BitFenix Shinobi XL Full Tower Case Review

Water Cooling options

I decided to see how well the Shinobi XL would handle some of the water cooling parts I had laying around. So I pulled the Swiftech H20-220 Edge HD kit out of its home and put it in the front of the Shinobi XL. The fan mounting holes in the case didnt line up perfect but I could bolt through the vent mesh on the front panel. This was due the way the pump is integrated into the radiator. One thing I did like is that with the system installed this way I could gain access to the fill port rather easily by pulling the front panel off and accessing it through the 5.25 bays.

Next I put in a Swiftech MCR320 quiet power radiator I had in to see how it all lined up.

With the fittings down the holes didnt line up 100%. They were off just slightly because the rad had to be raised to clear the lower vent mounts. So this meant that the bottom holes would have no screws. If the push pin fasteners are removed it would be clear the radiator, but if large compression style fittings are used then you would run into issues with the bump in the case floor.

Looking at the front you can see the how the pattern is off.

With the triple radiator in the top of the case the fittings have to go to the front side of the case due cases rear I/O area. This could be a issue when clearing fittings and tubing around drive bay devices. With the triple radiator in the top, with a push/pull fan setup you will lose the top two 5.25 bays, only the top 5.25 bay if you go with a single pull configuration. With dual 360 radiators, depending on thickness and fan configuration you could lose all of the 5.25 bays.