NZXT Phantom 410: The Boutique Favorite Goes On a Diet
by Dustin Sklavos on December 2, 2011 11:15 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- mid-tower
- NZXT
Testing Methodology
For testing ATX cases, we use the following standardized testbed in stock and overclocked configurations to get a feel for how well the case handles heat and noise.
| Full ATX Test Configuration | |
| CPU |
Intel Core i7-875K (95W TDP, tested at stock speed and overclocked to 3.8GHz @ 1.38V) |
| Motherboard | ASUS P7P55D-E Pro |
| Graphics Card | Zotac NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (244W TDP) |
| Memory | 2x2GB Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer DDR3-1600 |
| Drives |
Kingston SSDNow V+ 100 64GB SSD Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gbps Samsung 5.25" BD-ROM/DVDRW Drive |
| CPU Cooler | Zalman CNPS9900 MAX with Cooler Master ThermalFusion 400 |
| Power Supply | SilverStone Strider Gold 750W 80 Plus Gold |
A refresher on how we test:
Acoustic testing is standardized on a foot from the front of the case, using the Extech SL10 with an ambient noise floor of ~32dB. For reference, that's what my silent apartment measures with nothing running, testing acoustics in the dead of night (usually between 1am and 3am). A lot of us sit about a foot away from our computers, so this should be a fairly accurate representation of the kind of noise the case generates, and it's close enough to get noise levels that should register above ambient.
Thermal testing is run with the computer having idled at the desktop for fifteen minutes, and again with the computer running both Furmark (where applicable) and Prime95 (less one thread when a GPU is being used) for fifteen minutes. I've found that leaving one thread open in Prime95 allows the processor to heat up enough while making sure Furmark isn't CPU-limited. We're using the thermal diodes included with the hardware to keep everything standardized, and ambient testing temperature is always between 71F and 74F. Processor temperatures reported are the average of the CPU cores.
For more details on how we arrived at this testbed, you can check out our introductory passage in the review for the IN-WIN BUC.
Last but not least, we'd also like to thank the vendors who made our testbed possible:
Thank You!
We have some thanks in order before we press on:
- Thank you to Crucial for providing us with the Ballistix Smart Tracer memory we used to add memory thermals to our testing.
- Thank you to Zalman for providing us with the CNPS9900 MAX heatsink and fan unit we used.
- Thank you to Kingston for providing us with the SSDNow V+ 100 SSD.
- Thank you to CyberPower for providing us with the Western Digital Caviar Black hard drive, Intel Core i7-875K processor, ASUS P7P55D-E Pro motherboard, and Samsung BD-ROM/DVD+/-RW drive.
- And thank you to SilverStone for providing us with the power supply.
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15 Comments
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geniekid - Friday, December 2, 2011 - link
"resembling the kind of case an Imperial Stormtrooper might choose if they were planning on learning how to at least hit the broad side of a barn in their off-duty hours"ZING!!!
LintMan - Friday, December 2, 2011 - link
"While I've gotten used to other enclosures in this market getting bigger or adding new features,NZXT plays the Phantom 410 fairly close to the vest. Internal clearance is actually at a little bit of a premium, ..."That phrase - I do not think that means what you think it means.
Plying something close to the vest means being secretive about it, as in at a poker game holding your cards tightly to your chest (vest) so no one else can see them.
ckryan - Friday, December 2, 2011 - link
I'm going to hold my discontent over another off-hand Star Wars reference close to the vest.I didn't see the word "dire" anywhere in the text either.
LintMan - Friday, December 2, 2011 - link
I'm not one for gaudy/flashy cases normally (I just bought a P280), but I kinda like the style of the Phantom 410. It reminds me of a retro 1950's kitchen appliance. As the review says, it's fun.Also, 2 USB 3.0 ports! Why is that so hard to find? I scratched a lot of nice cases off my list because of that lack. Are the 3.0 conectors that much more expensive?
Anyway, seems like a nice case, but given the size problems, I don't think I'd trade my P280 for it, though.
Lastly, the review mentions that part of the case lights up when powered on... why not post a picture of that in the gallery?
The0ne - Saturday, December 3, 2011 - link
For me I rather the ease and usability of the case than the looks. I think everyone can remember a time when working with a not so friendly case was more frustration than worthwhile. This is a hobby, for me at least, so I want to have fun building/testing the system rather than fuss around it.As for USB 3.0, I wish there were more but you be hard press to find more than 2 physical ones on a MB with the rest requiring front panel connectors or additional connectors. I'm not entirely sure why 3.0 hasn't become more widely popular as it is backward compatible with 2.0 and 1.x.
This case is too small for my taste. Just looking at the internals is making me cringe :)
Pit2k - Friday, December 2, 2011 - link
The more plastic, the higher the chances of things rattling.Subyman - Saturday, December 3, 2011 - link
He certainly wasn't kidding when he said internal clearance is at a premium. That motherboard is wedged in there!EmoshBZ - Saturday, December 3, 2011 - link
I want one:)gurboura - Sunday, December 4, 2011 - link
"First, I'm always disappointed when motherboard standoffs don't come preinstalled from the factory in a modern case. They're a nice convenience and having to screw them in is both tedious and sometimes even a little bit frustrating (for example, having to remove the motherboard and realizing you didn't secure one or two of the standoffs as well as you thought you did)."You're going to complain because stand offs didn't come pre-installed? Would it be nice? Yeah. Is it something that trivial to even mention? Doubt it. You're also talking about a $100 case.
Tedious? It takes a whole two minutes if you're taking your time to get stand offs installed. The only way I could see it being tedious is if you used your fingers to install them. Even then, how often are you going to be taking your motherboard out, taking the stand offs off, and re-installing them? It's not a daily occurrence for the average consumer.
Dustin Sklavos - Sunday, December 4, 2011 - link
You're right, I AM talking about a $100 case. The Corsair Carbide 400R has 'em, and it's a $100 case. The fact is, they can be a little tedious, and if manufacturers are going to look for as many ways as they can to make the assembly process easier, that's a good place to start.It seems like a minor nuisance, but honestly I build and dismantle enough of these things that it starts to grate after a while.