INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Whether we admit it or not the very first thing we all take into account just before we buy something is the appearance factor and so if we don't like the way something looks in all likelihood we are going to skip it and try to find a more suitable/better looking candidate. However sometimes we need to prioritize the things we want most from a product and so especially when we're on a tight budget it's more likely that we will choose features and performance over appearance. Our friends over at Bitfenix are well aware of this and although they launched their brand name with two rather high end PC cases (Colossus/Survivor) for the past year they've been manufacturing low-cost yet feature-rich solutions without emphasizing on appearance. The Outlaw by BitFenix is one such PC Case and today we will be taking a closer look at it.

 

   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.

 

   Just like the Shinobi or the Raider the Outlaw packs an impressive price/features ratio which is certainly what will attract casual users and gamers the most. Overall the Bitfenix Outlaw is with ease one the best sub USD50/40Euros PC Cases currently in the market and to be honest with all of you i did not ever expect to see such a low-cost PC case feature an inverted mainboard space. That basically means that instead of the usual configuration (top rear I/O, middle PCIex, bottom PSU) this time over the mainboard is placed upside down (top PCIex, middle rear I/O, bottom PSU). But once again such reviews are pretty much based on what you can see (pictures) so let's take a closer look at the BitFenix Outlaw PC Case.

 

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Outlaw arrived packed inside a plain cardboard box with a large BitFenix logo on the front placed right above the current model name.

 

 

The model serial number is printed on a sticker at the right side.

 

 

A drawing of the Outlaw along with the specifications table is placed over at the left side.

 

 

The features of the Outlaw PC case are highlighted with the help of 3 drawings at the rear of the box.

 

 

Two thick Styrofoam spacers and a plastic bag protect the case during shipping.

 

 

The Outlaw comes with a quick installation guide, panel lock, 10 wire straps, case sticker and 4 small plastic bags with all the necessary installation screws.

 

 

 

THE OUTLAW EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The design of the Outlaw has clean lines and the case comes in black matte color coated with the soft touch rubber material by Bitfenix.

 

 

The right side panel of the Outlaw is quite plain without any kind of window or fan space.

 

 

The front fascia is nothing to be excited over but thanks to the soft touch rubber material it looks a lot better than it would without it.

 

 

There are three 5.25" drive bay available at the front of the Outlaw.

 

 

Several intake grills are placed on both the sides and the lower front fascia (for the interior fans).

 

 

As you can see there are two 120mm fan mounting spots behind the front fascia.

 

 

The top houses the I/O panel which includes the on/off power button, reset button 4x USB 2.0 ports, activity/power LED’s and the typical headphones/microphone audio ports.

 

 

At the rear of the top you can install a total of two 120mm exhaust fans.

 

 

Now here's the twist. It seems that you can access the interior of the Outlaw from the left side panel and not the right one.

 

 

Here you can either install two 120mm or two 140mm intake fans.

 

 

The rear of the Outlaw also features the same black matte paint.

 

 

So as mentioned before this time over the 7 PCI expansion slots (secured with the help of normal thumbscrews) are placed at the top right next to two holes for water cooling use.

 

 

A 120mm exhaust fan is placed right beneath the PCI expansion slots.

 

 

The PSU spot is as usual present at the base of the case.

 

 

Both panels are held in place with rubber coated thumbscrews.

 

 

Turning the case over we see 4 round rubber feet, the PSU fan intake grill, an extra 120mm intake fan grill and four holes for use with an 2.5" SSD.

 

 

 

THE OUTLAW INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As expected the side panels don't feature any kind of noise absorbing coating.

 

 

The interior comes with the same matte black finish as the rest of the case.

 

 

None of the four 5.25" drive bays features a tool-less mechanism, however you can install every drive with the provided thumbscrews.

 

 

You can install a total of four 3.5" drives inside the Outlaw (again with thumbscrews) which is not as good as with let's say the Shinobi model (although i doubt most people will even use the 4 spots).

 

 

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

 

 

The rear 120mm exhaust fan is rather plain and comes without a protective grill.

 

 

The PSU space features 6 small round rubber feet which should for the installation of even the largest (longer) PSUs (assuming you don't install a bottom 120mm fan).

 

 

There isn't much space at the other side for cable management but it's better than many other PC cases out there.

 

 

 

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.

It may be a long shot but you can probably even mount an E-ATX factor mainboard inside the Outlaw.

 

 

There's also plenty of space for large CPU Coolers such as the Zalman CNPS9900 MAX which in our case aligned perfectly with the rear 120mm exhaust fan.

 

 

It's quite obvious that you will not be able to use a long mGPU solution with the Outlaw.

 

 

It's good to see that you can mount even the longest PSU on the bottom of the Outlaw without issue.

 

 

 

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 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       The Outlaw is the 3rd low-cost PC Case I’ve received from Bitfenix to date after the Raider and the Shinobi window before that so in a way i wasn't surprised to see that they managed to keep the build quality of the unit at very good levels while at the same time they squeezed a large number of features in it without really increasing the cost. So basically we have an midi tower PC case with a rather spacious interior (still not as spacious as other similar solutions), space to install up to 8 fans (8x120 or 6x120/2x140), tool-less design, 4 USB 2.0 ports (they should be replaced with 3.0 ones soon) and an inverted mainboard space which means that the hot air coming from the mainboard and the graphics card(s) will not pass from the CPU on their way out (from the top). Of course the Outlaw comes with just 1 pre-installed fan and not enough space for mGPU cards but for a PC case with its price tag i think we can all agree that we can't have it all.

 

   Currently the BitFenix Outlaw retails for around USD48.99 inside the USA and 39.90Euros inside the EU (Caseking) a price tag that puts it even lower than the Shinobi/Raider variants. Certainly the Outlaw offers just the basics of what any PC Case should but it does so with a very low price tag and in the end that's what matters for most "regular" consumers who are not after the extra features found with more expensive PC Cases. So after all of the things mentioned in this review i can't think of a really bad thing to say about the BitFenix Outlaw and that's why it walks away with our Golden Award. All that's left now is to see a really ultra-High End PC Case by BitFenix which i hope is not far away (although i did say the same roughly 1 year ago). 

 PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Good Airflow / Up to 8 Fans
- Inverted Mainboard Space
- Price/Features Ratio

 

 

CONS

- Only 1 Pre-Installed Fan (For Some)