NZXT Phantom 630 review

Final words and conclusion

It seems that the Phantom 630 is a trimmed down version of the Phantom 820 really, quite similar looks but then they started shaving off a thing or two to bring down the price. One big thing missing is that awesome RGB LED lighting system the 820 has, I seriously like it and it was cut away for the 630. Realistically though, NZXT needed this kick-ass chassis to stick under 200 EUR, and it does exactly that with a good margin. 

You receive all the top notch features, space and most of the goodies the 830 offers even XL-ATX form factor motherboards will fit with space left for liquid cooling. Then there's the white / dark looks inside and out, the overall style, grommet holes, cable management options, fan controllers with pre-installed fans. On the topic of colors, that's a preference you can choose from white, black or gunmetal grey as those are the alternatives for you. Actually, let me show you that:

Nitpicking

Much like the 820 perhaps one more HDD bay could have been created though, and some sort of removable 3.5 or 2.5" HDD/SSD functionality would have been very nice as well. But that really is all that I can think of that is negative. Well, negative is not the right word there, 'room for improvement' should be it. Oh and some might find the lacking eSATA connector a small quirk. Pricing wise we understand the HUE LED RGB lighting system missing though.

Final Words

Overall we feel that NZXT has a lovely offering with the Phantom 630. But it remains a cut down version of the Phantom 820 really and you do need to understand that although the looks and feel are similar, some compromises have been made. The innards of the HDD covers the 820 has are gone, no HUE LED RGB lighting system, trimmed down USB connectors and a few other small things. 

Overall these changes are pretty significant though but do bring the Phantom 630 towards a price level of sub-200 USD / 180 EUR. Now NZXT's problem is that in this high-end category everybody will probably chip in the extra 40 bucks for the aforementioned features on the Phantom 820. I know I would as really that HUE LED RGB lighting system is what makes the 820 shine. 

Other than that remark, it's all good. I like the looks that are VERY similar to the 820, and enjoy the fact how stunning a chassis can really be. The chassis does make a tiny bit of noise, but at very normal to low levels. You receive four great quality fans in there, that's always producing some noise, set the fan RPM to low and you'll hardly notice the chassis -- hey you get a fancy fan controller for free already built in my man. I've been asking chassis designers for years now to implement this feature. And finally NZXT did it right, not a measly single fan controller, nope... fans all digitally controlled with LED responsiveness.

Connectivity wise you get four USB ports for which two are USB 3.0, oh and we just love the included SD card reader, this should be standard for any chassis these days we say. New and innovative are the two 2.5" SSD tray mounts. Realistically though I get the feeling that people do not like to hide their most expensive gear behind the motherboard tray. How cool would it have been to have another side panel with a small window ? Pop some LED lights there and boom, your SSDs get da cool-kit-to-show-ya-friends factor. And admittedly I am behaving rediculously spoiled here though.

So yeah, the NZXT Phantom 630 simply is good, very good even. However once we tested it, we could not help stop staring at it's bigger brother the NZXT Phantom 820, and that I believe will be the achilles heel of the Phantom 630. Aaah, if only it would have had the RGB HUE lighting kit.

Aah well, style is a personal and tricky thing to comment on, but will always be the decisive factor in purchasing a chassis. The NZXT Phantom 630 is a great looking product, built with care, enthusiast and oozes build quality. It is sturdy, nice and stylish. We can recommend it very much. It's 12kg of pure unadulterated fun, style and quality. But honestly, the Phantom 820 keeps staring at me with those hungry eyes ...

• Sign up to receive a notice when we publish a new article
• Or go back to Guru3D's front page.

Guru3D.com » Articles » NZXT Phantom 630 review » Page 9