XFX Type 01 Bravo Case Review
by E. Fylladitakis on May 16, 2014 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- XFX
- mid-tower
- Case
XFX Type 01 Bravo Case Review: Introduction
Companies often try to diversify their product lineup into other market segments, and today's review is such an attempt. XFX began as a graphics card manufacturer, later branching into motherboards, power supplies, and now cases. Today we're reviewing the Type 01 Bravo today, first ever PC case from XFX.
XFX is a company traditionally focused on gamers and their marketing has always been gaming-related -- they started by making graphics cards, after all. Thus, it is no surprise that their first case is being marketed as a "gaming case". On paper, the Type 01 Bravo is a feature-packed, roomy mid-tower PC case and, with a retail price of $129.99 plus shipping, it appears to be reasonably priced. But there's more to making a good case than paper specs, so let's find out if the Type 01 Bravo is is actually worth buying.
| XFX Type 01 Bravo Specifications | ||
| Motherboard Form Factor | Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX | |
| Drive Bays | External |
3 x 5.25" 1 x 3.5" (using a 5.25" to 3.5" adapter) |
| Internal |
5 x 2.5" or 3.5" (upper front drive cage) 3 x 3.5" (lower front drive cage) |
|
| Cooling | Front | 1 x 200 mm (included) |
| Rear | 1 x 120 mm / 140 mm (140 mm included) | |
| Top | 1 x 120 mm / 140 mm (optional) | |
| Left Side | 3 x 120 mm (optional) | |
| Bottom | 1 x 120 mm / 140 mm (optional) | |
| I/O Port |
2 × USB 3.0 2 × USB 3.0 1 × Headphone 1 × Mic |
|
| Power Supply Size | ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 175 mm |
| PSU | Any | |
| GPU |
340 mm (with 3.5" drive cage) 370 mm (with 2.5" drive cage) |
|
| Dimensions |
562 mm × 232 mm × 518 mm (H×W×D) 22.2 in × 9.2 in × 20.4 in (H×W×D) |
|
| Prominent Features |
Unique XFX floating case design Modern minimalist design style Seamless hidden disc drive bays with folding doors Open Mesh Bottom With Filter Water Cool Ready Isolated bottom mount PSU design Solid and light ABS plastic construction Standard Mid Size tower height Full ATX motherboard compatibility 5-year warranty (with registration) |
|
| Price |
$149.99 USD (MSRP) Online: $130 (plus shipping) |
|
Packaging & Bundle
We received the Type 01 Bravo in a very simple, brown cardboard box. There is virtually no artwork on the box at all, with the exception of horizontal stripes that resemble the corrugated theme of the case. Inside the box, the case is protected by thick, individualized expanded polyethylene foam slabs, enhanced with a cardboard shell. The box is understated but looks to provide a decent amount of padding and protection for the case.
XFX did a decent job with the bundle as well. Although nothing really special is supplied, the company packages everything into individual, labelled plastic bags. Aside from the screws and standoffs, XFX also provides a few cable ties, a 5.25" to 3.5" front panel adapter, and a basic manual.
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dstarr3 - Friday, May 16, 2014 - link
I've noticed that you rarely include full photos of the cases you review on the first page. I'd really appreciate it if you'd change that, as, no offense, I'd really rather not read the review of a case that I'd never buy based on looks already.E.Fyll - Friday, May 16, 2014 - link
Good point. The appearance after all is the most important factor when selecting a case. This can be arranged.dstarr3 - Monday, May 19, 2014 - link
Thanks. :-)Haravikk - Saturday, May 17, 2014 - link
This is one ugly, over-sized case! While I admire an effort to go for a unique look, I don't think the horizontal bars are attractive at all; maybe if the front of the case weren't a uniform flat-surface it might look better. I also think that the main body should be in a different colour, one of the pictures looks like there is a silver/grey bodied version which might look a bit better. Even so, the plastic top "handles" are incredibly disappointing; it wouldn't take much to make them strong enough for carrying (just needs some curved and reinforced steel through it that fits securely onto the chassis) which strikes me as a huge failure on attention to detail.The size is also bewildering; personally I think the case could have looked a lot better with a concave front (curving inwards at middle height), sticking out enough at the top for an optical drive, and at the bottom for housing two (3.5") to four (2.5") hard drives down in front of the PSU. This would have improved the visual appearance incredibly, at which point the horizontal bars could even look good, while giving good airflow. Maybe even flatten off the curve toward the middle to give a space for a 5.25" bay fan controller (but not a full 5.25" bay) since those are fairly common in gaming cases.
Being able to fit a 200mm front fan is nice, but personally I'd be fine with a slimmer case and two 140mm fans instead, especially since that would give you more airflow to both the GPU(s) and CPU as standard.
The main plus points seems to be the excellent cable routing spaces and the ability to fit three side fans (or a huge radiator), but I'm not sure how much those are worth given the other problems.
edmoncu - Sunday, May 18, 2014 - link
If not for the huge XFX logo, this would've been one ugly case!poordirtfarmer2 - Sunday, May 18, 2014 - link
Agreed! The thing looks like the engine case of my toy tractor when I was a kid. And a rounded top - heck, where's the cat going to sit?masterpine - Sunday, May 18, 2014 - link
This thing needs to be taken out behind the barn and shot. I know style is subjective, but quality seems to have been a low priority which is pretty poor for this price point.hassaqbear - Sunday, May 18, 2014 - link
Front reminds me of the xps 720 dell