Bitfenix Aegis Case Review: Maximizing mATX
Water cooling a PC has long been a luxury with required components carrying a high price tag compared to air-cooling equipment. Needless to say, the prices of cases that are designed exclusively to support water cooling components reflect this fact as well. With all-in-one liquid cooling units bridging the divide between an expensive custom cooling kit and air cooling units pushing towards affordability, cases followed a similar trend which would provide accessible enclosures for those with a more reasonable budget. As one of the freshest and most innovative chassis manufacturers in the market, it comes as no surprise that Bitfenix has a new chassis with a remarkably flexible interior for water-cooling enthusiasts at a mainstream price.
The Bitfenix Aegis supports motherboards up to micro-ATX in size and boasts 360mm as well 280mm radiator support internally. Foregoing the 5.25″ external drive bays and utilizing a fully-removable drive cage assembly, the Bitfenix Aegis is able to support enthusiast class cooling as well as provide special mounts for other liquid-cooling specific accessories such as pumps and reservoirs. Unlike the boxy and plain look of most liquid-cooling specific cases, the Aegis is playfully angular with glossy color options that include white, blue, red, yellow and black to match different build-styles.
[sc:sponsor sponsor=”Bitfenix” product_link=”http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/aegis#overview” product_name=”Aegis” product_price_link=”http://amzn.to/1C7FMuF” product_price=”$119 (Standard)/$109 (Core version)” ]The external box package is a lot more straightforward and to-the-point than the playful Aegis aesthetic with a quick, functional overview on the back with a list of special components and a full body 3/4 view print on the front. The Aegis is available in standard and a “core” version with the main difference being the customizable graphic LCD on the front. The type of Aegis case is noted on the side of the box where the color option is also printed.
As with the majority of case packaging, foam flanks the Aegis from both sides and the case is covered in a large plastic bag to prevent scratches. The front panel and the side window also have their own cling-film cover, with the acrylic side window covered from the inside as well to prevent scratches just in case something comes lose from inside during transport.
The accessories are tucked inside a brown box in the lower drive cage. Inside are the 2.5″ and 3.5″ drive rails, various screws, cable management ties and a radiator pump mounting plate. This plate can be attached on top of the lower drive cage or directly on the lower floor (with the drive cage removed). The top side of this plate has a thick foam for dampening pump vibration and lessen noise when the pump is in operation so as there is no metal-to-metal rattling. The quick installation guide is illustrated and is extremely detailed, outlining every function available for the Bitfenix Aegis.
Specifications
| Colors | Black – White – Red – Blue – Yellow |
| ICON™ Display | 2.8″ TFT, 240 x 320 |
| Fan Controller | 4pin header x 4 – 12v/7v/5v |
| Motherboard | Micro ATX, Mini-ITX (5 expansion slots) |
| CPU Cooler | up to 170mm tall |
| VGA | up to 380mm long and up to 140mm tall |
| Power Supply | up to 220mm long |
| 3.5” HDD Slots | 4 (two removable cages with 2 tool free slots each) |
| 2.5” SSD Slots | 4 (one removable cage with 2 tool free slots each, one slot next to the Mainboard, one slot behind the PSU) |
| Dust Filter Top | Click-on |
| Dust Filter Front | 360mm magnetic |
| Dust Filter Bottom | 360mm magnetic |
| Cooling Top | 120mm x 2 or 140mm x 2 |
| Cooling Front | 120mm x 3 or 140mm x 2 |
| Cooling Bottom | 120mm x 1 or 140mm x 1 |
| Cooling Rear | 120mm x 1 (included) |
| Radiator Top | 280mm, 240mm, 140mm, 120mm |
| Radiator Front | 360mm, 280mm, 240mm, 140mm, 120mm |
| Radiator Bottom | 140mm, 120mm |
| Radiator Rear | 120mm |
| I/O | USB 3.0 x 2, HD Audio |
| Dimensions (WxHxD mm – in) | 205 x 470 x 480 – 8.07 x 18.50 x 18.89 |
| Materials | Steel, Plastic |
| Weight | 6.7Kg – 14.8lbs |
| Extras | BitFenix ICON™ Display (Core version comes without Display), Pump bracket, Reservoir bracket, PSU cover, Fan Controller, Magnetic Dustfilters, 3 Modular and tool free HDD/SSD cages |
