BitFenix Shogun Review 3

BitFenix Shogun Review

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Value & Conclusion

  • The BitFenix Shogun sells for US$159 excl. taxes or just below €150 incl. taxes.
  • Very good build quality
  • Excellent use of materials
  • Glass side panels with different levels of tint
  • Cool LED-equipped SSD bracket
  • Support trays for GPUs
  • Lots of space for cable management
  • Extension plate for motherboard tray to accommodate the E-ATX form factor is included
  • Tool-less HDD trays
  • Can hold a total of 11 hard drives
  • Plenty of space for large CPU coolers
  • Long PSUs will fit nicely
  • Excellent liquid-cooling possibilities
  • RGB LED elements may be controlled via the chassis or the software of a compatible motherboard
  • Velcro strips for cable management
  • Weird front design - separate piece offers no functionality
  • Plastic elements in SSD panel not very stylish
  • GPU holds made out of plastic
  • Metal mesh in front cover doesn't fold inward, which increases the risk of cutting yourself
  • Overall design pretty, well, let's just say different?
The Bitfenix Shogun won't win any design contests. However, that may be overlooked considering the excellent use of a material mix on the exterior. The rounded panels are made out of metal, while the two glass panels fit nicely despite their unique shape.

Bitfenix tries to introduce a unique feature set when it comes to the interior of the chassis. For the most part, the layout is quite traditional, but instead of using a shroud to cover the PSU area, the Shogun offers a bracket for two SSDs. These even come equipped with RGB LED strips that may be controlled directly by the software of an ASUS AURA motherboard (or any other brand with a 4-pin LED header). For those who lack such, Bitfenix also provides a button to cycle through all the different lighting modes.

The most interesting feature is the fact that you are able to remove the front drives and extend the motherboard tray to allow for E-ATX boards within a fairly compact chassis of this size, while still having plenty of space to add several storage drives and go for potent liquid cooling both in the ceiling and the front of the case.

If you do not need that extra space, you may use it to hold up your graphics cards with included "plates". They are made out of plastic and flex a little bit, but do their job quite well. However, it would have been nice to see a more intricate, steel-based implementation here.

With all the nice extras, like its tool-less 3.5" drive bays, Velcro strips for cable management, plenty of space, and asymmetrical window design, the Shogun makes a great overall impression even if it does not look much like its namesake.

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Dec 10th, 2024 09:33 EST change timezone

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