BitFenix Neos Case Review
by E. Fylladitakis on January 21, 2015 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- bitfenix
- Case
Introduction
Naturally, most manufacturers are inclined to have their best products reviewed, as a high-cost product is less likely to have many flaws and it's easy to leave the average user awestruck, promoting the company name. However, the bulk of the revenue of most companies comes from their "mainstream" products, where the target market is many times larger than that of enthusiasts and highly advanced users. In the past several months, we've had the chance to have a look at several advanced cases, some designed for performance while others were meant for special applications. Today we are going to have a look at a standard Mid-ATX case with a price tag of about $60, the BitFenix Neos.
BitFenix is no stranger to AnandTech. 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. The BitFenix Neos that we are reviewing today aims to be an affordable, simple, and stylish case. It can be found selling from about $50 to $75, depending on the color configuration. Two chassis are available, either black or white, but there is a large selection of faceplate/mesh colors for either chassis, including black, white, red, bronze, silver, gold, blue, and purple.
12 oz. Coke can for size comparison.
| >BitFenix Neos Specifications | ||
| Motherboard Form Factor | ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | |
| Drive Bays | External | 2 x 5.25" |
| Internal | 3 x 3.5" (front drive cage) 3 x 2.5" (front drive cage) | |
| Cooling | Front | 2 x 120 mm (optional) |
| Rear | 1 x 120 mm (included) | |
| Top | - | |
| Left Side | - | |
| Bottom | - | |
| Radiator Support | Front | - |
| Rear | 120 mm | |
| Top | - | |
| Side | - | |
| Bottom | - | |
| I/O Port | 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic | |
| Power Supply Size | ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 155 mm |
| PSU | - | |
| GPU | 310 mm | |
| Dimensions | 429 mm × 185 mm × 470 mm (H×W×D) 16.89 in × 7.28 in × 18.5 in (H×W×D) | |
| Prominent Features | Front Dust Filter PSU Dust Filter Tool-Free Drive Locking | |
| Price | $50 to $75, depending on the color configuration | |
Packaging and Bundle
BitFenix supplies the Neos in colorless, brown cardboard boxes. Illustrations on the box depict the most important features of the case. Inside the box, the lightweight case is very well protected by thick styrofoam slabs and a nylon bag. As for the bundle, we are not going to delve much into it, simply because there is virtually nothing noteworthy supplied with the Neos. With the purchase of this case, the user will only receive a basic manual and the necessary screws in a small nylon bag.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
54 Comments
View All Comments
GzeroD - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
Any chance we could get some comparisons using some fans installed in the front 120mm fan slots?I wouldn't expect anyone to be putting 850W worth of components into a case like this without utilizing more of the fan mounting options.
E.Fyll - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
I wouldn't expect anyone to be putting 850W worth of components into this case. At all...We always test cases with their stock cooling options only. There is a virtually limitless number of possible cooling configurations for every single case out there, it is not possible to showcase them all. For instance, you requested the installation of two 120mm fans - which fans? 550 RPM silent fans or 5200 RPM Delta "jet engines"?
CosmonautDave - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
For what it's worth, the windowed version of the case comes with an additional front fan. So it would be "stock" if you had got that version. Maybe for the sake of comparison you could try this version with a 120mm front fan?vred - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
"flashback to the 90s for those of us that are old enough"Great. Now I feel old. :D
Doomtomb - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
Here's the deal with Bitfenix, they released the Prodigy in 2012 and took the mini-ITX PC crowd by storm. And then we have this.... they truly are a one-hit wonderStrangerGuy - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
You mean they made a mITX case that is almost as large or even larger than mATX cases. Case aesthetics are subjective that much I will admit, but I never understood their appeal from a pure functionality point of view because the entire point of the mITX is to f***ing save space.Antronman - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
Yeah I have to agree.And it's such a cramped case as well, despite being so large. If you fit a decent heatsink or a radiator, you can't have a DVD drive anymore. It's got 2 fan mount locations. I see so much wasted space.
StrangerGuy - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
Bitfenix Prodigy mITX = 24.9cm x 40.4cm x 35.9cm = 36.1LAerocool Dead Silence mATX cube = 26.5cm x 38.1cm x 41.1cm = 41.5L (only 14% larger)
Coolermaster N200 mATX tower = 37.8cm x 44.5cm x 20.1cm = 33.8L (Prodigy is LARGER by 7% despite being mITX only!)
I bet tons of a Prodigy just went "Oooooo mITX here" without doing the math for dimensions relative to form factor.
piasabird - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
The metal mesh seems to have too small of holes. Probably makes the fans ineffective.ImSpartacus - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
How long have the graphs used that gradient style?It looks like something an 8th grader would produce while they are still learning all of the features of Excel.
I don't know what visualization package you guys use, but you can do better. Sometimes less is more. This is Anandtech, not just some site.