NZXT Phantom 410: The Boutique Favorite Goes On a Diet
by Dustin Sklavos on December 2, 2011 11:15 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- mid-tower
- NZXT
Testing Methodology
For testing ATX cases, we use the following standardized testbed in stock and overclocked configurations to get a feel for how well the case handles heat and noise.
| Full ATX Test Configuration | |
| CPU |
Intel Core i7-875K (95W TDP, tested at stock speed and overclocked to 3.8GHz @ 1.38V) |
| Motherboard | ASUS P7P55D-E Pro |
| Graphics Card | Zotac NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (244W TDP) |
| Memory | 2x2GB Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer DDR3-1600 |
| Drives |
Kingston SSDNow V+ 100 64GB SSD Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gbps Samsung 5.25" BD-ROM/DVDRW Drive |
| CPU Cooler | Zalman CNPS9900 MAX with Cooler Master ThermalFusion 400 |
| Power Supply | SilverStone Strider Gold 750W 80 Plus Gold |
A refresher on how we test:
Acoustic testing is standardized on a foot from the front of the case, using the Extech SL10 with an ambient noise floor of ~32dB. For reference, that's what my silent apartment measures with nothing running, testing acoustics in the dead of night (usually between 1am and 3am). A lot of us sit about a foot away from our computers, so this should be a fairly accurate representation of the kind of noise the case generates, and it's close enough to get noise levels that should register above ambient.
Thermal testing is run with the computer having idled at the desktop for fifteen minutes, and again with the computer running both Furmark (where applicable) and Prime95 (less one thread when a GPU is being used) for fifteen minutes. I've found that leaving one thread open in Prime95 allows the processor to heat up enough while making sure Furmark isn't CPU-limited. We're using the thermal diodes included with the hardware to keep everything standardized, and ambient testing temperature is always between 71F and 74F. Processor temperatures reported are the average of the CPU cores.
For more details on how we arrived at this testbed, you can check out our introductory passage in the review for the IN-WIN BUC.
Last but not least, we'd also like to thank the vendors who made our testbed possible:
Thank You!
We have some thanks in order before we press on:
- Thank you to Crucial for providing us with the Ballistix Smart Tracer memory we used to add memory thermals to our testing.
- Thank you to Zalman for providing us with the CNPS9900 MAX heatsink and fan unit we used.
- Thank you to Kingston for providing us with the SSDNow V+ 100 SSD.
- Thank you to CyberPower for providing us with the Western Digital Caviar Black hard drive, Intel Core i7-875K processor, ASUS P7P55D-E Pro motherboard, and Samsung BD-ROM/DVD+/-RW drive.
- And thank you to SilverStone for providing us with the power supply.
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Tigashark - Sunday, December 4, 2011 - link
I tend to agree here... I just built a system in an Antec 300 illusion.. thats only a ~$70 case , comes with 4 variable speed fans.. AND had the standoffs fitted in the more common locations for a full size ATX board..Its just a nice touch for the manufacturer to at least have the more common standoffs pre-fitted its not make or break but it IS a nice touch...
Belard - Tuesday, December 6, 2011 - link
Also... with some motherboards - you'd only end up taking OFF some of the stand-offs if there isn't a mounting hole in the motherboard.This is a non issue. Out of the hundreds of computers I've built - only a few times do I have to deal with screw up loose stand-offs, usually caused by someone else not tightening them up correctly.
buzznut - Sunday, December 4, 2011 - link
Hello,As a phantom owner and enthusiast (yes that means I am voiding my warranty like crazy) I have found the phantom to be everything I wanted in a case--almost. It seems the wise folks at NZXT have listened to their fans and really updated the chassis.
The window has been requested so much that the full tower Phantom has a side panel that owners can now purchase at NZXT.com to add their own. The newer phantoms being sold now have USB 3.0 available.
The one thing I find lacking is they have no considerations for folks that have 3 1/2 inch bay devices. Of course I don't mean a floppy drive, but things like card readers. One can certainly buy a bay converter but it likely won't match the color or quality of the rest of the case. Cheap plastic being what I am primarily able to find, unless I want to pay $20.
I think NZXT has a winner here that could potentially outsell the original. Most folks don't want or need a full tower, and the mid tower is extremely popular.
HStanford1 - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
Why don't you want a cheap plastic 3 1/2 bay converter?Half of your case is made of it.
atragorn - Monday, November 26, 2012 - link
I just bought this case (Good deal at Microcenter the only place to shop ) and I agree with some of what you said about this case but the standoffs ? Yes they do not come pre-installed, you also failed to mention they include a tool to make installing them easier(Not everyone has the proper nut drivers laying around) which I for one appreciated since I misplaced my nut driver a while ago.There are lots of tie down spots on the back, yes the wires for the fans are a bit of a pain but I just moved them to the side till I was done everything else then I hooked them up to the fans and I like to be able to turn all my fans down when I am just doing web stuff (So not wearing headphones) or watching a movie,
Nothing useful is completely painless in my experience.
Most people looking for a midsize case are going to be fine with this case, I have two ssds, 3 hdd , a xfx 6850 1gb card, asus m5a97 LE R2.0 (don't buy it no usb 3 internal headers!) and a FX6100 running off a Thermaltake tr2 rx 850 (modular 80+ cant go wrong).
No trouble building it up,
It definitely gets noticed when people come over though :/