Exterior
The TYPE01 Bravo features high quality plastic covered panels, as opposed to the Alpha which features aluminium panels. The design is obviously very unique, lots of curves, bold lines and plenty of ventilation. The left side panel looks split thanks to a huge vent that allows for two 120mm fans to be mounted on the side panel interior.
There is a red and white XFX TYPE01 logo on an aluminium panel which has been glued to the chassis, it does feel like you could pull it off quite easily though, maybe use screws next time XFX?
The right side panel is identical to the left, it even features another pair of fan mounts and the stuck on aluminium detail panel.
The front panel design is pretty bold, featuring lots of deep ridges and a huge ventilation section with a washable dust filter behind it for any front mounted fans. There are three flip-down 5.25″ drive bay covers at the front, perfect for stealth mounting your optical drives.
At the top you’ll find a power and reset button and an LED indicator.
And at the bottom you’ll notice another lovely XFX logo.
The top panel features two large curved sections, they’re only plastic and don’t feel especially strong, but they do help to soften the overall aggressive design of the case.
Around the back you can really see just how wide this chassis is. It’s as thick as most high-end full towers and this is just a midi-tower on the interior! At the top there is some cable routing space, and more to the right of the expansion slots. A 140mm fan is pre-installed for the exhaust and below that you’ll find eight ventilated expansion slots.
At the bottom there is an extra long, slide out dust filter that covers the PSU and bottom fan intakes.
Another 140/120mm fan mount is in the top.
The I/O panel runs right down the top of the case, not exactly ideal given that many people put their system under their desk. You’ll find HD audio connections, two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0.
Large feet and the curve design leave a huge clearance of 2 inches below the case, which is part of the reason this midi-tower stands as tall as a full tower chassis.
Hoo boy that case looks like a dreadful mess to me, not my taste at all. I’ve seen overpriced, impractical cases (ThermalTake Level 10) often enough but at least some were sexy (In Win 901/904). Generally I like XFX products (especially their Seasonic built PSU’s) and I hope their next attempt is a much better looking, far more practical and far, far better value for money attempt. Until now XFX products have always been reasonable value for money and I hope it remains so.
P.S. I’ll have to test this case myself soon so I’d better keep an open mind.
I agree but I don’t. I think that if any established manufacturer was to do this, I’d agree with you, but this is still a first attempt for XFX so credit where credit is due. Yes the stylish is a bit 80’s in terms of the slats, but the idea is there. I’m keen to see if they take our comments on board and develop something with more design flair.
It probably looks nicer in the… ahem, plastic than it does in pics. It’s the price and practicality in the review that really caught my attention. At this point in time I’m not sure I’ll ever get to see it let alone test it.
WANT