Gadgetory

hey guys I'm Dimitri with our Canucks and welcome to another video your view XFX has gained a reputation for its hardware and like EVGA is branching out into other categories so today we're looking at the very first chassis this is the Bravo type on one and it is released at an ambitious price of $130 now I say in Bish's because there are a ton of excellent and already established cases within that price range so let's find out with how XFX did on their very first case and I want to start off with the size XFX is labeling this as a mid tower but because the plastic exterior bits the case turns out to be actually quite large and here it is next to our office full tower so I would certainly put the Bravo case in the same category design-wise XFX is slapping branding all over the place with a cool-looking aluminum piece that displays the model and I can actually see this becoming sort of a staple for their future cases just maybe use some stronger glue next time the case is elevated with the rubberized feet and they are going to that floating look allowing decent enough space at the bottom for adequate airflow which is totally fine but there is two full inches that makes this case unnecessary tall plus all the plastics at the top at house on the ports and actually quite convenient to carry the case around all the connections are placed at the top with audio jacks and four USB ports two of which are USB 3 and right away because of the layout it's not the most convenient especially for ports going inward like that so shall see placement may be limited power and reset buttons are very discreet at the front along with three hidden five new quarter inch drive bays now removing the front panel we find a detachable dust filter and an included 200 millimeter intake that could also be swapped for dual 120mm fans the fail included here is a little bit surprising as its thin profile makes it quiet but questionable in terms of CFM performance also it is heavily restricted by the drive cage inside that is non removable nothing unusual at the rear we get a 140 mm exhaust fan eight PCI slots what clean grommets and the large duel dust filter at the bottom at the top we also find some ventilation that continues in this very uniform style on both sides of Bravo which are not dust proof so that's really unfortunate the top house is a single 120 or 140 millimeter fan that must be installed from the inside with the screws provided now I'm a little surprised XFX emitted dual fan mounting options here considering how popular all-in-one 240 millimeter water coolers are becoming you'd think for 2014 chassis this would be taken into account it's the same story for the side ventilation we get a really cool uniform look and each panel has the aluminum red plate showcasing the model number and the mounting holes for triple 120 millimeter fans the side panel is actually two pieces large plastic cover and metal side panel underneath and that's because the alpha version of the case will feature aluminum panels and perhaps allow XFX to reuse the internal frame with some new and perhaps updated exterior design and with both panels off let's check to see how XFX did with the internal layout first we have two lyst mechanisms for your optical drive cage followed by an array of eight drive caddies with SSD support in the middle and the drive cage is partially modular allowing to turn this into a dedicated two and a half inch drive cage with additional 5 SSD brackets included now we've seen this design to work really well for compact enclosures but given how large the case is I find it totally unfitting for example there is already 12 inches of clearance with a caged wall in the standard position that expands to 13 and a half inches with the SSD cage plus the incredibly restrictive front air flow caused by the frame now it's nice for XFX to realize user flexibility is important but an actual drive cage that is totally removable to allow better airflow would be more fitting in the Bravo the power supply sits on stick on rubber feet plus we get 120 and on 140 millimeter fan mount at the bottom clearance of which would be the by the length of your power supply turning the case around the CPU card is way too small for 2014 standards and I'd love to see that enlarged however we do get many cable timeouts scattered all over Plus these that has strange rubber grommets that fit with the case design there isn't that much clearance at the back enough for all your cables to work but not enough for those side panel fans and starting with the assembly the large internal send excellent cable cutouts around the motherboard make rounding really easy additional cutouts underneath the motherboard are always helpful plus the four large openings on the side of the motherboard are excellent there is just over two inches of clearance between the top panel and our memory modules and it's just really unfortunate we don't have any dual fan placements for a potential radiator and turning the case around cable management is quite simple there's plenty of room but what about additional SSD brackets or fan hubs these are all the features that we're seeing more and more of and XFX really need to take note as this is just not up to 2014 standards but having said that the case has a few good attributes like unique aesthetics flexible drive cage system and a pretty seamless assembly routing process but I gotta say I'm slightly disappointed at the lack features for a 2014 case as the Bravo type of one doesn't really bring anything new to the market there's a huge loss in airflow potential both in the front and the top due to drive cage system that is extremely restrictive and the lack of dual fan support at the top gets rid of any internal water cooling options there are no dust filters either on the side or the top and placement of USB in the audio port is really limiting there's just so many things XFX couldn't have done differently and at this price point it is hard to justify the list of negatives especially since it misses on key functionality points like internal water cooling and unique features I want to say it's a good first attempt from XFX but given the incredibly competitive nature of the enclosure market today we need to see more focus on functionality and uniqueness so guys let's give them some critical feedback and you let us know in the comments below what features you'd want to see incorporated into their next design there's always thanks for watching don't forget to subscribe and we'll see you in the next one