A Closer Look - Outside

The first thing of note is the Pandora's slimness. It is one of the narrowest mATX towers we have had the pleasure of reviewing in recent times. The smooth and shiny front has been lined with a plastic piece, as it easily scratches up otherwise.


Due to the lack of an optical drive bay, BitFenix was essentially able to slim the chassis down to the width of the widest component, which is the PSU. The two 2 mm thick aluminum panels wrap around the front, leaving about two visible inches inside of which the LCD panel has been put. A separate aluminum frame in the rear adds to the chassis' overall design. As you can see, the interior of the Pandora is all-black, and the PSU bay is in the bottom of the interior.


Out of the box, both sides are completely solid. In terms of quality, the brushing of the aluminum is very well done, but the first panels we received with the chassis had a lot of blemishes and dents along their edges. Upon letting BitFenix know, the company actually went out of its way to ship me the final production panels, which are of the quality one would expect.


As there is nothing of interest in the front while the system is turned off, let us focus on to the rear of the Pandora. The PSU bay in the bottom comes with two sets of mounting holes. Considering how slim the chassis is, you will need a narrow screwdriver to get the right angle. It would have been nifty of BitFenix to include the same hexagonal screws they advertise to secure the expansion cards. Speaking of which, those are covered by a plastic cover next to the five expansion slots, so you have one extra slot for such things as a fan controller or other PCI brackets. All the way in the top are an opening for the motherboard backplate and an air vent, next to it.


BitFenix placed the I/O into the top of the case. It consists of two USB 3.0 and the usual audio plugs. To the left and right are the power and reset buttons - both of which are rather large. A metal-mesh panel covers the rest of the top. It is easily removed since you will not have to unscrew any screws. Doing so reveals the single 120 mm fan mount in the rear and the 3.5" HDD placement possibility in the front.


Tipping the chassis over, there is not only a dust filter that protects the PSU bay's intake vent, but also another for the front. Unfortunately, the dust filter in the front is not held in place properly, so it may come loose if you move the chassis around quickly, or forcefully.