BitFenix Shinobi
A metallic BitFenix badge and optional side window stylize the otherwise nearly-monolithic Shinobi. Factory tint might help hide some of your less-attractive hardware, while letting lighted parts shine through. That tinted window also adds an empty 120 mm side-fan mount.
Buyers who prefer the windowless version can shave an extra $10 off this sample’s already-affordable $70 price.
Shinobi Top Ports
Top-panel ports make the Shinobi a floor-standing or bottom-shelf design, since placement up on your desktop would make them difficult to reach.
Dual USB 2.0 ports and a pair of USB 3.0 connectors set the current standard of connectivity, while headphone and microphone jacks evoke popular tradition. The power button is easily reached from above, and the reset button next to it is shrunken to reduce the likelihood of accidental activation.
Behind The Shinobi
The Shinobi’s low cost doesn't prevent BitFenix from adding enthusiast-oriented features like a pair of grommet-filled pass-through points for external liquid coolers. That’s not to say the case competes in the high-end space though, as it lacks the eighth expansion slot needed in some configurations to install a double-slot graphics card in an ATX motherboard’s bottom slot.
Inside The Shinobi
No less than eight 3.5” hard drive bays face the Shinobi’s front panel, while a 120 mm fan exhausts through the rear. Between these, reliefs in the motherboard tray stiffen the board to help keep cards in their slots.
Shinobi Cable Management
The space between the Shinobi’s motherboard tray and right side panel is barley large enough to hold a 24-pin ATX power cable, though smaller cables can usually be routed around it. Folded edges surround access holes to prevent abrasion.
Shinobi Induction
A mesh dust filter slides over the Shinobi’s dual-fan mount up front, and is then secured by a single screw. The loosely-fitting filter hides only a single intake fan in the panel’s lower mounting position.
More Shinobi Dust Prevention
Like the front dust filter, the Shinobi’s bottom filter is secured by a single screw and covers an empty fan mount. Unlike the front filter, the other end of this one covers a power supply air inlet.
Shinobi Tool-Free Drive Support
A hinged lever with mounting pins snaps shut to secure 5.25” externally-facing drives. Hard drives rely on pin-holing clips, which can be detached by twisting a knob in the middle. The Shinobi relies on extra 2.5”-spaced holes in its 5.25”-to-3.5” adapter tray to mount a single SSD.
Enermax Ostrog GT
Also available with blue trim, Enermax’s part number ECA3280A-R frames its black mesh face with red mesh highlights. A tinted side window shows off lighted parts, while muting darker spaces.
Ostrog GT Ports
A pair of USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports frame headphone and microphone jacks near the front of the Ostrog GT’s top panel. A tray behind those ports is handy for holding mobile devices as they charge.
Reset, power, and fan lighting switches are found in front of the USB connectivity and audio I/O.
Behind The Ostrog GT
Three holes on the Ostrog GT’s rear panel provide external liquid cooling and cable access, and a vertically-mounted slot panel beneath them makes way for adapter plates.
Eight slots mean you have room for four double-slot graphics cards, the bottom dangling off of an ATX platform's bottom slot. Also, an extended side panel adds room to hide excess cable length.
