BitFenix Neos Case Review
by E. Fylladitakis on January 21, 2015 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- bitfenix
- Case
Conclusion
BitFenix designed the Neos to be a low-cost yet stylish option for the average consumer that wants to build a simple system. It is a sound concept, as the vast majority of computer users will not be buying a case more expensive than $80-100. BitFenix offers the Neos for $50 to $75, depending on the color combination. A side panel window will cost the user an extra $18-20, bringing the minimum cost up to $70, pushing the boundaries of what most users would consider an acceptable price for a low-cost product. Still, the Neos would be an interesting choice as a stylish case for the casual user.
However, the Neos simply fails to deliver. Their aesthetic value is limited to the choice of a chassis/faceplate color combination. The neutral, minimalistic design is based on a low-cost SECC steel chassis, leaving the Neos without much to be proud of. With design being its major selling point, the Neos is certainly not faring very well. That however is just the tip of the iceberg formed by the cons of the Neos.
The chassis that the Neos is based on is, mildly put, archaic. We would not expect to see it used for anything other than the cheapest of cases nowadays. There is no clearance behind the motherboard tray and the cable/cooler cutouts appear to have been created with little thought for utility. No cages are removable and the use of destructible expansion card covers is nearly comedic (flashback to the 90s for those of us that are old enough). There is no top panel ventilation, it is not possible to use AIO liquid coolers, and the narrow chassis limits the selection of the CPU cooler as well, severely impeding the thermal management options.
The selection of the cooling fan is questionable as well. It would seem that BitFenix tried to balance the poor thermal performance of the Neos by installing a rather powerful 120mm fan... unsuccessfully. If it would help the Neos achieve good thermal performance, we could let this slide for a case of this price range, but the noisy 120mm fan is not enough to turn this outdated design into a competitive model.
Even for the price of the most basic model, the BitFenix Neos seems unable to face the competition. It would be able to house a typical PC without any issues, but there are many other and significantly more reasonable options within its price range. With its very poor thermal performance and virtually nonexistent versatility, it would be hard to recommend the Neos to any users, with the sole exception of those that simply really like its design.
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Gigaplex - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
Their opinion sounds like it is clouded by selecting a Prodigy model with a solid faceplate that blocks airflow. They should have got a mesh faceplate model.Samus - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
Yeah, because the mesh faceplate on the model Anandtech just reviewed made such a difference...I really don't think people understand what negative/positive pressure is and how hard it is to properly design an enclosure with zoned cooling.HungryTurkey - Monday, January 26, 2015 - link
Hard? If by Hard, you mean needing an elementary understanding of thermodynamics.... It's a desktop computer people... Not a flipping datacenter with 80,000+ nodes and a staff of 70 generating 40 Megawatts needing 12,000 tons of cooling capacity.Samus - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
I'm sorry you are the proud owner of a shitty Bitfenix product, hughlle. Please stop spreading propaganda. To recommend one of these cases to someone is like pushing them off the subway platform...it's something both of you will regret for the rest of your lives. Anyone who lived through the 80's and 90's with the evolution of AT & ATX\BTX will immediately recognize how poorly engineered Bitfenix cases are. It's like buying a Hyundai in the 90's...they'll come around but now is not their time. They're just rebadging Mazda engines and stealing to the best of their ability other manufactures designs. Anything that is actually designed in-house is utter garbage because they clearly don't employ anybody qualified to design cooling enclosures.hughlle - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
Firstly, i have been a long time shuttle owner, and for large cases tend to go for silverstone for the aesthetics, currently owning a TJ07 and one of their HTPC cases. I have avoided the prodigy because it was in my opinion, ugly.Secondly. As i mentioned earlier, i'm not too fussed about your opinion which seems driven by resentment, not reality. When the majority of respectable review sites are giving it rave reviews, and 1 nobody is telling me it's like being pushed off a subway platform, i wonder which opinion i'll believe?
You don't like your case, i've no problem with that, but it is readily apparent that your opinion of it is not the accepted opinion of it.
Samus - Thursday, January 22, 2015 - link
Actually the Bitfenix was more of a test than anything. All of my personal cases are Lian-Li or Silverstone, with the FT03 and FT03-mini making up my two primary PC's and the ML03B (a $50 SECC case) making up my HTPC. Although in no way the same style, the ML03B demonstrates a quality SECC design whereas the Bitfenix Prodigy demonstrates everything you shouldn't do with a SECC chassis (heavier/thicker panels, poor quality edges, improper cooling channels and vents and so on.I've used Coolermaster cases with inexpensive builds for friends, such as the Elite 360 ($50) and the SECC quality is there. Bitfenix just doesn't have "it".
I'm a long-time Shuttle user as well, since the Athlon XP days. I've had a K48 Core 2 Duo KPC hosting my Bitcoin miners for years...and before that it was my HTPC. Another quality SECC design. Again, Bitfenix doesn't have it.
hlan - Friday, January 23, 2015 - link
I build systems for over 10 years, and twice systems in Bitfenix Prodigy. Unfortunately, I can confirm the deficiencies mentioned elsewhere, and could add more to the list. A problem I see with case reviews is that they must get published and consequently cannot discover/report problems that occur over time. Sincerely, I wished that Bitfenix gave more attention to quality, it would make their customers loyal and not disgruntled. I appreciate the critical review by anandtech, those reviews elsewhere just singing glory are a waste of time reading.Sushisamurai - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
I think there's an error in the "testing and results" page, when u compare the "neos" with other cases with charts. Both charts are labelled with 850W loads - I think u meant 850W and 450WSushisamurai - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
Oops, never mind, it's CPU and GPU, my eyes are getting too old to read the fine print hahaMurloc - Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - link
I missed that too, I looked at them for a minute and I couldn't find what the temperature was referred to.I went back to look at it now and I finally saw it.