A Closer Look - Inside

Both side panels rest on real metal hinges, so you essentially have to swing them open like doors. As there are no screws or locks, anyone can access your system, which may be a topic if you plan to use the system in a public space, like a LAN party. You may take the side panels off their hinges as they are just held in place by metal pins, which is simple, but very effective.


The interior of the chassis essentially consists of two areas: the PSU bay and 3.5" bays on the bottom underneath a metal shroud and the rest of the system. A large opening in the motherboard tray should also give you unobstructed access to a CPU cooler's baseplate.


There is around an inch of room between the motherboard tray and the side panel, which is plenty to properly route cables. Look closely and you will also notice the foam lining Phanteks placed on the frame to ensure the side panels are not a source of vibrational noise. There are also two mounting possibilities for 2.5" drives right below the opening for the CPU. Towards the front, several Velcro strips allow for easy and clean cable management.


Look at the bottom of the front and you will find two mounting possibilities for 2.5" or 3.5" hard drives. Phanteks offers hard-drive trays you can use to do so. On the other end of the shroud, the PSU bay is is right above the underside's opening with foam spacers that decouple the power supply from the rest of the chassis.


The 140 mm fan right in the middle of the front pushes cool air into the case. You may go for three 120 mm units or two 140 mm variants here. Thanks to the updated front and removable shroud cover, a radiator of up to 360 mm will easily fit into the front as well.


Looking at the top, you can clearly see where additional cooling could be mounted. Thanks to the smart move of offsetting the mounting holes, you will easily be able to place a thick radiator of up to 280 mm in size into the ceiling without it interfering with your mainboard.


All the cables within the Phanteks Evolv are of the standard variety, with black sleeving and default connectors. The LED elements are powered by a SATA plug, are expandable, and come with a 4-pin cable to connect to your motherboard