RGB lighting in one housing is currently one of the biggest trends. Especially in the range up to 100 Euro several illuminated housings have been introduced in the last months. BitFenix is also expanding its Nova Mesh TG with four RGB fans. But how the housing performs in practice and whether it can stand out against the wide range offered by other manufacturers is the subject of our detailed test.
Technical Details
The BitFenix Nova Mesh TG 4ARGB* has been available since October 2019 and is almost identical to the BitFenix Nova Mesh TG*, which has been available since mid 2019, except for the four RGB fans. Both cases are available in black and white.
| Universal holder for 3.5″/2.5″ drives | 2 |
| Holder for 2.5″ drives | 3 |
| Expansion slots | 7 |
| Mainboard compatibility | E-ATX (up to 272 mm), ATX, mATX, ITX |
| Power supply Form factor | ATX |
| Front connections | 2 x USB-A 3.0, audio I/O |
| Fan positions | 6 |
| Fan front | 3 x 120 mm or 2 x 140 mm, (3 x 120 mm included) |
| fan top side | 2 x 120 mm |
| Rear fan | 1 x 120 mm (1 x 120 mm included) |
| Fan bottom | – |
| Dust filter | Fan for PSU, fan in front, cover |
| Radiator Front | 120/140/240/280 mm or 360 mm (maximum 35 mm thickness) |
| Radiator Top side | 120/240 mm |
| Radiator Rear | 120 mm |
| Max. Length PSU | 160 mm |
| Max. Length GPU | 340 mm |
| Max. CPU cooler height | 160 mm |
| Cable management room | Yes |
| Lateral left | Tempered Glass |
| right side panel | Steel |
| Dimensions Housing (LxWxH) | 437 x 206 x 460 mm |
| Weight Net | 7.0 kg |
| Price | € 49.90 * |
Packaging and Scope of Delivery
Since the housing has some glass elements, these must be sufficiently protected for the delivery. The Nova Mesh TG 4ARGB arrives well packed in polystyrene. The glass elements were additionally covered inside and outside with a foil to protect them from scratches.
The housing conceals the accessories of the housing. The following parts are included:
- Miscellaneous screws for hardware and fastenings
- Multiple cable ties
- One speaker
- Quick Installation Guide
The accessories are sufficient for most PC hardware combinations. Adapters or control elements for the RGB fans are unfortunately not to be found in the accessories.
Exterior Impression
The housing consists mainly of steel, plastic and glass. The workmanship is very good for a case in this price range. Large gaps, errors in materials or sharp edges are not to be discovered with our case. Visually striking are the removable left side panel made of glass and the logo on the mesh front.
The top cover is magnetically attached and can be easily removed by hand. The cover looks stable and fits perfectly.
In addition to the typical on/off and reset switches, the front panel has two USB 3.0 ports as well as two 3.5 mm jack ports. One port for USB type C is missing, but in this price range this is not yet common.
The underside of the housing reveals a magnetic cover for the power supply, which can be removed. The feet are rubberized and hold the housing securely in place.
The backside of the Nova Mesh shows the PCI slots in the middle area. These can be easily removed with screws. In the upper part, the height-adjustable 120 mm fan can be seen. In the lower part the power supply takes up space. However, this can only be mounted from the inside. Bitfenix does not offer a removable mounting rail.
Overall, the case leaves a very good impression for the price range. Optically, the still unlit case looks a bit more simple. The quality of the material and the workmanship doesn’t show any weaknesses.
Interior Impression
The interior of the Nova Mesh appears tidy at first glance. This is partly due to the separation of the mainboard and power supply. Despite the compact size and the separation, a thin 360 mm radiator could be mounted at the front. There are various options for cable routing. Two of them are rubberized.
When an ATX mainboard is mounted, it is flush with the partition wall of the PSU room. There is little space for the upper cover. Although there is enough space for the installation of an AiO water cooling system, it should be checked before installation whether the mounting can still be carried out after the mainboard has been installed.
Also the area behind the mainboards looks tidy. Since Bitfenix doesn’t use RGB control, many cables are visible. Alone for the already mounted fans, a total of eight wiring harnesses have to be laid.
Two 3.5-inch HDDs can be mounted in the nonremovable hard disk cage in the lower area. A real decoupling, however, does not take place. There is still room for three 2.5-inch drives above it. Furthermore, there are many possibilities to fasten cables with cable ties.
Finally, the interior leaves a good impression. The separation of the rooms creates the potential to make the cabling of the housing visually tidy from the outside. Due to the large number of cables – due to the RGB fans alone – this is almost necessary.
System Configuration in Bitfenix Nova Mesh TG 4ARGB
The following hardware is built into the Nova Mesh:
| CPU | |
| CPU cooler | Thermalright Macho Rev. B * |
| Mainboard | ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 |
| RAM | Corsair 16GB DDR4-3000 |
| Graphics card | Palit GeForce GTX 1080 GameRock Premium 8GB |
| Power supply unit | be quiet! Straight Power 10 Power Supply 500W CM |
| Data carrier | Two 2.5″ SSDs |
If you want to mount a large CPU cooler, you should have thought through the system structure in the Nova Mesh beforehand. The space between the mainboard and the upper part of the case is sufficient, but quite tight. Connecting the CPU power supply can otherwise be a challenge. Even with a maximum available height of 160 mm, the choice of CPU cooling should be considered.
Turning our eyes down and back, further effects of the compact housing are to be discovered: The mainboard is flush with the room divider. Here, too, the space for the subsequent assembly is sufficient, but not lavish.
When using a power supply unit with cable management or a slightly larger energy dispenser, the maximum length of 160 mm must be observed. The not removable hard disk cage limits here unfortunately. The mounted Straight Power 10 from be quiet! could still be installed without any problems.
The room separation between the power supply and mainboard areas and the well-placed cable bushings allow good cable management in the visible area. In addition, up to five drives can be mounted invisibly behind the mainboard. Closing the right side is also possible without problems with large cable quantities and suboptimal laying.
Beside the mentioned points the further installation of the hardware into the case runs without problems.
Lighting, Cooling Power and Volume
The housing has four fully controllable RGB fans. The use of two different cables per fan – one for RGB lighting and one for fan control – guarantees both extremely quiet and colourful operation of the housing. Since Bitfenix does not control the RGB elements in its housing, this must be done by the mainboard or other hardware. Since the built-in mainboard is incompatible with the 3-pin RGB connector of the fans, control in our case is via a separate controller.
The adjustable fans were connected to a connector of the mainboard and operated with low voltage. In our test the fans of the Nova Mesh are almost inaudible. Even with this configuration trimmed to Silence, the cooling of the installed hardware by the four fans is always sufficient.
Periodical Experience
The Nova Mesh stands non-slip and stable on black rubberized feet. Optically the somewhat simpler housing is successful and looks modern and chic due to the RGB lighting. The configuration options of the fans give you the choice between almost silent operation and maximum cooling performance.
Conclusion of the Bitfenix Nova Mesh TG 4ARGB Test
With the Nova Mesh TG 4ARGB the buyer gets a compact housing, which can offer adjustable fans as well as a fancy RGB lighting. The workmanship is on a very good level and the choice of material is convincing. It is a pity that the I/O panel at the front lacks a USB type C connection. The otherwise very good overall picture is also somewhat clouded by the non-removable hard disk cage. Considering the price, however, this is to be borne.
At the end of the test it is clear: The case is a very good choice for all those who can and want to regulate and control both the fans and the RGB lighting themselves. As long as the hardware fits into the Bitfenix case, you don’t do anything wrong with the Nova Mesh.
BitFenix Nova Mesh TG 4ARGB
Workmanship
Structure
Features
Dampening
Cooling
Value for Money
Compact and stylish RGB housing for silent freaks with good price-performance ratio!
