Introduction
Today we’re going to be looking at the BitFenix Nova – a budget oriented case that is aimed at evolving the definition of inexpensive design. Having a closed off front panel, with only one optical drive, it retains a sleek look, that continues along the top of the case as well. A large side window allows you to view your creation, and is not typically seen on most budget oriented cases. With support for Mini-ITX, Micro ATX, and full sized ATX boards – the diversity of motherboard options in this case is not bad either.
The Nova comes in either a black or a white variant, the latter of which we’ll be looking at today. With the main chassis made from standard steel, and the front panel from plastic; they were able to keep this case at a low price and yet provide a very pleasing overall feel to it. Let’s go ahead and see what this case has to offer us.
BitFenix’s take on the Nova
“Bitfenix Nova delivers style, performance and silence at an incredibly competitive price. Whether you plan to build a basic office, home or gaming system, Nova’s simplistic design, aluminum badge, color options and optional window side panel mean it will blend in perfectly. Long air vents running along the sides of its front, hidden behind sleek mesh strips, provide plenty of airflow to cool the system. And as a result allowed us to keep Novas Top and Front panel completely closed to block fan-noise from escaping the enclosure, and dust from building up inside.”
Packaging and Specifications
The BitFenix Nova comes in a standard cardboard box, with the company and product name displayed prominently.
On the side of the box we see the front of the case, and a few specifications listed off.
Moving to the rear of the box, we can see some of the key features BitFenix wants you to particularly know about.
Specifications
- Colors: Black or White
- Motherboard: ATX, Micro ATX, Mini-ITX (7 expansion slots)
- CPU Cooler: Up to 160mm tall
- GPU: Up to 3200mm long, and up to 140mm tall
- PSU: Up to 220mm long
- 5.25” ODD Slots: 1
- 3.5” HDD Slots: 4
- 2.5” SSD Slots: 2
- Dust Filter: Slide-out PSU
- Cooling Front: 120mm x 2 (optional, not included)
- Cooling Rear: 120mm x 1 (included)
- Radiator Support: 120mm on rear
- I/O: USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 1, HD Audio Microphone & Headphone, Power LED (white), HDD LED (red)
- Dimensions: 183 x 437 x 465 mm
- Materials: Steel, Plastic
- Weight: 10.6 lbs (4.8Kg)
- Special Features: Closed front panel to block noise, front panel side vents for good airflow, large window side panel, pre-installed motherboard stand-offs, rubberized anti-slip case feet, PSU dust filter
Closer Look
Taking the case out of the box, we see a plastic sheet over the window to protect it, and the overall sleek design of this budget oriented case. The weight of the case is surprisingly very light, would make for an ideal LAN case if you had a weight concern, and yet needed a larger tower for some reason.
Turning the case to its side completely, we can see the large window, and black interior.
The front of the case has two USB ports, audio ports, standard buttons you’d find, a single optical drive slot, and the BitFenix logo.
The other side of the case is practically identical to the windowed side, just without the window.
Here is a better look at the optical drive slot, and then the front panel I/O.
Here we can see both sides of the intake on the front panel.
Let’s start to take a look at the finer details of the Nova. Thumbscrews secure both sides of the side panels to the case, and you can see the rear 120mm in this shot as well.
The top of the case is secured with rivets, meaning this will not be easily removed.
Moving to the interior of the case, we can see the front panel connectors, and a small bag of screws that BitFenix included as well.
Here we can see the large CPU cutout, and the 120mm fan (3-pin fan header and molex capable). Due to the top of the case having no fans, you are limited to only a 120mm radiator if you plan to use one at all. 7 expansion slots can also be seen. Another thing to note is the lack of holes for CPU power, or fan headers.
Towards the front of the case we see the optical drive bays, 1 of which has an easy to use securing mechanism for your convenience. The other internal spots can be used for additional HDD storage if required.
Towards the bottom of the front there are 3.5” HDD bays, a total of 4 internal spots are available on this cage.
Towards the back of the motherboard tray, we see a very small amount of cable management room, as well as a lack of options in that department. However, seeing as this is a budget oriented case, this can easily be looked over.
The Build
System components used:
- MSI Z87-GD45 Motherboard
- Intel Core i7-4770K Processor
- Kingston HyperX Fury 16GB 1866MHz DDR3 Memory
- EVGA Nvidia GTX 760 ACX Graphics Card
- Corsair AX750 w/ Sleeved Cables
- Samsung 850 Evo Solid State Drive
Here is the completed system build.
When building the system, one thing that bugged me was the lack of CPU power, this was relatively easily solved with sleeved cables however, as they are able to be flattened enough to be brought behind the motherboard and through the CPU cutout.
The lack of cable management room that I thought would be a problem, really didn’t hinder the build at all. The cables easily were able to be routed where they needed to go, and the back panel went on with ease.
With the graphics card installed, the small panel that BitFenix had atop the expansion slots, would no longer fit. Therefore a little gap ended up being in the rear. The PCI-e slot covers are non-replaceable.
Above the 3.5” HDD cage is a handy location for a SSD, here we have mounted a Samsung 850 Evo.
Here we have an overview of the entire build in the system.
With the side panel on, the HDD cage and optical drives are all but hidden, leaving you with a nice look inside of the case, directed right at your core components.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
The BitFenix Nova was overall easy to work on, aside from the need to fold the CPU power behind the motherboard tray in order to have a tidy interior. With just enough room behind the motherboard tray for cable management, and the ability to support larger modular power supplies, it is something that is rarely seen in a full-sized tower in this price bracket.
With 134 small air holes for intake, a flat front and top panel with minimalistic design principles, and the ability for two front intake fans (ideally static pressure fans, due to restricted airflow), this case offers optimal cooling for the budget oriented gamer.
Combine the aforementioned with its overall weight, I can see this possibly being seen at LAN parties all around the world. Even though the case is light, it does not suffer from drastic chassis flex. With a solid feel to the case with just a few components installed, it does inspire confidence in keeping your hardware safe.
The overall layout of the case is what you’d expect to see these days, with a bottom mounted power supply (with dust filter), an optional optical drive bay (only 1, as the industry leads away from physical media), multiple 3.5” and 2.5” HDD mounting locations, and some cable management options in the rear. We’ve seen far less features available on cases in this price range, you can currently find the BitFenix Nova Non-Windowed Version on Amazon for $74.14 while the BitFenix Nova Windowed Version at $89.00
Pros
- Prominent side window
- Nice thumbscrews
- Low chassis flex
- Lightweight
- Sleek, minimalistic exterior
- Good value
- PSU dust filter
Cons
- Non-replaceable PCI-e covers
- Minimal options for cable management
- No 8-pin CPU cutout
- HDD cage not removable
- Minimal radiator support
