Review System

Assembly

With the top panel removed, adding a motherboard is really easy. As the PCIe cable is on the top, the ITX board has to be inserted upside down. Connecting that cable was a bit nerve racking as it is rather rigid and thus really requires the plastic clip to stay in place. All this ads a bit of tension to the motherboard PCB, which other offerings out there simply do not. It seems Phanteks was aware of this and added the clip as some measure against it. However, to reduce the forces acting on the board, that clip should really be secured to the dividing frame, not the PCB.


Installing the PSU was really straightforward as well. Simply screw it down to the base of the chassis, connect the power cable, and that's it. The one things you have to make sure of is that the power switch is in the on position. While you can get to it by sliding the whole system of the silver aluminium shell, there is no immediate way to get to that unless you want to fiddle with a screw driver through one of the vent openings of the exterior frame.  


Adding an SSD provides the same experience as when assembling a standard mid-tower. The tray may be pulled out of the case, filled with the drive using classic screws, and pushed back onto the rubber-ring-equipped position it came from originally.


Lastly, in terms of functional components, the graphics card clips into the PCIe 4.0 riser cable upright and is easily secured with the thumb screws. There is enough room for a pixel pusher of up to 324 mm in length, so you have quite the flexibility in picking one that fits your bill. At this point, it is worth noting that not a single internal cable has been connected and not a single zip tie was used. In other words, adding your core components is incredibly simple within the Phanteks Shift XT, making you practically forget that you are working in an SFF enclosure.


With the power cables connected and a somewhat messy effort to store them, there are no leads out of place. Even with the whole system wired up, we still did not have to use a single zip tie, and everything from the components on the motherboard to the SSD underneath the GPU remains accessible.


If you are opting for the compact out-of-the-box configuration, the three mesh strips may be attached to the top cover using pre-applied double-sided tape. We won't be showing off the completed compact build as it quite literally looks like the out of the box pictures. instead, let's focus on the other two options with a spotlight on the "air boost" and final look and feel of the taller "liquid cooled" configurations, as Phanteks calls them.

Air Boost Configuration

The mid-height "air boost" configuration is really for those employing a compact air cooler and wanting to include two 120 mm fans in the ceiling. For this setup, we used the two 30 mm high Phanteks T30 fans. These may be added to the top frame easily, and thanks to several zip-tie hooks, any cable clutter can be contained nicely as well. While the T30 has short cables, many aftermarket fans come with 30 cm leads, some even with two seperate ones for PWM and ARGB, so having the ability to secure them here is great. Once added, you may slide the frame back into place, connect the fans to the motherboard header, and flip it closed. (Editor's note: yes, the CPU has no cooler in this picture).


To prep the case for the space required by the fans, just move two screws on the top cover to the middle position with the special tool and to secure the smaller of the two covers in the back.

Liquid Cooler Configuration

Obviously, as with any compact SFF chassis, the aim is to circumvent the compact air-cooling requirement and its performance limitations by going for liquid cooling instead. The assembly process is quite similar to that of the "air boost" setup, as you can prepare the cooling unit outside of the confines of the chassis easily. We also installed the Halo frames to the 25 mm thick fans, and it will be interesting to see if the tall "liquid cooled" setup allows for that in the end.


Once again, you may slide the top cover back into place, easily install the pump, and connect any wires up before flipping it down and securing it in place.


With everything assembled, the Phanteks Evolv Shift XT makes an immaculate impression when viewed from the GPU side. On the other side, you can clearly see where we secured the wires for the fans and Halo frame to the top of the chassis, but the interior does not require a single zip tie for this final result, which is impressive.


To adjust for the "liquid cooled" configuration, you have to move the screws of the top cover to the position closest to the bottom edge and use the tall rear plastic cover. Before installing that final piece, the two fine metal mesh covers simply slide back into place without issue even with the bottom part of the case exterior already in place.


With the top cover and that front panel piece back in the right spot, the Phanteks Evolv Shift XT makes a beautiful first impression. In this configuration, it is not a small case, but it is save to say that a little bit of bulk in favor of a smooth and easy build experience and cooling performance is a small price to pay.