Phanteks P600S - Random Thoughts

[akugami]

Just bought the Phateks P600S case. Paid $150. Here are some random thoughts after building the system.

Overall I'm impressed with the case. Very happy with this purchase, and it's something that should fit my needs for years to come.

Link to case below.
http://www.phanteks.com/Eclipse-P600s.html

So this is kind of a big case. It's certainly taller than most mid-tower chassis I've worked with. Overall build quality was very good. Looks are a bit utilitarian, while managing to not look drab. I like the look. Shares a lot of DNA with the Phantek's Enthoo Evolve X. You get all the functionality inside the chassis, with a more utilitarian look for $50 cheaper.

There is a single USB-C 3.1 Gen2 on the front panel. This is a nice feature and I wouldn't buy a case going forward without at least one of these. Incidentally, I chose the Gigabyte Z390 Designare which has 2 USB-C Thunderbolt ports on the back as well as a USB-C 3.1 Gen2 front header. Special FU to the USB-IF for their naming conventions.

Front of the case has a removable front panel covering the mounted fans, so you can increase air flow. The front panel is secured by magnets.

I got the model with tempered glass side panel. Side panels are hinged at the back of the case. They are also secured by magnets, not screws. If you are transporting your case, you definitely want to tape them down. Would have definitely liked some sort of locking mechanism. So those who constantly tinker can easily open the side panels without a screwdriver, while those needing to transport the case can lock the side panels to make sure the side panels don't get jarred open.

3.5" hard drive cages. There are 4 cages. These are removable drive cages and not mounted by default. They are also tool-less to mount the cages to the bottom of the case, which is a plus, but the HDD's or SSD's are screwed into the brackets. This means they have to be removed if you ever need to remove a drive, which is a negative. There is a plastic parts bin that can be inserted into one of these drive cage slots. I wish more cases has one of these as it makes storing extra mobo standoffs or HDD screws easy. And you always know where they are.

Wire management is superb. I have no complaints here. And Phanteks did a nice job of routing most of the wires, such as front USB, to the general area where you will need them already. Also, there is a fan connector hub on the back of the case. Which should help simplify adding/changing fans.

I mentioned earlier this is on the larger side for a mid-tower and it has plenty of room for large GPU's or CPU cooler. I opted for a Noctua NH-D15S and it easily fit this cooler.

Edit: I should also add that the front panel itself (and not just the front panel cover) is tool-less to remove. It's basically held on by plastic nubs. You just kind of rip it off the front of the case. Not sure how well they will hold up long term. I kinda feel like I have to be careful when lifting the case to make sure I grip the bottom of the case, so I don't accidentally rip the front panel off.

Edit: Fixed couple typos

 

[UsandThem]

Have you tested out what your GPU / CPU temps are with the front panel on vs. off? With it off I'm sure the temps are great, but also at the expense of more noise.

That's always been why I never bought their cases (closed front with no option of better airflow unless a person buys an aftermarket replacement). I've always preferred cases that had a door that could open, or a removable solid panel that I can remove when doing things like Folding. I've always though most of their cases looked really sharp, so the closed front was a bummer.

 

[akugami]

I just happened to be running some tests on this behemoth of a processor, the Intel i9-9900k. I no longer am an avid overclocker but I was trying to get a stable undervolt while maintaining stock speeds. Stress test using Prime95.

I'm using Gigabytes System Information View utility to monitor the CPU temp. Not sure how accurate it is.

With the front panel covered. CPU temps with Gigabyte SIW was hovering between 80°C and 81°C, there are no decimals, it jumps back and forth every few minutes. Gonna call it 80.5°C.

With the front panel off. CPU temps dropped to 78°C about 3 minutes after the panel removal.

So roughly a 2.5°C drop.

Noise was slightly louder, but not annoyingly so. Again, using a Noctua NH-D15S cooler.

 

[UsandThem]

With such a small difference in temps, Phanteks must have a good airflow design even with the panel on with that case.

I've seen some of their other popular cases (like the P400) were pretty choked off in the front, and there was a much larger difference in temps when removing the front panel.

The P600S is a nice looking and well laid out case for sure. I definitely am a big fan of cases that are more "conservative" in their designs like Fractal Design and Be Quiet, and Phanteks designs most of their cases in that style as well.

 

[BoomerD]

But...but...but there aren't 47,000 RGB led lights built into the case!

it's actually NOT a bad looking case. I wasn't familiar with the Phanteks brand until recently when I saw them on Newegg's "combo build" page. LOOK like fairly decent cases. I'm trying to talk myself out of another CoolerMaster HAF case for my next build. (LOVE my HAF 932)

 

[akugami]

But...but...but there aren't 47,000 RGB led lights built into the case!

Probably the biggest negative of the case since we all know RGB lights add 5fps in games .

In all seriousness, I don't have much time for games these days. On the other hand, my kids are getting at the age where they're playing Roblox and Nintendo Switch games...so maybe some kind of MMO game may be in the cards where we can all play together.

 

[UsandThem]

Probably the biggest negative of the case since we all know RGB lights add 5fps in games .

People can always add about 30 of these RGB strips inside and outside of their case to get those extra 5fps back, and possibly increase it to 8fps.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Personally I would get one of these instead:

These are wifi connected and controlled, so you can setup triggers using IFTTT or Alexa to change the colors (and they are 1/3 the cost for the same amount of feet of LED strips). That said, they are not addressable strips (i.e. all LEDs would be the same color in the strip per controller, verses fully addressible strips which let you set each LED to its own color/brightness).

 

[aigomorla]

People can always add about 30 of these RGB strips inside and outside of their case to get those extra 5fps back, and possibly increase it to 8fps.

nonono... its not just 8 fps, but its also 1.2 gigahertz...errrr watts...



Seriously tho... my PC sits on the floor and is not in the range of sight.
Unless your PC is right flat next to you i find LED's pointless.
And even then there sort of distracting when your PC is brighter then your monitor.

 

[BoomerD]

So...after doing a bunch of reading online, it sounds like CM's HAF line has declined in build quality. (not that they were ever top of the line cases, but well built)
My biggest problem with the OP's case is the lack of optical drive bays. I'm farkin OLD...I want my DVD/CD (or even a Blu-Ray) burner!

 

[akugami]

There's always the option of an external Blu-Ray drive. I thought I'd miss my optical drive, since my last case didn't have a 5.25" drive bay either, but I haven't really missed it. And on the few occasions I needed to burn something onto a CD or DVD, I have an external drive. Although I may pick up an external Blu-Ray burner for data backup.

 

[BoomerD]

There's always the option of an external Blu-Ray drive. I thought I'd miss my optical drive, since my last case didn't have a 5.25" drive bay either, but I haven't really missed it. And on the few occasions I needed to burn something onto a CD or DVD, I have an external drive. Although I may pick up an external Blu-Ray burner for data backup.

I still (for now) play a few older games that require the CD in the drive...that MIGHT work just fine.