NZXT Phantom vs. Antec 1200 vs. Cooler Master HAF X

[Rahu X]

Well, seeing as I'm in the market for some newer cards (waiting for the results on the upcoming 6970 before deciding to get that or the GTX 580), and these cards seem to be 10.5"+ in length, I've decided that it's about time to upgrade my smaller mid tower case to a full tower that has plenty of room for today's top of the line GPUs.

While looking around and doing various research on case after case, I'm sort of stuck deciding between the 3 I listed above, as they all seem to fit my tastes perfectly. So I came to you guys, the very knowledgeable community at Overclock3D.net, for help in this matter.

Anyways, I guess I'll go ahead an list some of the positives and negatives towards each of the cases.

(Also, I am American, so I apologize for the links to US sites and listing US prices if that bothers you)

NZXT Phantom:

Pros- Least expensive out of all the cases ($139.99), decent cable management, fan controller integrated into the case, plenty of space for longer GPUs, tool-less design for installing hard drives and optical drives, up to 7 fans can be installed, looks completely orgasmic

Cons- Despite having up to 7 fans cooling performance seems to be debatable, does not have a side window (even though one may be coming in the future), the only 200mm fans that can be installed on it are NZXT fans, only one fan has LEDs (not a huge con, but a con nonetheless)

Antec 1200

Pros- It is the "middle child" concerning price ($159.99), almost unmatched cooling performance, fan controllers and switches available for all default fans, despite what the pictures show the newer versions of this case do have a CPU cutout on the motherboard tray, all default fans are LED lit, decent cable management, 3 removable hard drive cages allowing for 9 hard drives in total, comes with a side window that has a slot for an optional 120mm intake fan, looks great

Cons- The oldest of the bunch (not necessarily a con), it can fit full length video cards but it has the smallest amount of space compared to the other cases, drive installations are not tool-less, only 3 5.25" drive bays, does not fit anything bigger than a standard ATX motherboard

Cooler Master HAF X

Pros- Exceptional cable management, plenty of room, great cooling performance, hot swappable drive bays, tool-less design for nearly all drives, 9 Expansion slots (not that I'm ever going to be needing that much), support for a 360 rad for water cooling (still debating on going water cooling or using the Noctua NH-D14 for my system), USB 3.0 on the front panel, comes with a side window

Cons- It is the most expensive of the cases ($199.99), the default theme is black and red (clashes with my current theme of black and blue), industrial look of it is ok but not exactly to my liking (it is kind of growing on me though), no fan controller

So, out of those cases, which one would you guys recommend? Or do you have another case entirely to recommend to me?

Thanks in advance.

 

[T.A.K]

Out of the 3 given options I would go with the Phantom.

Although, I dislike the cooling of the phantom compared to other air cooled cases like the FT02 or RV02. The RV03 is going to be shown at CES 2011 in january so if you can wait that long then hold your horses.

If you are planning on water cooling then go for the HAF X. Having an internal top mounted 360mm radiator is just amazing. The single red fan can be replaced with a blue.

Honestly if the phantom had a 230mm intake fan and the side 230 slot was recessed from the case I would buy it in a heart beat. I just really dislike it's cooling ability and most of the people who buy it just like the white. (Personally I HATE white)

 

[Rahu X]

Out of the 3 given options I would go with the Phantom.

Although, I dislike the cooling of the phantom compared to other air cooled cases like the FT02 or RV02. The RV03 is going to be shown at CES 2011 in january so if you can wait that long then hold your horses.

If you are planning on water cooling then go for the HAF X. Having an internal top mounted 360mm radiator is just amazing. The single red fan can be replaced with a blue.

Honestly if the phantom had a 230mm intake fan and the side 230 slot was recessed from the case I would buy it in a heart beat. I just really dislike it's cooling ability and most of the people who buy it just like the white. (Personally I HATE white)

Wow.

I've never even bothered to look at the RV02 (because most of the Silverstone cases I looked at were a bit on the pricey side), and I must say that I like it. Well, I like it to an extent, that is. If only the window was on the left side instead of the right side, as how I'll be having my case setup (below my desk next to the right edge), nobody will be able to even see the window in the first place. I really hate this constant loop of finding absolutely perfect products only for them to be taken out of consideration because of an inconvenience (like how I had my eye on the Bitfenix Colossus only to realize that the case may never be sold in the US.)

As for waiting longer for the RV03, unless it has a model available that has a window on the left, and the new 6970s aren't going to be longer than the 5870s (with my current case, it's a very tight fit with a 5870, so anything remotely longer is impossible, which would just cause the card to sit in its box for a couple of months), then I'm afraid waiting for it is out of the question. Though I'm sure it'll be an impressive case.

Also, I'm sort of with you on the white. It doesn't look bad, but it's just not my style. Especially with my theme being black and blue, which would make a white case stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[T.A.K]

Wow.

I've never even bothered to look at the RV02 (because most of the Silverstone cases I looked at were a bit on the pricey side), and I must say that I like it. Well, I like it to an extent, that is. If only the window was on the left side instead of the right side, as how I'll be having my case setup (below my desk next to the right edge), nobody will be able to even see the window in the first place. I really hate this constant loop of finding absolutely perfect products only for them to be taken out of consideration because of an inconvenience (like how I had my eye on the Bitfenix Colossus only to realize that the case may never be sold in the US.)

As for waiting longer for the RV03, unless it has a model available that has a window on the left, and the new 6970s aren't going to be longer than the 5870s (with my current case, it's a very tight fit with a 5870, so anything remotely longer is impossible, which would just cause the card to sit in its box for a couple of months), then I'm afraid waiting for it is out of the question. Though I'm sure it'll be an impressive case.

Also, I'm sort of with you on the white. It doesn't look bad, but it's just not my style. Especially with my theme being black and blue, which would make a white case stick out like a sore thumb.

The RV03 from what I have seen does have a left side window. It is also taller than the RV02 from what I have seen.

I have been waiting to see what it will be like at CES. I REALLY like the heat rising method it uses.

I would wait for the 6990 btw, not the 6970.

All in all I think skimping on the PSU, Case, or cooling is just REALLY bad. You can always reuse them for a longer period of time than that of your Motherboard, CPU, Video Cards, or memory.

If you have to pick then go for the case you feel looks good and justifies its cost. All three of the cases you have are great for their price. It is really all about the little issues you might have with them.

 

[alicarve]

The phantom does provide good cooling options, and you could just always go for the black or red

with the led on the fans you could also get their led sleeved kit its about £15 here not sure how much that is in $ and you can place it where you want and looks really good, have a look at my rig, the link is in signature if you want to see a phantom and the led kit

 

[TMaksimov]

I'd take a look at the In-Win Maelstrom. I know it's styling isn't everybody's cup of tea (or latte for the Yanks

) but it offers uncompromised cooling performance and is cavernous inside. You can check out Tom's review of it here:

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/in_win_maelstrom_review/1

 

[SnW]

I'd take a look at the In-Win Maelstrom. I know it's styling isn't everybody's cup of tea (or latte for the Yanks

) but it offers uncompromised cooling performance and is cavernous inside. You can check out Tom's review of it here:

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/in_win_maelstrom_review/1

God lord why didn't i ever see this case before

i seriously love it

But i know its going to be hard getting one here in Holland...

 

[Rahu X]

The RV03 from what I have seen does have a left side window. It is also taller than the RV02 from what I have seen.

I have been waiting to see what it will be like at CES. I REALLY like the heat rising method it uses.

I would wait for the 6990 btw, not the 6970.

All in all I think skimping on the PSU, Case, or cooling is just REALLY bad. You can always reuse them for a longer period of time than that of your Motherboard, CPU, Video Cards, or memory.

If you have to pick then go for the case you feel looks good and justifies its cost. All three of the cases you have are great for their price. It is really all about the little issues you might have with them.

The RV03 does look... interesting. I definitely like the fact that it has a left window, and that the hard drives are apparently hidden. The only things that seem iffy to me are that it has a front mounted power supply, and the spacing for installing GPUs seems rather limited, as it appears to have 2 4870x2s that just barely fit inside, meaning it can only fit GPUs up to ~10.5" in length (worse than my current case by about .5").

As for waiting for the 6990, I really don't think my wallet will be deep enough for that.

The phantom does provide good cooling options, and you could just always go for the black or red

with the led on the fans you could also get their led sleeved kit its about £15 here not sure how much that is in $ and you can place it where you want and looks really good, have a look at my rig, the link is in signature if you want to see a phantom and the led kit

That's actually exactly what I was thinking of doing if I were to get the Phantom. Though, I'd actually wait for the windowed side panel for it to be released, then I'd add blue LEDs to the inside for better effect.

And I was planning on going black with it in the first place. It just looks damn sexy with it.

I'd take a look at the In-Win Maelstrom. I know it's styling isn't everybody's cup of tea (or latte for the Yanks

) but it offers uncompromised cooling performance and is cavernous inside. You can check out Tom's review of it here:

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/in_win_maelstrom_review/1

It seems like it would be great case, but I already notice 2 problems with it on my end.

1. Black and green (and this time, it's not as easy as exchanging a fan)

2. Little to no cable management (for me, it's less concerning with airflow, and more making my case look neat and tidy)

And I've also seen Tom's review on it, and how he mentions it has a HEUUUUGE 220mm fan on the side.

 

[TMaksimov]

Haha, the fan is pretty immense. The problem for me is I can't find anywhere to buy it from :/

 

[Rahu X]

Well, after some days of constant deliberation, I think I've decided that I may go for the Phantom. It just looks so damn sharp, has pretty good cable management, and actually has better default airflow than I originally thought. In some tests, it even cools the CPU better (with its stock fans) than the HAF X does. It actually seems to be right below the 1200 in cooling performance (about 1C), but it has many more features and is a lot more roomy when compared to it. And it's about $20 less, so that's a great deal, in my opinion. Not to mention, it's the only case that actually seems to get better and better (feature wise) the more I look at it, whereas others I've looked at over the past couple of days (Azza Hurrican, Corsair 600T, ones listed above, etc.) seem to get worse and worse.

And to sweeten the deal even more, NZXT has said that they will release a windowed side panel for it, so that's a major plus in my opinion.

Anyways, I'm pretty much decided for now, but you can still put up other suggestions if you wish as there's still time before X-mas to where I can change my mind.

 

[alicarve]

Good choice with the phantom you won't be dissapointed

 

[alienware]

Antec eh?

*Redneck mode on*

Them's fightin' words round hyar.

 

[killablade]

Antec eh?

*Redneck mode on*

Them's fightin' words round hyar.

Why? The only downfall my Antec 902 has is the fact that the dust filters are a tad hard to get to... =/

 

[alienware]

I'm certain Tom will show up at some point with his big hickory stick loaded with six inch nails. Unless he's too busy, of course.

 

[Rahu X]

Antec eh?

*Redneck mode on*

Them's fightin' words round hyar.

lol. I didn't know this.

I expected everything to be all hunky dory with the forums having an Antec rep on them.

Anyways, I definitely look forward to Tom's opinion if he ever sees this thread.

 

[Rahu X]

Alright. I've got one more decision brewing in my head. This time, it's either the NZXT Phantom, or the VERY NEW In Win Dragon Rider.

The In Win is basically the Maelstrom, but much better. It fits my black and blue color scheme, has that HEUUUUGE 220mm fan on the side (that has a blue LED) but you can replace it with 6 120mm fans, has cable management (the holes aren't grommeted, but whatever), and can actually support a 360mm rad for water cooling. Not to mention it has 8 expansion slots and 2 USB 3 ports on the top panel. All this for supposedly around $159.99.

My god. Just when I thought I had everything decided, this case comes out of nowhere and challenges my decision.

 

[alienware]

Cable management on the Inwin looks awful.

 

[Rahu X]

Cable management on the Inwin looks awful.

Meh. That could be true.

That, and I can just get a 2nd NZXT 200mm fan to place on the top or side with it so that it will basically have the same or better cooling performance than the Dragon Rider for about the same price.

Phantom it still is then.

 

[alienware]

All you need to do is look at that rat infested nest of a photo on their site dude.

If that's their idea of an advert? well I can't see them selling many cases.

 

[SmoulderingCircuits]

i'd say haf-x is hands down win. antec 1200 is for a system with a poo load of high performance hdds. phantom is for people who have a system that looks great but with averagish specs so doesn't require much ventilation. in terms of looks though the haf-x remains top, then phantom but i have to plonk the 1200 last, i find it ugly