Features

The Phantom case is certainly nice looking. The styling is very smooth, and although it does not flow as nicely as the Cavalier 1 the effect is still striking. The “V” shaped recess in the door is covered by metal mesh, and is the same material used throughout the case. It is pretty solid and won’t dent easily. The door is secured with simple plastic clips, has a reasonably good action and is not overly difficult to open. The Phantom is equipped with the normal number of exposed bays – four 6.25” and two 3.5”. The reset switch is also here, just to the right of the 3.5” bays. The Phantom is about average as far as weight is concerned…gamers take note!

The bottom half of the front is also fairly uncluttered. Only one LED is visible, and it is for the HDD. The power switch is large and unmistakable, with a reflective pattern on it not unlike one would see on a bicycle or car. The mesh “eyes” are a welcome addition, and they’ll certainly help a lot of air get in the front intake. On the bottom behind a small door is the usual array of front panel devices, missing only the Firewire.

A lot of work obviously went into this side panel. Most manufacturers will just add the window…but this one has an etching and four corner LED lighting. The center of the window features an 80mm LED fan with a Logisys Blade fan grille. The etch starts pretty shallow at the leading edge, or the bottom of the “v”, and gets pretty deep at the far edges to create a kind of 3D effect. A blue LED is mounted on each corner to provide the needed illumination. I didn’t like two things about the panel...It is not easy to take on and off, and the wires for the LEDs are crammed up against the 120mm exhaust fan. Also, if you’re one of those people who must have a neat and orderly wiring job, then you’ll certainly have your work cut out for you.

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The rear panel does not have anything on it that is especially exceptional except for the 120mm exhaust fan. Although it is a clear model, it does not have LED lighting. Another item worth mentioning is that the grille is not a hole or hex punch out…they actually put a wire grille in there, which will help out airflow. Our review sample did not come with a power supply, but I have seen this case in stock at some vendors with a power supply included. The case does feature enough screw holes to allow you to mount a power supply correctly whatever way is required.

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The remaining side panel is uneventful, but the top panel does feature the venting that we saw in our Armor case review. This rig definitely looks like it will stay cool!

The inside of the Phantom is very plain and simple. No rail system, no fan controller, just the bare necessities. The PCI plates, although not tool free, are replaceable. There is no removable motherboard tray, but there is plenty of room to work with. The system does include a full size speaker in the bottom of the hard drive bay.

Just to satisfy my primordial urges, I pulled apart the front of the case just to see what made the lighting tick. It just so turns out that it is all LED. There are two blue LEDs in the door for the decoration, one behind the massive power switch, and the HDD indicator. Anyone with a soldering iron, and handful of LEDs, and a little patience can successfully convert the lighting in the Phantom over to whatever color he or she wants.

Next: Performance & Testing