The BitFenix Pandora ATX Case Review
by E. Fylladitakis on August 11, 2016 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- bitfenix
- ATX
- Case
BitFenix is a company that is strongly focused on the design of PC cases and the supply of case modding parts. They currently produce over two dozen cases, covering nearly all segments of the market, with most of them being marketed as visually unique cost-effective designs. Many of their products have been through our labs, from the $39 Merc Alpha to the $159 Shinobi XL, each with its own target group, strengths, and weaknesses. Today we are looking at the latest design - a scaled up version of the Pandora.
BitFenix owes a lot of their recent success as a company to the Pandora. It is a case that was loved for its design and price to performance ratio. However, the Pandora was compact and could only take up to Micro ATX motherboards, with limited expandability and cooling options. In this review we are having a look at a newer version of the Pandora, the Pandora ATX, which shares the aesthetic design of the original Pandora but is both much larger and comes with extensive support for liquid cooling systems.
Introduction
Tthe Pandora was BitFenix’s first case with aluminum parts and designed to combine aesthetics with versatility. The original Pandora was designed for Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards only, something that was a deal breaker for many advanced users and gamers, but did not stop the case from succeeding in the market. As such, BitFenix decided to design an oversized version of the Pandora, the Pandora ATX, as a case with a similar aesthetic design but large enough to support ATX motherboards and advanced liquid cooling systems. We are having a thorough look at it in this review.
| BitFenix Pandora ATX | ||
| Motherboard Size | ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | |
| Drive Bays | External | - |
| Internal | 4 × 3.5" 4 × 2.5" |
|
| Cooling | Front | 3 × 120 mm or 2 x 140 mm (1 × 140 mm included) |
| Rear | 1 × 120 mm (included) | |
| Top | 3 × 120 mm or 2 x 140 mm (none included) | |
| HDD | - | |
| Bottom | - | |
| Radiator Support | Front | Up to 360 mm or 280 mm |
| Rear | Up to 120 mm | |
| Top | Up to 360 mm or 280 mm | |
| Side | - | |
| Bottom | - | |
| I/O Port | 2× USB 3.0, 2× USB 2.0, 1× Headphone, 1× Mic | |
| Power Supply Size | ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 160 mm |
| PSU | 240 mm | |
| GPU | 440 mm | |
| Dimensions | 510 mm × 203 mm × 558 mm 20.08 in × 7.99 in × 21.97 in |
|
| Prominent Features | · 2.8" BitFenix ICON™ Display · One-piece powercover and MB tray · Top, Front and Bottom Dust Filters · 360mm Radiator Support · 20mm Cable Clearance · Graphics Card Length up to 440mm |
|
| Price | $112 | |
Packaging & Bundle
We received the Pandora ATX supplied inside a large and fairly sturdy cardboard box. The case is protected inside the box by two thick Styrofoam slabs and a nylon bag, providing adequate shipping protection. Aesthetically it may be just a brown box, but BitFenix spent some effort and resources trying to make it appealing via simple geometric artwork and a schematic of the case itself.
The items bundled alongside with the Pandora ATX are fairly standard, with the exception of a metallic brace that can be installed to give the rear of the chassis a rounded appearance. The rest of the supplied items are for the installation of devices and parts inside the case, a few cable ties, and a thick metallic company logo. As this case has an LCD installed, BitFenix thoughtfully decided to leave the installation of the case badge up to the user.
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Byte - Friday, August 12, 2016 - link
Cases with 5.25 you can always add a box, but this case you can't even do that. I just upgraded my case because it has only 2.0, got an InWin with USB 3.1 Type C in the front! Go future!Bigryan - Thursday, August 11, 2016 - link
Pretty case. I will be checking out the deals at bestbuy this weekend! The ad on the login page is the best.redfirebird15 - Saturday, August 13, 2016 - link
Literally every page... it is getting ridiculous.Nightsd01 - Thursday, August 11, 2016 - link
Can the LCD screen do anything that is actually useful? Showing a single logo....seems pretty useless to me. What about showing the stats/temps/fan speeds/etc of the computer?Lord of the Bored - Friday, August 12, 2016 - link
As I understand it, just displaying static images. You could probably rig something up that would put the desirable data into an image and then push the image to the LCD, but it's a step that ought to be unnecessary by all rights.HomeworldFound - Friday, August 12, 2016 - link
ThermalTake did the same thing about fifteen years ago. It was just as useful.BrokenCrayons - Thursday, August 11, 2016 - link
Ah yes, the Coke can makes it into yet another photo! :)It's a nice looking case, though too large for my tastes. I already have a gigantic Lian Li on wheels that has a MicroATX board, half-height capable GPU, and single hard drive inside of that looks almost laughably empty.
Samus - Thursday, August 11, 2016 - link
Ugg, I can't believe after all these years Bitfenix still hasn't improved their drive sled design. Those things are complete crap. Most of mine are cracked or completely snapped in half while bending them around the drive mount holes.althaz - Thursday, August 11, 2016 - link
As soon as I saw it, the first thing I thought was "looks a lot like the Thermaltake Armor". Because it does (nicer though).Death666Angel - Friday, August 12, 2016 - link
That's a nice, clean build. But I am totally not interested in ATX size cases anymore. :DOnly ATX case I bought in the last 7 years is for my file server which has 3x5.25" bay adapters for 5 x 3.5" HDDs (9 x 5.25" bays for 3 of those adapters for 15 3.5" bays in a normal sized ATX case). My PCs have been mATX for a while (Lian Li V351B, currently Silverstone Temjin TJ08-E with watercooling, thinking about going back to my V351B and modding the shit out of it). With me being fine with onboard sound and onboard NICs and one graphics card, there ain't no reason for ATX and the size and weight are a real negative. Only positive I see is the ample space and ease of use.