NZXT has a rock solid legacy when it comes to the chassis market, this is only backed up with even further success in the PSU and AIO water cooling markets, where there HALE and Kraken products are currently some of the best on the market. For me, this all started with the original Phantom chassis, it set a high standard that has been adhered to for years now and it even kick started many other chassis manufacturers to pick up their act and compete with NZXT on high-end products, so the question is, have NZXT learnt anything new since the launch of the original Phantom and is this one “better” that the original?
Cable management has been greatly improved, there is even more room behind the motherboard than ever before, the cable routing holes are significantly larger than the original phantom and there are more cable tie loops behind the motherboard. It wasn’t hard to get a great looking build on the old model, but now its super easy and there is more room than ever before for extra cables, which means extra components.
Cooling is greatly improved too, larger fan mounts, better air filters, more extensive water cooling support and a gargantuan area in the top of the chassis for 200mm fans or custom radiators. NZXT has all of their trademarks in place, with modular HDD bays that allow for more extensive front panel cooling, base cooling, height adjustable rear fan mount, HDD side panel fan mount, 140mm internal mount and that 360mm mount at the top that all add up to some seriously heavy-duty airflow. The only gripe I have is that without extensive cooling fans or radiators installed, the 530 looks empty, you can see through the mesh, there are mounting holes unplugged and generally it looks baron, especially the top panel.
This chassis has a purpose, high end or extreme system builds that are focused on performance and cooling, anything less isn’t going to do it justice. Sure you can stick a moderate system in here but you run the risk of the chassis looking hollow and bare, much like our build does today from some angles. The clear side panel window and see through mesh panels just beg you to put the effort into making the build perfect and unless your planning on a SLI/Crossfire configuration, extensively cooled monster rig you may as well get the original Phantom, it’s still great, it’s now cheaper and it looks fantastic. Yet if you want the biggest and the best Phantom yet and plan on building something spectacular, then the new Phantom 530 will blow you away.
Personally I don’t think you can make a bad choice with premium NZXT chassis designs, they’re all fairly similar internally and are highly focused on high performance systems, water cooling and more, the Phantom 530 is just another extension of their already very competent chassis ranges.
It’s a super mid sized chassis. I like the fact they’ve lost the USB 2 ports. What still mystifies me is the inclusion of grommeted holes for water tubing on the back, I mean, have you ever seen anyone use them?… but that’s really a non-issue. Hopefully they’ll release the case in a whole host of colours as time passes but I do like the red. I’m so tired of back or white cases that I’m starting to miss the days of the beige box. Lol.
I’ve seen lots of people using those holes. I just don’t understand why anyone would want to. Externally mounted (or unmounted) systems are not very elegant or practical.
i have never seen anyone who does…did you take pictures of the great white buffalo?
Yes, I think this case is a super mid sized chassis too, I’m looking for a true full tower, one that can accommodate a pair of 480 or 420 radiators and a power supply of any length, so far I know of only that could fit the bill, but so far Phanteks has not started selling them yet, latest word on Enthoo Primo is September or October, I can wait, but not forever, if NZXT made a stretched version of the 530 that could fill this requirement and not be made of aluminum or cost more than $250.00(US$), I could see Myself buying 2 cases, otherwise I can wait.
they do…check out the 630 model…it’s below $200 and it is a pretty big case.
According to the specs this case is made of plastic and steel.
No beige boxes! LoL. Never again!
can’t believe the reviewer didn’t point out the differences between this case and the 630.
I love it but I need more than three drive bays in front. Four would be the minimum for me. One DVD, room for a more versatile fan controller and a memory slot reader.
Fan controller is in the case
USB 2.0 ports are so obsolete. Glad they are gone. I’m leaning towards either the Phantom 530 or the Storm Stryker when I build my new PC (after GTX780Ti comes out of course!)
is FZ-200 or FS-200mm will sit perfectly on top of this chassis?