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Nikodem B.

Nikodem B.

Joined on 03/08/10

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 10
Most Favorable Review

So far so good

SilverStone RAVEN Series RVZ01B Black Reinforced plastic outer shell, steel body Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case SFX Power Supply
SilverStone RAVEN Series RVZ01B Black Reinforced plastic outer shell, steel body Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case SFX Power Supply

Pros: Everything fit, well. I didn't go modular on the power supply yet I didn't feel the cables really got in the way. it stays cool, quiet, and if you can get a right angle HDMI and a left angle power cable you can fit this in a pretty tight spot in an entertainment center. The fans are quiet and good quality. The box came with everything I was hoping for and more - including little rubber legs if you lay it flat and more significant rubber holders for standing it up vertically. Even filters for the fans.

Cons: 1. If you have a 3.5hdd it'll sit on top of the power supply. While there is a thin sheet of metal between them, your HDD will get hot. Hasn't been an issue yet, but I believe it could become one. If you're like me and you just wanted to drop your 4tb 3.5 in here to store all your media, you may want to look into additional hdd cooling solutions. If they'll fit. 2. When laying flat it's sort of hard to make the case fan that blows into the video card not eat it's own cable. Or for the video card's power cables not to fall into that fan. I spent more time routing those cables than anything else. However, once I got that down, it worked great. 3. It's Really hard to screw the power supply cradle back in once you take it out. There is like half an inch between the edge of it and the wall and all the cables for the USB3.0s, power switch and LEDs share a nook with those screws.

Overall Review: The con's aren't serious, they just make me spend more time with the case during initial setup. The only one that worries me is the HDD but so far it hasn't created issues, it just concerns me. I really do recommend this case. It's a bit bigger than the original x-box and has the potential to be your own steambox without cutting any corners.

Most Critical Review

Orange doesn't match

BitFenix BFC-PRO-300-KOFXA-RP Prodigy Custom Front Panels Black Mesh, Orange Frame
BitFenix BFC-PRO-300-KOFXA-RP Prodigy Custom Front Panels Black Mesh, Orange Frame

Pros: Provides better airflow. Fits perfectly. Lets you see LEDs on the inside without seeing much else

Cons: Most people will buy this color to go with the orange BitFenix Prodigy case. But, the orange doesn't match! It's off. People probably won't notice at first, but as the builder you will. The color of the orange on this product is pale in comparison to the vivid orange of the orange prodigy case. The grating bends easily, but you can lock it back into place and flatten it out with some effort.

Overall Review: A necessity if you plan on installing a bigger intake fan up front but not up to the quality of the case it fits on. I was going to RMA mine but they don't even make a black framed one you can buy so I guess I might just paint this one. I'm disappointed though, the orange outline looks better, I just wish it matched.

Disappointed

Zotac H87ITX-A-E Desktop Motherboard - Intel H87 Express Chipset - Socket H3 LGA-1150
Zotac H87ITX-A-E Desktop Motherboard - Intel H87 Express Chipset - Socket H3 LGA-1150

Pros: It looks good (I love the orange!) It has all the bells and whistles you'd expect

Cons: The SATA cables are Black and not orange <-This is minor Constant problems with the USB ports <-This is major My power supply worked fine with my previous motherboard and the same devices, but on this board plugging in an external HDD will turn off my mouse, or the mouse will just randomly turn off in the middle of usage, the portable HDD and keyboard will just lose connectivity in the middle of a file transfer or sentence, my 360 controller will randomly turn off.... And these problems are Constant but not consistent. Every time it takes a few moment for connections to be reestablished. I understand that I have a lot of devices hooked up, but I've never had an issue in the past. This effects USB 3.0 and 2.0 equally. My power supply is 700 watts. My only other complaint is the positioning of the USB 3.0 port. My cooler was shaped to allow high profile memory, but the cable was so close (and they're typically so stuff and upward) that it was cutting into the fins of the heat-sink. I ended up switching to liquid cooling to fix that issue since the footprint on the board is smaller.

Overall Review: On that last note though, I was a bit disappointed with the fan controls. I was unable to set both fan controllers on Auto successfully, for some reason it made the fan set to 'case fan' run at full speed and the CPU fan to a standard variable that made sense. In my case, both fans were intake and exhaust for my radiator (I used a molex converter for the pump). To fix this I set the CPU fan (intake fan) to auto and I set the 'case fan' (radiator exhaust) to manual and the slowest speed available (30%). That has worked, but obviously it won't change dynamically with need.

12/23/2013

Beautiful case, very functional

BitFenix Prodigy BFC-PRO-300-OOXKO-RP Atomic Orange Steel / Plastic Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
BitFenix Prodigy BFC-PRO-300-OOXKO-RP Atomic Orange Steel / Plastic Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case

Pros: Awesome color Great air options (If you buy a 230mm fan and a 140mm back exhaust or intake fan you can take the 2 120mm fans it comes with, attach them to the top, and literally cover every hole on this thing and create a very interesting airflow dynamic) While it can be tricky to handle at times, everything is made to fit in this case. And though it's big compared to other Mini ITX options, it's probably the only Mini ITX that you can realistically put something like an i7 into and plan to game with. Fully customizable - basically nothing is soldered to the case, you can remove anything and customize as needed.

Cons: Not as compatible with other BitFenix products as you'd hope. Specifically the 230mm fan and the Black Mesh front with orange outline. For the black mesh front - The Orange doesn't match. It's close, but it is Not exact. Hardly noticable, but if you want this to be your baby and you want that front intake fan to grab decent air it's pretty disappointing. I might just paint the rim black or something (since there is no black option for the mesh fronts you can buy seperately). However that panel does fit just fine. It's just the color. This case supports a 230mm fan which basically only BitFenix makes. If you install that fan in this case horizontally you will not be able to put on the side panels because of the board on the right panel that has your power button, USB and such. The board will run into the fan. If you install it vertically it'll fit but it's still pushing into the board pretty hard, and that's unfortunate. I'm pretty confident if you install the fan After you put that side of the case on you may be able to fit it just fine vertically, but the issue with that is you won't be able to open the right panel which is the non-video card side (the more accesible side). It creates inconvenience. Especially since you can't even install the fan without removing both hard-drive cages (about 6 screws for the bottom one)

Overall Review: I wish they could have put their own product line into better consideration. It all feels solid still and I'm still a very happy buyer for the most part, but now I feel like I'm making sacrifices. BitFenix isn't a brand I'm learning to trust or love leaving this situation, it's just a brand that has 1 or 2 products I like, but I don't think I'll be expecting sound compatibility with anything else of theirs in the future.

Massive, possibly not ideal for BitFenix Prodigy

BitFenix Spectre LED Orange 230mm Case Fan
BitFenix Spectre LED Orange 230mm Case Fan

Pros: Large beautiful fan, cool looking lights, great airflow. Pretty much the only 230mm fan on the market and it fits the front of the BitFenix Prodigy perfectly.

Cons: While the fan fits, it sticks out too far on the side. It blocks the board on the side-panel of the BitFenix Prodigy that has your start button, USB ports and audio ports on it.

Overall Review: The fan can go in vertically or horizontally (Yes it's a circle, but it's obviously where the top/bottom are vs the sides). Horizontally you're completely out of luck, you will not be able to close the side panels of the Prodigy. Vertically you Can, but it is still pushing against the LED plug just enough to make me uncomfortable. Now, I don't care about a power or HDD LED, so I may end up just removing it, but I do want my case to have full functionality. I'm simply disappointed that the BitFenix Prodigy, their popular case that utilizes a 230mm fan that only They make, doesn't actually support that fan without sacrifice. A 1mm difference here and there and it wouldn't have been an issue at all.

Gets the job done

Rosewill RTK-045M 45-Piece Magnetic Computer Tool Kit
Rosewill RTK-045M 45-Piece Magnetic Computer Tool Kit

Pros: Has everything you essentially need, I like the little compartment for screws (I filled them up fast) and everything feels solid enough. Has every size head you'll need

Cons: I didn't realize the kit was magnetic because I've never had a screw stick to the screw-driver. I saw this was on sale so I finally read reviews of it and I was shocked to learn otherwise. The heads for the screwdriver felt really loose but I figured whatever gripped them wasn't tight or something (they fall out all the time), but it turns out it's held in by a magnet. And that magnet can hardly hold the head in, let alone give the head any traction on screws.

Overall Review: Gets the job done. Right now it's on sale for 12 bucks and for that price it's worth every penny. Unfortunately I think my girlfriend spent double that on the kit and for that cost... it's not worth it. You could buy individual tools and a better case for that much.