A Closer Look - Inside

Simply remove the thumbscrews holding each panel in place and pull the panels off to access the interior. The BitFenix Shadow's interior is all black and features a very simple and basic layout. While it reminds us of the interior of the Shinobi, which is just as simple, it does come with a full mid-tower-sized frame and a better construction quality. There is virtually no space behind the motherboard tray of the Shadow—it only offers a little line down the side of the motherboard tray with about 15 mm of room.


You may place a 2.5" drive on the floor of the chassis because of the four bumps there. Above that are the seven 3.5" drive bays. Each of these uses a one-sided plastic-locking mechanism. This mechanism is completely OEM and does not even feature BitFenix branding. The same goes for the three locks in the very top of the chassis which are suppose to hold 5.25" devices in place. We can say out of experience that these types of locks do not hold well at all, especially if completely out of plastic.


The bottom-mounted PSU bay in the rear comes with a dust filter to keep grime out of the chassis and the power supply. It can be removed, but only if you take things apart and pull out the PSU. Above that are the aforementioned seven expansion slots and the 120 mm exhaust fan. There are holes to route water-cooling tubes out the back as well, but BitFenix does not supply any rubber grommets.


Another dust filter has been placed on the floor of the chassis, where you may install another cooling unit. This particular location can also hold a 120 mm fan.


All the cables within the Shadow are sleeved black and of the standard variety. A SATA power cable supplies the LED array in the front of the chassis with juice.