Date: November 30th, 2010
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited By: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Bitfenix
 <--CLICK FOR DEALS ON A GAMING COMPUTER CASE IN THE UNITED STATES
 <--CLICK FOR DEALS ON A GAMING COMPUTER CASE IN CANADA
PRODUCT PICTORIAL AND WALKTHROUGH (cont'd)
Up top, a small door slides open to reveal the front I/O panel. From left to right the Survivor features a large power button, small reset button and a large lighting button that toggles the LED effects on and off. A pair of USB 3.0 ports is augmented by a pair of USB 2.0 ports followed by the familiar audio jacks sockets, an e-SATA port and a pair of system activity LEDs. The Survivor Core lacks the lighting switch and trades the USB 3.0 functionality for an additional pair of USB 2.0 ports. Twin meshed areas at the rear provide ventilation for another 200mm red LED fan, this one configured as an exhaust. Seem a little skimpy, areawise, but we'll see. Between the mesh panels…
…is the handle and its clever fold-away design. BitFenix may have a few tweaks for this feature up their sleeves before they release the Survivor. In its present state, the mechanism works nicely and features a sliding lock to keep the top member deployed, and a small catch built into the top panel keeps it stowed out of the way until needed.
The bottom of the chassis features rubber feet and a PSU filter with a washable element, but is otherwise rather plain.
The rear of the Survivor is relatively conventional with the addition of some grommetted tubing access holes and an egress hole for the USB 3.0 cables, also provided with a grommet. There is no rear fan included, but the user can install an 80mm or 120mm fan in the placement provided. Seven expansion bays with mesh covers and a universal PSU mounting opening round out the rear panel features. Both side panels are secured with a pair of large thumbscrews, but to remove the panels both the top and bottom curved accents need to come off of the case as well. The red arrows indicate the screw access holes in the bottom accent piece and there are two more in the top piece. Depending on how often a potential customer may require access to the interior, this could be a potential deal-breaker. Both side panels are plain with no fan placements or other interruptions and the SofTouch finish extends to the panels as well.
|
