MaximumPC 2001 11

The NZXT Phantom is gorgeous in a Dark Side kind of way—

whether you opt for Darth Vader black, Imperial Guard red,

or our favorite: Stormtrooper white. Though NZXT considers

the Phantom a full-tower chassis, at 8.75 inches wide, 21.25

inches tall, and 24.5 inches deep (and with no EATX sup-

port), it’s no taller or wider (and barely deeper) than the other

mid-tower chassis that make up the rest of this roundup. The

Phantom packs seven toolless hard drive trays in a dual-bay

confi guration that (hooray!) leaves room for long cards like the

Radeon HD 5970. We’re not crazy about front-panel doors like

the one that covers the Phantom’s fi ve (toolless) optical drive

bays, but the Phantom’s door is at least nicely weighted and

has a magnetic latch.

The Phantom’s motherboard tray packs the requisite CPU

backplate cutout, four grommeted cable-routing holes, and

plenty of tie-downs. The rear panel carries a 12cm exhaust

fan, seven PCI expansion slots, grommeted holes for water-

cooling, and a button that controls the Phantom’s top 20cm fan’s

blue LEDs. In addition to the rear 12cm fan, the Phantom comes

standard with two 12cm side-panel intake fans and a 20cm top

exhaust fan. It also includes mounts for a 20cm (fi ltered) side

intake fan, a 12cm or 14cm front intake fan, and—up top—room

for an additional 20cm fan, a 24cm dual radiator, or both. This

gives you the choice between two 20cm fans, two 20cm fans and

a radiator, or two 12cm fans and a radiator. Every fan or potential

fan in the case can be controlled using a gorgeous front-panel fan

controller. The front-panel connectors are limited to audio, two

USB 2.0, and eSATA. This is the only case in our roundup without

front-panel USB 3.0.

We expected the lack of a front fan to hurt the Phantom’s

cooling performance, and it did. Though its CPU cooling score

was second-worst in the pack, GPU and system temperatures ran

as cool as the LanBoy Air—once again proving the merit of side

intake fans. With the addition of a front intake fan, the Phantom

could off er cooling performance to match its astounding looks.

And given that the Phantom costs just $140, you’ll have plenty

of cash left over for a

fan or two.

The NZXT Phantom’s glossy

white coat and angular black mesh set it apart from the crowd.

http://www.maximumpc.com | JAN 2011 | MAXIMUMPC | 41

NZXT Phantom

Imperial styling for Jawa prices

VERDICT

$140, http://www.nzxt.com^9

NZXT PHANTOM

We’re glad NZXT spent as much time on the Phantom’s

interior as it did on the exterior.

We’re glad NZXT spent as much time on the Phantom’s

The NZXT Phantom’s glossy

white coat and angular black mesh set it apart from the crowd.

Pop off the front bezel and install

an intake fan. DO IT.

The fan control panel is minimal,

gorgeous, and initially confusing.