring you reviews of the two cases as soon as possible. In the meantime, let us know what you think of the two cases in the forums.