I've wanted to write about this case since I got it because I think it's pretty fantastic and maybe someone else is interested, but needs a little overview from an owner to get pros and cons, so here it is, lol.
Looks fantastic IMHO.
Exterior:
Pop and Play: Panels are extremely thick aluminum, very solid quick release makes it really easy to get the chassis completely bare and ready for installation. The front fan filter is easily removed and cleaned. The side panel window could have been bigger to show off longer cards like the XFX R9 290 DD which has an LED logo at the very end. However, the top panel seems like it would choke air flow if you installed some fans and/or radiator up top.
The thick side panels, at least on mine, are slightly bowed because of the cables behind the mobo tray. This kind of pushes the 3.5mm headphone connector out. Turns out, I've tested it out and something's wrong with the connector so I got Phanteks to mail me a replacement IO panel.
Interior:
Chassis Quality: IMHO, the steel interior is thin, kinda flexible and sort of sharp to touch. It honestly feels kinda cheap... There is plenty of room to work with in the main chamber, but the lower chamber for the PSU is cramped (AX850 at 170mm I believe, is the largest one will fit with the drives in) fit with the and if one is using the two drive mounts at the bottom, prepare for a pain in the ass getting a normal sized PSU in there. If the rear portion was cut out like on LL cases with a PSU bracket to attach to the PSU, one will have an easier time getting the PSU mounted via sliding it in from the open rear. (innuendo). Other drive mounting options include a rear 5.25 bracket with screws on one side, clip on the other (why not just have a slot or hole for screws) and a side panel that can mount 2 2.5 drives or one 3.5 inch drive. It's really difficult to use this thing unless you have 3 arms. It really should have been mounted on a hinge. Not to mention getting the cables plugged in -- be sure to do that before installing your GPU -- can you see how weird this plate is without a hinge..? There is only one SSD Drop-N-Lock bracket in the box unfortunately, but there are two mounts.
Cooling: The size of this case means you can mount just about any large air cooler without touching the side panel. Silver Arrow, SA SB-E, Phanteks PH-TC14PE will surely fit with clearance to spare. The only limitation would be the first PCIE socket being blocked by the large coolers. The top portion allows you to mount a 120 - 240mm radiators and the rear fan mount can also accept 120-140mm fan/radiators. The front portion has space for up to 240mm radiator/dual 140mm fans, but it seems like Phanteks only provides mounting screws for 1 fan. The provided 200mm fan is pretty quiet at low RPM (500-600) and moves a decent amount of air and can double as a vacuum cleaner at full speed. The fan hub makes life SO very easy as you can connect 7 fans to this thing and have your fans nice and quiet at idle and spool up under heavy load.
Looks fantastic IMHO.
Exterior:
Pop and Play: Panels are extremely thick aluminum, very solid quick release makes it really easy to get the chassis completely bare and ready for installation. The front fan filter is easily removed and cleaned. The side panel window could have been bigger to show off longer cards like the XFX R9 290 DD which has an LED logo at the very end. However, the top panel seems like it would choke air flow if you installed some fans and/or radiator up top.
The thick side panels, at least on mine, are slightly bowed because of the cables behind the mobo tray. This kind of pushes the 3.5mm headphone connector out. Turns out, I've tested it out and something's wrong with the connector so I got Phanteks to mail me a replacement IO panel.
Interior:
Chassis Quality: IMHO, the steel interior is thin, kinda flexible and sort of sharp to touch. It honestly feels kinda cheap... There is plenty of room to work with in the main chamber, but the lower chamber for the PSU is cramped (AX850 at 170mm I believe, is the largest one will fit with the drives in) fit with the and if one is using the two drive mounts at the bottom, prepare for a pain in the ass getting a normal sized PSU in there. If the rear portion was cut out like on LL cases with a PSU bracket to attach to the PSU, one will have an easier time getting the PSU mounted via sliding it in from the open rear. (innuendo). Other drive mounting options include a rear 5.25 bracket with screws on one side, clip on the other (why not just have a slot or hole for screws) and a side panel that can mount 2 2.5 drives or one 3.5 inch drive. It's really difficult to use this thing unless you have 3 arms. It really should have been mounted on a hinge. Not to mention getting the cables plugged in -- be sure to do that before installing your GPU -- can you see how weird this plate is without a hinge..? There is only one SSD Drop-N-Lock bracket in the box unfortunately, but there are two mounts.
Cooling: The size of this case means you can mount just about any large air cooler without touching the side panel. Silver Arrow, SA SB-E, Phanteks PH-TC14PE will surely fit with clearance to spare. The only limitation would be the first PCIE socket being blocked by the large coolers. The top portion allows you to mount a 120 - 240mm radiators and the rear fan mount can also accept 120-140mm fan/radiators. The front portion has space for up to 240mm radiator/dual 140mm fans, but it seems like Phanteks only provides mounting screws for 1 fan. The provided 200mm fan is pretty quiet at low RPM (500-600) and moves a decent amount of air and can double as a vacuum cleaner at full speed. The fan hub makes life SO very easy as you can connect 7 fans to this thing and have your fans nice and quiet at idle and spool up under heavy load.
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