[section_title title=Closer Look – Interior]Closer Look – Interior
Taking an overall look with the main side panel off, the BitFenix Shadow does look particularly roomy. It is ATX form factor but this case also supports M-ATX and M-ITX as standard. It features stand-off less mounts which is a feature I do love about this case; the less cheap brass stand offs the better! On the right we have the 5.25” bays and 3.5” drive bays which is standard in most ATX cases. The Shadow also features a floor mounted power supply which does include a removable dust filter; something all cases should include as standard if I’m honest.
Up in the top, there is no top mounted ventilation which I think is a benefit to all cases; heat rises and the only current exhaust can be found at the rear. As previously mentioned however, a 120mm BitFenix fan is installed as an exhaust; using it for anything other than an exhaust will result in poor thermal performance. This is also a good place to potentially mount an AIO 120mm CPU cooler which not only acts as an exhaust, but a means of cooling the CPU also.
Here is a closer look at the tool-less clips for the HDD bays; these are pretty standard these days and I would have liked to have seen some native support for 2.5” SSDs.
On the bottom we have 2 x removable dust filters which in effect helps keep the case + power supply free from dust; this can cause thermal performance issues if not tackled correctly and it’s good to see BitFenix including them as standard.
Now when I took the back panel off the Shadow, I came across something which I considered to be slightly weird. I initially thought there was no space for cabling but it turns out BitFenix have gone a different route with this. There is a groove where the power supply cables come out at the bottom which measures just over 1cm in space. This still isn’t THAT much space and hopefully it won’t become an issue during installation.
Here is what I mean about limited space behind the motherboard tray; some might consider it strange but I 100% understand where BitFenix are coming from here in regards to this.
Overall, there are certain aspects I would personally change but the main concern at the moment is the amount of space to place cables at the rear. Will it be a challenge? On to the next page…
