Bitfenix Prodigy M micro-ATX case

Closer look at the BitFenix Prodigy M – Internal

If the Prodigy M looked a lot like the Prodigy from the outside things change a lot when we open up the case. Both side-plates are held by thumbscrews and should be removed if you plan on working in the case,

The first thing we notice is that since we now can fit m-ATX motherboards in the case the motherboard no longer fit in horizontal mode. Instead we have to use the vertical motherboard plate and fasten it there. There is however a difference compared to most other cases as the motherboard is screwed onto the “wrong side”. Basically we usually open up the left side of the case (if we look from the front) and then put the motherboard on the right side but in this case we do it the other way around. This means that the graphics card actually is sitting at the top of the case with the fans pointing towards the top while the CPU is further down in the case. There is a vertical section apparent as you open the case. This can be removed and is used to house either two 3.5″-drives or three 2.5″-drives. The side plate with the buttons and connectors also has a plastic section that can hold up to two 2.5″-drives. Last but not least you also can put two 3.5″ drives in the bottom although this means one of the fans must be removed.

The power supply no longer sits in the back but instead in the front pointing downwards. This means that it sucks in air through the front mesh and expels it underneath the case. The problem with this solution is that there is a risk that the warm air will rise back and be sucked into the case. In fact there has been anecdotical reports about power supplies running hotter than usual. This is also why the heat shield is included as it is supposed to block the air from coming into the case again. However – when you have the heat shield on it will actually block the fan in the bottom so it sounds like the best solution is moving the fan to the front or top, not use the bottom places for the hard drives (as they will not get any air over them) and use the heat shield.