NZXT Phantom 820 Case Review

By Don Haynes on October 16, 2012

Phantom's Successor

Most of us custom PC builders have been waiting and watching for NZXT to finally show us what they’ve been hiding for these last few weeks. They let very little slip about the newest in their line of Phantom cases. They gave us sneak peeks at parts of the chassis… but very little else. And now the time has finally come. That irritating countdown on the NZXT website has run out. The Phantom 820 is here.

The Phantom 820 is NZXT’s sidewinder missile, and they have it aimed right at the top of the market for gaming cases. The nice man from FedEx showed up at my door just a few hours ago, lugging this huge box through the pouring rain. And when I say huge, that’s exactly what I mean. It’s 12” wide, 27” long, and 29” tall. That’s almost two and half feet tall. With a total weight of 32 pounds. I put the monstrous box on my kitchen table and cut the packaging tape off.

And here is some info on it:

SPECS:

MODEL	Phantom 820
CASE TYPE	Full Tower
FRONT PANEL MATERIAL	Plastic/Steel
DIMENSIONS (W x H x D)	235mm (W) x 650mm (H) x 612mm (D)
Special Features	Integrated HUE LED lighting system, SD Card Reader, 4-channel 15-watt Fan Digital Controller
COOLING SYSTEM	�1x200mm@800rpm Front 1x200mm@800rpm Top 1x200mm@800rpm Side 1x140mm@1100rpm Rear Fan Blades white fin/black frame Fan Capacity Top: 2x 200mm/2x 140mm/3x 120mm Front: 1x 200mm Bottom: 2x 140mm/2x 120mm Rear: 1x 140mm/1x 120mm Side: 1x 200mm Pivot: 1x 140mm/1x 120mm Radiator Capacity Top: 2x 140mm/3x 120mm Rear: 1x 140mm/1x 120mm Bottom: 2x 140mm/2x 120mm Pivot: 1x 140mm/1x 120mm�
DRIVE BAYS	4 EXTERNAL 5.25″ DRIVE BAYS 6 INTERNAL 3.5″ DRIVE BAYS Screwless Rail Design
MATERIAL(S)	Steel, Plastic
EXPANSION SLOTS	9
WEIGHT	15kg, 32lbs
MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT	E-ATX, XL-ATX, ATX, MICRO-ATX, Mini-ITX

FEATURES:

Fully equipped with one 140mm and three 200mm fans for the high airflow and low noise

Integrated HUE lighting for illuminating the exterior/interior of your enclosure with option to turn on/off and allow you to customize the colors at your heart’s content
High-end water cooling solutions up to three fans for a push-pull configuration: 90mm of internal top space with top 280/360mm and bottom 240/280mm radiator support for unmatched liquid cooling
State-of-the-art integrated 4 channel digital fan controller with 15 watts per channel and LED indicators that progressively gets brighter on high speeds and dimmer for low settings
Easily removable filters located in the top, front, side, and bottom to prevent dust from entering your rig and simple maintenance
Adjustable interior pivot 120/140mm fan slot for directional airflow
Removable HDD cage and large storage capacity for 6 hard drives
Dual USB 3.0, quad USB 2.0, microphone, and audio jack along with a SD media card reader for high-speed data transfer and quick access to multimedia
Stylish acrylic window with a view to show off the interior of your rig
Unrivalled Cooling Capacity to mount up to nine fans for a maximum airflow
Rear I/O white light for visibility in dark environments with a toggle switch
Extruded right side panel for an elegant look and achieves 36mm clearance for cable wire management
Equipped with a stylish pedestal that lifts your enclosure off the ground for increased airflow.