Final Thoughts

So there you have it. The new Chieftec BX Series Cases in a flash. Waddaya think of it? So let's recap on the things we've seen...

Bezel Design
Chieftec does away with the curvaceous look of the Dragon series and comes out with this new conservative and flat bezel. I actually like this new design although I really don't fancy the cheesy "finger" picture thingy on the bezel door. Anyway, it's a matter of personal preferences. ... If you dun like it, there's two other designs to choose from. It's interchangeable so you can mix and match to your liking.

Front USB, Firewire and Audio Jacks
Chieftec introduced this feature on their Matrix case and it was a welcomed changed infact with the myriads of USB and Firewire devices. It makes it easy to plug them in and out. But I didn't like the location of the ports... again the keyword here is "I", not "we", so you might like it. :oP With the new BX Series, they moved the ports down to the lower portion of the case, hidden behind a swing door.

Removable and Washable Filter
Another welcomed feature is the filter. It helps to keep the case clean by filtering out the dust from the surroundings. I would've love to see it made easily removable though.

Cooling
A 92mm fan port is added to help cool your hard drive but I'm not really keen on Chieftec's idea of the new punch out design for the side fans and also the rear 80mm fan ports. While they certainly look pleasing than the previous design, it restricts airflow into and out of the case. The should've just cut a 92mm fan hole and slap on the speaker grill like the previous model.

Expansion Card Clipper
Another nice idea for a tool-less installation but it's a little hard to secure it once you have your cards in place. A little bend on the clip does the trick though.

Smart Screws Drive System
I really like this idea a lot cuz it's much faster and easier and you don't have to fear losing that extra set of drive rails anymore.... until I tried to install my rheobus. I found out that there's no way for me to secure the rheobus as there's no screw holes on the side of the drive bays structure. The openings for the smart screws are way to big for the normal screws to get a grip on. Bummer! Rheobuses and controllers are very popular nowadays and without a proper way or securing it onto the case, user might just shy away from this new BX Series.

There's still something missing from the case... it has been missing from the first day that I've started to use Chieftec cases and that's the removable motherboard tray. Yes, it has lots of room for you to work in, but a motherboard tray will just makes it much simpler for your expansion cards and CPU/HSF installation. Those of you who have worked with cases with removable motherboard trays will definitely appreciate the inclusion of one.

At the present moment, the new BX Series is available in Beige, Black and Blue. You peeps in Singapore can get it from Csolutions, VideoPro or SuperPet.Com. It retails in at S$149 which isn't a bad price at all considering the build and quality of Chieftec cases.

I have mix feelings for this new Chieftec BX Series. While the new/added features are nice, it has it's setbacks but if the setbacks ain't bothering you, then you really have to consider this case the next time you go shopping for a new casa! Cheers and have a great one!