If you are the type that prefers clean lines, subtle styling cues, and minimal bling then this is the case for you. The exterior of the Shinobi Window is a combination of matte black painted steel and plastic that is coated with what BitFenix refers to as Soft Touch. This is a rubbery feeling surface treatment that really makes the parts that are plastic have the look of much more expensive material. This combined with a pair of narrow mesh recesses that flow from the front over the top to the back really sets this case apart from a simple black cube.
The Shinobi is fairly light coming in at 15.5 Lbs (7kg) empty, however this is partially due to how thin the side panels are. The build quality appears to be very good with tight corners and all the panels aligned nicely.
If you do want to increase the bling factor, BitFenix has intentionally allowed enough room behind these recessed areas to hold LED strips to provide a glow effect similar to their top of the line BitFenix Colossus Full Tower case. This level of thought put into a budget case is refreshing as most manufactures tend to cut down on the features to address the budget customer.
The front has three knock outs for 5.25 items such as optical drives, fan controllers, or card readers. It also prominently features a gun metal colored BitFenix logo that is flush mounted with the soft touch surface. . This increases the visual appeal significantly in my book and makes the case look like it costs twice as much as it does. The front bezel can be popped off to clean the included intake fan filter and remove the 5.25 knock out panels after you have installed your peripherals.
The top of the case is also well handled with more soft touch coated plastic and a flush mount black painted mesh fan cover that matches the two recesses on the sides. The top also houses the on/off, reset, 4x USB 2.0, activity and power LEDs, and audio ports all cleanly flush mounted.
The top is actually a snap in plastic bezel that can be pulled up, but not totally off due to the wiring passing through for the top I/O ports.
On the right side is a simple solid painted steel panel covering the back of the motherboard and wiring. This panel is held on by a pair of thumb screws with a molded handle to pull back when you want to remove it.
The left is another black painted steel panel. However, this being the Shinobi Window, it has the stylized window with the vent to hold a 120mm fan if you so choose to move air over those getting ever hotter graphics cards. This is a really nice touch if you are running SLI or X-Fire since those set ups really require good air flow.
The back of the case is also black painted steel with the standard seven slot PCI ports and motherboard hole and the bottom mounted PSU opening. This panel also has a preinstalled 120mm rear exhaust fan with a second set of hole to place a 92mm fan if you need extra clearance over the motherboard. Finally the back panel has a pair of ports to run water cooling tubes out the back for you extreme coolers. Another sign that BitFenix tried to think of everything for a budget mid tower case since they typically do not have much room for internal water cooling components.
The bottom of the case continues the black painted steel theme with two openings to accommodate both the PSU fan and an optional 120mm fan if you want to pull in even more cold air. There are four stamped metal feet and the parts box included has for rubber stick on feet if you want to elevate the case a bit higher for better bottom air flow and assist with the sound isolation. Pre installed fan intake filters are again a thoughtful inclusion for a budget case but they are a bit flimsy and tended to fall off during use.
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