# Nzxt Phantom?



## xXSARSXx (Jan 30, 2011)

I have the HD radeon 6950 card (not bios upgraded though looking to do so but don't want to mess it up but i digress) i've been looking at the nzxt phantom, i find it the most aesthetically pleasing on one the market atm and would get it.. but due to the high temps my graphics card runs at when inside the case i have atm (which is rubbish) i have had to remove the side so its open which has lowered the temperature significantly. I was basically wondering does the Phantom have good enough airflow to cope with the Radeon 6950?


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## SslagleZ28 (Jan 30, 2011)

xXSARSXx said:


> I have the HD radeon 6950 card (not bios upgraded though looking to do so but don't want to mess it up but i digress) i've been looking at the nzxt phantom, i find it the most aesthetically pleasing on one the market atm and would get it.. but due to the high temps my graphics card runs at when inside the case i have atm (which is rubbish) i have had to remove the side so its open which has lowered the temperature significantly. I was basically wondering does the Phantom have good enough airflow to cope with the Radeon 6950?



At what speed are you keeping the fan on when you are gaming?


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## XLR8 (Jan 30, 2011)

xXSARSXx said:


> I have the HD radeon 6950 card (not bios upgraded though looking to do so but don't want to mess it up but i digress) i've been looking at the nzxt phantom, i find it the most aesthetically pleasing on one the market atm and would get it.. but due to the high temps my graphics card runs at when inside the case i have atm (which is rubbish) i have had to remove the side so its open which has lowered the temperature significantly. I was basically wondering does the Phantom have good enough airflow to cope with the Radeon 6950?




This case is in my new build.Great looking case. I know people who have this case and yes plenty of cooling. I have seen dual cards in them. The only catch is what cpu cooler are you using? You can with a small mod put a 120mm fan where the drive bays are to blow air on the gpu. The best method so far is to buy another NXZT 200mm fan for the top.Both pulling air out. If you use a 200mm fan on the side door some 3rd party cooler won't fit with the fan installed.


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## xXSARSXx (Jan 30, 2011)

SslagleZ28: I have not tried to game with the case closed as idle temps were 60 with case side off it idles about 44 and goes upto 60-70 when gaming thats normalish i think. but 60 idle deffo isn't so never tried gaming. fan speed was left as it is when not over clocked. everything else is maxed out ( this has only been done recently with the case side off ). 

XLR8: i will be using the A70 corsair on a 1st gen i7.. not the best cooler but was all i could get with the left over money i had. Though i'm think of getting water cooling when i get abit of spare cash. 

what are you thoughts?


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## SslagleZ28 (Jan 30, 2011)

xXSARSXx said:


> SslagleZ28: I have not tried to game with the case closed as idle temps were 60 with case side off it idles about 44 and goes upto 60-70 when gaming thats normalish i think. but 60 idle deffo isn't so never tried gaming. fan speed was left as it is when not over clocked. everything else is maxed out.
> 
> XLR8: i will be using the A70 corsair on a 1st gen i7.. not the best cooler but was all i could get with the left over money i had. Though i'm think of getting water cooling when i get abit of spare cash.



That's more than likely your problem.  When you installed the drivers, there was a program called CCC, Catalyst Control Center.  When you open it go up to to the top left hand corner click on "Graphics" and and then ATi Overdrive.  In there you will see overclocking options, and a fan control.  Put a check in the box for "Manual Fan Control"  this will allow you to adjust the speed of the fan on your GPU.  Turn it up a little, until you get your case, roughly to about 35-40% it will bring your temps down.  When you get your Phantom you can keep it at 20% for normal use, and when gaming throw it up to 70-80%.

The Phantom is a great case..  The problem out of the box is that its has too much exhaust and not enough intake.  Before buying a 2nd 200mm fan for the top I suggest getting a high CFM 140mm fan (a 120mm fits as well) for the front to bring cooler air into the case.  Something roughly 100-120cfm.  You will see your gpu and cpu temps drop alot.  Whats lovely about the Phantom also is the integrated fan control that which will take up to 20w per channel.  You cant run they extremely high cfm fans from delta off of it, but normal 120mm 100+ cfm fans work great with it.

Right now Im running a Scythe 1700rpm 140mm 93 cfm fan in the front blowing in, the 2 stock 120mm on the side blowing in, I replaced the 120mm exhaust fan on the back with a Scythe Kaze Slipstream 120mm 1900rpm 110cfm fan, and have the stock 200mm fan on top as exhaust as well.  With these fans and a Xigmatek Dark Knight CPU cooler, which also has a Scythe Kaze Slipstream 120mm 1900rpm 110cfm fan on it, my CPU temps with a 4.3ghz overclock at 1.544v (stock is 3.2), doing normal activity I sit at 37 degrees celcius, underload i rarely break 50 degrees, and as long as my GPU fan is on at 70% it never overheats as well.

NZXT could have gave you the 140mm fan in the front but didnt  but with it the case is cold, you can stick you hand in there and feel a difference. 

I know this is alot of info but I hope it helps.  Its a great case for the price, and with an added $10 fan its and unbelievable case for the price.  Also the cable managment is pretty damn spectacular.  I post pics in this thread with the fans, and the cable managment.

http://www.computerforum.com/190351-new-fans-cleaned-her-up-little-pics.html


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## xXSARSXx (Jan 30, 2011)

Yeah i have CCC, twas what i used to max the settings out  but i never played around with the fan. i've done as you advised manually setting it to 40 temp has dropped to about 40 which is nice to see! little more noisy now but who cares eh? 

YAY! i'm glad to hear was thinking i may have to get a not so nice looking case for practical reasons! Thanks for the advice i'll see if i can cannibalise the fans in an old case for now as the case will bankrupt me! haha. But i'll deffo get better fans/cooling at a later date.


By the way you have an awesome set up! and theres so much room!!

edit* was wondering any tips for overclocking, never done it before and when my case is set up i'd like to have ago at overclocking my processor.. (i know its not the title  )


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## SslagleZ28 (Jan 30, 2011)

xXSARSXx said:


> Yeah i have CCC, twas what i used to max the settings out  but i never played around with the fan. i've done as you advised manually setting it to 40 temp has dropped to about 40 which is nice to see! little more noisy now but who cares eh?
> 
> YAY! i'm glad to hear was thinking i may have to get a not so nice looking case for practical reasons! Thanks for the advice i'll see if i can cannibalise the fans in an old case for now as the case will bankrupt me! haha. But i'll deffo get better fans/cooling at a later date.
> 
> ...



Glad i could help... oh and thats a HD 6950 (with a 6970 bios flash) im my case as well so you can see the fitment and how much room there is.  You think its loud at 40% lol, listen to that thing at 70-80%   I listen to music when I game neway, or have a headset on for ventrillo so I rarely ever hear it


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## xXSARSXx (Jan 30, 2011)

does the bios flash significantly improve performance? plus is it easy to do for a newbie? hahaha i just tried it! sounded awful lool i guess i'll have to plug it into some big speakers and turn the volume UP  

your help is much appreciated


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## Drenlin (Jan 31, 2011)

Just to note, thw Phantom doesn't exactly have bad cooling stock...four 120mm and one 200mm moves a LOT of air. More than most other cases. It will be perfectly fine cooling that rig with no fans added.


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## SslagleZ28 (Jan 31, 2011)

Drenlin said:


> Just to note, thw Phantom doesn't exactly have bad cooling stock...four 120mm and one 200mm moves a LOT of air. More than most other cases. It will be perfectly fine cooling that rig with no fans added.



I thought the same thing except the 2 intake fans are on the side of the case, and directly on the otherside is an exit vent.  I noticed the air seems to go in oneside and out the other (I put a piece of tissue there to see how much air came out and it seemed to be significant. When I talk to Nzxt in not so many words kinda told me that the side intake fans are more ment for hard drive cooling than full case cooling.  Not that is doesnt help the rest of the case, its just not in the optimal spot.


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## SslagleZ28 (Jan 31, 2011)

xXSARSXx said:


> does the bios flash significantly improve performance? plus is it easy to do for a newbie? hahaha i just tried it! sounded awful lool i guess i'll have to plug it into some big speakers and turn the volume UP
> 
> your help is much appreciated



yeah is a decent performance boost, and honestly its not that hard, just make sure to follow the directions to the T.  If you need the a link to the instructions let me know.


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## xXSARSXx (Jan 31, 2011)

Okay well I'll have to give it ago at some point. I have the HIS version does that affect what bios update i need or does it not really matter? yeah that would be appreciated if you could do so. 

cheers for all the help guys!

edit* this forum seems to be against the bios flash... http://www.techimo.com/forum/graphics-cards-displays/255792-6950-6970-flash-info.html


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## Rit (Jan 31, 2011)

I have a buddy that really likes the Phantom. He put in all the fans he could and he says it stays super cool. He does other things such as taking a can of air to it every month, not having the computer case on the ground, filters on the fans, etc...  How long have you had the video card and did you ever re-paste it?


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## xXSARSXx (Jan 31, 2011)

Thats good to hear.. erm sorry if i sound foolish.. can of air? 

Since X-mas so not long at all, i've never taken a GPU apart is it easy? i was looking at getting a after market cooler for it as well at some point.


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## Rit (Jan 31, 2011)

xXSARSXx said:


> Thats good to hear.. erm sorry if i sound foolish.. can of air?
> 
> Since X-mas so not long at all, i've never taken a GPU apart is it easy? i was looking at getting a after market cooler for it as well at some point.



Can of Air Just what it sounds like   If you never used one before, make sure to read the directions, can cause injuries and damage to stuff you use it on. (Depending what it is)

Taking off a cooler on a video card usually is pretty easy and involves just removing 4 screws. But once again, if you never done it before, make sure to read up on it. Getting thermal paste everywhere isn't a good idea and if you put it on wrong could cause damage to your gear. If you need help, just ask!


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## xXSARSXx (Jan 31, 2011)

Ah i get you, i thought that was what it was but wasn't entirely certain. 

Awesome that's cool, when i get round to getting one I'll probably post up a thread asking if i get stuck 

Cheers guys


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## SslagleZ28 (Jan 31, 2011)

xXSARSXx said:


> Okay well I'll have to give it ago at some point. I have the HIS version does that affect what bios update i need or does it not really matter? yeah that would be appreciated if you could do so.
> 
> cheers for all the help guys!
> 
> edit* this forum seems to be against the bios flash... http://www.techimo.com/forum/graphics-cards-displays/255792-6950-6970-flash-info.html



What I have learned and not just with computers there's always somebody out there against modding.  Just remember I'm almost positive this voids your warranty so this it totally up to you if you want to do it.  The 6950 is a great card out of the box, so if your happy with it the keep it the same.  I bought mine for the sole purpose of trying this out knowing I void my warranty and if it breaks I'm out $300

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/159


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## xXSARSXx (Jan 31, 2011)

haha yeah i bet would void the warranty everything seems to  that looks pretty simple actually (famous last words!), 

hehe well i'm not sure if i'm happy with it atm till i get a new game (crysis2, Shogun 2,) and try run everything maxed out.. maybe i'll try squeeze some more out of it once i've got a new game.

Thanks for the link :good:


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