Assembly

Installing the motherboard within the Ronin is done by utilizing traditional stand-offs. The large Phanteks cooler fits into the case well, as does the long graphics card. All the cables only have a short distance to travel because of the openings in the motherboard tray.


BitFenix utilizes plastic trays to hold hard drives. These slide out easily, but BitFenix included a large red sticker mentioning the fact that you do not bend the trays to place a drive within them—simply pull them apart. Once a drive is in place, slide it into the bay of your choice until it snaps into place. Those installing 2.5" drives into these trays will still have to use the included screws and a screwdriver.


Installing the optical drive requires you to remove the entire front first. You won't be able to open the bay of your choice otherwise. Doing so also reveals a dust filter BitFenix placed on the 120 mm fan in the front. Use the additional dust filter to keep things clean within the chassis; that is, if you happen to install another such cooler below it. Once the bay is free, slide the optical drive in and push the lock back into place. While it does keep the device from sliding around, there is still quite a bit of play, so you should sink a single screw into the appropriate location to pin any 5.25" unit down properly.


Installing the PSU is done by traditional means, with the included screws. There is nothing out of the ordinary here as even larger units will fit nicely as long as you do not install a fan onto the floor of the chassis.


With all the parts and cables in place, the Ronin already makes a good impression, and that without the cover. Put it in place and you will no longer be able to see most of the leads by looking at the interior straight on. All the cables have also been routed and hidden behind the motherboard tray. Securing them is not an issue because of a large number of hooks for cable ties.

Finished Looks

Once the side panels have been placed back on the BitFenix Ronin, it makes a great impression. I am a big fan of understated, clean-looking cases, and the symmetric window simply adds to that. A fairly bright blue LED on top of the chassis lights up to let you know that the system is up and running.


The black drive in the front fits the entirety of the Ronin's design well. The surface treatment of the chassis is not really black, but more of a dark gray. The two metal mesh strips also contrast nicely with a black drive. Looking at the white components within the case and having your components visible without any ugly cables or drives is certainly quite spiffy. I can see people placing logos of all the brands inside their system on the internal cover, with some indirect lighting much like that of a heavily modified car out of The Fast and the Furious. All the connectors in the rear are where you would expect them to be.