INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   A few days ago while i was out with a some colleagues one of them pointed out to me that we haven't really focused in PC case reviews, at least not as much as we should have based on the how many get released per year. Well i have to admit that i was left quite puzzled since in just 11 months of online presence we've reviewed a grand total of 16 PC cases which at least for me is not a very small number especially since it's not our only focus group. Still just in case some of our readers feel the same we have put in several requests for some of the latest PC Cases to hit the market and hopefully we will deliver most of those reviews by the end of March (and just in time for our 1 year birthday). So today on the table we have the latest Ghost Midi Tower PC Case by BitFenix.

 

   Focused on combining superior design with the latest advances in technology, BitFenix creates state-of-the-art computer hardware and peripherals that blur the line between man and machine. Users shouldn't have to adjust themselves to the way their hardware works. So, we strive to put the user in complete control of his hardware, so that it functions as an extension of his will, and not as another variable he has to compensate for. In the heat of battle, the user should not have to worry about the state of his equipment, which is why BitFenix products are engineered to perform under even the most extreme conditions. No matter how taxing the situation, users can rely on the strength of BitFenix products to perform as they are intended. Finally, BitFenix is about performance. In the top levels of competition, the difference between first and second place can be razor-thin, which means that every advantage counts. BitFenix is about making high-performing products that give users an edge. BitFenix is the result of the collaboration of several veterans in both the technology and gaming industries. From the same minds behind some of technology’s most venerable products, our goal is to create products that grant the user the utmost control, strength, and performance to complete their computing tasks. We understand that some of the most innovative and novel concepts come from the community itself, which is why we take great steps to listen to the needs of our users and develop optimal ways to integrate their ideas into our products. By working closely with the global community, BitFenix is able to engineer solutions that directly address the needs of our users. Combining a deep understanding of gaming and other high-demand computing applications with superior engineering and design know-how, the BitFenix team is dedicated to creating the go-to computing products and peripherals for those who refuse to quit.

 

   I don't know if many of you recall but BitFenix made a very strong entrance to the world of PC cases with their quite impressive Colossus Full Tower PC Case roughly over 2 years ago which was welcomed very warmly by enthusiasts and gamers alike. Unfortunately since then Bitfenix has yet to release anything that comes even close to the size and features of the Colossus so when they announced the Ghost a few months back i was really hoping that this would be the one. As it turns out however i was wrong and so the Ghost is yet another mid-end midi tower aimed solely towards people who may want a good number of features paired with good build quality and design but are not really willing (or simply can't afford) to spend much for a PC Case. So let's move on with the review to see exactly what the latest Ghost Midi Tower has to offer.

 

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As usual Bitfenix packs the tower inside a plain cardboard box with a large BitFenix logo on the front placed right above the model name.

 

 

The color, serial number and barcode are printed on a sticker at the right side.

 

 

A drawing of the Ghost right above the specifications table is placed over at the left side.

 

 

The features of the tower are showcased via 3 drawings at the rear of the box.

 

 

Two thick Styrofoam spacers and a plastic bag protect the case inside the box.

 

 

Inside the tower itself you will find an quick installation guide, 4 long rubber grommets (for the cable management holes), top hot-swap SATA cover, 4 rubber feet for the PSU area and a plastic bag with all the necessary installation screws.

 

 

 

 

 

THE GHOST EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The design of the Ghost is quite simple and reminds us of several other cases in the market, unfortunately however this time over Bitfenix didn't use their soft-touch rubber material.

 

 

The right side panel of the Ghost features only a handle at the rear much like most cases by Bitfenix.

 

 

The front fascia is made by hard plastic and also has two long vertical intake grilles on both sides.

 

 

A rather small Bitfenix logo is placed at the lowest end of the front fascia.

 

 

By default the front door opens from right to left but thanks to the removable hinges you can change that.

 

 

The door comes with a somewhat thick layer of noise dampening material (Serenitek).

 

 

There are three 5.25" and one 1.44" drive bays available.

 

 

Right beneath the drive bays we see a large perforated section.

 

 

The perforated section can be easily removed to reveal two 120mm fan spots (you can install one 140mm instead of two 120mm ones) behind it one of which is already occupied.

 

 

The I/O panel is placed at the top and includes the on/off power button, reset button, 2x USB 2.0 ports, 2x USB 3.0 ports, activity/power LED’s and the typical earphones/microphone audio ports.

 

 

Right above the I/O panel Bitfenix has placed a small compartment which doubles as an 3.5"/2.5" HDD SATA docking station (S4).

 

 

At the rear of the top we see another large perforated section underneath which you can mount either a 240mm radiator, one 230mm fan, one 200mm fan or two 140/120mm fans.

 

 

As expected the rear is also black matte.

 

 

A 120mm exhaust fan is already mounted at the rear right above 3 water cooling grommets.

 

 

The Ghost offers the basic 7 PCI expansion slots as most midi towers (a Kensington lock is placed next to them).

 

 

The PSU as usual gets mounted at the base of the tower.

 

 

Unfortunately the panels are held in place with normal thumbscrews and not rubber coated ones.

 

 

At the bottom of the case we see 4 rubber feet, a long air-filter and two rails used to install Alchemy LED strips (sold separately).

 

 

 

 

 

THE GHOST INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was surprised to see that BitFenix has placed noise-dampening material (Serenitek) on the interior of both side panels.

 

 

The interior comes with the same matte black finish as the rest of the case and it looks quite spacious (although nothing exciting).

 

 

All three 5.25" drive bays feature a rather basic tool-less mechanism.

 

 

Right beneath them we see the 1.44" floppy bay and three 2.5" drive trays.

 

 

There's also room for a total of four 3.5" drives in the Ghost.

 

 

We've seen better drive trays in the past but for the price of the Ghost these are just fine.

 

 

The mainboard tray features 4 rather large cable management holes and a very large hole right beneath the CPU area for easy swapping of backplates.

 

 

Since there's plenty of space at the other side for cable management having such large holes makes sense.

 

 

The rear 120mm exhaust fan comes without a protective grill so pay extra attention when placing cables near it.

 

 

All 7 PCI expansion slots can be secured in place via normal screws.

 

 

The PSU space features 4 small spots where you can place the supplied rubber feet and a 120/140mm fan space right next to that.

 

 

As mentioned before at the top you can either mount a radiator or several fans.

 

 

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a fully working system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

The Ghost is not as large as i was hoping but it does leave room to spare when mounting a regular ATX mainboard.

 

 

There's also plenty of room for even the largest CPU Coolers (much bigger than the Zalman CNPS9900 MAX).

 

 

By default the Ghost can accommodate graphics cards up to 330mm in length, however if you remove the side of the 2.5" drive cage you will have space for cards up to 420mm in length.

 

 

You can use even the longest PSU available only if you choose not to mount an 120/140mm fan.

 

 

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically ontop of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller.

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Although initially the Ghost didn't really impress us (perhaps because we thought it would be a high-end PC case) in the end it does come with quite a few interesting features that make it a very good overall choice for people on a rather tight budget. It has a satisfactory build quality level (it could however be better), there's plenty of room for an 240mm radiator at the top, it has room for a total of up to 6 fans (comes with two pre-installed ones), the Serenitek noise-dampening material keeps audio levels to a minimum, the front door can be made to open either from the left or the right (via the removable hinges), the top SATA docking station is quite a convenient addition and finally there's plenty of room inside for most configurations possible.

 

   Judging by the history of BitFenix (so far) the Ghost was always ment to be a mid-level feature-rich midi tower solution for people on a tight budget and that's exactly what it is since currently you can find it at USD79.99 inside the USA (NCIX) and 85Euros inside the EU (Overclockers.co.uk). Now I’m perfectly aware that people on a really tight budget may consider the price as a bit high but the Ghost has enough features to justify it and then some. Sure it is far from perfect as we have pointed out through ought the review but it has a very balanced price/features ratio and since that matters most with PC Cases that's why it gets our Golden Award.

 

PROS

- Design
- Top 240mm Radiator Spot
- Up To 6 Fans
- Two Pre-installed Fans
- Adjustable Door
- Serenitek Noise-Dampening Material
- S4 Top Docking Station
- Interior Space (CPU Coolers & Graphics Cards)
- Price (For Some) 

 

 

CONS

- Build Quality Could Be Better