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FRONTPAGE BitFenix Prodigy mITX Case Review
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10XTriplet
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Perfect for a LAN party... Or a home server. I never thought of a mITX to be feature rich or large... This is the first for me...
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Great review Hokie! My only wish for the Prodigy is to have it come in a matx format (On Bitfenix's forums, there was someone that mod'd one to fit matx and it looked sweeeeet); besides that, really a great looking mitx case for under $100.
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Its the perfect case for a custom water loop in a mitx platform too.
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It's the perfect mITX case.
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- Oct 14, 2007
It really is. I've been looking into other mITX cases to review since I got this one. While there are plenty that LOOK good, the functionality this one offers is just leaps and bounds above what the others offer. It's bigger than some SFF cases of course, but the little bit of extra size is a small price to pay for all the Prodigy offers.
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Nice write up as usual, and the case looks amazing!
The size is definitely the only downside for me since it's ITX only. If I was going to go ITX, then small size would obviously be in my mind (or else I wouldn't go ITX), this would make size a major factor in deciding on a case. The TJ08-E and PS07 are a little bigger, but allow for mATX as well. So, I think the case may be a little big for ITX only. Are the Prodigy's legs/handles taken into account in the height measurement?
I'd want a really small case if I was going to build an ITX system since the 6.7" x 6.7" motherboard is the best reason to go with that form factor.
The size is definitely the only downside for me since it's ITX only. If I was going to go ITX, then small size would obviously be in my mind (or else I wouldn't go ITX), this would make size a major factor in deciding on a case. The TJ08-E and PS07 are a little bigger, but allow for mATX as well. So, I think the case may be a little big for ITX only. Are the Prodigy's legs/handles taken into account in the height measurement?
I'd want a really small case if I was going to build an ITX system since the 6.7" x 6.7" motherboard is the best reason to go with that form factor.
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Yes, the handles/legs are included in the measurement. You can actually remove those if you want but there would be a little notch missing in the corner where the side panels meet the case.
This is for overclockers' use of an mITX system. With the Z77 Stinger and P8Z77-I Deluxe bringing mITX more to power users, it's that market I see the Prodigy appealing to.
My big thing is that I don't want to compromise cooling for size. Most mITX/HTPC cases force you to do that. Very few will fit the AIO water cooler I've got in here and zero will fit two 2x120mm radiators like the Prodigy can (you give up storage/ODD for that though). Take water cooling out and try to fit a stronger CPU cooler and more often than not, you'll find yourself in a pickle there too. If they will fit the AIO water cooler (which is small in itself) or a strong air cooler, they're built for a larger form factor - mATX or full ATX.
I might explore some other mITX cases in the future if some good ones come at CES, but they'll have big shoes to fill.
This is for overclockers' use of an mITX system. With the Z77 Stinger and P8Z77-I Deluxe bringing mITX more to power users, it's that market I see the Prodigy appealing to.
My big thing is that I don't want to compromise cooling for size. Most mITX/HTPC cases force you to do that. Very few will fit the AIO water cooler I've got in here and zero will fit two 2x120mm radiators like the Prodigy can (you give up storage/ODD for that though). Take water cooling out and try to fit a stronger CPU cooler and more often than not, you'll find yourself in a pickle there too. If they will fit the AIO water cooler (which is small in itself) or a strong air cooler, they're built for a larger form factor - mATX or full ATX.
I might explore some other mITX cases in the future if some good ones come at CES, but they'll have big shoes to fill.
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That's cool, so the actual part holding the components is smaller, and you have the option to remove the legs/handles if you like. The legs and handles are a defining feature of the Prodigy though, much like they are on the Power Mac G5 case. Something about them just looks so good
I think this is kind of my point as well, the Prodigy seems like a mATX case in size and features, but it only allows for ITX boards. So, why not choose an mATX case that has all the same or more features over the Prodigy? I guess I'm viewing it as a not-as-good mATX case, since only a couple more inches in two dimensions and fewer in the other allows for the mATX option, 2x120 rad without ODD loss, etc. I think you see it more as a beefed ITX case. Two different points of view I guess.
It's still a great case, don't get me wrong. I especially like the horizontal motherboard config
ITX is becoming more popular, so I really hope there will be new ITX cases at CES.
10XTriplet
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Who makes the AIO water cooler? Too bad you did not list it in the equipment you used...
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Asetek made it. Intel rebranded it. The same thing applies to every single AIO cooler out there.
10XTriplet
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Awesome... how does one buy that one if I wanted it? I did not see any model number listed...
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Youd be better off buying a corsair H80. This thing is around the cooling level of the H60 but costs $100 because it says Intel on it.
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I'm pretty sure this is it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835203006
Compatible with LGA2011/1155/1156/1366
If I was looking for an AIO, I'd go with a H80 or H100 though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835203006
Compatible with LGA2011/1155/1156/1366
If I was looking for an AIO, I'd go with a H80 or H100 though.
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I actually saw a Prodigy case over the weekend and was surprised how big it is. The handles are definitely tough and are handy, but I was expecting something smaller than the SG09. I'm still keeping my fingers crosses Bitfenix comes out with a matx case; hopefully sooner than later.
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- Oct 14, 2007
Yep, that's the one. Good to see they've come down off the price a bit. Agreed on H80 or H100.
Nope, this was the cooler Intel sent with the 3960X in the event the reviewers didn't have one for socket 2011. I didn't use it since I review all CPUs under our water loop (we are Overclockers.com after all
). It has been collecting dust in the shop until this build. Here's Intel's slide with the specifications. The fan can get loud when it's going full bore. It's PWM though, so you can control it down to near silence. I think it's a bit loud for a 74CFM-rated fan TBH.
EDIT - 10XTriplet, here is the full system spec list:
- CPU: Intel i5 3570K
- Cooler: Intel BXRTS2011LC
- MB: EVGA Z77 Stinger
- RAM: 8GB G.Skill RipjawsX, DDR3-2133 / 9-11-9-24
- GPU: EVGA GTX 660
- SSD Cache Drive: OCZ Vertex 2 120GB
- Main OS Drive: Seagate 1TB
- Extra Storage: Western Digital 500GB
- ODD: LITE-ON 12x BD-ROM + DVD-R/RW
- PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro 600W
- Case: BitFenix Prodigy
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Someone at OCN asked how much this would be. Some of my parts are older, so I chose roughly equivalent current parts on Newegg and put a cart together.
Grand total: $1,163.90 (without OS)
Grand total: $1,163.90 (without OS)
10XTriplet
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- Aug 20, 2012
The H80 will fit in that case? I bought it because of your review... with a 3770K...
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