NZXT Phantom 820 Case Review: Everything, Everything
by Dustin Sklavos on October 15, 2012 1:35 AM EST- Posted in
- NZXT
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- ATX
- E-ATX
Noise and Thermal Testing, Overclocked
Going into testing with the overclocked testbed, I was suddenly a lot more optimistic. NZXT's Phantom 820 at stock wasn't just the best performing enthusiast-class case I've tested with the new bed, it was actually better than our current reigning champion, the Antec Eleven Hundred. Naturally I was curious to see how well it would hold up under more stress, and as it turns out, NZXT's design worked out even better here.
Even at the lowest fan setting, the Phantom 820 is basically bulletproof. The graphics card thermals are basically just competitive with very little to really recommend running the side intake at a higher speed, but the CPU thermals are downright stellar and a notable jump over the competition.
Fan speeds are again basically competitive, with the 820 doing particularly well at keeping the graphics card's fan speed down.
Can't argue with results. Under full load at even the highest fan setting, the Phantom 820 is at worst competitive with other cases. At the lowest setting it easily tops the charts. NZXT has scored with stellar thermal performance and excellent acoustics to match.
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puppies - Monday, October 15, 2012 - link
I actually disagree with just about everything you said in your post.No 40 year old business professional is going to be seen dead with this case, it is a "gamer" case through and through.
I wouldn't touch aluminium if that is what you class as a "premium" material. It serves no measurable benfit over steel in my eyes and is more easily damaged, i'm sure the case designers looked at various materials when they went through the R+D for this case and may take on board the comments made about the drive trays being too flimsy but simply calling plastic and steel "crap" is laughable.
As for the price demanding a premium case, did you see the thermal and acoustic test results. It justifies itself there without a shadow of a doubt.
glugglug - Monday, October 15, 2012 - link
You mentioned there is a control for the color of the LED accent lighting. Is it possible to rewire the case to have the different LED colors act as different drive activity lights?Twoboxer - Monday, October 15, 2012 - link
Thanks for the fine case reviews. They are invaluable.In your article you mention the Thermaltake Level 10 GT, Corsair Obsidian 800D, and SilverStone FT02 as the "standards" for comparison, but you do not include performance data for them. I don't recall if they were done prior to establishing the current test bed, or if the results are available elsewhere on the web site.
But in any case it would be beneficial to include their results in at least some of tables presented, even if it means repeating those tests using the current test bed.
Astarael - Monday, October 15, 2012 - link
Agreed, and the Rosewill Thor v2 was also mentioned and would be nice to have in the comparison (given that it's so much cheaper, a useful cost/benefit analysis could be done).Dustin Sklavos - Monday, October 15, 2012 - link
They were done using the previous testbed. I generally avoid keeping cases around any longer than I have to as they occupy a LOT of space.Sugarfoot - Monday, October 15, 2012 - link
I have been looking to replace my HAF-X for a year now.Switch 810 almost did it, but since I dont have plans for watercooling for the foreseeable future, I wanted the Switch but with a side intake, as air cooled setups really love that. Plus the front panel's corner mesh was not dust filtered and I am quite keen on keeping my system dust free. (I use demciflex on my HAF)
I thought this case would be exactly it. Finally dethrone the HAF. Turns out not so. Not for me anyway, as ghastly as the HAF-X looks like, this one is even worse. Looks WAY too cheap and "gamer" to me.
Oh well, maybe there will be a Fractal Define R4 XL?
GeorgeH - Monday, October 15, 2012 - link
So, what's the conversion between ? and inches?glugglug - Monday, October 15, 2012 - link
235mm x 650mm x 612mm (W x H x D)http://www.hitechlegion.com/reviews/cases/31207-ph...
superflex - Monday, October 15, 2012 - link
For $249, I'll take an all aluminum Lian Li.spamreader1 - Monday, October 15, 2012 - link
the cables can't be seen from the motherboard side. I noticed this after I saw the completed install.