By Tom Jaskulka
Manufacturer: Phanteks
Product Name: Enthoo Evolv Shift X
Model Number: PH-ES217XE AG
UPC: 886523300977
Price As Tested: $159.99 (Amazon | NewEgg)Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Phanteks.
The premium Enthoo-series mini-ITX case developed as “Project 217” has a new name: the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift X. Initially announced during CES 2017, the pair of small form factor computer cases have finally made their retail appearance in October 2017. Part of the Enthoo Evolv series, the Shift X showcases many of the same design elements in a fresh new form factor. Benchmark Reviews has been given the opportunity to take a closer look at the larger Shift X (Model PH-ES217XE_AG) – with room for custom cooling loops, 280mm radiators, high-end graphics cards and the looks to match, will the Shift X find a spot in your next build? Let’s take a look.
The Evolv Shift X combines premium finishes and distinctive design to stand tall amongst the crowd. From smart space utilization to innovative features, the Shift X delivers the ultimate level of powerful and slim configurations. Every aspect of the Shift X has been thoughtfully designed to be intuitive, clean and accessible. The interior is designed to meet the demand of water cooling enthusiasts. Due to its small footprint and versatile placement, the Shift X will look impressive anywhere in your home environment or office space. -Phanteks Product Page
CASE SPECIFICATIONS
| Dimension (WxHxD) | 170mm x 650 mm x 274 mm
6.7 in x 26.1 in x 10.8 in |
| Height incl. Feet | 663 mm (26.1 in) |
| Net Weight | 9.5 KG (~21 lbs) |
| Form Factor | Small Form Factor |
| Materials | Anodized aluminium panels
Powder coated steel chassis Tempered glass side panels |
| MB Support | Mini ITX |
| PSU Support | SFX, SFX-L, ATX (limited to 160mm) |
| Front I/O | 2x USB 3.0, Power button, RGB button |
| Side Window | Yes, Tempered glass both sides |
PCI SLOTS & DRIVE BAYS
| PCI slots | 2 |
| Internal 3.5″ | 2x (if no radiator is installed) |
| Internal 2.5″ | 4x (2 included) |
FAN
| Front | 3x 120mm | 3x 140mm (1 installed) |
| Bottom | 1x 120mm | 1x 140mm (1 installed) |
RADIATOR
| Front | Up to 240 | Up to 280 |
| Bottom | 120 | – |
INCLUDED ACCESSORIES
| Premium 140mm fan | 2x |
| Power supply cover | 1x |
| Pump bracker | 1x |
| SSD bracket | 2x |
| GPU bracket | 1x |
| PCI-e x16 Riser cable | 1x |
| 8-pin CPU Extension cable | 1x |
CLEARANCE
| CPU Cooler | 82 mm (3.2 in) |
| Graphics card length | 529 mm (20.8 in) |
| Cable management | 27 mm (1.1 in) |
| Front Radiator | 80 mm (3.1 in) *depending on GPU height/length. |
As of November 2017, the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift X was available online for $159.99 (Amazon | NewEgg). We’ll start with a tour around the outside of the Shift X.
Standing over 26 inches (650 mm) tall the Shift X is quite imposing for a mini-ITX computer case. Almost obelisk-like in appearance, the angled corners and metal fins protruding from both sides makes for quite an impression.
The back (left above) and front (right above) panels are almost identical, with the rear panel differing with a cutout for cables routed to the motherboard rear I/O and the power supply.
Likewise, the left/right sides of the Shift X are comprised of full-length identical panes of tempered glass. Tinted slightly, the tempered glass panels lend quite a bit of weight, heft and sturdiness to the overall construction of this enclosure.
In a departure from the “norm” (as if the entire case wasn’t…), the Shift X places the front panel I/O ports on the back side. Only two USB 3.0 ports make an appearance here – no headphone/microphone ports to be seen.
The left side of the Shift X is identical to the right. This could also be considered the “front” or top, depending on the orientation you choose to place the case in. We’ll see this later, but the bottom stand can be removed and small spacers/feet affixed to the glass bottom to place it in a horizontal direction.
Overall, it’s an impressive piece of art. It certainly stands tall as a unique offering in the mini-ITX crowd. Let’s take those panels off and have a look inside.
Due to the unique internal layout of the Shift X it can be a bit difficult to imagine how everything is supposed to fit (and to keep oriented as to what is where). Over the next few pages we’ll take a look at some of the detailed features of this enclosure. First things first: this case can be used in a vertical or horizontal orientation, so all references throughout the rest of the article assume a vertical orientation unless otherwise specified.
The photo above showcases one of the primary differences between the smaller Shift and the larger Shift X: the Shift X uses aluminum construction for this top lid instead of the Shift’s plastic. It’s an excellent choice, lending a completely new feeling to the operation of this panel (it’s hinged at the back and swivels up for access with a simple push). Two switches (big = power switch, small = RGB toggle) join the subtle RGB LED on the top panel – the rest is comprised of ventilation holes over a metal mesh.
The bottom panel is constructed similarly; forming a solid, stable base for the surprisingly hefty Shift X. The “legs” can be removed with four screws if using the Shift X in a horizontal orientation. This panel is held on by pegs, so be careful when moving the case as it could potentially pop off pretty easily.
Back to the top and our first view of the internal layout: the majority of the cables seen here are for RGB strips. Only the power switch will make it’s way to the motherboard, everything else will get tucked away. The motherboard and graphics card sit back-to-back, with a PCI-E extension allowing for various positions and orientations. Pay special attention to that clasp that secures the lid – it does an excellent job and seems well engineered.
Here’s a better view of the inside. The top is spring loaded with the perfect amount of tension for the solid aluminum panel.
Springing open the top lid gains access to the thumbscrews that secure the other four panels in place. Each panel can be removed independently of the others if desired – no extra steps to gain access to any particular side. The four thumbscrews for the tempered glass panels are easily spotted here.
The thumbscrews for the front/back aluminum panels are just a little bit more difficult to access. Additionally, this photo portrays the cable routing hole in the back panel quite well (it’s big enough to fit a DVI cable, although a 90-degree adapter might be necessary to close the top lid once it’s attached to the graphics card).
With the panels removed it’s much easier to gain a sense of what is supposed to go where. The above photo depicts what is revealed under the front panel. The motherboard area is located behind the 140mm fan up top (positioned in an exhaust orientation), while below contains enough room for a 240/280mm radiator and fittings (or three 120/140mm fans).
The right side reveals the GPU “compartment” (it’s really just floating behind the motherboard tray, no thermal isolation to speak of). Graphics cards hang vertically, so there’s quite a bit of room for even high-end GPUs. Of course, there’s a bit of a caveat we’ll get to in a bit…
Rotating to the left-rear and working up from the bottom, we see the PSU area, a space for tying down cables from the power supply, two 2.5″ drive mounts and some cable routing/access holes to pass cables through to the inside.
The left/motherboard side of the Shift X provides a good perspective on how tall this chassis really is. The small square up top is where the mini ITX motherboard will be mounted – everything below that is space for radiators/fans/reservoirs/etc.
Two more optional 2.5″ drive mount locations can be found just above the (removable) power supply shroud – both of these features are unique to the larger Shift X (not found in the regular Shift).
Before we move to the build portion of the review, let’s zoom in on some additional features of the Shift X.
As previously stated, the bottom aluminum panel simply snaps into plastic retention clips on the bottom of the Shift X’s frame. It seems sturdy enough, but the Silverstone Fortress FT03 Mini used a similar retention system (albiet with plastic posts instead of metal) – I’ve lost track of how many of these clips I’ve broken in that case over the few years I’ve owned it, so I’m a little nervous whenever I see anything similar. I’d recommend keeping the insertion/removal cycles to a minimum… At least the fine mesh filter covering the bottom 140mm intake fan can be removed and cleaned without removing the bottom plate which is always appreciated.
Two thumbscrews hold a power supply shroud in place. Technically, the Shift X launched with the ability to use full ATX power supplies instead of being restricted to the SFX units like the smaller Shift (we’ll dig into this in a bit); however, this shroud will only work with SFX units. Also, note the “keyholes” on each face of the frame in the corners – these are how the front and side panels are anchored into place.
The frame of the Shift X is lined with dense foam wherever the tempered glass would have touched the case, keeping noise and vibrations to a minimum. It also keeps a tight seal – the GPU area pictured above gets most of its fresh air from the single 140mm fan in the bottom section (or any additional fans added to the front panel). The fan pictured here removes heat from the GPU/motherboard area. The rest is allowed to rise naturally through the top panel.
An adjustable 2-slot bracket and PCI-E riser cable complete the GPU portion. This riser cable is long enough (about 25 cm) to reach across most of the motherboard tray, allowing graphics cards to be installed facing away from or towards the motherboard tray.
The Phanteks logo designates a cable management tray – this flap is held in place by magnets and can help disguise the cables leading up from the power supply to the motherboard (as well as any SATA/fan cables running past/attached to the motherboard).
It can get a little cramped inside despite the exterior dimensions of the Shift X. To assist with attaching cables and general access, the panel that contains the two additional 2.5″ drive sleds can be removed in its entirety, opening up much more room for your hands. Another nice detail unique to the Shift X added by Phanteks!
It’s difficult to get a sense of how tall the Shift X appears in person. More difficult still is determining the precise differences between the Shift X and smaller Shift – how would one know when to choose one over the other? Hopefully this section will help showcase the differences between the two.
When Phanteks first announced the Shift cases at CES 2017 (as Project 217), I immediately thought “Awesome! A perfect replacement / better version of the FT03 Mini.” I grew to really appreciate the small footprint of a vertically-oriented mini-ITX tower, and the stack effect cooling was put to excellent use. Unfortunately, graphics cards longer than 250 mm or so just wouldn’t fit in the FT03 Mini without some modification, so I waited for a potential replacement. It’s easy to see the Phanteks Shift being a natural replacement to the Silverstone Fortress FT03 Mini, but at almost twice the height the Shift X is something else entirely.
The Shift X stands 180 mm / 7 in taller than the Shift (chassis heights of 650 mm and 470 mm respectively).
Both are nearly identical in their external features otherwise, with the Shift X featuring aluminum top/bottom panels instead of the Shift’s plastic versions.
It’s much easier to see the primary differences with the panels off. This view of the front(s) make it apparent where the extra space on the Shift X was utilized. In comparison, the regular Shift can only mount a total of two 120/140 mm fans (including the one pictured), with just a single 120mm radiator/AIO working in the Shift compared to a much wider range in the Shift X.
Rotating to the back, the Shift X contains room for two additional 2.5″ storage locations over the Shift and two additional 3.5″ drive locations as well (if you’re willing to forgo radiators and fans in the front panel that is). The Shift can fit a single 3.5″ drive in the cable management area above the PSU (look for the four pre-installed rubber grommets) – the Shift X uses this area for pump mounts and other liquid cooling (reservoir) mounts as well as two internal 2.5″ drive cages.
Let’s move on to building a system in the Shift X to see if there are any obstacles waiting to get in the way.
The accessory pack is fairly typical of Phanteks cases – a nice organizer is included to keep all installation hardware sorted, and the water pump mounting plate complete with vibration-dampening foam makes an appearance as well. A CPU 8-pin extension, four foam “feet” (for placing the Shift X on its side) and some zip ties round out the kit. Not pictured: a detailed, surprisingly helpful and well done user’s manual which you can also find here. Make sure to give it a read – it’s one of the best user manuals I’ve seen for a case.
First things first – let’s get that power supply installed. I wanted to build a high-end system in the Shift X so nothing less than 500W would do. Until recently, that was a little tough to find in the SFX form factor – now, Silverstone/BeQuiet/Corsair/FSP all make units going up to 800W+. The Shift X technically supports ATX (we’ll cover this in a bit), SFX and SFX-L power supplies, so let’s start with a Silverstone SFX-L 500W unit. One of the main differences (besides the size of course) between the Shift X and the regular Shift is the addition of a power supply shroud. The grommet on this cover is just big enough for the main 24-pin connector – I’m not sure why this hole couldn’t be made ever so slightly larger to avoid any issues (thankfully, the Silverstone unit shown here uses a 20+4 pin arrangement for the main ATX cable).
The shroud cleans up the interior nicely. However, modular SFX-L units will probably need all of their cables attached ahead of time as they’re a bit difficult to access later. They may not all fit through the single grommet on top of the shroud either, so you’ll need to carefully plan ahead and make sure you’ve connected all of the cables you need. This portion above the SFX-L unit is designed to route those extra cables to storage drives and other accessories through the cable routing channel on the back portion of the Shift X’s frame.
Most SFX units come with shorter cables which could potentially cause an issue in the taller Shift X. On the Silverstone 500W SFX-L shown here, I didn’t run into any problems – remember, the Shift X comes with an 8-pin CPU extension as well which could be useful with some units.
The Silverstone 500W SFX-L is a good match for this case – even the power supply plug is positioned correctly to avoid crimping the extension cord to the outside of the frame when plugged in. At this point we could continue with the build, but I’m a little nervous about using a 500W unit to power an overclocked i7-7700K and GTX 1080Ti. Let’s see if we can make use of the extra space in the Shift X by swapping it out for a larger ATX PSU.
The original specs of the Shift X – and indeed, the sheer size of this chassis – indicate ATX power supplies of limited length (less than 160 mm) can fit inside. Since release, this has been adjusted – the specifications now only list compatibility with SFX power supplies.
I decided to try it anyway. I would have to assume others – like myself – would purchase a Shift X because of the ATX compatibility (more common, less expensive, generally available in higher wattage, contain bigger fans for quieter operation). A premium case like the Shift X deserves a high-end system, and high-end components require more power. I’ve got a plethora of higher-wattage ATX power supplies, and only two SFX units that are currently in other builds (that tap out at 500W – not enough to comfortably power an overclocked i7-7700K and 1080Ti). I didn’t think it would be much of an issue – there’s obviously space, right? Well…let’s take a look at why those specifications changed.
The first power supply I tried was the one currently powering the system used in this review in another case. It’s an EVGA 850W G3. A compact unit with a very typical layout, it meets the ATX specifications listed in the original specifications of the Shift X: less than 160mm in length. As we can see above, there’s an issue…the power receptacle is positioned in such a way that the power supply mounting bracket of the Shift X will be in the way. This particular switch/plug arrangement is common to almost every ATX power supply on the market and is the primary reason why the Shift X will not accommodate ATX PSUs.
However, I had quite a selection of PSUs sitting around, so I stumbled upon one with a different plug arrangement: another EVGA model (the 1000 GQ). This power supply reversed the power switch and plug, bringing the plug to the inside and freeing up enough clearance to plug in the extension.
Well…sort of. As luck would (not) have it, the orientation of the plug means the extension has to be inserted in such a way that the 90-degree elbow just straight into the rest of the extension. Of course, that’s not all…
Remember that 160mm limit? Here’s why the EVGA 1000 GQ won’t work – it’s just long enough that it won’t sit flush against the chassis frame.
Sure enough, that 160 mm is a hard limit. Any longer and the power supply case runs into the raised tray for cable management/drive storage.
Well, there was one more power supply to try: a Rosewill Hive 750W. It was short enough, but the plug was in the wrong spot again. At least this particular layout places the power plug in the corner of the PSU, so flipping it around provided enough clearance.
Or so I thought. Again, the orientation of the receptacle itself meant that 90-degree elbow – which is necessary by the way, otherwise the bottom plate wouldn’t be able to attach – was again pointing in the worst direction possible. Removing the Rosewill Hive, plugging in the extension, bending the cord quite severely and then finally securing the power supply in place was the only way to make this particular layout work.
Whew. I can see why the specifications were changed from announcement to retail release: while there’s enough volume in the Shift X for an ATX power supply, it’s far too much of a stretch to say it’s compatible. I’ve never had to jump through so many hoops to get something to fit in a chassis – suffice to say, expect to purchase an SFX PSU for the Shift X. I’d like to see a removable, multiple-orientation SFX/ATX adapter plate in any future revisions of this case to get around the restrictions and compatibility issues. It seems silly for such a large case to be restricted in such a manner.
With our adventures in ATX/SFX compatibility resolved (spoiler: the EVGA GQ series – the 650W and 750W model – are the only ATX PSUs I could find that would fit as desired), let’s get on to building the rest of the system in the Shift X to see if there are any more surprises waiting for us.
Motherboard installation is fairly typical – simply screw it into place. There’s not much clearance surprisingly – this part feels a bit cramped which I wasn’t expecting for such a large case. Still, it’s not much to worry about, and if you need more room you can always remove the side 2.5″ drive panel to gain better access. Incidentally for those that care about such things, the cable management tray (shown in the left in the photo above since the Shift X was positioned horizontally) covers the LED lighting on the ASUS ROG STRIX Z270I motherboard shown here.
The motherboard tray is wide open to allow access for aftermarket back plates. This is particularly beneficial for the recent trend of placing M.2 SSDs on the back side of motherboards as well, since normally one would have to remove the entire motherboard to install/remove/access a drive in this location.
The default orientation of the PCI-E extension bracket places a card facing towards the interior of the chassis (or away from the tempered glass side panel – the recommended orientation for air-cooled graphics cards). This bracket can be easily flipped to place the “face” of a graphics card towards the glass side panel instead. Those with water blocks will probably want to choose this orientation – the PCI-E extension cable is long enough for both.
The bracket itself isn’t, however. Granted, triple-slot cards are never a guarantee in any mini-ITX case, but the Zotac GTX 1080 Ti AMP Extreme pictured here couldn’t hope to fit in the two-slot-wide bracket. Enterprising types could easily shave off the intruding metal portion of the bracket to permanently accommodate the card itself, but you’d have to modify the side panel as well (not to mention provide some sort of ventilation to the fans pressed right up against the glass).
Then you’d have to deal with the clearance up top. Looks like I’ll have to give up on any over-sized monster GPUs – dual slot or waterblocks seem to be the only options for the Shift X.
At least graphics cards that exceed the PCI slot width (height) dimension should fit nicely, as long as they don’t intrude past two slots. The wider GTX 1060 using MSI’s “TWIN FROZR VI” cooler fits without an issue.
Perhaps the best choice is going to be Nvidia’s reference coolers on the Founder’s Edition cards. The GTX 1070 pictured here fits perfectly with room to spare – but we’ve forgotten one aspect of clearance.
I’m skipping ahead a bit here, but it isn’t enough for the card itself to fit. Make sure to allow room for the power connections too! I ended up having to shift the GPU bracket over a centimeter to plug in the GTX 1070’s power cables. Those using thick radiators or push/pull fan configurations on the front panel should take note.
For completeness, the maximum width of the “end” portion of a graphics card looks to be about 60 mm / 2.3 inches.
That dimension narrows to under 50 mm / 2 inches around the bottom of the bracket (this portion is necessary, since the hole shown is mirrored on the other side and holds a thumbscrew to secure this portion of the bracket to the interior frame).
The main components are in place. Next we’ll need to add some cooling for the CPU and get everything connected.
We’ve seen some issues with power supplies and graphics card clearances – let’s hope we don’t run into the same issues with CPU coolers.
As previously stated, the front panel of the Shift X differs from the smaller Shift with its ability to accommodate 240/280 mm radiators and fans. The Shift X has no problem with the Swiftech H220 pictured here.
Maximum height above the CPU cooler is 82 mm, which restricts the Shift X to AIO coolers or custom water blocks (or Intel/AMD stock coolers along with most C-type aftermarket coolers). The pump/block combo unit of the Swiftech H220 fits without a problem. Tubes can pass freely between the top “compartment” and the bottom since the cable management tray doesn’t extend the full width/depth of the case.
A modular PSU would be beneficial if only to reduce the number of stray/spare cables that need to be fastened down. Thankfully, there’s more room for cable management than it first appears in the Shift X – extra cables can be fastened down anywhere along the back panel, as the panel adds another centimeter or so of space for cable management (for a total of just under an inch / 2.2 cm).
Remember to leave enough room to plug in the GPU power cables! Exceptionally wide 2-slot coolers may have some trouble with this if you also plan on having fans+radiators in the same space.
The finished product is worth the effort. With everything buttoned up the Shift X looks and feels like the premium case that it is. It was a bit of an adventure getting here, but the end result is unlike anything else.
It can be tough to keep the interior looking as clean as possible without the help of the PSU cover shroud – another reason to spring for an SFX PSU it seems. Still, the slight tint helps hide some of the mess, while there should be enough room on the back panel to hide almost everything else. LED logos shine through nicely, so water blocks and custom GPU backplates can be displayed in all their glory.
We’ve covered quite a bit of detail already, so I’ll just take a moment and give a brief summary on some experiences running a system in the Shift X. I’d recommend (re)reading the compatibility and comparison sections for additional thoughts on this particular case as well.
I was curious about thermal performance and noise due to the restrictive-looking intake vents on the front and rear panels. Any small form factor case is going to require additional attention to component selection, but the Shift X seems to scream for a high-end build – how does it do when dissipating 300W+ worth of heat?
While temperatures weren’t out of line compared to other small enclosures, the most interesting result was how warm the top aluminum vent/plate gets. After some solid gaming with custom fan curves on both the CPU and GTX 1070 FE, the top plate reached a surface temperature of 50C/120F! A bit warm to the touch for sure. The GTX 1070 FE hit a max temperature of 74C (under a gaming load and with a custom fan curve). The Intel Core i7-7700K CPU was delidded, so it runs cool in most situations with a max of 61C in the Shift X.
There’s really no sound-dampening to speak of so the Shift X can be a bit loud with air cooling and high-end components. It’s a shame three-slot coolers don’t fit (it would help keep noise to a minimum) as you’re almost limited to reference GPUs for air cooling otherwise. With the water-cooling focus of many of Phanteks’ cases, I’d strongly recommend considering the water-cooling route in the Shift X as well if you’re intending to keep noise down.
Read the “Adventures in Compatibility” section for details, but it bears repeating that the PSU selection was incredibly limited. I would absolutely recommend considering only SFX power supplies for this case. Only the EVGA GQ series (650W and 750W models) will fit, and even then it’ll take some work.
I’ll try and summarize my experience with Phanteks’ Enthoo-ShiftX in terms of Performance, Appearance, Construction, Functionality and Value categories, but as always I feel like I should add a disclaimer. You must understand that my own preferences and uses for cases differ from most; while I try to view each case as objectively as I can, I probably can’t avoid my own bias from affecting my conclusion in some manner. I implore you to think in depth of your OWN uses and preferences, and use my reviews as a guide or simply as another perspective.
I was satisfied with the performance of the Shift X. Airflow can be a bit restrictive – it will take some effort and noise to dissipate 300W+ systems, but it was still quite acceptable. Like with any small form factor case, your component choice is going to make the biggest difference here. Given the water-cooling focus, this is the route I’d recommend for high-end systems if performance without noise is the goal – which the Shift X can handle quite well.
As for appearance? Well, perhaps I’m just smitten, but I’ll go on record with this: it’s the best looking case right now. THIS IS HOW MODERN COMPUTERS SHOULD LOOK. Yes, I want to shout that to all of the other manufacturers! It’s interesting enough to catch the eye, sophisticated enough that you don’t feel like it should hide in a cabinet, modern, clean, efficient… It’s certainly showpiece quality, and begs to be placed somewhere conspicuous so it can be displayed prominently. The appearance from every angle is attractive, and the Shift X exudes so much…”premiumness” it becomes a centerpiece wherever you place it. I can’t say enough how attractive this case is in person. You’ll have your work cut out for you to keep the inside clutter-free (I’d almost prefer the option of solid panels…), but it’s absolutely worth it. I’ve become a big fan of Phanteks’ aesthetic in general – this one is the best yet.
Construction-wise, the Shift X again sets the bar for cases in its category. I still don’t know how Phanteks can pull off this level of quality at the price they sell them for. Aluminum panels and tempered glass can be found on other cases, but not done so well. Everything fits with such precision. Re-installing the front and side panels is such a joy due to the satisfying tactile “click” as the notches slide into place…the top aluminum lid is perfectly weighted and easy to work with…everything snaps together with perfect tolerances. The only part that doesn’t inspire confidence is the plastic flip-down cable management tray/shield. The use of some stronger magnets – or just using steel instead for the tray face – would help.
It’s hard to ding the Shift X on functionality – obviously it’s not as accommodating as an ATX tower, but…if that’s what you’re looking for, why bother with ITX in the first place? Compared to similar products, it offers a standard level of amenities for ITX cases – it’s really the overall form factor and unique interior that serve as the main function of this case, and there the Shift X delivers like no other. I wish ATX PSUs and larger graphics cards could find a home in the Shift X since it’s so large already, but for everything else the Shift X is a great home for a high-end system.
As of November 2017, the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift X was available online for $159.99 (Amazon | NewEgg). Value is always a difficult proposition for cases in the premium bracket – technically, one could build a computer without a case, so why pony up more cash than necessary? Of course, if you’re okay with leaving thousands of dollars worth of components exposed on a table this discussion barely registers anyway. For everyone else that appreciates the convenience and features of a well-built enclosure, the Shift X provides a lot of value for the money. The biggest problem with the Shift X’s value proposition is its little brother the Shift. Unless you plan on watercooling both CPU and GPU (still technically possible in the smaller Shift), it’s hard to find a reason to spend that additional $50 towards the larger enclosure – especially since you’ll likely need to purchase a new SFX PSU for either case anyway. For such a large case, newer builders would likely be better served with a chassis like the Phanteks P300 or P400 and not even deal with the complications of building small form factor machines. For those that feel the Shift X was exactly what they were looking for to complete that specific ITX build they had in mind? Yeah, it’s absolutely worth it. I’m considering purchasing another one…
In summary, it really isn’t for novice builders. The Shift X is best purchased with a specific build in mind. It takes up as much space as a full tower, even though the foot print is quite a bit less in vertical orientation (about the same volume with far more limitations). Frankly, I was hoping it would be a replacement for the Silverstone Fortress FT03 Mini – not quite, better in most ways, but an FT03 that was a few inches taller would be equally as compelling.
Still, it’s one of the best looking cases in existence right now, and certainly deserves a look. Given the tradeoffs you’ll encounter along the way it’s tough to justify over the regular Shift – but those that choose the Shift X anyway won’t be disappointed.
+ By far the best aesthetic direction computer cases have taken in a long time
+ Solid construction, built to last, worth putting money into
+ Elegant, reserved, attractive design
+ Easy access to components
+ Additional drive trays/storage areas than the smaller Shift
+ Possible ATX compatibility, much more room for water cooling components
+ Solid aluminum parts lend a very premium feel
+ Seriously, just look at it
– Restrictive compatibility for such a large case
– Takes up almost as much space as an ATX tower
– Plan components carefully
– Limited choice of power supplies and some graphics cards
– Limited value over the smaller Shift X
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Performance: 8.25
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Appearance: 10.00
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Construction: 9.75
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Functionality: 8.00
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Value: 7.75
