Specifications, Availability and Pricing

As I mentioned, there are two versions of this chassis being offered. There will be the less inclusive Survivor Core, and the version we are looking at, the Survivor. What separates the two cases are the additional features like the S2 peripheral security device, the Lockdown VGA support, or the option to switch the LEDs on the fans on or off. Now that we have a handle on what splits the two apart, let's get to what they have in common.

The mid tower Survivor chassis is a real piece of eye candy! At my first glance of the flat black exterior mixed with the rounded corners covered in the SoftTouch rubber coating, with large steel mesh ventilation areas, and a couple of areas I will expose in the images in a bit. The chassis is black on the inside as well, and offers a mix of thumb screws and tool-less trays to make the assembly process more user friendly. While there is a lack of rubber grommets for each of the holes, wire management was not forgotten in this mid tower. This along with a few added security features really makes this an attractive solution, either on the desk or on the go.

I make mention of "on the go", because you can pack a full ATX motherboard and can support up to seven expansion cards, offering you the opportunity to make what I refer to as a "sleeper" rig. Accommodating almost any hard drive configuration, adding support for the VGA cards, and the three security features make the Survivor a perfect candidate for a LAN rig. Oh right! - I almost forgot to mention this; there is a hideaway handle in the top of this chassis to make transporting this system even that much easier.

We haven't even covered the cooling system yet; it seems like the gifts just keep on coming! Inside the Survivor you will receive two 200mm Spectre fans with red LEDs. The front 200mm fan can be removed and replaced with a pair of 120mm fans, and with some creative positioning there is potential to house a radiator there. The one found in the top rides under the handle of the chassis and vents through mesh on either side of it. I really don't think a radiator up top is a viable solution. In the rear of the chassis the 120mm hole is left bare so you may either hang an All-In-One water cooing unit, or the fan of your choice. To power the Spectre fans you need to use a special controller found behind the motherboard tray, which is a stripped down version of BitFenix's Hydra fan controller.

Even though we are doing a preview at this time, and you won't be able to run out and grab one just yet, I am very, very happy to deliver the MSRP of the Survivor. BitFenix is going to offer what you are about to see for the amazing price of $109.99. That's right, you read that correctly! BitFenix is bringing a mid tower to the table with all the options we have seen in the top mid tower chassis, as well as offering their own flavor of style and options with clever tricks behind them. I really think once you have a look, you will be as pleased with what the Survivor has to offer. So let's get to it and find out.