NZXT Phantom case: lotsa airflow and perks.

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coconutboy

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Spotted this article over at PCPer previewing the NZXT Phantom. Like most websites, they did more of a "tour" than a review (no temp or dB testing), but it's a good look at the case. The article lists the MSRP as $140, but Amazon has it up for pre-order at only $128 w/ free shipping, in all three colors, too. Pics:

blackNZXTphantom01.jpg


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whiteNZXTphantom01.jpg


blackNZXTphantom03.jpg


redNZXTphantom03.jpg


blackNZXTphantom10.jpg


redNZXTphantom05.jpg


redNZXTphantom02.jpg


blackNZXTphantom08.jpg



Case looks great to me, kinda like the Silverstone Raven 01 styling w/ some bling/LED action. I also dig the built-in fan controller and frontal I/O ports, although the lack of USB 3.0 kinda blows for a yet-to-be-released case. I'm also not really sure why NZXT gives buyers 2x200mm blowhole fans up top, but no mounts for 3x120mm radiators. All in all though, this looks pretty sweet and a good competitor/alternative to the Lian Li pc-k62/Antec 902/NZXT Tempest. Hopefully prices drop down to the ~$100 range.
 
Looks like it has great airflow, however I am a little weary about the 8/4 pin motherboard cable that has to be routed all the way through the front like in the picture because there is no cable management hole above the motherboard.

And I really have to say this might be the ugliest case I've seen in a long time. However the interior look does make up for it, that I was impressed with.
 
I like the white one, but I'm surprised it only comes with 1 200mm fan since it has spots for 2.
I saw this yesterday - Bill from mnpctech did a YT video with a semi-review/impressions of the white one. Lots of detail shots and whatnot....good video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZxhvfSVLpM
 
I think the case looks pretty slick. To each his own I guess. I like the look of my Antec 1200, but some of my technologically-illiterate friends sometimes make fun of it for "looking like a server", whatever that is supposed to mean.
 
zero2dash said:
I like the white one, but I'm surprised it only comes with 1 200mm fan since it has spots for 2.
I saw this yesterday - Bill from mnpctech did a YT video with a semi-review/impressions of the white one. Lots of detail shots and whatnot....good video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZxhvfSVLpM
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My bet is NZXT did it to fuel "accessory" sales of their new cooling fans

I'm glad you liked the review :)
 
I really dig the case, I am buying the white one when they are available. Now to find an outline sticker of Vader or Storm Troopers that be AWEOSME!
 
Bdonedge said:
Looks like it has great airflow, however I am a little weary about the 8/4 pin motherboard cable that has to be routed all the way through the front like in the picture because there is no cable management hole above the motherboard.

And I really have to say this might be the ugliest case I've seen in a long time. However the interior look does make up for it, that I was impressed with.
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Good eye spotting the extra routing length needed on the mobo cables. Hopefully NZXT either bundle in the extension cables like some mfgs, or else modify the chassis sometime soon.

zero2dash said:
I like the white one, but I'm surprised it only comes with 1 200mm fan since it has spots for 2.
I saw this yesterday - Bill from mnpctech did a YT video with a semi-review/impressions of the white one. Lots of detail shots and whatnot....good video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZxhvfSVLpM
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Nice find on the vid. mnpctech always does great case "tour vids". No temp/dB testing using meters, but it's still great chance to see the details. Definitely digging the bit of trivia Bill mentioned about craigbru helping in the design of the case.

Casenard said:
I think the case looks pretty slick. To each his own I guess. I like the look of my Antec 1200, but some of my technologically-illiterate friends sometimes make fun of it for "looking like a server", whatever that is supposed to mean.
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As long as you like your case, that's all that matters. One man thinks his case looks like a Ferrari while his best friend thinks it looks hideous.
 
I'm going to get the red one as long as its out by the time I upgrade.
 
I like the internals of this case a lot. The outside will have to grow on me because I'm used to getting cases with much cleaner lines. My last three cases were an Antec P180, Coolermaster ATC-111C-SX1, and a Lian Li PC70.

I hope it's easy to wire all of the fans to the integrated fan controller without creating a mess of wires.
 
I wrote the initial PCPer article and you can mount a triple radiator to the top of the case (see pic below). I initially didn't think it could support many custom watercooling solutions, but did more research and they include a couple brackets to install the radiator. Overall its a pretty spacious case and pretty attractive. Sorry for the quick review as well. They shipped it to me two days before they wanted the review posted so I couldn't do a more thorough review of the case.

_MG_8893.jpg
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...and I think this case is beautiful. However, beauty only goes skin deep; which is especially true for cases. Fortunately in this case, I think NZXT has created one of the best (mid price range) full tower cases on the market, so I already pre-ordered one and hope to get it in the next week or two.

I cannot remember the last time I got excited about a new case, so I am really hoping the Phantom is as great as I am expecting.
 
Stratus, I did have one question. Is that lower HDD bay removable? Not the middle one for 2 drives, but the one to the front of the case?
 
I Dont care how good of airflow it gets.. I would rather my components sit on a cardboard box then have that ugly fucker in my office.
 
The NZXT Phantom case looks good at certain angles, but I also think it is a bit ugly. If only the top of the case were the front and there weren't so many rounded buldges. If all the details were there but the case was square and angular without that rounded arch that goes down the middle of it, it would be decent. As it stands, I like the black inserts and angular break-up of color and the fan controller and LED design but the rest reminds of me 2001-era plasticky "gaming" PCs or ugly Alienware jobs.

nzxtphantom.jpg
 
dudewth said:
Thanks...should have been the first place I checked.

I wish you could mix/match colors. I'd get a black exterior with a white interior.
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you could just buy the white case and paint the out black. just saying
 
Looks like overclocker's club has a review w/ some temp testing. In stock form using only the factory shipped fans, temps are okay, nothing special. Adding in a fan(s) to the front/side/top oughta remedy that. I wonder if NZXT arbitrarily shipped the case with the 2x120mm side fans because those are the cheapest option, or if actual testing proved this to be more effective versus, say, ditching one of the side-mounted 120mm for a 140mm frontal intake? Like Bill was saying, little chance they were gonna add in the top/side 200/230mm since they can make money selling parts to those who care enough to buy 'em.

Danny Bui said:
Do note that case was developed with the help of a fellow [H]'er: craigbru.

Some of his other work:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1444241
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1390697
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1238792
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Yeah, craig is amazing. I'm still blown away by LOSIAS, and his latests ongoing creation is freakin' beyond belief. Love when manufacturers pull in community to produce new concepts or simply collaborate with talented independents. Reminds me of Bioware/Neverwinter Nights/Dragon Age working with Adam Miller the community modder. That guy was a badass and I wish he'd had the time to do some DA:O mods *sigh*.

Stratus said:
I wrote the initial PCPer article and you can mount a triple radiator to the top of the case (see pic below). I initially didn't think it could support many custom watercooling solutions, but did more research and they include a couple brackets to install the radiator. Overall its a pretty spacious case and pretty attractive. Sorry for the quick review as well. They shipped it to me two days before they wanted the review posted so I couldn't do a more thorough review of the case.

_MG_8893.jpg
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Definitely tough to do good & thorough work when you're working against the clock, but simply taking pics or video, particularly of blacked-out cases, is hard and your stuff is great. By comparison, I was gonna youtube a short video "tour" of a black lian Ii I recently picked up, and even w/ 5 different lights providing direct/indirect lighting on the case, it was just really hard to see the details. I compared my footage to TJHarlow's of a similar design, and my lighting was much better, but I wasn't satisfied. Then I tried waiting for the daylight to come through my home's skylights just right in addition to 6 lights, and it was still tough to pick things out. Prolly spent an hour+ each time I tried to film. Now we're in the middle of moving and I just don't have the time. Bleh.

I'm really curious to see how various radiator designs work with the Phantom's larger fans vs standard 120mm stuffs. My gut says it'll be good (but not great) so long as the rad isn't too thick, but there doesn't look to be enough room up top for a sandwiched rad.

That'd make for a pretty cool (and major headache) of an article. Compare 3+ cases for watercooling w/ the same/similar hardware; temp testing and the whole shabang. Or the focus could even be based on budget and what kinda watercooling rig you can get for the money.

Spare-Flair said:
The NZXT Phantom case looks good at certain angles, but I also think it is a bit ugly. If only the top of the case were the front and there weren't so many rounded buldges. If all the details were there but the case was square and angular without that rounded arch that goes down the middle of it, it would be decent. As it stands, I like the black inserts and angular break-up of color and the fan controller and LED design but the rest reminds of me 2001-era plasticky "gaming" PCs or ugly Alienware jobs.

nzxtphantom.jpg
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This is spot on, Alienware inded. I like the looks of the Phantom (I also liked many of the Alienware cases), but it's definitely a love it/hate it design. The case styling is clearly meant to fool the eyes into not seeing the "big rectangle/box" mold by adding a few curves and, especially, using asymmetry to break up the lines much like Italian designed cars/motorcycles/clothing.

In addition to the Phantom, NZXT should release this same design in a more understated form. Like Silverstone did with the Raven 02 versus the Fortress 02. Hopefully the Phantom sells well enough to bring the price down over time, and they can do an upscale simplistic/minimalist exterior for ~$160-199.
 
One of the design priorities for this case was excellent air cooling. It's pretty easy to achieve that when all the fans are in the case. As shipped, it should still perform well. Unfortunately the large diameter fans are pretty pricey, and including all of them would have raised the selling price. So, it's a matter of selling a case that still performs, keeping it affordable, and allowing for further cooling potential with the purchase of more fans. If the case does well, and the initial tooling investments pay off, I would certainly expect the case price to lower.

Also, for those that like the interior layout, but aren't sold on the exterior styling, there are initial plans to remedy that. While companies like Antec go off the deep end, you're going to see NZXT offer some more conservative cases. When I advised on the chassis design, it was with the hopes that it could be used on several different cases.
 
craigbru said:
One of the design priorities for this case was excellent air cooling. It's pretty easy to achieve that when all the fans are in the case. As shipped, it should still perform well. Unfortunately the large diameter fans are pretty pricey, and including all of them would have raised the selling price. So, it's a matter of selling a case that still performs, keeping it affordable, and allowing for further cooling potential with the purchase of more fans. If the case does well, and the initial tooling investments pay off, I would certainly expect the case price to lower.

Also, for those that like the interior layout, but aren't sold on the exterior styling, there are initial plans to remedy that. While companies like Antec go off the deep end, you're going to see NZXT offer some more conservative cases. When I advised on the chassis design, it was with the hopes that it could be used on several different cases.
Click to expand...

Yes, NZXT often has some good modern minimalist designs but they also have several designs that are out there, often for products in the same family.
 
lt_shiro said:
you could just buy the white case and paint the out black. just saying
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True...although I don't know how well I could paint plastic.

craigbru said:
Also, for those that like the interior layout, but aren't sold on the exterior styling, there are initial plans to remedy that. While companies like Antec go off the deep end, you're going to see NZXT offer some more conservative cases. When I advised on the chassis design, it was with the hopes that it could be used on several different cases.
Click to expand...

So if I want a more subdued exterior I should wait?

I might just get the case and then get a redesign later...otherwise I'll just always be waiting for the next thing. I could even transfer my server to this case once the redesign comes out. I was planning on putting my server in to my P180 for now, if I get this case.
 
For some reason I like this case a lot. I've always been a fan of Lian Li / Silverstone (simple / clean cases). But then I always liked the more ridiculous ones that NZXT put out.

I think I may order it If I ever upgrade my MATX setup.
 
dudewth said:
So if I want a more subdued exterior I should wait?

I might just get the case and then get a redesign later...otherwise I'll just always be waiting for the next thing. I could even transfer my server to this case once the redesign comes out. I was planning on putting my server in to my P180 for now, if I get this case.
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I've not seen the revisions, and I'm not sure when they might arrive. I just know they are coming at some point. If you like the case, then I wouldn't hold off on buying. Of course, I plan on modding it anyway. :D
 
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craigbru said:
I've not seen the revisions, and I'm not sure when they might arrive. I just know they are coming at some point. If you like the case, then I wouldn't hold off on buying. Of course, I plan on modding it anyway. :D
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I will make the call when I see it sitting beside my desk, but I may mod it by removing the side 200mm fan slot (since few of the top air heatsinks will fit with a 200mm fan in the side) and installing a window. I may also do something with a radiator in the front since I was told the whole front HDD section is removable.

I am just excited to have a wide case, with this many great features, at such a great price.
 
craigbru said:
I've not seen the revisions, and I'm not sure when they might arrive. I just know they are coming at some point. If you like the case, then I wouldn't hold off on buying. Of course, I plan on modding it anyway. :D
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I've decided to go ahead and order it. I see that it ships tomorrow (8/11) from nzxt.com. I wonder if the same is true with Amazon. The only reason I'd go with Amazon over nzxt is that I have prime so it'll ship with free 2 day shipping. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
 
dudewth said:
I've decided to go ahead and order it. I see that it ships tomorrow (8/11) from nzxt.com. I wonder if the same is true with Amazon. The only reason I'd go with Amazon over nzxt is that I have prime so it'll ship with free 2 day shipping. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
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I had pre-ordered this on Amazon, which was not showing a delivery date, so I called NZXT and talked to the sales guy. He said 8/11 is the first day NZXT is shipping anywhere. They will get the orders from Amazon and ship to Amazon tomorrow...who will then ship it to wherever.

So, I cancelled Amazon and ordered from the NZXT store. Same $139.99 price and free shipping. It is 7 day, but hopefully will get here quickly since I am in Nevada.
 
Notleh said:
I had pre-ordered this on Amazon, which was not showing a delivery date, so I called NZXT and talked to the sales guy. He said 8/11 is the first day NZXT is shipping anywhere. They will get the orders from Amazon and ship to Amazon tomorrow...who will then ship it to wherever.

So, I cancelled Amazon and ordered from the NZXT store. Same $139.99 price and free shipping. It is 7 day, but hopefully will get here quickly since I am in Nevada.
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Thanks for the heads up. I ordered it from NZXT as well. I also got all of the fans to fill the empty slots. Might be overkill but I figured I might as well, they're not too expensive. I'm out of town this weekend anyway, so I can survive if it gets here mid next week.
 
dudewth said:
Thanks for the heads up. I ordered it from NZXT as well. I also got all of the fans to fill the empty slots. Might be overkill but I figured I might as well, they're not too expensive. I'm out of town this weekend anyway, so I can survive if it gets here mid next week.
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You found the 200mm fan there? I didnt see one but i was thinking about getting some colored cables (white cables look sweet on this) and such from Frozencpu and grabbing fans there.

I like the white fans, but the specs dont look great so I might replace them with something else.
 
It's a badass case. Too bad my rig isn't that beafy to justify dropping the heavy cash on this beast of a case.
 
Notleh said:
You found the 200mm fan there? I didnt see one but i was thinking about getting some colored cables (white cables look sweet on this) and such from Frozencpu and grabbing fans there.

I like the white fans, but the specs dont look great so I might replace them with something else.
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Yea, the 200mm fans are hidden. If you click on "case fans" in the store they aren't listed, but if you go to the regular website and browse to the 200mm fans and then click "buy now" you get taken to their store page. I'm not sure why that is but hopefully I still get them. The 200mm fans are pretty loud, so I'm sure they'll be constantly undervolted when/if I install them.
 
Just went to the NZXT web site, and its not listed to buy it no more from them. I wonder if they got to many orders.
 
martinje said:
Just went to the NZXT web site, and its not listed to buy it no more from them. I wonder if they got to many orders.
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I noticed that as well. My order still hasn't shipped so who knows what that means...
 
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