BitFenix Shinobi XL Window White Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Pros: The case itself is a great example of simplicity and why cases don't necessarily need to look like a race car or spaceship to get the job done. Plenty of space to install anything and everything you need inside with plenty of additional room to spare.

Cons: The airflow design still needs some work. Why install a 230mm case fan in the front and then restrict the airflow by blocking it with a large section of plastic on the front bezel? For proper airflow the area in front of this intake should be a lot more open than it currently is. Perhaps BitFenix will get it right in the next model?

Other Thoughts: With the intake airflow being a bit restricted on the front of the case, this case goes well with watercooling setups. Ordered and installed a Corsair H80i to go along with this case. The install was easy inside the roomy case and it reduced the noise from the fans spinning up more than necessary. :)

Pros: The plastic feels so unique... its like... soft... i built my first pc with this and i love it. looks great and easy to install everything. good cable management too. Comes with wire ties and graspers. VERY quiet and good airflow. Couldn't be happier. I put some aftermarket blue led strips in there too and it lights up awesomely B)

Cons: The screwless hard drive and disc drive bays are kind of... weird... i couldn't get em right... but its not really a con because you can use traditional screws with no problem at all. you can do either or.

Pros: Awesome case, plenty of space to work with, real clean and simple. Suits my every need will have this case for a LONG while!

Cons: Would have gave 5 eggs but i was missing all the hardware, floppy drive cage.... how am i supposed to mount my hardware??? I contacted bitfenix about it and waiting to see what there gonna do about it, its not neweggs fault because the box was sealed!

Pros: Good quality, very spacious, well-known layout, soft-touch plastic panels are surprisingly "soft", the top panel is actually decent, supports water cooling, and plenty of room for air cooling. It comes with a half-decent 2.5"/3.5" to 5" adapter, and the cable management is workable.

The biggest "Pro" for me is that this case is one of the few "enthusiast" level cases that's not shaped like an ostentatious piece of spaceship that houses a hyper-drive. I was purposefully looking for something understated, and it was difficult. It fits the bill well; simple, soft white color, with subtle styling. If it wasn't for the front emblem you might mistake it for HAL 9000's sister - which I love.

Cons: The two cons I can think of immediately is that the bottom panel can support either a 1x 120mm fan or 2x 120mm fans. However, if you leave the HDD cages in then you can only fit one fan as the cage sits directly where the second fan would go. The second is that the included manual sucks hard. It's all vague pictures with fewer words than a Dr. Seuss story.

Oh, and one minor Con: The plastic panels are surprisingly difficult to pull off. They do just lift off, but I needed some good leverage and felt like I was going to break them at first. Once I successfully yanked one off and knew how much force was required it wasn't that bad, but I was sure there were catches or a latch I needed to unlock first. Nope!

Other Thoughts: Luckily the case layout and accessories are familiar enough that the bad manual isn't much of a detriment. The sole exception is the tool-free system for holding things in the 5" bays. Here's how you do it: You slide it in, push the buttons on either side "in", then while pushing the buttons in you slide them in opposite directions. It can be done one at a time, but you push in and slide one forward, then push in and slide one backward.

As the other review said, there is a single screw missing for mATX boards (not a standoff, but a screw to hold it down). I didn't feel it compromised anything.

The cable management system can be tight. My PSU's meshed cables fit through, but I dragged some of the rubber grommets out with them at first. With that said, a little bit of forethought and it should be OK. There's also plenty of cable-tie areas on the back of the plate so you can get everything as flat as possible.

Overall I'm quite happy with the case.

Pros: Where to start? The simplicity of the design allows for not much to go wrong. Simple can be a negative thing to some people, but it's truly the strength of the design and aesthetic. No gimmicks, no chintzy plastic, no over-thought design elements. Every material is of very high quality, and the SofTouch treatment on the plastic parts feels akin to supple leather. The fan mounting options for extreme air cooling are huge. Three 120s on the front, three 120s on the roof, and 120 in the rear. You get access to an additional two 120s on the bottom if you remove the HDD tray (screws, not rivets, yay!). That means 360mm rad up top, 360mm rad in the front, and a 120mm rad in the rear for you watercooling folks. The side panel window is of very high quality. I've had a number of these, and all were scratched up within a month of use (and I am very careful with my rigs). It's been 3 months now and it looks brand new.

Cons: The front panel is restrictive, which makes me wonder why they would include a fan that has horrible pressure ratings (meaning it doesn't work well when restricted) as a stock option. The upside to this is that you get reduced noise coming from the case. First order of business for this case if you want to increase airflow is getting a good set of high static pressure fans for the front. The lack of modular drive bays is somewhat upsetting to those who may want to use a radiator in the front and top while retaining some mechanical HDD mounting options. As a person who only uses SSDs in workstations, this wasn't a dealbreaker for me.

Other Thoughts: Modular drive bays would make this *the* full tower case to have. That tech adds cost though, and for the price, it can't be beat. The watercooling ability allowed me to put a 360mm rad up top and a 240 mm (80mm thick) rad in the front to cool my 3820 and GTX690. I go through cases faster than anyone I know, and this has kept me happier than any case before it, outshining some $200-400 high end cases.