14 DAY TRIAL // Since many hardware makers are set to launch their share of products next month, NZXT decided it would join the crowd and also prepare a product of its own. This once, it decided to play on end-users taste for aesthetics and, thus, put together an intricately-wrought Crafted Series enclosure. The product goes by the name of Phantom and aims to turn heads through its asymmetric, so-called futuristic design. Other than that, it is large, heavy and comes in three color options, so as to be appealing to as wide a consumer base as possible.
The chassis boasts five exposed 5.25-inch drive bays, for the installation of optical drive units. Obviously, a number of hard disks or solid state drives can be mounted internally, but end-users will be pleasantly surprised by the tool-less construction. Like many of the more user-friendly enclosures, the Phantom allows for storage units and the PCI cards to be mounted without the need for special utensils. Furthermore, NZXT designed the motherboard tray with a cut-out, intended to allow coolers with backplates to be easily mounted.
The case measures 222 x 541.3 x 623.8 mm and weights 11kg, which is understandable considering that it is made of solid steel. It even has a 5-channel fan controller (20W per channel) and a number of fans that make sure the components housed inside don't die of heat ahead of their time. This includes a 200mm fan at the top, as well as a 120mm spinner at the back. There are also two side 120mm models. Finally, for those that want an even higher cooling prowess, the case boasts pre-drilled water cooling holes at the back. Needless to say, some LED lights are added to the mix for that touch of personality.
NZXT has prepared three versions of the product, one colored white, one red and the other one black. They will all start shipping on August 13 and will have price tags of 139.90 Euro.