NZXT's newest Phantom cuts costs but
not features
It hasn't been too long since NZXT released
its last case in the Phantom range, the Phantom 820, but it's back now with the
slightly smaller and cheaper Phantom 630. From the outside not much has changed
from the standard triangular wedge-based design of previous iterations.
However, the case is 23mm shorter (and $64 cheaper) than the larger 820 model,
but it's also 10mm wider - a measurement that has benefits for large CPU tower
coolers and cable management.
NZXT
PHANTOM 630
The gunmetal finish has a certain allure to
it, although white and black versions are also available, and the quality of
the materials used for the case's construction is excellent. Behind the
magnetic door you'll find four optical drive bays with handy clip out covers
and an SD reader. The Phantom 630 lacks the internal lighting of the 820
(although there's still a side window), but it retains the nifty LED above the
rear I/O panel, which can be activated on the front panel.
Out of the box, the Phantom 630 packs three
200mm fans (front intake, side intake and roof exhaust) and a single 140mm rear
exhaust fan, the height of which you can adjust to better match the airflow
from your CPU cooler. You can house up to ten fans, however, and pleasingly the
case has removable dust filters to cover all possible dust entry points.
You'll find a pair each of USB 3.0 and USB
2.0 ports alongside dual audio jacks on the roof's front panel. There's also a
30W fan controller, which can control up to ten fans on a single channel. A
slider is used to switch between three speeds, and three LEDs at the front are
used to indicate the current speed at a glance. The controller is found on the
rear of the motherboard tray, with the wires for the default fans already
connected and routed tidily.
The side, front and roof panels all come
off with ease, giving you full access to the core chassis. As well as routing
some cables for you, NZXT also pre-installs motherboard mounts for an ATX
board. With its roomy interior and easy to use optical drive mounts, getting a
system built into the case is a simple process overall and I particularly like
the space saving pair of SSD mounts behind the motherboard tray.
All
in all, the case's thermal performance is on par with the majority of larger
chassis, but it's hardly outstanding
The Phantom 630 does have one glaring flaw,
however, in the form of its six HDD/SSD drive trays. These trays are incredibly
flimsy, and do not lock in place in the drive cages with any real security. A
redeeming characteristic is the use of three modular drive cages. These are
divided so that you only ever need as many drive bays in your case as you do
drives, and because they're modular there's a lot of flexibility as to where
they can be placed too.
While there are no water-cooling holes for
external setups, it's unlikely you'll need them. There's ample room in the roof
for a full-size triple radiator (or a half-height one if you want fans on both
sides) and you can also install a full-size double radiator with fans on either
side in the floor of the case. The chassis is also well designed for cable
management, with plenty of room behind the motherboard tray and grommets that
stay in place at all times. My only complaint is the lack of an extension cable
for the eight-pin power connector.
The medium speed setting provides the best
balance between noise and performance for the default fans. On the lowest
speed, the case is very quiet, but temperatures are quite high, whereas on the
highest speed, temperatures don't improve enough to justify the jump in noise
from medium. With its dual exhaust fans, the CPU is better cooled than the
graphics area, as the front fan appears to be too far away to have much effect
here. GPU cooling could easily be improved by using the internal 140mm/120mm
fan mount that's fitted to the largest drive cage, however.
With
its dual exhaust fans, the CPU is better cooled than the graphics area, as the
front fan appears to be too far away to have much effect here.
All in all, the case's thermal performance
is on par with the majority of larger chassis, but it's hardly outstanding. A
case like this isn't just designed for air cooling, however, as you could
easily fit a beastly air-cooled rig into a tiny mini-ITX case if you wanted.
The flimsy drive trays are a let-down, but a small dent overall in what is an
excellent and fairly priced chassis, which would make an excellent purchase for
those looking to build a powerful water-cooled system or who at least have
water cooling in mind for the future.
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Details
§ Price:
$179
§ Motherboard
Form Factor: Mini-ITX, Micro ATX, ATX, XL-ATX
§ Drive
Bays: External: 4x 5.25”; Internal: 6x 2.5"/3.5", 2x 2.5"
§ Cooling:
Front: 1x 200mm intake fan (supports 2x 140mm or 2x 120mm); Rear: 1x 140mm
exhaust fan (supports 1x 120mm); Top: 1x 200mm exhaust fan (supports 2x 200mm
or 2x 140mm or 3x 120mm); Side: 1x 200mm intake fan; Bottom: 2x 120mm/140mm
fan mounts
§ Expansion
Slots: 9
§ I/O
Port: 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic
§ Power
Supply Size: Standard ATX
§ Clearances:
HSF: 170mm / 200mm without side intake; PSU: 220mm; GPU: 325mm / 507mm
without HDD cage
§ Dimensions:
9.65" x 24.69" x 23.62"; 245mm x 627mm x 600mm
§ Weight:
27.12 lbs. / 12.3 kg
§ Special
Features: USB 3.0 connectivity via internal headers; Toolless 5.25"
drive bays and 3.5" drive sleds; Support for 360mm/280mm radiator in top
of enclosure, 240mm/280mm in bottom of enclosure, thickness up to 60mm;
Integrated three-speed, 30W fan controller (supports up to 10 3-pin fans);
Toggleable rear I/O and expansion LED illumination; Integrated SD card
reader; Three removable drive cages (3-drive, 2-drive, and 1-drive)
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