Anyone used the NZXT Phantom Cases?

kalvindeane

kalvindeane

kalvindeane

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They look very attractive imo, but are pretty cheap and appear small for a "Full Tower Case".
Any word on them? Considering them for my first watercooled rig (just CPU for now),
need something that looks good (matching interior/exterior), enough room for a full
watercooling loop, and under £250. The looks of these cases are screaming at me, yet it
seems a bit small for my needs :S

*edit* Obviously the Corsair 700D fits the bill, but I don't like the looks, or the fact that
"everyone newb uses them".
 
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Well, you've got space for 2 200mm fans in the roof, which should be enough space for a 360mm radiator, plus plenty of space for other bits like the reservoir and pump.

It's not as roomy as the 700D though, so you'll need to plan it through well, and make best use of the space.

I reckon it'd be pretty good though.

The Fractal XL may be worth a look too.
 
Thanks Marvin, didn't see that :) Just made my choice a little harder hehe! Have my heart set on the NZXT atm,
but the size is putting me off :( While the Fractical Design does seem very spacious, it also looks pretty boring
imo.
 
Any thoughts on the Coolermaster ATCS 840? Also seems to be pretty big (dimension-wise), but has no pics on OCUK!
Part of the reason for upgrading is that the cm690ii is very plain tbh, and a bit tight if i had watercooling.
 
If you are looking for something a bit different I can highly recommend the In Win Ironclad. As cheap as it looks in photos in real life it is excellent! I got sent one to review and was astounded at the quality, really is outstanding, silent too! You won't be disappointed, the build quality really is phenomenal!

If you are interested check out my threads and find the one in the MM. And no, this isn't shameless advertisement, I am genuinely impressed with it! Also if you want a window, you can easily remove the side mesh, cut the frame and put some plexi there, saves you cutting a hole in the side panel!
 
No offence intended Gundog, but the Ironclad doesn't meet my needs.

I've seen 3 people now who've told me their previous NZXT cases were aweful!
Looks like it was too good to be true. All the other Full Tower cases are very
ugly or bland in my opinion, perhaps it's not meant to be.
 
kalvindeane said:
No offence intended Gundog, but the Ironclad doesn't meet my needs.

I've seen 3 people now who've told me their previous NZXT cases were aweful!
Looks like it was too good to be true. All the other Full Tower cases are very
ugly or bland in my opinion, perhaps it's not meant to be.
Click to expand...

None taken! NZXT cases are generally budget-orientated cases, which is why many people don't like them. The Phantom seems to be a step in the other direction and it seems reasonably good quality, but I would wait for a few reviews and posts on here before I put my money on the line for one. What do you think of the HAF cases? Or do you prefer a more modern rather than industrial case?
 
I already have a Coolermaster 690 II Adv, a HAF is a step in the wrong direction tbh. The new case needs to fit
a fair ammount of gear in it, whilst still looking sleek with some view of the inside. Which is why I stated a
Full Tower Case, not a Midi Tower Case like the HAF or 690 II Adv (which could house 2x240mm rads,
if I'm not mistaken).

*edit* As for the actual looks of the HAF, I don't find it very attractive tbh. Something like the NZXT with no/little
mesh, and a clearly dominant colour are what I'm after, whilst also having an attractive view of the insides of the
case.

The reason for a clearly dominant colour is because having just 1 colour (glossy black or some other colour) means
I can put some highlights of a second colour in. E.g - mostly black with red (or blue/white) highlights, or some other
colour alternatives (all white with red highlights for example).
 
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I used to use a NZXT M59. For £40 it really was good quality. Their older non-painted-internally cases were a little poor (Whisper for instance), and some are a touch badly designed (Hades, had such a large side fan and was so narrow that no 120mm tower fitted), but generally they're well made and good value for money. Some of the models could even rival Lian Li or whoever (Khaos, Adamas), not that you'd find those cases any more.
 
If worse comes to worse I could use external watercooling perhaps, in a mini itx case or something :D

The NZXT is just begging to be pre-ordered..
 
The fans on the side of the NZXT would do my head in, unless the filters could be taken out to allow the inside to be seen - off to google it!
 
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