The BitFenix Outlaw - A Different Take at Entry-level
BitFenix challenges the commonly held notion that entry-level means barebones. Their new Outlaw mid-tower casing boasts a few unusual features including an inverted motherboard design and SofTouch surface treatment so read on to see if this is something for your next rig.
Challenging Preconceived Notions
Considering it was established only in 2010, BitFenix is one of the newest players in the PC hardware industry. But before you think they were started by people who didn’t know better, the main people heading BitFenix were actually on the team that first launched the Cooler Master Storm series of computer chassis.
Their gigantic full tower Colossus casing was the first product from the fledging company that we reviewed and we found it to be an excellent enthusiast grade casing packing lots of features for its price. That particular casing has definitely helped BitFenix make inroads to the casing market in a big way because of its interesting characteristics that garnered media attention such as ourselves. They've since used the advantage gained from the Colossus to launch a series of other casings.
Offering bang for buck seems to be an ongoing theme with BitFenix’s offerings and one of their latest casings is the Outlaw. While the Outlaw is an entry-level casing targeted at budget-conscious users, BitFenix assures, there’s nothing cut-price or entry-level about the features it offers. Amongst its many features, some touted by BitFenix are its special SofTouch Surface treatment, inverted motherboard tray design and abundant cooling options. We spent some time with this relatively new case to bring you opinions of how it fares against other more established options, so head to the next page for more details. The casing's full specifications can be found here.
Entry-level needn't be barebones and the BitFenix Outlaw packs quite a few interesting features for a casing of its price.
External Design
Aesthetically, the Outlaw is mostly nondescript save for the use of BitFenix’s own SofTouch Surface treatment on the front panel, which gives it a rubbery feel and matte look. It’s a nice touch which makes the casing look and feel more expensive then it really is. And despite being an entry-level casing, the Outlaw also feels sturdy and solid.
The various front panel I/O ports are located on the top panel and the Outlaw gives you four USB 2.0 ports, the standard headphones and microphone jacks, as well as power and reset buttons. USB 3.0 ports would certainly have been better, but considering the entry-level nature and low price of the Outlaw, it’s understandable why they aren’t included.
Over at the rear, the Outlaw is pretty standard fare but with the I/O panel and rear fan switched in position because of the chassis’ inverted motherboard layout. Considering that the PSU is also located at the bottom of the case as has been for many new casings, the entire setup from the rear looks as if the original ATX casing design had been flipped around. We share more about this layout style in the next page. Air-cool options are aplenty on all directions so it's not a concern for the inverted motherboard layout. However, there's only one exhaust fan supplied by default on this casing.
For front panel connectivity, the Outlaw offers four USB 2.0 ports (no USB 3.0 sadly) and the usual power/reset buttons, headphones and microphone jacks.
On the top panel there are cutouts to accommodate two 120mm exhaust fans. There's no dust filters however.
On the left panel there's cutouts for an additional two 120mm or 140mm cooling fans. Again, dust filters are not provided.
The rear panel is pretty standard fare with the exception of the unusual placement of the expansion slots and I/O panel. Note the two grommets for liquid cooling setups.
Internal Design
The BitFenix Outlaw shakes thing up internally by having an inverted motherboard tray design. That is, the expansion slots are placed higher up the casings as opposed to the I/O ports and the CPU area. This, BitFenix explains, is because such a layout keeps the graphics cards closer to top of the chassis for improved cooling (the case has dual top fan exhaust vents) Couple that with the importance of GPU power over CPU these days, the layout seems to be evolving with times where GPUs are one of the biggest power drawing components and one of the hottest around, surpassing what CPUs demand these days.
Further to that, BitFenix also mentions most users have only a single optical drive these days, making it more convenient for users to install larger or multiple graphics cards. Practically speaking, this is true if you are only going to have a single optical drive. If you have two, installing a second graphics card for CrossFire or SLI is going to be tricky. However, considering that is more probable for one to have multiple hard drives as opposed to optical drives, BitFenix’s unorthodox layout does make some sense. One other small upside of the design is that it allows having the graphics card face up so that it's more visible (for some who like to flaunt their goods).
Installation is pretty straightforward as the BitFenix Outlaw eschews mounting racks for good old thumbscrews. Obviously, this is a cost-cutting move, and while the thumbscrews are easy enough to use, it does make installing 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch devices a tad more tedious, because you have to use thumbscrews on both sides of the casing to ensure a secure fit. To add, while BitFenix lists a 2.5-inch bay in the specifications, in reality it is not strictly a bay to speak since 2.5-inch devices such as SSD are installed by mounting directly to the bottom of the casing by means of screws.
Installing the motherboard required the use of regular standoffs and screws so you’ll need your screwdriver here. And it’s bit disorienting at first because of the inverted layout of the board, but you’ll get used to it soon enough. Overall, installation is mostly straightforward but tedious because of the number of thumbscrews you have to fasten in place.
As for cable management, there's no space behind the motherboard tray so you'll have to tread cables through the front. Thankfully, there's a compartment just beside the HDD bays that allows for users to stuff their excess cables into.
A look at the internals of the Outlaw. Note the position of the CPU cutout in its inverted motherboard layout.
3.5-inch devices such as your hard drives are installed using their thumbscrews. Note that you have to fasten screws on both sides, making installation tedious. Also, BitFenix provides anti-vibration pads, but only on two of the four bays.
Optical drives are installed by way fastening thumbscrews too. There's eight to fasten (four on each sides), making installation really tedious. But we reckon most would just use four.
Expansion slots have slot covers that need to be bashed out. Also, good old screws are required to install your PCI/PCIe devices.
A look at the Outlaw with the major components installed. Note the inverted motherboard layout. Also, there's sufficient space to accommodate our 11-inch Radeon HD 3870 X2. And if you are going to be sticking with a single optical drive, 2-way CrossFire or SLI setups are going to be possible too.
A Decent Attempt
Has BitFenix successfully challenged the commonly held notion that entry-level equals barebones and that compromises or cost-cutting measures must be made? Well, yes and no.
The one thing the BitFenix has going for it is that it is pretty feature-packed for a casing costing less than US$50. The inverted motherboard tray design is unique and makes sense considering most users have multiple hard drives rather than optical drives. Forget about the super power users who might stuff 3.5-inch drive bays with business-class storage RAID racks because this case was aimed at the mainstream DIY folks. We also like that the BitFenix has provisions to accommodate many more cooling fans, although, sadly, only a single exhaust fan was provided. Lastly, the overall feel of the casing is solid and sturdy; and the use of SofTouch treatment on the front panel is nice touch as it gives the chassis a more premium look and feel.
Having said that, there’s some aspect of the BitFenix Outlaw that didn’t quite convince us that cost-cutting measures weren’t involved. For one, we weren’t fans of the number of thumbscrews required to install the storage drives. Clearly, the decision to exclude easier-to-use mounting racks is one to keep costs down. Having said that, we were sort of thankful that thumbscrews were provided and not the even more basic screws that would have surely irritated any modern DIY builder. Also, we are not fans of the expansion slot covers that need to bashed out and are irreplaceable because they make the casing unsightly. In terms of functionality, we would have really liked to see at least a single USB 3.0 front panel port in this day and age, but the Outlaw stuck to four normal USB 2.0 ports.
All things considered, despite the tedious installation process and bash out expansion slot covers, the BitFenix Outlaw is pretty outstanding value for money.
Therefore, based on our findings, the BitFenix Outlaw is a bit of a mixed bag. We liked that it has a spacious interior for accommodating large graphics cards, however, we were a bit disappointed at some of the cost-cutting measures they employed. However, considering its sub-US$50 price tag, the Outlaw does represent very good value for money for its good implementation and it's certainly a chassis we would recommend checking out if you are on a tight budget.
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