Hardware BitFenix Colossus Review

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2010/09/14/bitfenix-colossus-review/1

 

Could have been bigger, tbh

 

I can imagine a lot of slick WC rigs using this as their home, great start for BitFenix.

..Shame about how much stock cooling sucks though.

 

This is pretty much a perfect start for a WC rig so it's absolutely stunning they didn't include mounting holes for radiators in the top.

Shame about the cooling, nice lighting but then again, I don't like my PC glowing brighter than my Christmas tree.

 

I hope they sort the cooling in a revised model. Great looking stat from them which suggests they ought to do well. Very pretty case

 

I'm intrigued as to where the intake is supposedd to draw air from. Good looking case let down by it's practicality.

 

Not really a fan of the looks - and I have a NZXR M59!

 

How is this a good rig for WC? I don't really see anywhere for radiators, no room behind the front fan(even if there were 120mm mounts), only mountings for 1 120mm in the roof, side panels out of the question, and a single 140mm at the rear. I'm not starting an argument, just don't understand where your coming from. I am looking for a new watercooling case and this looks beautiful, but where can I fit 2 double or triple rads in this case?

 

guess no window mods then...


I first spotted this case on OCUK preorder and thought dam that's expensive for a fugly case. But its exactly what some poeple want. I never thought people would buy the Antec 900 with its **** blue lights, boy did i get my demographic wrong!

 

I know that you only test cases with stock cooling, but could you rerun the test with the 140 fan added. The case is nice, but those performance numbers are dreadful. No support for WC, horrible air cooling, how can this even get a 5/10 on the cooling mark???

 

The stock cooling only test has been a discusion for a long time. Maybe if you do stock and full cooling tests...

And about the case... it has some things that I like, but I don't like the looks and the lak for top WC radiator holes (rather buy a Phantom); it's a great start TBH.

 

The lights are stupid, its a PC case, not a hazard warning bollard.

 

So the one area, cooling, which is THE most important consideration to enthusiast owners, is the one aspect at which this case falls down...

Doh!!!....

 

[poor] cooling,
Stupid lights,
Awful looks,

I won't be rushing to get one!!

 

Personally I don't think it looks very good, but the main issue I have with this case is the fan setup. Cases that come with stock fans optimised for silence rather than airflow are all well and good but only if said fans can be replaced.

The poor stock cooling of the Fractal Design Define R2, for example, is easily fixed with a few new 120 or 140mm fans. Up to seven high quality fans can be installed in various locations, and while this represents a fair investment, it does transform the case into an air cooling monster that can compete with the top air cooled cases on the market without the same unfortunate looks. Adding a fan controller to this setup allows the choice between excellent airflow and supreme silence, with those quality fans you chose combining with the sound insulation built into the case to create blissful silence, which is great while you're just browsing the web or using photoshop.

The Colossus on the other hand has made a fatal mistake. The stock fans are large, yes, but they're also slow, yet there isn't an easy way to replace them. The result is the same as with the Fractal Design cases; terrible stock cooling though with silence as a bonus, but without the R2's upgradability. What Bitfenix really should have done is include enough fan mounts for a plethora of aftermarket fans to be installed as the user chooses. The other option would have been to include a fan controller for the stock fans and make sure they can spin up to much higher speeds when at full voltage. With the design as it is, stock cooling is poor and the prospects for improving it are practically non-existent. Water cooling potential has already been discussed a fair amount above and it's sad to see the story is much the same there.

I am left wondering who this case was designed for, and can only conclude it must be for graphic designers who want to build their own PC rather than buy a mac. Their relatively low and non-sequential power requirements mean overheating won't be an issue, while the low noise and stand-out-from-the-crowd looks might turn a few heads.

 

and still 1 year on there's no sign of a Corsair Obsidian 800D / 700D case review?
Any idea when that will happen

 

So the case is absolutely abysmal at cooling (which is pretty much the only function a case has), yet it gets a positive score because it looks pretty?

 

As you say, the 800D is an old product so why would we need to take a look at it? We'll have something on this front soon though - stay tuned.

Surely a case's main function is to stop things falling into or onto the PC and killing it?

Flippancy aside, cooling is something that can be enhanced relatively cheaply while modding a case to do even some of the things that this case does (the lockable cubbyhole, for example) would take loads of cash even if you had the skill. Hopefully that explains our position on the Colossus.

 

My thoughts exactly, and as for its looks I can only say that it looks like something assembled by Lego.

All the talk of it being the perfect starting point for watercooling is total nonsense! Sure it has hose holes with grommets but that's it, and anyway how many people actually utilize those? An interior build is the order of the day for most water cooled PC's.

Without radiator mounts/rails as standard then they are moot points!

Cooling can be enhanced relatively cheaply yes, but a cases inability to cool well enough is a major flaw. As for the cubby hole well the last place I want to store anything of value is inside my high spec computer.

With case design being so subjective you may need to review your scoring criteria. Features & Cooling are all easily quantifiable, design is not!

Scoring a case on design should perhaps be a new community feature, where we all score it based on our opinion. Not everyone wants a case that looks like something made by Lego, or bought in Mothercare.

We do all want a case with lot's of features, and great cooling. If you implement a scoring system where we, the community score it then we can make more informed buying decisions. As a website you then see trends in terms of types of cases the community are interested in, so you can make informed choices about what to review. Feed this back to the hardware vendors and they can design cases for the community, which in return will increase sales.

 

Was wondering about this case before I got my Haf "X" thank god I made the right choice and got my HAF "X"