Computer case manufacturers have had to get very creative to attract your hard earned money. In the last year, we’ve seen uber fancy and expensive cases offering a wide array of features, some useful and some not so much. When all else fails, it comes back to the basics which is form and function. Today, we’re going to take a look at the Phantom from NZXT’s Crafted Series which may very well be the form and function you need. But it’s still a looker. Let’s find out if all the angles are covered with NZXT’s latest and greatest!
Features and Specifications
In order to give you a complete overview of the some of the more interesting features of the NZXT Phantom, we’ve prepared a short video run through…
If you require more eye candy, there are always more pictures in all our reviews on the very last page in the photo gallery.
Just to recap, the Phantom includes seven fan cooling options, but the chassis actually ships with 1 x 140mm front. 1 x 120mm rear, 2 x 120mm side panel, and 2 x 200mm top cooling case fans. The best part is that the fans can be controlled via the integrated variable fan controller built in to the top left of the chassis. It also supports the largest of motherboards and video cards. This includes E-ATX all the way down to mATX. It also isn’t afraid of SLI or CrossFire setups or large video cards like an HD 5970.
Again, the Phantom has a strong tooless feature set that enhances functionality. Both the 5.25″ and 3.5/2.5″ drive bays require only a little effort to use. The 5.25″ bays have some clever, black locking mechanisms that simply press in to release the drive bay from both sides. These particular latches do a really good job of holding your ROM drives in place even if you have to ship it long distances. The HDD flexible removable trays are simple and hold the hard drive pretty securely. And of course, those additional touches like the high quality rubber coated power and reset buttons and LED strips are just icing on the cake.
The NZXT Phantom comes in Darth Vader Black (as tested), Storm Trooper White, and Imperial Guard Red. No, those are not the real names, but we couldn’t help but equate the sharp white paint job with a storm trooper outfit. It’s shipping now and you should be able to find it for around $139 US but expect the white one to be slightly higher in price and harder to find as NZXT has been absolutely overwhelmed with the demand.
Test System Setup
Yes, our extremely unfriendly test system makes a return. We’re using some of the noisiest and hottest components on the planet to test thermal performance and noise level performance. That’s one nice thing about window-less side panels – the case will block some noise. Here’s the break down of this torture rack:
- Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition (140W) AM3
- CPU Cooler: Stock AMD Heat Pipe
- Motherboard: ASUS M4A89GTD Pro USB3 AMD 890GX Motherboard
- Memory: Patriot Memory 4GB 2000MHz ViperII DDR3
- Video Card: eVGA NVidia Geforce 8800 Ultra 768MB
- Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATAII
- SSD Storage: OCZ Agility 60GB SSD
- Power Supply: Antec SG-850 Modular ATX
Our operating system of choice was of course Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit. We’ll cover our testing procedure in a little bit, but first let’s make sure we install the parts and note any issues that may or may not have come up.
Installation Notes
Based on what you see inside and out of the Phantom, it’s actually a pretty easy working with the chassis. The motherboard fits nicely with room to spare which is good for the massive video cards you may choose to install. The tooless ROM drive clips are clever and strong with no movement. Power cables fit nicely behind the motherboard tray and the ability to run SATA power cables behind the tray to the hard drive bays really makes things look nicer.
The CPU cut out and machined holes in the edge of the chassis frame make attaching the expansion cards or working with the cooler very easy. These little things aren’t trivial. They should be industry standard as far as we’re concerned.
Finally, the massive Antec TPQ-1200 PSU sits on four thick rubber feet which keeps it looking all pretty underneath. Any extra wires actually tucked nicely behind the motherboard tray. There’s just enough space for this elongated beast to fit. Plus, you can remove the hard drive bay in front of the PSU if you just happen to have an unnaturally huge PSU. Otherwise, it should work with 95% of the PSUs on the market.
Testing Notes
In order to push our test system to the limit, it was important to pick the right software. Since GPU and CPU output the heat in any modern gaming rig we chose to run OCCT to burn the CPU and FurMark to load up the GPU. Ambient temperatures were maintained at 20C throughout testing.
After taking idle temperatures 30 minutes after logging in to the desktop, we ran both torture tests. Temperatures were taken 30 minutes later. We used five sensors from a Zalman ZM-MFC2 Fan controller attached to the following locatons: clip side of CPU cooler, back of the video card right next to the GPU outline, center of the hard drive, South Bridge, and North Bridge chipset. This gives us a good overall idea of where hot spots showed up in our system. All temperatures were taken with the case closed.
Our noise level measurements were taken at the same time as the temperature measurements. We took readings with a noise level meter about a foot from the left, right, front and top panels.
How Cool Is the Phantom?
The Phantom’s fans are configured in such a way that the majority of the system’s hot air is forced evenly up through the top and back of the chassis with cool air flowing in from the bottom and side panels. This creates a bit of a wind tunnel effect. Let’s see how effective this configuration is.
Based on our results, we can say that these are quite good especially based on the amount of air flow coming through. I was surprised to see that adding the optional front and top fan did very little to effect load temps on a single GPU build. However, if your system is running SLI or Tri-SLI, you’ll want to at least add the front fan for slightly better air flow.
Is the Phantom Quiet?
Due to the effective use of fewer fans, the Phantom should end up quieter than most cases. We should be hearing more of the stock AMD CPU Cooler and reference GPU cooler than anything else.
At it’s noisiest, the Phantom’s case fans alone range in levels from 17dB to 20dB which could never really be heard with the test system active. The CPU fan created the most noise especially when the system was under full load. Still, I found the stock reference CPU and VGA coolers’ average 28dB to be completely tolerable. This further drives the point home that an efficient chassis airflow doesn’t require large amounts of fans to excel. They just need to be placed correctly.
Final Thoughts
Creative and well-engineered are just a couple words used to describe my first impressions when laying eyes upon the Phantom. When I first inspected this latest addition to the Crafted Series more thoroughly, I found myself considering all of the scenarios that the chassis could serve. While it appears conservative in black, the Phantom actually inspires more creative emotion suggesting it can fulfill many different roles whether it be a professional desk jockey, or full time gamer. Granted, the black chassis would be more suited to the conservative types better, but there’s just something about the more eye catching white and red enclosures that has me wanting one.
Probably the Phantom’s second most important feature is its ability to keep air flowing throughout the chassis. Because it can keep a very hot running gaming system cool, we have no doubt that it can handle any system one could squeeze inside this effective chassis. Remember, it does support extended ATX (eATX) boards so the Phantom will accomodate. The best part is that it is still rather quiet and offers quite a bit of thermal control not only via fan placement but also with the included fan controller onboard. If you want something truly challenging to throw at the Phantom, I’d suggest using a performance CPU cooler, seting the case fans to low, and tucking it in a cabinet. The Phantom will triumph.
Finally, what the NZXT Phantom does best is stand out among the sea of computer cases that seemingly fail to evolve. With a unique tool-less drive bay retention design, complete fan control, effective cable management, very efficient cooling plus a low noise level footprint, I think many enthusiasts will be happy to own this feature rich and colorful enclosure. That’s why we’re proudly awarding the NZXT Phantom our elusive “Editors’ Choice” award.
Pros
- Excellent Neo-ergo chassis design
- Internal design compliments the exterior
- Integrated fan controller
- Rubber lined bezel door to limit ROM drive noise
- Tooless drive bays and one removable
- Extended chassis offers plenty of space for large components
- Wire and installation management
- Excellent cooling efficiency
Cons
- Black mirror finish can smudge easily
- Clean with very soft cloth only
Overall Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
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NZXT Phantom Crafted Series ATX Enclosure – Photo Gallery
