NZXT Phantom White Case Review

For all they have expanded their product range to include cables, lighting and PSUs NZXT are probably still best known for their PC cases. With unique and stylish designs they have so far resisted the temptation to branch out into fully fledged HTPC style chassis as other manufacturers have, instead focusing on enthusiast and gamer models with great success.

One of the latest models released by NZXT is the Phantom, a case designed to provide excellent cooling potential with their usual stand-out design. We have the white model on our test bench today and will find out if it meets the needs of the enthusiast/gamer market.

 

NZXT package the Phantom in a large box which shows a clear image of the product on the front and lists the specifications along with displaying further images on the other sides of the container. Inside the case is suspended in foam and wrapped in a plastic bag with additional plastic layers on the top and front surfaces.

 

 

Bundled with the chassis we get a reasonably clear fold out manual, screws/standoffs, cable management items, radiator mounting clips and a speaker.

 NZXT Phantom - External

 

 NZXT have gone with an angled design for the Phantom and used a predominantly white design on our review sample, finished with black sections. The majority of the chassis is steel however the front and top surfaces are plastic. Taking up about half of the front edge is a door which opens to reveal five drive bays. The mesh cover on these can be removed by simply flicking the clip on the right hand side. One of the quickest and easiest cover removals we have seen.

A the base of the front surface is a mesh vent and by pulling off the panel (no tools required) we fnds that there is a location here which can accommodate 14cm fans.

The Phantom measures 222x540x625mm and weighs approximately 11kg.

Half of the top panel on the Phantom features a black mesh that allows air from the 200mm blue LED fan to be exhausted from the case. There is a second 200mm fan location beside this for those who want more airflow but in the standard configuration this is populated by a vent. Towards the front we find the external connectivity options. These are 3.5mm audio in/out, 2x USB 2.0 and eSATA which sit beside the power/reset buttons and power/drive LEDs which are blue.

On the opposite edge we find a further set of blue LEDs and five variable switches which set the fan levels via the bundled 5x20w controller.

Turning round to the back of the case we find a reasonably standard layout, the I/O shield location at the top left sits beside a 12cm exhaust. Beneath this are four water-cooling tube holes with rubber grommets which sit beside 7 expansion slots with mesh covers. As with most recent cases, the PSU location is at the bottom of the system and at the top we find a button which controls the LED lighting for our top exhaust fan.

On the left side of the Phantom we find three intake vents, all dust filtered with the two at the bottom populated by 2x12cm fans. The right side has a similar section although this is simply a mesh area.

At the back of the cases base we find the PSU intake, again with dust filter. Further along there are two perforated sections which will increase airflow around the case and four long rubber lined feet raise the case off the ground.

NZXT Phantom - Internal

 

By removing the side panel we can get to see the inside of the Phantom and the first thing worth noting is that the white finish is used throughout. Holes to assist with cable management and CPU heatsink installation are included on the motherboard tray which supports Baby AT, Micro-ATX, ATX and E-ATX.
 

 

 The inside of the left door has two white 12cm fans with three pin connectors and turning the system round we can see that NZXT have performed some cable management in the factory before sending out the case.

Down at the bottom left of the main chamber is the PSU location which has four rubber standoffs which raise the PSU off the base of the case and minimise vibrations. Above this we can see the seven black mesh PCIe card slots with thumbscrews.

In terms of wiring NZXT give us the standard front panel connectors, fan headers and a Molex plug which powers the fan controller.

 

Moving to the top left of the main chamber we find the 12cm and 20cm exhaust fans which are already connected to the fan controller.

 

Each of the optical drive bays has a tool free mechanism for installation, slide the drive into the location and move the switch to clip it in place. 3.5" hard drive installs are equally easy, just snap the sturdy brackets onto the drives and slide into place. 2.5" drives/SSDs can be screwed into these brackets also and a total of 7 hard drives can be positioned here.

NZXT Phantom - Build

 

 

One of the things which is immediately noticeable about the main chamber of the Phantom is that it is very roomy. It has to be for E-ATX support but there is still a little extra width even past that level. This means we have loads of room to work with when building a high end ATX system and the motherboard is easy to position. Our only issues at this stage were that the motherboard tray did feel a little too flexible, it could have been thicker and one of the holes was not cut quite right which meant getting some pliers out to ensure the standoff was properly tightened. Users should also take care with the CPU heatsink install that the socket lines up with the cut-out, which could be larger, as our board needed the back plate installed outside the case due to lack of room.

The PSU installation was quick and simple with a large hole to the side through which we could run the wiring. The only minor issue on the PSU front is that the hole at the top left of the chamber which is used for the 8-pin power connector could be wider. This would allow us to pass through the plug more easily.

Graphics cards up to 35cm in length are supported and as the above image shows even with one of the larger products on the markert installed, the GTX 580, there is still plenty of room. There is also loads of space for wiring behind the motherboard tray but the last few steps of the assembly did get a little more time consuming than they needed to be. The main issue for this is that coolers which use a 12cm radiator like the CoolIT Vantage don't quite fit due to the 20cm fan at the top. Moving this fan means taking apart the decent pre-wiring which NZXT have performed and is reasonably time consuming.

That completes the install, taking over 2 hours from start to finish with the above configuration.

When the system is powered on the LED lighting on the top fan is visible, this can be turned off completely. It is also variable, increasing in brightness as we move through the fan speeds on the controller. Also worth noting is that the LEDs beside each fan speed switch only light if a fan is connected, making it easier to work out which is which.

 

Conclusion

Starting with build quality and design the NZXT Phantom immediately impresses. The white finish is immaculate and looks fantastic when combined with the black highlights and unique angled design. Front and top panel removal is easy, as is the installation of optical drives thanks to a great cover removal clip and a front panel fan is easily added thanks to the simple cover removal.

Inside we find a spacious design with good quality tool free drive brackets and it was good to see plenty of dust filters provided by NZXT. Wiring holes in the motherboard tray make the creation of a tidy build very easy.

There are a few minor issues though; firstly the motherboard tray could be a little less flexible. The design would benefit from a larger CPU back plate cut-out to maximise compatibility and the 12v wiring hole would also be easier to use if bigger. Moving the 20cm fan to the second location should be less time consuming or some extra care should have been taken to ensure compatibility with 12cm exhaust radiators.

In terms of performance the case excels, in its default configuration it provides a good level of airflow and the noise levels are exceptionally low. For those who need a little more there is the option to add two additional 20cm fans (side/top), a 14cm model in the front or even 2x12cm water-cooling system. The only minor niggle being the lack of a high-speed front panel USB 3.0 connector.

For value NZXT have the case (with 2 year warranty) priced at an appropriate level, siting in with cases such as some of the better Cooler Master HAF range, the BitFenix Colossus and Corsair's 600T. The only thing we would suggest they include to maximise value is a 5.25" to 3.5" drive bay convertor so that those who opt for a board with front panel USB 3.0 box find the install easier.

Summary
A stunning looking case which is spacious and offers exceptionally low noise levels.

 

 

Source : hardwareheaven.com

 

ASUS Maximus IV Extreme (P67) Motherboard Review

 

ASUS Maximus IV Extreme (P67) Motherboard Review

Last week we took our first look at Intel's new Sandy Bridge platform and were very impressed by the CPUs. Intel had also created an impressive board in the form of their DP67BG motherboard but as always there are motherboard manufacturers ready at launch to push Intel's chipset into a whole different league of features and performance.

Today we have one of the first high end P67 based boards on our test bench. With their Maximus IV Extreme ASUS hope to deliver a board which exceeds anything else on the market and we will be testing it in a selection of synthetic and real world tests to establish how good it is.

As this is a Republic of Gamers motherboard the box features the same style as a number of other recent ASUS boards. Inside the box the familiar Republic of Gamers experience continues as we find a bundle which exceeds pretty much anything on the market. We start with the usual manual, software CD etc and ASUS then add multi-GPU bridges, SATA 3 certified cables, wiring stickers, case stickers, thermal probes, voltage reader wiring and a Bluetooth 2.1+EDR module. In addition to this ASUS also bundle a cable to take advantage of the RoG remote management console for control of the board on a portable device and an I/O shield and wiring blocks which make the system building process as quick and simple as possible.

The Maximus IV Extreme is an extended ATX motherboard which, as expected, features the 1155 socket towards the top of the board. On three sides of the socket we find aluminium passive heatsinks with a copper heatpipe passing through each. These cool some of the power circuitry and towards the top of the board are a set of LEDs which give us the status of various system aspects and the power/reset buttons.

All of the socket 1155 CPUs are supported by this board and it is capable of holding 32GB of DDR3 with 1600MHz supported without issue, and speeds above this easily selected in the BIOS.

Down at the bottom left of the board we find our add-in card slots which run from PCIe 16x through PCIe 1x, three full length PCIe (8x, 16x, 16x) to a 4x slot. Beneath the slots we can see the main reason the board is able to offer this connectivity, a PLX branded PCIe controller/switch which adds lanes to those already available on the P67.

Over to the right we find the USB headers and dual BIOS chips which facilitate easy recovery from failed overclocks. On the edge of the board are eight SATA ports with the black signifying SATA 3GB/s, first two red 6GB/s (Intel) final two red meaning 6GB/s on the Marvell 9128 controller. RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 are all supported by this board.

Also dotted around the PCB, with a number of components being found in this area are ASUS's own power design circuitry. This includes an Energy Processing unit which monitors power consumption, maximising efficiency. Along with this ASUS use a new VRM design (DIGI+) which has an 8 phase CPU, 3 phase memory architecture to enhance efficiency, reduce heat and improve reliability and stability. TPU, which stands for TurboV Processing Unit, is another on-board processor which allows us to overclock/enhance the board with minimal effort.

There is nothing new in terms of power connectors on this P67 board, a standard 24/8-pin configuration is present along with a Molex connector for use with high power multi-GPU SLI/CrossFire configurations. Alongside the 24-pin connector are a selection of headers which allow us the ability to connect a multi-meter to monitor the system.

Round on the IO panel we find a PS/2 connector, eight USB 3.0, 2x Jmicron eSATA, dual Intel GB LAN, Realtek 7.1 audio with optical out and a single USB 2.0 port which is also used for RoG Connect. A clear CMOS button is also present on the back panel to assist in recovering from any system issues as is a separate button which enables ROG connect but also allows us to flash the BIOS in standby mode from a USB stick (BIOS Flashback).

Conclusion

When we took an initial look at the Sandy Bridge platform last week we included two motherboards from Intel which, as always, set the bar high for quality and performance. With their Maximus IV Extreme ASUS have taken the platform to an entirely new level, even at this early stage.

Essentially what we have here, from a design and build quality perspective, is the result of the ASUS engineers sitting down and throwing everything they could at the P67 platform. Through the inclusion of tried and tested Republic of Gamers technology they offer features such as the ability to monitor and control the board from a second system but for the new platform aspects such as this have been enhanced over other models. The ability to control the system, via Bluetooth, from an iDevice being an ideal example.

As noted in the review ASUS have also ensured that we get all of the features we would expect from their RoG family, such as more PCIe lanes, support for DDR3-2000+, enhanced power design and then of course there are eight on-board USB 3.0 ports with two more available on the front panel... and four SATA 6GB/s connectors. All of these combine to give a board which doesn't disappoint on any level and frequently manages to squeeze a little extra performance out of every component installed on it. A particular highlight was the CrossFire test where the enhanced PCIe configuration of the Maximus board allowed it to perform noticeably higher than a standard P67 board.

We were also hugely impressed by ASUS implementation of the EFI based BIOS which looks great, is simple to use and really does enhance the user experience. For those who missed the video, here it is again.

Of course, as always, a board like this does come at a high price. £299 /$349 is a lot for a P67 board but this is a case of the consumer getting what they pay for.

Summary
Packed with features and performance the Maximus IV Extreme is a phenomenal P67 board.

 

Source : hardwareheaven.com

ECS H67H2-M Black Deluxe and H67H2-I (Mini-ITX) - H67 Motherboard Review

Since the turn of the year we have spent a considerable amount of time looking at Intel's new Sandy Bridge platform which consists of their P67/H67 chipsets and second generation Core CPUs. The majority of that time has been spent on P67 based models with the i7-2600K CPU with less on the H67/2500K.

Today that changes as we have two H67 based boards on our test bench. The subjects of our review today are the H67H2-M Black Deluxe and H67H2-I which are two boards from the m-ATX and mini ITX product families at ECS. We will be running each through a selection of synthetic and real world tests, including Blu-Ray 3D and GPU computing to see how they compare to the reference Intel board.

ECS H67H2-M Black Deluxe Motherboard

 

 

ECS package their H67H2-M board in a holographic box which features numerous logos about the product features. Inside there is a decent bundle which includes plenty of SATA cables, an IO shield, product documentation and a software disc.

 The H67H2-M is a micro-ATX motherboard based on the Socket 1155 platform. Dominating the board, which has a black, white and grey colour scheme is a large passive heatsink with copper heatpipes which cool some of the power circuitry. All of the socket 1155 CPUs are supported by this board and it is capable of holding 32GB of DDR3 and as with other H67 based boards we use 1333MHz memory on this product.

Down at the bottom left of the board we find our add-in card slots which run from PCIe 16x through two PCIe 1x to a standard PCI connector. To the right of the slots is a LED display which assists us with fault finding should any problems occur and beneath the slots are our Clear CMOS jumper, audio connectors and USB headers.

On the right of the board are five SATA ports with the white signifying SATA 3GB/s with red meaning 6GB/s and these sit beside the on-board power and reset buttons. RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 are supported by this board.

 

There is nothing out of the ordinary in terms of power connectors on this H67 board, a standard 24/4-pin configuration is present and alongside the 24-pin socket are our dual channel memory slots.

On the IO panel we find four display outputs (VGA, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort) and a Clear CMOS button. There are also four USB 2.0, two USB 3.0 (Etrontech), eSATA, DUAL Realtek GB LAN (with teaming) and Realtek 7.1 audio connectors, including optical out. ECS have also added EZ Charger to their features which provides products such as iDevices with 3x more current than standard USB connectors for quick charging.

ECS H67H2-M

ECS H67H2-I Mini-ITX Motherboard

 

 

ECS go with a reflective design for this boards packaging and the compact box features a number of product feature logos on the front. Inside we find a standard bundle with IO shield, software disc, SATA cables and some product documentation. The board also arrives with brackets for SPDIF in/out connectors however our review sample did not have the wiring.

 

The H67H2-I is a mini ITX board measuring 17x17cm and close to the centre is our socket 1155 CPU location. This sits below the Southbridge which is passively cooled. All of the current socket 1155 CPUs are supported by this board and it is capable of holding 16GB of DDR3 with 1333MHz supported without issue.

There are two power connectors on this board, a standard 24-pin socket and a 4-pin connector also. The main power input sits alongside two, dual channel memory slots and at the edge of the board we can also see the two fan headers.

Round on the IO panel we find three display outputs (HDMI, DVI and VGA) as well as six USB 2.0, eSATA, Realtek GB LAN, two Etrontech USB 3.0 ports, a Bluetooth module and Realtek 7.1 audio with optical out.

Conclusion
Looking first at build quality and design, ECS have delivered two boards which impress. Each uses solid capacitors and proven components such as Realtek GB LAN controllers and the H67H2-M goes a little further by adding a good quality heatsink and heatpipe design. We would have liked to see NEC USB 3.0 controllers rather than Etrontech as NEC have proven they can delivery frequent driver updates and compatibility but the performance of the controller ECS have used is not in question.

Speaking of performance, the two ECS H67 boards delivery on that front too. The use of SATA 6GB/s and USB 3.0 means our devices have the ability to run at their full potential and ECS also allow us to take advantage of full speed PCIe x16 cards, even on the H67H2-I board which means we can install any recent discrete graphics card and maximise gaming performance.

At the time of writing we are still waiting for prices from ECS however past experience tells us that they will be very competitive on that front. An update will be provided as soon as we have pricing.

Summary
The ECSSATA 3 and USB 3 are fully supported and performance is in line with Intel's own motherboards. The H67H2-I is particularly impressive as it gives us full desktop performance in a mini ITX form factor.

ECS H67H2-I

 

 Source : hardwareheaven.com