[section_title title=Introduction and Specifications]
Introduction
Brand: BitFenix
Model: Nova (Windowed)
Price (UK): £26.99 @ OcUK (at time of review)
Price (US): $69.00 @Amazon.com (at time of review)
When it comes to choosing a case, there’s a few things to look out for: style plays a part, of course, as does whether you want to see your components in all their glory or choose a chassis that is subdued and stealthy, and an important factor is whether or not the case can actually hold all the glorious tech that you want to put in it. Perhaps an afterthought would be things like cable management, ease of assembly and so on. Of course, the big one is the cost! If you’ve just spent £1500 on top-of-the-range elecrtonics, how much of your budget is left (if any) for giving those parts a home? Equally, at the other end of the spectrum, if you’re building on a shoestring budget, how much can you justify spending?
When it comes to budget cases, you actually have a lot of choices available. There are myriad small companies trying to break through into the mainstream market and make a name for themselves as well as those who are seemingly content to be bottom feeders. Let’s also not forget the budget ranges provided by companies who have already made a name for themselves.
BitFenix is one such company that has established themselves over the past few years as being able to provide a vast variety of cases in a wide range of sizes, specifications and prices, and they have kindly provided their newest release, the Nova, to be reviewed today.
As far as budget models go, they don’t come much cheaper than £27 and with the Nova offering full ATX support as well as a healthy array of storage slots, this is one that will be sure to fit in with most builds. The inclusion of a windowed side panel that gives an almost full view of all the more exciting parts while obscuring cables and those storage bays in my opinion enhances is the appeal and let’s not forget the obvious… it looks absolutely stunning. But, when it comes to the real life build and use, does it perform as well as it does on paper and in a photograph?
We kickstart the review in my usual fashion with the spec sheet and then it’s on to a closer look at the BitFenix Nova in all its glory.
Specifications
| Colors | Black – White |
| Motherboard | ATX, Micro ATX, Mini-ITX (7 expansion slots) |
| CPU Cooler | up to 160mm tall |
| VGA | up to 320mm long and up to 140mm tall |
| Power Supply | up to 220mm long |
| 5.25” ODD Slots | 1 |
| 3.5” HDD Slots | 4 |
| 2.5” SSD Slots | 2 |
| Dust Filter Bottom | slide-out PSU Dust Filter |
| Cooling Front | 120mm x 2 |
| Cooling Rear | 120mm x 1 (included) |
| Radiator Rear | 120mm |
| I/O | USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 1, HD Audio MIC & Headphone, Power LED (white), HDD LED (red) |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 183 x 437 x 465 mm – 7.20 x 17.20 x 18.30 inch |
| Materials | Steel, Plastic |
| Weight | 4.8Kg – 10.6lbs |
| Special Features | Closed Frontpanel to block noise, Frontpanel sidevents for good airflow, Large window sidepanel, pre-installed mainboard stand-offs, ruberized anti-slip casefeet, PSU dust filter |
