BitFenix Neos Review

BitFenix Neos Review

Manufacturer: BitFenix
UK price (as reviewed): £29.99 (inc VAT) (£33.95 with side window)
US price (as reviewed): Approx $60

While we all like to read about £150 cases, the fact remains that the sub £60 price bracket is by far the most important for many case manufacturers. If you head to any LAN party, you'll see that the bulk of cases usually comprise your average £45 case that has received rave reviews.

BitFenix has traditionally not been a player in the super expensive case market anyway, and one of the main reasons why cases such as the Prodigy are so popular is that they're affordable. We reported on the new ATX Neos case a few weeks ago, paying particular attention to its customisable colour schemes. It's great to see these level of options at such a low price point - just £30 - although there's obviously more than colour choice to consider when choosing a case.


Sticking with the aesthetics for a moment, though, and the Neos is available in at least six front panel colours including red, blue, black and gold, while the main chassis comes in white or black with options for a side window too, costing £4 more at £34. As soon as you unbox it, though, it's pretty obvious that you're dealing with a cheap case, although we should make it clear that the Neos is head and shoulders above the usual sub £30 generic tat.


The steel construction weighs in at a total of 6kg, and the side panels are a little flimsy too. However, the rest of the case is relatively sturdy. Our windowsless version is fairly bland, so the colours are welcome to spice things up a bit. The front panel is located on top at the front, and sports the usual ports and buttons while only one USB 3 port is present, the other being USB 2.


Frills are fairly sparse and this is no surprise given the price, although the underside does sport a removable fan filter for the PSU. The front panel also plays host to dust filters for the front fan mounts, although there's no easy removal here - you need to remove the whole panel to get at them, which isn't easy. More on that over the page.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 185 x 470 x 429 (W x D x H)
  
• Material Steel, plastic
  
• Available colours Black/white (shell). Red, blue, black, silver, purple, gold, white (front panel).
  
• Weight 6kg
  
• Front panel Power, reset, 1 x USB 3, 1 x USB 2, stereo, microphone
  
• Drive bays 2 x external 5.25in, 3 x internal 3.5in, 3 x internal 2.5in
  
• Form factor(s) ATX, micro-ATX, mini-ITX
  
• Cooling 1 x 120mm rear fan mount (1 fan included), 2 x 120mm front fan mounts (fans not included)
  
• CPU cooler clearance 158mm
  
• Maximum graphics card length 300mm
  
• Extras Removable dust filters, screw box, removable PSU shroud, tool-free 5.25in drives