Conclusion: Worthy of Consideration

Now there's a conclusion I'll admit I was surprised to come to: the NZXT Phantom 410 is fun (possibly funny) to look at, but despite being kind of a pain to assemble it's actually a remarkably capable enclosure and definitely ranks among the better ones we've had in house.

Where NZXT has really excelled is in the way they've straight up outdone themselves. I've never been a fan of the H2 despite its healthy uptake in the boutique sector, but the Phantom 410 winds up being an excellent choice for that market and handily supplants the case that was engineered for silent running. Performance-wise it also trades blows with the Tempest 410, yet comes in ahead in acoustics and connectivity. If you're buying NZXT, there's an awful lot to like about the Phantom 410.

My quibbles with the Phantom 410 have to do with assembly. Frankly it's just a pain to put together, from start to finish. The mounting holes in the motherboard tray need to be a lot bigger, the drive trays could stand to be more rigid, and I'm never going to turn down having motherboard standoffs pre-installed. Connecting the AUX 12V line was particularly hellish. In this price range, there are definitely much easier cases to assemble.

While it's always nicer for me to have a clean cut conclusion and just say "oh, well, buy this one because it's the best," ultimately it's really better for you to have a plethora of options at a given price point. Some people don't care about what kind of box their computer goes in as long as it works, and some of us like being able to express ourselves (for better or worse) with our enclosure choices. The Phantom 410 may be a little more difficult to assemble than competing cases, but it performs right along with the best of them and offers a decent enough selection of features to be worthy of your consideration. At the magical $99 price point there's healthy competition there, but at least if you like how it looks you won't have to make any sacrifices in performance.

Noise and Thermal Testing, Overclocked
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  • geniekid - Friday, December 2, 2011 - link

    "resembling the kind of case an Imperial Stormtrooper might choose if they were planning on learning how to at least hit the broad side of a barn in their off-duty hours"

    ZING!!!
  • LintMan - Friday, December 2, 2011 - link

    "While I've gotten used to other enclosures in this market getting bigger or adding new features,NZXT plays the Phantom 410 fairly close to the vest. Internal clearance is actually at a little bit of a premium, ..."

    That phrase - I do not think that means what you think it means.

    Plying something close to the vest means being secretive about it, as in at a poker game holding your cards tightly to your chest (vest) so no one else can see them.
  • ckryan - Friday, December 2, 2011 - link

    I'm going to hold my discontent over another off-hand Star Wars reference close to the vest.

    I didn't see the word "dire" anywhere in the text either.
  • LintMan - Friday, December 2, 2011 - link

    I'm not one for gaudy/flashy cases normally (I just bought a P280), but I kinda like the style of the Phantom 410. It reminds me of a retro 1950's kitchen appliance. As the review says, it's fun.

    Also, 2 USB 3.0 ports! Why is that so hard to find? I scratched a lot of nice cases off my list because of that lack. Are the 3.0 conectors that much more expensive?

    Anyway, seems like a nice case, but given the size problems, I don't think I'd trade my P280 for it, though.

    Lastly, the review mentions that part of the case lights up when powered on... why not post a picture of that in the gallery?
  • The0ne - Saturday, December 3, 2011 - link

    For me I rather the ease and usability of the case than the looks. I think everyone can remember a time when working with a not so friendly case was more frustration than worthwhile. This is a hobby, for me at least, so I want to have fun building/testing the system rather than fuss around it.

    As for USB 3.0, I wish there were more but you be hard press to find more than 2 physical ones on a MB with the rest requiring front panel connectors or additional connectors. I'm not entirely sure why 3.0 hasn't become more widely popular as it is backward compatible with 2.0 and 1.x.

    This case is too small for my taste. Just looking at the internals is making me cringe :)
  • Pit2k - Friday, December 2, 2011 - link

    The more plastic, the higher the chances of things rattling.
  • Subyman - Saturday, December 3, 2011 - link

    He certainly wasn't kidding when he said internal clearance is at a premium. That motherboard is wedged in there!
  • EmoshBZ - Saturday, December 3, 2011 - link

    I want one:)
  • gurboura - Sunday, December 4, 2011 - link

    "First, I'm always disappointed when motherboard standoffs don't come preinstalled from the factory in a modern case. They're a nice convenience and having to screw them in is both tedious and sometimes even a little bit frustrating (for example, having to remove the motherboard and realizing you didn't secure one or two of the standoffs as well as you thought you did)."

    You're going to complain because stand offs didn't come pre-installed? Would it be nice? Yeah. Is it something that trivial to even mention? Doubt it. You're also talking about a $100 case.

    Tedious? It takes a whole two minutes if you're taking your time to get stand offs installed. The only way I could see it being tedious is if you used your fingers to install them. Even then, how often are you going to be taking your motherboard out, taking the stand offs off, and re-installing them? It's not a daily occurrence for the average consumer.
  • Dustin Sklavos - Sunday, December 4, 2011 - link

    You're right, I AM talking about a $100 case. The Corsair Carbide 400R has 'em, and it's a $100 case. The fact is, they can be a little tedious, and if manufacturers are going to look for as many ways as they can to make the assembly process easier, that's a good place to start.

    It seems like a minor nuisance, but honestly I build and dismantle enough of these things that it starts to grate after a while.

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