NZXT Phantom Case Review

As casemodders we always look at a case and evaluate it based on construction and its ability to accept mods.  The case is constructed from high quality steel and painted to match the color you have chosen.   All of the edges are filed smooth or rolled over for additional strength so you won't need to break out the leather gloves during the initial build or upgrades.

The case features a mixture of case screws and pop rivet construction making disassembly extremely easy.  Though, let's face it there isn't much more you can do to this case except for cooling specific mods or total conversions.

Water cooling is a popular mod for any high end system and we are actually struggling to find ways to install a DIY kit without destroying a good portion of the chassis.  Normally we would mount the radiator across the top of the case however the 200mm fan locations would need to be modified and filled to support a standard 2 fan radiator.    You could use the primary intake location for a radiator mount however to retain use of the door you would need to hard mount the radiator to the chassis and likely remove the lower drive cages to have room for cooling fans and pump assemblies.

Given the work involved it might be best to stick with self contained watercoolers or high end air coolers when using the NZXT Phantom and simply enjoy the smooth lines and lighting effects.

In terms of aircooling the Phantom appears to be a negative pressure design which means that exhaust fans are used to pull heated air from the chassis.  The venting is used to bring cooler air to the various system components at relatively low pressure.  This design can work assuming you block all of the unused fan ports and direct the intake air where you need it most.  Otherwise you'll end up with hot spots in your case and no real way to keep them cool.

First impressions of any chassis tend to stick with you despite what you discover after opening the box.  When we first saw this case we were very impressed with the artful styling and creative use of angles.  It wasn't until we saw the case first hand that we realized that beneath all of those angles is some very creative cooling options.  While we would have liked to see more done with the internals and maybe some pressure connectors for the door fans we still like the design.  If you are looking for a case that you can mod you may want to pass on the NZXT Phantom as it is clearly designed for aircooling applications, which is not always a bad thing.

Artful design
Plenty of Cooling Options
Built in Fan Controller
Three Colors Available

Very few modding opportunities
Large case with only 7 expansion slots
Door fans with long wires