NZXT Phantom 820 Review 13

NZXT Phantom 820 Review

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Value & Conclusion

  • The NZXT Phantom 820 breaks the 200 Euros barrier by clocking in at 250 Euros at Caseking.de and 199 GBP at Overclockers UK. US Readers will have to fork over 249 USD + taxes.
  • Multi-color HUE lighting built right in
  • Multi-zone LED lighting option
  • Multi-zone four channel fan-controller
  • Fans can be turned off completely
  • The Phantom all grown up
  • Extremely well engineered interior layout
  • Plenty of fans right out of the box
  • Cool little PCB to connect fans to
  • Removable HDD cages
  • Multiple locations for radiators
  • Extremely good white paint job
  • More than enough space for the longest graphics cards, largest CPU coolers, or the biggest PSUs
  • Hot-swap bay with a real PCB to connect to in the front of the chassis
  • SDHC Card Reader included
  • Dust filter on all intake areas
  • Screw-less locks for 5.25" bays
  • XL-ATX ready
  • 2x USB 3.0 & 4x USB 2.0 ports
  • Available in matt black, white or gunmetal
  • Fragile HDD trays and, in our sample, screws that are too short for 2.5" HDDs
  • HDD trays only accessible from the messy side
  • No HPTX support
  • No 3.5" drive bay
  • Screw-less locks for ODDs do not hold that well.
NZXT has tried pushing into the 200+ USD case market before, and while the Khaos was an interesting case, its overall success was limited. NZXT has now taken the Phantom and grown it out into a fully-fledged monster. "Not only bigger, but better" holds true here. Every aspect of the original has been evolved and improved upon. NZXT has also kept enough original design elements to make it a clear member of the Phantom family. There are a few small shortcomings like its fragile HDD trays or a lot of messy cables, but the Phantom 820 does, ultimately, impress.
Especially the multi-color LEDs, embedded not only into the exterior design of the chassis, but also within the case itself, make the case stick out – here is something you won't find in any other chassis. Add the well-engineered four-channel fan controller and the white LEDs in the back, and the case doesn't only end up looking great, but does so while offering the guts you would be looking for in a case of this price category. It feels like NZXT has finally managed to break the 200 USD price barrier by securing itself a spot in the big-tower and high-price segment with the Phantom 820. Well done NZXT, well done.
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Nov 4th, 2024 04:53 EST change timezone

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