Outside
The Phantom’s mix of sharp edges and curves catches your eye right away. The glossy black finish with orange trim is eye catching also. I would love to see the color rolls flipped with an orange case with black trim.
The top of the case is especially impressive with multiple angles being used. On the left side of the top there is a large vent, on that vent they have given it even more style with four angled bars formed into it. The top of the case also houses the front I/O panel with two USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA connection, and microphone and headphone ports. Next to the I/O connections is the power button, reset button, and power and hard drive activity lights.
On the right side of the top you also have a built in fan controller with the orange trim around it. I love how each controller has a small image next to it showing that area it controls.
The front of the case has a similar design as the front of the case. There is a small access hole on the left side of the front with the NZXT logo in it that you use to open the front door. The door is surprisingly thick but in order to accommodate flat drives the front is fairly thick. I like the added touch on the back side of the door to include a black panel to polish it off. Each of the five 5 ¼ drive bays is mesh for air flow (only when the door is open though) and each also has a small latch on the right side to make removing them easy to install your bay device.
The right side of the phantom has one feature more than nearly any other case, a large black mesh grill. Typically cases just have a basic side panel on the right side. I like how NZXT took a different approach to add to the cases cooling.
The left side panel has that same mesh vent with an additional vent that covers a good portion of the side panel.
Around back you can see the black finish. There is a button in the top left corner of the case that will turn off the top fan’s led lighting, a good feature for those who don’t want light pollution through the night. You can see the 120mm fan facing the rear of the case along with the Phantom’s four water cooling grommets!
Along the bottom of the Phantom you have three vents with the first vent having a filter on it to prevent your PSU from pulling in dirt and dust. You can also see rubber feet all along both sides to keep the case from sliding around.
Both the front and top panels come off quickly and easily with a quick tug. There isn’t much to see behind the front panel that we won’t cover in the interior section but the top panel has a a nice view of the built in fan controller and two large fan grills.