The Aegis: A Feature-Packed Micro ATX Case Review

As I opened up the box and began to disassemble the Beafinix Aegis, my first impression was one of excitement. This micro ATX case promised to deliver on modularity, cable management, and water cooling capabilities, all wrapped up in a sleek and compact package.

One of the first things that caught my eye was the potential contact between the panel and the hard surface beneath it. To avoid scratching the thing on purpose, be really careful with this one in particular at the bottom of the case. Obvious precautions aside, I was eager to dive deeper into the Aegis's features and see how well it lived up to its promises.

Upon closer inspection, I found another magnetic dust filter spanning the entire floor, accompanied by quality case feet installed at the back. The five PCI slots allowed for extra breathing room with dual GPU systems, while the 120mm exhaust mount with two positions proved convenient if requiring additional clearance internally for a top radiator. The Aegis's feature pack was truly impressive, and I couldn't wait to see how they all worked together.

Inside the case, I was quite happy with the various modularity features on offer. The removable shroud for a stealthy power supply modularity, for example, allowed for clean cable management and a sleek appearance. Similarly, the modular drive cages – including two 3.5-inch drives that could be moved closer to the front panel – enabled extra clearance for the power supply. The top cage, however, proved more problematic. With no way to secure it in place during shipping, I found myself worrying about its stability and alignment.

The drive cage system itself was a mixed bag. On the one hand, there were two dedicated 2.5-inch SSD cages that utilized two less clips on each side, allowing for easy installation and removal. However, the position of the SATA ports at the back proved challenging, making cable routing a hassle. This issue has been acknowledged by Bitfenix and promised to be addressed in future revisions.

As I delved deeper into the case, I found another spot for an SSD that did not interfere with any hardware. Unfortunately, this particular location turned out to be quite inconvenient for sata connections. A similar problem existed on the other side of the power supply bracket, which I preferred to use as a hiding spot for cables instead.

With the top cages removed, I was able to install a 240ml radiator at the front of the case, giving me extra breathing room and improved cooling capabilities. However, this decision raised an interesting question: why not include standard drive caddies compatible with 2.5-inch drives that could be placed inside the bottom cage? This would have greatly simplified cable management and reduced the need for those uncomfortable SSD slots.

Finally, I found a stashed-away SSD bracket on the other side of the power supply that proved convenient but also became my go-to spot for hiding cables away from view. As I finished assembling the system, I couldn't help but appreciate the extra height clearance, even though it made this micro ATX case seem almost in-line size-wise with other ATX cases.

In terms of aesthetics, the Aegis's design was a mixed bag. The grommeted cutouts around the motherboard were a nice touch, providing clean wiring options and allowing for tidy cable management. However, I did find myself wishing for larger openings on the side – especially the tiny side grommet that struggled to accommodate anything other than sata cables.

The finishing touches came in the form of dual 140ml fans for exhaust at the top, as well as a 240mm all-in-one radiator at the front. The included rubberized pump bracket with various mounting holes proved particularly useful, allowing for easy installation on either the drive cage or the floor. Additionally, a unique reservoir bracket was included – this time mounted onto the 240mm radiator – which would be used to house a tube reservoir.

Finally, I found cable management itself to be an absolute breeze, thanks to low-profile cables and ample cable tie hoops throughout the case. The only quibble I had here was with the large opening in the top left corner of the case, which required careful routing around for a cleaner appearance. However, with most cables concentrated at the bottom, there was plenty of space available.

In conclusion, the Beafinix Aegis is a micro ATX case that hits all the right nodes when it comes to modularity and cable management. Its design and feature set make it an attractive option for those building water-cooled systems – although I do think Bitfenix should revisit their drive mounting system and consider adding more fans to increase airflow.

In terms of value, however, the Aegis seems a tad overpriced at the $120 mark. While its features are certainly impressive, there's no denying that some of those components could be sourced separately for lower costs. That being said, this review is just one perspective – I'm eager to hear from our readers and see how they feel about the Beafinix Aegis.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis video is brought to you by ncix.com great technology selection and service hello everyone i'm dmitry with harvard canucks and so far 2015 looks like an excellent year with unique introductions into the case market we're finally seeing brands thinking outside the box thinking of ways to be different from the competition and most importantly hitting that right spot for functional features and ease of assembly i'm happy to say the new beat phoenix aegis micro atx chassis satisfies that criteria but at the question of a price point at over 100 competing with the likes of the define r5 and the h440 the various color options are always fun though our red aegis will serve as a perfect vessel for our upcoming amd build make sure to subscribe to see that but there is something about that glossy plastic that doesn't sit well with me i kind of wish the surface was matte but the red definitely stands out so let us know what you think of this design direction the frame is somewhat futuristic with this large slightly curved front panel with the reflective film that catches fingerprints and dust easily and check out the beatfinix icon installed at the front you can also get the core version of the chassis without the display and display is 2.8 inches 240 by 320p it can showcase whatever jpeg to customize the front face of the case it's not very bright and viewing angles are pretty bad but they've opened up the source code for developers so it may display useful info about your pc sometime in the future when developers get to that and not just an image so that's pretty cool the ventilation on each side allows front fans to breathe and the layer of dense mesh is installed as an added dust proof element as behind the panel we find a really weak magnetic dust filter that doesn't want to stay attached and there are no clips at the bottom to prevent it from just sliding down the case supports triple 120 or dual 140 millimeter fans for intake with 360 millimeter radiator support at the front mounted on strips for extra flexibility uh but at this price i was surprised to not see an included fans here aside from the single 120mm exhaust fan at the rear you can install fans on the outside of the frame for pull but this way you lose out on that dust filter but luckily the side ports are dust proof but because of the icon display cable it would interfere with the fan blades so you either have to disconnect that cable or use the bottom fan slots if you're after this type of configuration the top panel is angled i think it complements the design nicely with two usb 3 ports audio jacks activity led a large power and reset buttons and a three speed fan controller for four fans powered via a molex connector unfortunately not a pwm header furthermore there's a removable mesh i'm liking the full dust proof approach underneath which we find dual 120 or 140 mm fan mounts again on mounting strips for extra maneuverability radiators up to 280 millimeters will fit here and this case is turning out to have outstanding water cooling support i just wish the top panel wouldn't cover that much of the fans and instead get rid of all that plastic frame to allow top airflow to actually do its job as half of the air is sent back into the case with that rear fan it's side panel time it's large and it's clear i wouldn't want it any other way our fingernail scratch test came out worse than expected and just to be clear i do these to replicate the potential contact the panel might have with a hard surface obviously you wouldn't want to scratch the thing on purpose but be really careful with this one in particular at the bottom we find another magnetic dust filter spanning the entire floor with quality case feet installed at the back there are five pci slots allowing extra breathing room for dual gpu systems and the 120mm exhaust mount with two positions that is convenient if you require extra clearance internally for a top radiator and finally moving inside i'm quite happy with the feature packed aegis like this removable shroud for a stealthy power supply modularity for all the drive cages like the bottom cage for two three and a half inch drives can be moved closer to the front panel uh in its default position to allow extra clearance for power supply furthermore we have a removable three and a half inch cage for two more units that sits on this single clip uh so unfortunately there is no way to secure it for shipping and i find that worrying about it is a dedicated two and a half inch drive cage for two ssds both of which utilize two less clips that attach on each side for the drive and just slide into the cage now then the problem becomes with alignment of sata ports at the back as the ssd bracket is way too forward making this entire drive cage system a bit more of a hassle for wiring both of them though can be removed if extra clearance is required for either a front or top radiator now below those two cages is another spot for an ssd it does not interfere with any hardware but it turned out to be challenging for cable routing as again the position of the drive is not comfortable for sata connections and it's something that bitfenix has acknowledged and has promised to fix and in my build i've removed the top cages so i can install a 240 ml radiator at the front and this is where i question why not just include standard drive caddies compatible with two and a half inch drives to be placed inside the bottom cage that would be more comfortable for cable management and that don't have to utilize those uncomfortable ssd slots and lastly there is a stashed away ssd bracket on the other side of the power supply that is convenient but i prefer to use this area to actually stash away all the cables and here's the finished system i do appreciate the extra height clearance even though it makes this micro atx chassis kind of in line size wise with other atx cases i installed dual 140ml fans for exhaust at the top and the 240 millimeter all-in-one brad at the front and i really like all the grommeted cutouts around the motherboard like the three above to help with clean wiring although the eight pin cutout should have been larger and the same goes for the side grommet that is tiny and passing anything other than sata cables and smaller cables would be challenging and i appreciate the extra opening below the motherboard throughout your audio and usb cables with this setup gpus up to 12 and a half inches will fit until you hit our radiator and more space of course can be made available if you mount the front fence at the front of the frame i don't mind how the power supply looks with these cables but mounting the shroud back on and the build now looks even cleaner and i can say the interior is very well optimized for water cooling especially since beat phoenix includes a rubberized pump bracket with all types of mounting holes for compatibility that can be installed on top of the drive cage when it's offset closer to the front and the bracket can also be installed on the floor with various mounting locations furthermore this unique reservoir bracket is included that is mounted onto the 240 mm radiator and you will install a tube reservoir on there it's a unique spacing bracket finally cable management with our low profile cables was a total breeze there are cable tie hoops in all the right places and if only you can live with that large opening in the top left route the cables around it for a cleaner look but most of the cables are concentrated at the bottom because there's plenty of space there and that's really good to see so the big phoenix aegis hits all the right nodes for modularity and cable management and appropriately prepped for water cooling and a micro atx system the looks aside this could become the beatfinix signature micro atx frame in my opinion but only if they polish up on the drive mounting better dust filters open up that top frame include more fans and drop that price because hovering around the 120 dollar mark seems uncompetitive but let us know how you feel about the beat phoenix aegis and what do you guys think of the style and the frame design as always make sure to leave your comments down below don't forget to subscribe for more similar content give us a like if you found this review helpful and we'll see you in the next onethis video is brought to you by ncix.com great technology selection and service hello everyone i'm dmitry with harvard canucks and so far 2015 looks like an excellent year with unique introductions into the case market we're finally seeing brands thinking outside the box thinking of ways to be different from the competition and most importantly hitting that right spot for functional features and ease of assembly i'm happy to say the new beat phoenix aegis micro atx chassis satisfies that criteria but at the question of a price point at over 100 competing with the likes of the define r5 and the h440 the various color options are always fun though our red aegis will serve as a perfect vessel for our upcoming amd build make sure to subscribe to see that but there is something about that glossy plastic that doesn't sit well with me i kind of wish the surface was matte but the red definitely stands out so let us know what you think of this design direction the frame is somewhat futuristic with this large slightly curved front panel with the reflective film that catches fingerprints and dust easily and check out the beatfinix icon installed at the front you can also get the core version of the chassis without the display and display is 2.8 inches 240 by 320p it can showcase whatever jpeg to customize the front face of the case it's not very bright and viewing angles are pretty bad but they've opened up the source code for developers so it may display useful info about your pc sometime in the future when developers get to that and not just an image so that's pretty cool the ventilation on each side allows front fans to breathe and the layer of dense mesh is installed as an added dust proof element as behind the panel we find a really weak magnetic dust filter that doesn't want to stay attached and there are no clips at the bottom to prevent it from just sliding down the case supports triple 120 or dual 140 millimeter fans for intake with 360 millimeter radiator support at the front mounted on strips for extra flexibility uh but at this price i was surprised to not see an included fans here aside from the single 120mm exhaust fan at the rear you can install fans on the outside of the frame for pull but this way you lose out on that dust filter but luckily the side ports are dust proof but because of the icon display cable it would interfere with the fan blades so you either have to disconnect that cable or use the bottom fan slots if you're after this type of configuration the top panel is angled i think it complements the design nicely with two usb 3 ports audio jacks activity led a large power and reset buttons and a three speed fan controller for four fans powered via a molex connector unfortunately not a pwm header furthermore there's a removable mesh i'm liking the full dust proof approach underneath which we find dual 120 or 140 mm fan mounts again on mounting strips for extra maneuverability radiators up to 280 millimeters will fit here and this case is turning out to have outstanding water cooling support i just wish the top panel wouldn't cover that much of the fans and instead get rid of all that plastic frame to allow top airflow to actually do its job as half of the air is sent back into the case with that rear fan it's side panel time it's large and it's clear i wouldn't want it any other way our fingernail scratch test came out worse than expected and just to be clear i do these to replicate the potential contact the panel might have with a hard surface obviously you wouldn't want to scratch the thing on purpose but be really careful with this one in particular at the bottom we find another magnetic dust filter spanning the entire floor with quality case feet installed at the back there are five pci slots allowing extra breathing room for dual gpu systems and the 120mm exhaust mount with two positions that is convenient if you require extra clearance internally for a top radiator and finally moving inside i'm quite happy with the feature packed aegis like this removable shroud for a stealthy power supply modularity for all the drive cages like the bottom cage for two three and a half inch drives can be moved closer to the front panel uh in its default position to allow extra clearance for power supply furthermore we have a removable three and a half inch cage for two more units that sits on this single clip uh so unfortunately there is no way to secure it for shipping and i find that worrying about it is a dedicated two and a half inch drive cage for two ssds both of which utilize two less clips that attach on each side for the drive and just slide into the cage now then the problem becomes with alignment of sata ports at the back as the ssd bracket is way too forward making this entire drive cage system a bit more of a hassle for wiring both of them though can be removed if extra clearance is required for either a front or top radiator now below those two cages is another spot for an ssd it does not interfere with any hardware but it turned out to be challenging for cable routing as again the position of the drive is not comfortable for sata connections and it's something that bitfenix has acknowledged and has promised to fix and in my build i've removed the top cages so i can install a 240 ml radiator at the front and this is where i question why not just include standard drive caddies compatible with two and a half inch drives to be placed inside the bottom cage that would be more comfortable for cable management and that don't have to utilize those uncomfortable ssd slots and lastly there is a stashed away ssd bracket on the other side of the power supply that is convenient but i prefer to use this area to actually stash away all the cables and here's the finished system i do appreciate the extra height clearance even though it makes this micro atx chassis kind of in line size wise with other atx cases i installed dual 140ml fans for exhaust at the top and the 240 millimeter all-in-one brad at the front and i really like all the grommeted cutouts around the motherboard like the three above to help with clean wiring although the eight pin cutout should have been larger and the same goes for the side grommet that is tiny and passing anything other than sata cables and smaller cables would be challenging and i appreciate the extra opening below the motherboard throughout your audio and usb cables with this setup gpus up to 12 and a half inches will fit until you hit our radiator and more space of course can be made available if you mount the front fence at the front of the frame i don't mind how the power supply looks with these cables but mounting the shroud back on and the build now looks even cleaner and i can say the interior is very well optimized for water cooling especially since beat phoenix includes a rubberized pump bracket with all types of mounting holes for compatibility that can be installed on top of the drive cage when it's offset closer to the front and the bracket can also be installed on the floor with various mounting locations furthermore this unique reservoir bracket is included that is mounted onto the 240 mm radiator and you will install a tube reservoir on there it's a unique spacing bracket finally cable management with our low profile cables was a total breeze there are cable tie hoops in all the right places and if only you can live with that large opening in the top left route the cables around it for a cleaner look but most of the cables are concentrated at the bottom because there's plenty of space there and that's really good to see so the big phoenix aegis hits all the right nodes for modularity and cable management and appropriately prepped for water cooling and a micro atx system the looks aside this could become the beatfinix signature micro atx frame in my opinion but only if they polish up on the drive mounting better dust filters open up that top frame include more fans and drop that price because hovering around the 120 dollar mark seems uncompetitive but let us know how you feel about the beat phoenix aegis and what do you guys think of the style and the frame design as always make sure to leave your comments down below don't forget to subscribe for more similar content give us a like if you found this review helpful and we'll see you in the next one\n"