BitFenix’s been working it lately with some new designs but today we’re here to check out one of the earlier designs to roll-out the BitFenix labs. Now for many years now, BitFenix has been trying to make their names synonymous with silent computing, but the company has never been shy of twisting that concept to give it a touch of boldness and aggression that not many case makers can pull off nicely.Today we’ll take a look at the BitFenix Ghost chassis. A silent-type monolith case with a minimalist look but has plenty of features to accommodate any modern build.
Specifications
[table style=”table-striped”]| Materials | Steel, Plastic |
| Color (Int/Ext) | Black/Black |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 210 x 522 x 510mm |
| Motherboard Sizes | Mini-ITX, mATX, ATX |
| 5.25รขโฌย Drive Bays | x 3 |
| 3.5รขโฌย Drive Bays | x 4 |
| 2.5รขโฌย Drive Bays | x 3 |
| Hot Swap Bay | x 1 (SATA III 6Gbit/s) |
| Cooling Front | 140mm x 1 or 120mm x 2 (120mm x 1 included) |
| Cooling Rear | 120mm x 1 (included) |
| Cooling Top | 230mm x 1 or 200mm x 1 or 140mm x 2 or 120mm x 2 (optional) |
| Cooling Bottom | 140mm x 1 or 120mm x 1 (optional) |
| PCI Slots | x 7 |
| I/O | USB 3.0 x 2, USB 2.0 x 2, HD audio, SATA III hot swap bay |
| Power Supply | PS2 ATX (bottom, multi direction) |
| Extras | Serenitekรขโยข silencing material, NanoChromeรขโยข surface treatment, S4รขโยข hot swap and storage, Spectreรขโยข cooling, dedicated locations for Alchemyรขโยข LED Strips, anti-vibration HDD trays, 240mm radiator ready, removable dust filters (front, top, bottom), tool-free drive locking |
| Model Number | BFC-GHO-300-KKN1-RP |
Packaging and Content
BitFenix packages the Ghost chassis in a brown cardboad box. This is pretty standard for most case manufacturers and high-end ones aren’t spared from this treatment so don’t think they’re cheaping out on you. BitFenix packaging style is prominent here with large box: BitFenix logo on the upper left, the product name on the lower right with the BitFenix website URL on the bottom of the box. Rear box art shows a stencil of the chassis with feature highlights.
Opening up the box we see the package is protected with plastic wrap inside to prevent scratches during transit. A separate pack of items are also included on top of the upper opening flap.
Also included in the package are rubber grommets, some screws and the drive trays are removed.
Closer Look – Exterior
The BitFenix Ghost’s exterior features purely flat side panels with visual styling whatsoever. BitFenix does works with lines in this chassis and keeps everything uniforn with both left and right panel
The front of the Ghost is really where its at. If you’re a fan of monolith towers and silent cases, the style is familiar and there are very few ways to really make it pop. BitFenix manages to pull it off with their symmetrical logo, a nice centerpiece to look at in an otherwise blank canvas.
The rear of the case shows us that the chassis support bottom-mounted PSU. We also have allocation for watercooling via holes right below the rear 120mm exhaust.
The front I/O ports are located on the top front of the chassis. We have a small reset button right beside a large power button next to the USB2.0 and USB3.0 ports, audio jacks and LED indicators.
One of the nifty features of the Ghost is its external SATA dock which is also enclosed. You press to release the lock and you now have access to the SATA dock which can also double as an accessory rack or phone stash… that is if your phone fits.
One of the most notable feature of the BitFenix Ghost is its front panel cover which also happens to swing on both directions. BitFenix has though of folks complaining about single-side hinges and have heard your plight so they installed dual-swing hinges so you can have it your way. The front panel feature filtered intake vents along with the 5.25″ drive bays and the 2.5″ bay
Closer Look – Interior
A bit of change from the quiet exterior of the BitFenix Ghost is its interior. Whilst it may not be as busy as many of the more modern cases, it does have a bit of everything to suit your build with plenty of space to boot.
Flipping over the back we see a better view of that large motherboard cut-out and cable management holes. The cables for the front I/O and SATA dock. As mentioned earlier, you need to manually put in the rubber grommets on the cable routing holes.
We have a total of four 3.5″ drive bays, three 2.5″ drive bays and three 5.25″ drive bays. If you look closely above the 2.5″ bay you can also see the insert slot for the 2.5″ expansion drives. The drive trays as shown before are separate and you can slide them in with ease on each slot.
All the fan filters in the Ghost, top and front, are tool-free and feature press-to-release locks. Removing the front we see a single BitFenix Spectre silent fan included. Another one of these fans are pre-installed in the back of the rear exhaust.
As you all would’ve noticed by now, the Ghost isn’t completely black but rather has a gunmetal tone to it. BitFenix calls this their NanoChrome treatment and gives the Ghost a dark gunmetal glint that mirrors the P280 with its brighter light gunmetal coat. This paint job gives the chassis a graphite look but they don’t want to use that word because some other brand already has a stake on that.
System Assembly
Here we have our BitFenix Ghost built up: ATX motherboard, GTX 780 Ti, 240mm radiator AIO and something we’ve been saving up as a surprise, the BitFenix Fury PSU… and yes, it comes with fully-sleeved cables. Back to the chassis, notice the amount of space we have here: there is plenty of headroom above the board for a thicker radiator or a push-pull configuration. Our lengthy graphics card also shows us that this case can still go for longer cards thanks to the recessed 2.5″ drive bays.
The BitFenix Ghost has plenty of space in its top vent that if your radiator allows, you can actually mount the radiator in the external portion of the vent so you can fully utilize the internal space of the chassis. Notice there is also plenty of space here to put a thicker radiator so you’re not limited to the thin variants or if you choose to, mount more fans.
A better view of the top vent. And after that, let me show you something beautiful.
The BitFenix Ghost has pre-installed holes for sliding in LED strips and the Ghost has a frosted clear bracket to give the LEDs an iridescent glow.
The BitFenix Alchemy LED strips are highly recommended for the BitFenix Ghost as you’d have an easier time slipping them in through the space in the case feet and they are the right length but any flexible LED strips will do fine as long as you know how to power them via proper wiring.
Conclusion
There’s no denying the BitFenix Ghost is an aging case and it might be due for a refresh but sticking in our rig in it right now, we’re not finding anything to fault as everything we need is in there. From watercooling support up to tons of peripheral and drive support, the BitFenix Ghost is one loaded piece of kit. Let’s break it down further shall we:
Build Quality. BitFenix may not have gone all-out with the paintjob and coating treatment but the Ghost is one rigidly constructed chassis. While some may not appreciate the amount of plastic in this case, its good to know that BitFenix does manage to design the case to merge both aesthetic and structural integrity into the monolith design. As we’ll discuss later in the following segment, while the chassis might maintain a simplistic visual facade, this masks the otherwise loaded feature set of the Ghost chassis.
Functionality.รย The BitFenix Ghost is well equipped to handle both the needs of performance and watercooling enthusiasts. Large motherboards and graphics cards will find the roomy interior plenty and the spaces for watercooling are ample for a decent custom loop. Being over 2 years old, the BitFenix Ghost still packs a mean set of creds and a meaner unique feature set including dual-swing doors, touch-release filters and pre-installed light grooves for BitFenix’s Alchemy lighting LED strips.
Value.รย During its time, the BitFenix Ghost had plenty of contention with the Antec P280 and Silencio 550 both knocking down on each other. At $99 or Php 4600, the BitFenix Ghost is very much like the antiquated P280 in terms of stature: both are very large and monolithic but sit at a very similar price point, the main difference is that the Ghost features a load of enthusiast-targeted features that makes it a stand-out chassis at its price point. Most silent chassis keep it simple but the BitFenix Ghost bends the rule to give you aggression and simplicity in the same chassis. All of this makes it a reasonably priced offering given its size.
To wrap things up, the BitFenix Ghost is a solid offering and easily surpasses many midtowers in this price range. Its massive size and simple design may not fit most people’s want list or desks but for those that do, the BitFenix Ghost offers so much more than just roomy interior and noise dampening, its got excellent watercooling support, a SATA dock, tool-less maintenance and a fully pre-modded base to accommodate some light strips just to jazz things up for you.
Its already 2014 and we’ve mentioned it before, the BitFenix Colossus needs a refresh and we’re also gonna be including the Ghost into that list. Its simply a case with a timeless elegance mixed with subtle aggression that deserves to be maintained for years to come. The BitFenix Ghost is a classic midtower perfect for those looking for a chassis to fit everything and let its presence be felt, not by the noise it makes but by its style.
We give the BitFenix Ghost our B2G Bronze Award and B2G Editor’s Choice Award.
