NZXT Phantom 820 Full Tower Case Review

By Bill Hentschell

NZXT Phantom 820 Full Tower Case Overview

NZXT has been on a roll, releasing one innovative case after another. The NZXT Phantom 410 was an award winning case we reviewed here back in December of 2011. One year later NZXT sent us its big brother, the NZXT Phantom 820 Full Tower Case. Unlike the Phantom 410, the Phantom 820’s angles are not as hash softening the “Stormtrooper” look. This is probably because the Phantom 820 is almost twice as big as the Phantom 410.

NZXT Phantom 820 angle

NZXT released the Phantom 820 in three colors, White, Black, and the sample they sent us in Gun Metal Gray. The gray is a nice departure from the all too common black and white that have been so popular lately but it is dark enough you might mistake it for black. This is a full tower case meaning it is simply massive, standing over 28 inches tall and 27 inches deep. All this size in steel comes with a price and that is the 32lb unloaded weight. Fill this case full of water cooling gear and six hard drives and you will not want to be trying to lug this case to your local LAN party. But that is not the point of this case, it was designed to hold everything you could want in a single box, cool it well and silently with copious 200mm slow 800 RPM fans, and do it all in a striking angled and accent lighted form factor. NZXT wanted this to be the pinnacle of the enthusiast full tower cases and loaded it with options. It has an integrated SD card reader, RGB LED accent lighting inside and out with a dial to change between 16 hues, LED utility lights on the rear ports, an integrated four channel 15W fan controller, and enough cable management to make your mother proud.

Phantom 820 colors

The Phantom 820 is the new flagship for NZXT and it carries a flagship suggested price of $249.99, but we found a holiday deal of $195.00 plus free shipping from FRY’s Electronics good until December 31st (White only). Unless you find a deal buster like this, you can expect to pay closer to the $249.99 since the Phantom 820 has only been on the market a month or two. Either way, this is a premium price for a case especially one made of plastic and steel but NZXT did fill it with features. We will see if the features of the NZXT Phantom 820 justify the price on the next few pages.

Specifications of the NZXT Phantom 820 Full Tower Case:

  • MODEL: Phantom 820 Series
  • CASE TYPE: Full Tower Steel
  • MATERIAL: Plastic/Steel
  • DIMENSIONS (W x H x D): 12.1 (W) x 28.9 (H) x 27.1 (D) inches, 235mm (W) x 650mm (H) x 612mm (D)
  • VIDEO CARD MAXIMUM LENGTH: 14 inches, 355mm
  • INCLUDED COOLING SYSTEM:
    • 1x200mm@800rpm Front
    • 1x200mm@800rpm Top
    • 1x200mm@800rpm Side
    • 1x140mm@1100rpm Rear
  • OPTIONAL COOLING:
      • Top: 2x 200mm/2x 140mm/3x 120mm
      • Front: 1x 200mm
      • Bottom: 2x 140mm/2x 120mm
      • Rear: 1x 140mm/1x 120mm
      • Side: 1x 200mm
      • Pivot: 1x 140mm/1x 120mm
    • Radiator Capacity
      • Top: 2x 140mm/3x 120mm
      • Rear: 1x 140mm/1x 120mm
      • Bottom: 2x 140mm/2x 120mmPivot: 1x 140mm/1x 120mm
  • DRIVE BAYS:
    • 4x 5.25″ drive bays
    • 6x 3.5″ drve bays supporting HDD or SSD
  • PCI SLOTS: 9
  • WEIGHT: 32lb , 15 kg
  • MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT:
    • E-ATX
    • XL-ATX
    • ATX
    • MICRO-ATX
    • Mini-ITX

Feature of the NZXT Phantom 820 Full Tower Case:

  • Fully equipped with one 140mm and three 200mm fans for the high airflow and low noise
  • Integrated HUE lighting for illuminating the exterior/interior of your enclosure with option to turn on/off and allow you to customize the colors at your heart’s content
  • High-end water cooling solutions up to three fans for a push-pull configuration: 90mm of internal top space with top 280/360mm and bottom 240/280mm radiator support for unmatched liquid cooling
  • State-of-the-art integrated 4 channel digital fan controller with 15 watts per channel and LED indicators that progressively gets brighter on high speeds and dimmer for low settings
  • Easily removable filters located in the top, front, side, and bottom to prevent dust from entering your rig and simple maintenance
  • Adjustable interior pivot 120/140mm fan slot for directional airflow
  • Removable HDD cage and large storage capacity for 6 hard drives
  • Dual USB 3.0, quad USB 2.0, microphone, and audio jack along with a SD media card reader for high-speed data transfer and quick access to multimedia
  • Stylish acrylic window with a view to show off the interior of your rig
  • Unrivalled Cooling Capacity to mount up to nine fans for a maximum airflow
  • Rear I/O white light for visibility in dark environments with a toggle switch
  • Extruded right side panel for an elegant look and achieves 36mm clearance for cable wire management
  • Equipped with a stylish pedestal that lifts your enclosure off the ground for increased airflow.

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