NZXT Phantom 630 Case Review

Final Thoughts
As I said earlier I was a bit surprised to see NZXT release another Phantom case at CES.  This release came only months after the Phantom 820 release.  If you just look at the numbering at price you may think that the Phantom 630 is just a stipped down and cheaper version of the Phantom 820, but NZXT made some great improvements to the case that really makes it a case of its own.

NZXT has still kept the great look of the Phantom that everyone is a fan of and you do get 3 color choices (Gunmetal, Matte Black & White).  Things lost in the 630 are the LED lighting on the exterior, the internal HUE lighting, you have 2 less USB 2.0 ports and the fan controller is no longer multi-channel.  So those are some things to think about.  The big changes are the addition of the dual SSD mounts on the back of the motherboard tray.  This not only expands your total hard drive storage to 8, but also allows keep those two hard drives out of the way of everything.  Unlike the Phantom 820 you are able to move the hard drive cages over the the secondary mounting point.  Finally NZXT has replaced the plastic tool-less locking system on the 5.25-inch drive bays with a metal one.  These are great additions, especially on a case that is $50 less than its predecessor.

When it comes to cooling NZXT outfits the Phantom 630 with 4 total fans.  Three of those fans are 200mm fans and the third is a 140mm fan.  With those fans you are going to get a lot of cooling power and you do have the option to add another top mounted 200mm fan if you like.  As far as watercooling support you can fit a 3x120mm radiator up to and a 2x120mm radiator in the front of the case.  Again as I said there is quite a lot of room inside to work with so if you do choose to go the watercooling route you will have sufficient room for all of your tubes, reservoir, pump and radiators.

There were a couple of things that I did not like about this case.  First NZXT is using the same hard drive trays they used on the Phantom 820.  I was not a fan of these for a few reasons.  First they are pretty flimsy and second they do not really lock into place correctly.  NZXT redesigned the openings towards the top of the case for your CPU power and other cables.  Getting my CPU power cable through that hole has a little more difficult than desired.

When it comes down to it NZXT has made some notable improvements to the Phantom 820 at the same time you are losing some of the features we loved on the Phantom 820.  The Phantom 630 is $179.99 at my favorite online retailer.  That is $70 less than the Phantom 820.  If you are having a hard time deciding which case to choose look at the features of both and see which case suits you better.  If price is a big factor then it is an easy choice.  Overall ThinkComputers gives the NZXT Phantom 630 Case a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!

rating9 10 small TC award recommended small

Pros:
– Sleek design
– Room for up to 8 hard drives
– Lots of room inside & behind the motherboard tray
– Supports XL-ATX motherboards
– Easy installation
– 4 included fans
– Hard drive cages can be removed and reconfigured

Cons:
– Still using the cheap hard drive cages
– Top routing holes are small for the CPU power cable

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