Phanteks P300A Cheap Airflow Case Review: Thermals, Extra Fan Tests, & Noise

[@GamersNexus]

Modmats are still in stock (but we have sold a lot of them already -- thanks for the support!). You can grab one here: store.gamersnexus.net/ Watch our be quiet! Pure Base 500DX review here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHTRkpqYgNCJsKc Article: www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3579-phanteks-p300a-case-review-benchmark-vs-p400a

[@xcoool]

Any plans on reviewing adata xpg cases. Mainly battlecrusier? As there is not a single proper review on youtube and the case seems to be solid.

[@George_K.]

TIL that shelling out money for Noctua fans to put in my 8 y.o. dumpster fire of a case chocked by poor mesh-ridden design is being "fan-elitist".

[@MozartificeR]

What is the most expensive case you know of, with only one 5 1/2 inch bay?

[@sithyarael6807]

FYI You use "However" way to much. If you don't know "however" is just a fancy "But." I would recommend using although instead as it doesn't mean "behold the ultimate truth" like "but" and "however" do. Just FYI from way to much management classes that I have had. And yes I call out my buddies when they say "however" yet they always stress it when they say it and I call them out every time. Please take this as constructive criticism. It will really help with your videos.

[@Brenryz]

dont get why you keep emphasizing "budget cases" so many times. I'm upgrading my FX-8350 amd system from 2015 build and back then Linus was highly praising Phanteks cases back then. They were very durabily built. If anything I would critize modern motherboards being overpriced "budget toys" due to lack of sata drive slots.

[@MrGarfi]

The new P300A is a newer shorter and cheaper version of the....P300A - Sorry :D

[@GamersNexus]

Did I say that somewhere? If so, where? Sorry if so!

[@4fiHysteria]

@@GamersNexus the intro, about 43s

[@daviddebroux4708]

@@GamersNexus Starting from 0:38 to 0:45.

[@MrGarfi]

​@@GamersNexus No no, don't be sorry - meant nothing by it, I just chuckled a little of it - must be the quarantine :)

[@TySoVm]

Only reason I bought the P400a is because of you, thank you GamersNexus, you are a god amongst men.

[@rosshalz]

About time! Steve's been teasing us with this case sitting there in recent HW news sessions!

[@Steveindajeep]

Yeah he does that a lot. hahaha

[@hoppityhares2597]

"...it's good and it's competitive..." High praise from GN

[@derekboy2]

"because people like to buy their own fans...and that's cool" -Pun Police

[@jonah6431]

Ok

[@mattygee1402]

Literally just bought the p400a, super helpful review previously btw. The way you run your channel and website is another level of dedication, thank you! :)

[@systemdeveloper5266]

How do you feel about the p400a? :D I am thinking about P300 or P400, difficult to decide :S

[@MadSinister]

Great to see the performance of the P300A and P400A being validated, really great cases - Phanteks are one of the only reliable, low budget manufacturers I can find around me. Just realized that the P350X is actually longer than the P300A, so theres a bit more leeway for cable management in the shroud. Now if Phanteks just threw the fans in, and increased the price slightly, it'd be absolutely amazing.

[@ji8651]

MadSinister I think the P300A would be a good case for someone who's coming from a HAF 922, just want to change the case to something smaller, & seems like a good suggestion for the price. Do you have any recommendations? Only got 2 hard drives, don't need a Cd drive, & it's an atx mobo with EVGA GTX 680 signature 2

[@TheMapleDaily]

I have the p350x and love it for my front mounted 280 aio for my 3800x and it helps keep low temps and has pretty colors and good control with my notos 120s and corsair rgb 280s

[@brandonlow27]

I know this is an old review but it was massively helpful for me. For my first build in 2020 I got the non-airflow version of this case and it ran hot. I would frequently remove the front panel and eventually moved to a Corsair 4000D Airflow. I recently built a new(ish) system with that case, an RX 5700 XT and an R5 5600 for VR use. My VR headset arrived yesterday and the P300 was an absolute FURNACE. 90+ temps on CPU and GPU. Fortunately you can order the front mesh panel by itself and this review helped me decide whether or not that would be worth it.

[@raymondzhang6941]

me too, I had the p300 for the longest time and after getting the p300a front panel my temps dropped by like 15C lol

[@BrianBarbaGonzalez]

Thank you for your comments, I have been with this case for 1 year and a half and it really works very hot with an R5 5600x and RTX 2080ti. I’ll find out how to buy the front!

[@raymondzhang6941]

@@BrianBarbaGonzalez if you search up "phanteks p300 mesh front panel" it's the first link. If you look manually it's on the phanteks website under replacement parts.

[@raymondzhang6941]

it's a lil expensive though since it's $36 including shipping but cheaper and more convenient than getting a new case

[@brandonlow27]

@@raymondzhang6941 that was my thought

[@eastcoastmodz5195]

I recently purchased this case and added 5 Arctic P12 case fans. All black fans with no RGB. Nearly silent at 100% and move a ton of air. At a distance of 1 foot I can still feel the air on my hand. Love the case and the fan choice.

[@oleric3309]

5? u can only add 4!? :D

[@lookitsrain9552]

I would like to see cases offered with a full set of fans and no fans.

[@mjc0961]

Would be nice, but then it gets messy with even more SKUs to manage, so I understand why nobody does this.

[@shevek5934]

@@mjc0961 Wasteful to be forced to buy stock fans just to have them sit on a shelf though...

[@MudkipMan97]

@@mjc0961 then they should create easier SKU names

[@SaddisticSpeller]

@@MudkipMan97 Thats... not how it works.

[@MsChupar]

@@MudkipMan97 "Yes!" like Phanteks P300A FAN and Phanteks P300A HATER

[@biondiwiyono5431]

FYO Steve, Phanteks has already started selling the P300A with 3 RGB fans in Australia included (2x front, 1x back) for 30 AUD extra (roughly 22 USD), which will perform amazingly in thermals!

[@Sammaderp]

I'm using this specific case in my next build, with the extra stock fans. Fingers crossed it goes well!

[@BlancoWilliams]

That’s the p400a digital, no? I’ve never seen that case and I’m in Australia... so....

[@haricore_]

just copped this one!

[@alexc3504]

My father saw your roundup of best cases and he was so impressed by Phanteks P400A case that he bought two of them (one to replace his crappy old Antec, one to replace my old Thermaltake) The P400A seems like a really cool case. We get them this coming thursday. Thanks for the content you put out, nobody is as detail oriented about how to precisely test things as you are and we all are grateful for it.

[@proscriptus]

Coming back to this review a couple of years later, I built in this case for my mother over the winter, and added a couple of Corsair ML120s to the front. It was a pleasure to build in and is staying nice and cool with reasonable noise.

[@PHXScotty]

Phanteks really killed it with the PXXX series. I have a P400 eclipse myself, excellent build quality and spacious.

[@raduque]

I love my P400 tempered glass. I need to get around to ordering the p400a front panel for it.

[@Caldera01]

That A at the end makes a huge difference though. The P400 was bit panned by being a hot oven with no airflow. When they added the meshfront and the A at the end of the name, it rocketed to the top.

[@bobthehomie1313]

@@raduque the p400a on newegg was 85 dollars with tax and shipping for me last week non rgb btw

[@greggreg2458]

Glad Phanteks went back to the days of the Enthoo Primo.

[@Adromelk]

Agreed. I have the p400a non rgb and it's fantastic. Super happy with this build and i love the low profile, minimalist design.

[@Nuxxius]

I bought this case and have been waiting for Steve to tell me if it was a good decision or not :) I did buy it because I had 2 extra fans to use with the case.

[@joevk6274]

My new build is in a P300A. I got it (for about $60) mainly because the P400A was unavailable at the time. It's been up and running for a little over a month. I'm running the stock fan in the rear, and a pair of 120mm Phanteks Metallicgear DRGB fans in the front, with a CM 212 Black Edition on the R5 3600. All fans are running the default fan settings in the bios. Highest CPU temp I've seen so far is 44c. As far as noise, I can't hear it unless I put my ear almost right up against the case in front of a fan.

[@lucaschau7789]

Hey Joseph, I’m wondering what cpu cooler you put in your P300A. From what I see in the specs or the manual on their website, the CPU clearance is 165mm, but I’m planning to buy a Deepcool Assassin III which has the exact same height of 165mm tho. So I’m worried if that cooler would fit this case. Thanks!

[@ThugginTuna]

Also looking for cooler info

[@joevk6274]

@@lucaschau7789 2 years and I didn't answer? Wow. Sorry about that. Hopefully you figured that out, but to answer your question anyway, I was running a Coolermaster Hyper 212 Black Edition. It fit just fine. But now, 2 years later, I've upgraded the CPU to a Ryzen 5600 and put a Deepcool AK620 on top of it, which also fits just fine.

[@lucaschau7789]

@@joevk6274 lol can’t believe it’s been over 2 years, and I nearly forgot the question I left to you honestly. Seeing this question reminds me of the awful lockdowns bc of pandemic. Anyways, I ended up not buying this case but thanks for your answer after this long time tho. Wish your build has been up and running just fine:)

[@sergiomadureira9985]

I kept an eye on P400A since I first saw it in CES2019 and I pulled the trigger as soon as you reviewed it, got it at the MSRP and couldn’t be happier. Thank you GN 👍

I upgraded to a P400A-D two weeks ago, based on your review. Loving it, it's an awesome case!

[@storm7456]

But to narrow for a Noctua NH D15.

[@mjonji1281]

@@storm7456 ive seen a dude on reddit fitting it. Officially, it doesnt fit but apparently his does. amp.reddit.com/r/Phanteks/comments/dmkege/going_all_black_in_the_p400a/

[@storm7456]

@@mjonji1281 A fan stands out because of my Ram. That's why it won't work for me ^^. My case. Cooler Master CM Storm Stryker,

[@n7ghtmare99]

I'm starting to build my first PC and I got this case as my first. Gotta say I'm impressed with it.

[@cooper23231]

These 2am uploads hit different sir 😂😂. I'm waiting for my Lian li lancool 2 case rn this might make me cancel my order. Edit : Yeah no i'll wait for my case and put in my arctic liquid freezer in 😂

[@mg-7.929]

Why didn't you wait for Lancool 2 mesh?

[@papesor]

I really hope Phanteks puts some P300A front panels in their replacement parts store. It would be a straight upgrade for my P300. The best of both worlds, airflow and RGB.

[@xite45]

they dont, i ask the german and global support @phanteks. maybe more resquets will do the thing

[@swinbag]

I'm hoping for the same - I emailed their support a month ago and got this reply: "Please stay tuned as we will release more information out of the front panels."

[@Ratcher.]

they did for the p400 thought they went out of stock almost instantly

[@LSRGaming]

i just got a white mesh front panel from phanteks for like 16 bucks. Painted it black, great upgrade for my p400.

[@easley421]

@@Ratcher. I just bought one. There 19 bucks. Tired of pulling my front panel off whenever I want to game

[@abdielalfonso4556]

Looks almost perfect for many use cases, I just wish it was easier to get this case. And you’re very right about the included fan, including another pair of fans could make it one of the best budget cases like the Fractal Design Focus G.

[@Sibbiez]

I changed my rig over to a Phanteks P400D after your review, super happy with it! Great recommendation.

[@DerrickRG]

The P300 is one of my favorite nice looking budget cases. Really thinking about stuffing my streaming hardware into the mesh version of this case.

[@thafluu]

Here in Germany the P300A has had good availability for ~55€, while the P400A is only available from time to time. Also the P400A Digital is ~90€ when it's available. Paired with 2x Arctic P14 (5€ ea., those are the fans that come with the Liquid Freezer II and they are value monsters) the P300A ist really attractive over here imo. Great video guys, I really enjoy your case reviews.

[@pjstartv6798]

Thanks for the review Steve. Due to stock issues, I was unable to get the P300a or P400a a few weeks ago so I ended up settling on the Corsair Carbide 275r. I loaded it up with 6 fans and I'm perfectly happy with it. Corsair also stopped using the hex screws on the glass panel of that case. It now has slotted screws that you can remove by hand and they put the hex screws and hex wrench in the added bag of goodies....for the sadists out there I guess. They also fixed the rubber grommets for the side panel screw holes to the case so they no longer fall off and also provide something for the glass to sit on so you don't have to hold the panel anymore while reattaching it.

[@GotJesusGaming]

Nice case. Found a P400a for $80 from newegg the other day and made my buddy snag it since hes about to build. Couldnt find my own P400A a few weeks ago so I got myself a CM NR600 and I couldnt be any happier, especially with 360 rad support in the front!

[@DPtrainer14]

I'm waiting for the P500a also shown during CES,, can't wait :)

[@Anthony-en5ov]

Same! I’m wondering when it’s gonna come out. I wanted the enthoo pro m but I might hold out and wait for the 500a

[@DPtrainer14]

@@Anthony-en5ov Someone on a reddit post said they emailed them and was told the release was pushed back to June. So hopefully sometime next month then :)

[@Danko_HS]

Expect P400A performance and higher build quality. I have the P600s and the performance is outstanding. P500A will have the same chassis. I liked the fabric mesh+filter approach better, so i stopped waiting for 500 and bought the P600s.

[@Pr0sacK]

I bought the p400S in white two years ago. About a month ago I purchased the p400a front panel from Phanteks for $20, and now I feel that I have the best of both worlds. It was even easy enough to remove the top and bottom pieces where the filters are on the original p400s front panel and swap them instead of the closed design top and bottom on the p400a panel. Maximum airflow and I love how it looks!

[@Raphtalia07]

Your statement on minimum fan speed for pressure really hits the nail for some other youtuber (It changed channel name that i forgot what) who said the P400A mesh sucks since he lowered the front fan rpms down then said it thermally throttles

[@TopHatCentury]

Thank you for this amazing case review! I was looking for a case to satisfy all of my needs for a long time and then I saw this video. This case has been the one I was looking for since fitting three 140mm fans and a Phanteks aftermarket cooler in a good case is rather difficult to find. Having tempered glass is a bonus but this case is fantastic for my needs.

[@harpinger7225]

Ive used the P300 for over 2 years and its been a phenominal case and never had a single regret. Personally I modded the front into a grill and added my own mesh so I can attest that this will be a FANTASTIC buy.

[@panzerschreckpete]

I was debating whether to get the Purebase 500DX but it's not available and the P400A is , but at close to NZD $150 for the p400A white and NZD$160 for the P400A black, that's getting around $40-50 above my planned budget. Imagine ,my surprise to see a P300A in stock and available for under NZD$100. As far as the fans go, well I have a 3 pack of CM MA120s sitting here waiting for a case so that's an already sunk cost. I just needed a budget case wiuth reasonable cooling that would allow me to build a daily driver workstation with a 1070 while I save for a Ryzen 3600 + GTX 1660 super combo as I only game in 1080p as I realistically don't game well enough to justify a 1440p high refresh rate rig. So Thanks GN. You just helped me buy a basicly sound case that meets my needs within my planned budget. Oh and I notice that the P300A page on my local PC tech supplier mentions the Gamer Nexus P400A review very prominently : "The P300A features the same Ultra-Fine Performance mesh as the multiple award winning Eclipse P400A ("Best Overall" & "Best Out of the Box Thermals" Case of 2019 - Gamers Nexus), "

[@Sharki_V]

This was the case I bought when I built my first PC. I love it. It's perfect for me. I did add a fan to the back and haven't had any problems.

[@kunstderfugue]

If you're looking for cheap fans for your P300A, look at Arctic P12 PWM, they're $7 US as of today and they're very high performance fans. I have one in my GPU's radiator. They'll turn the P300A into a really high perforcmance case and remember, lower temps = lower fan speeds = lower noise

[@gavinarmstrmg]

You won't believe how long I've waited for this case review. There aren't any good reviews of this case...until now

[@Genuiini]

Bought this case two weeks ago. Suits my needs perfectly.

[@CapN_Swagga]

I saw your review and instantly wanted this case I was fortunate to get one before they sold out

[@drmario1218]

We were lucky enough to get one for $50 after rebate on release. Comments were positive on our limited review. Wish we were able to test the AIO fitment since that seemed a little suspect. For the Broke Builder theme, we used a Gammaxx 400 and a couple CM bulk pack fans. It performed on par with an Antec 300 loaded with full fans. Thanks for the WAY more thorough test! o.o7

[@Craigstern73]

Great review like usual, very informative. I'm loving mine, was about to buy the P300 but didn't like the solid front panel for airflow. About that same time the P300A came out (6 months ago) so I jumped on one for $60. With the white led power button up top & small white led on the side under glass panel it looks pretty good with the Antec C400 Glacier 120mm cooler with white led ring that I used. Had 6 -120mm RGB fans already (2 - 3 piece sets) with controllers & remotes so just used 4 & threw in a 1366 Gigabyte UD3R board had lying around, X5680 Xeon 3.3ghz OC'd to 4.2ghz, 16gb G.SKILL DDR3 2133mhz, new Crucial MX500 SSD 500gb for OS, SSHD FireCuda 1TB, older WD 640gb Black HDD, & a new Sapphire RX590. I can't complain, & if I did no one would listen.. For about $600 total it does all I need & then some. =P

[@ghost5487]

I actually liked that it only one fan, as i actually upgraded from my case I've used from 2011, to this I moved my existing fans over and helped me not have extra fans sitting around the house.

[@89willr]

Thanks for the great review as always. I was waiting for this one for a while but went ahead and bought the case from newegg when it had the $10 rebate hoping the performance would be inline with the p400A (knowing I would have to add 2 intake fans to get there). I had been looking for the smallest case with tempered glass side panel and mesh front that could accommodate a full ATX board for a while and this fit the bill. I know the 7 centimetre reduction in depth doesn't sound like a lot but when considering the p400A is only 47 cm deep to begin with its about a 15% reduction. The P300A is also slightly narrower. This was the difference between the case kind of fitting on my small desk and fitting just right.

[@subpopix]

Purchased this for my Ryzen 3800x build a few months ago. Solid case, and I like the compact size. Fits on, and in my desk cubby very nicely! Also picked up two 140m Noctua Chromax's for the front intake to keep it nice and silent. The included fan, unfortunately, was pretty loud at stock. A bit of fan curve adjustments, and she sounds nice and quiet at idle for web browsing, and light tasks. It has flaws, yes, but if you're looking for a budget(ish) case, I don't regret it one bit!

[@Kel-r7x]

Many thanks GN due to your review i bought this case last year, because i aint going RGB and using back my old 140mm fans. Awesome Review

[@DezeosP]

So I pre-ordered this case as soon as it was announced in January. It was supposed to arrive in February, but the lockdown in China at the time made it arrive a full month later than predicted. I'd like to share my thoughts and experiences on this case as it was my first self-build rig. For the building, it was relatively painless IF you connect most of the motherboard cables in advance. The space you work with is pretty limited so connecting cables to the motherboard after installing it in the case will be pretty frustrating, especially if you have an aftermarket CPU Tower cooler like I did. Also, to me Steve didn't put enough emphasis on how much of a pain removing the top panel is. I tried it at first, but half-way through I realised under how much pressure the screws were and that remounting it would be quite difficult with only one pair of hands. But maybe that's because of my lack of experience doing this compared to Steve. The only thing worth mentioning otherwise for the building is the space for the Power supply. I bought a be quiet Dark Power 650W Platinum, and it would NOT have fit with the Hard Drive cages still in, I had to remove them completely, which was fine for me since I did not plan to to use any Hard Drives, but do keep in mind that if you do want to want to, you need a compact PSU. For the fan configuration, after some testing, I found that what works best is a slight negative pressure configuration with two 140mm intake at the front, one 120mm exhaust at the back and one 120mm exhaust at the top. Here is why: The 140mm fans block off the whole front, making it purely intake and providing the front half of your GPU with a good amount of cool air, as well as your CPU. The exhaust fans at the top and back of the case are somewhat self explanatory, the not so obvious fact is that once installed, they leave only one single place where, in a negative pressure set up, air could move in: the GPU mounting brackets below the GPU, which will provide cool air to the single place that gets a limited amount of it, the back half of your GPU. For reference, I have a Sapphire Nitro + RX5700 XT, which fits snugly in the case, with about an inch left between it and the front fans. My build is kind of a stealth build, with only white led highlights here and there, which fits well with the very limited amount of led illumination you get from the case itself. Overall I'm really satisfied with the case and got exactly want I expected, I can only recommend it.

[@jubuttib]

"Even if you're a fan elitist, and you would actually buy a $60 case, and then install $20-40 of fans in it..." $20-40? Sounds like a good deal, did Noctua's prices drop? =)

[@SilverKnightPCs]

Arctic fans have always been that cheap and they outperform both Noctua and Corsair at a quieter noise level. EDIT: since we got so many comments: we were not comparing Arctics sub $5 dollar fan the P12 or F12 (when bought in a value pack of 5 for $20) to Noctuas fans. We were comparing the much more robust BioniX line from Arctic that has near identical features (anti vibrational pads, similar RPMs, high CFM then Noctua fans) that costs considerably less at $15 dollar a fan and can be found as low as $13. The Noctua fan does at max 93.40 m3/h in their F12 line 120mm. The Arctic beats that for less at 117m3/h in the Bionix F12. Let's not compare a $5 fan to one that costs between $25-30

[@madmax2069]

@@SilverKnightPCs let me know when they make slim fans.

[@1FAST91SONOMA]

Seriously - I put $100 in fans into my $36 case. Theyre not even Noctuas. Noctuas would have been $150 at the time

[@dogdie147]

@@madmax2069 dude they make crazy cheap and good fan

[@dogdie147]

And those bitches slim too, de8aur used them for a built for a german youtuber

[@EpicHardware]

i bought this case. I saw this review before. I saw this review after. I see it again now. It's just so damn good review

[@TerraWare]

I have the Phanteks Eclipse P350X which is very similar to this case and adding extra case fans is a must. Having added two 140 mm intake fans in the front has brought the temperature of my hardware down considerably. I have two 120 mm fans as exhaust in the back. It's a perfect setup.

[@EvilS100]

I love these Phanteks cases, I use the P400A with 6 red uphere fans at full speed and it’s oddly silent. Oh, and the extra case supplies come inside a box in the HDD bay, so that’s really neat.

[@toysareforboys1]

I need to sleep. OHHHHHHH, mesh front case review! Who needs sleep?!?

[@TheNiteNinja19]

Only thing that bugs me about these is, dust will begin to build up and it'll be very obvious. At least an inner fan filter can be somewhat obscured. But it is way better than glass front ones. I have an Anidees AI Crystal, and after doing some case modding I did manage to get the air flow to match with the panel on, and off, but it did require pliers and removal of a ton of plastic, as well as a jigsaw.

[@tonimaunde]

@@TheNiteNinja19 I have the p400a and surprisingly, the amount of dust that enters the case is close to none. The mesh works really well as a filter.

[@BoogerDeluxe22]

Must be nice to post an overused, generic comment and have a bunch of losers rush in and comment and like.

[@TheNiteNinja19]

@@tonimaunde Good to know. I have a cooler Master HAF lanbox I'm using as a server chassis (my 4U rack mount was a dust trap and had the CM one sitting around) and the front panel just becomes caked in dust after a little while. I use a used dryer sheet between the panel and the fans to catch more of it.

[@KylarStern0017]

Love the in depth review. I have always sworn by the CiT brand of cases for budget builds, however I am unsure of what the availability would be for you since I am from the UK. But when you get into tax and conversion this P300A case ends up being closer to $75, whereas my personal favourite the CiT C100 is closer to $55. I believe that there would be a good comparison between the C100 and P300A as they are in a similar category: full mesh front panel, power supply shroud, 3/4 height tempered glass side panel, no RGB, and the C100 comes with no stock fans but has room for 9 (only 6 being useful) fans. I would love to see if you could get your hands on any of the CiT range of cases for review as I have personally used the F3, G-Force and C100 and would like to see how they stack up in comparison.

[@arijit4india]

aaand it's out of stock!!!

[@davidfranklinv2860]

Everything is.

[@bobthehomie1313]

Check out the p400a on newegg non rgb in stock usa

[@CaveyMoth]

I like how the glass panel doesn't go over the power supply shroud. And that removable top panel sounds like a godsend! This case is almost perfect for me..but I wish the graphics card had more airflow somehow.

[@ivolol]

@Gamers Nexus I really like the idea of reviewing the price point of cases, IN GENERAL, with $20 added in and considered "by default" for extras (usually fans). And/or as you did here, considering both price points and what they can / can't bring to the table. Or if a case only does well with extra fans, but is a worthy consideration then; largely "forgetting" about viewing the case as a product by itself (i.e, its cost by itself) without the extra expense to get the large uptick in effectiveness. I'd think most DIYers could afford to add fans relatively easily (if not right at build time, a month down the track when they have $20 to spare?) and so making those adjustments *de facto* to price points for product comparisons makes the most practical sense for someone who is looking to get great value out of their purchases.

[@sadlerbw9]

I am ABSOLUTELY a fan snob, and there is maroon and beige all over my person gaming system...However, I've built several PCs for family members where price was a factor. In those systems, not only did I use all of the stock fans, but I also tried to plan builds so they would need as few extra fans as possible. This is why I have been a proponent of dropping included fans once PC cases reach a certain price point. You can argue where the price point is, but I feel like there is a point at which people are spending enough money on just the case that you can safely assume they are more concerned with getting exactly what they want, and less concerned with cost savings.

[@RyoGrattius]

Helping a friend's brother build a PC currently, told him to get this case for a Ryzen 3600/5600xt build. Considering he already bought it, it's a good thing I have two spare fractal design stock fans (from the focus g, the white led 120mm ones) I can throw in it for him.

[@sleepydragonzarinthal3533]

I can see why a company would say "hey, people like different kinds of fans" but I would love a tick box adding on basic front fans. Amazon even makes such an option easy to populate into it's product pages. Sure it may lead some people's expectations, but I think for the most part, most people who DO want more than basic fans don't want to bother with any manufacturer options. I don't think they would have to worry about adding a bunch of other RGB options just to look competitive because most people understand the RGB market is ridiculously robust and varied, and wouldn't expect the case maker to shop it for you, especially because compatibility is rarely an issue, and sizing is pretty easy. I think this case's price lends it to the "modest CPU and GPU, no overclock" market as well as the "I already have a (crate of salvaged) fan(s)" so the "1 fan" options is probably still relevant.

[@michaeltschuertz]

At this point i want a review for best case without Glas, since my next Case will sit under my Table anyway.

[@mrle0719]

Many cases have options with and without glass

[@willn8664]

Just get a cheap Rosewill one on Amazon.

[@жабислав]

Fractal Design Meshify C with steel panel instead of glass

[@michaeltschuertz]

@Synner Dethshayde as good as the p300a? i mean i will not bilt until next year.

[@jeffkuzzen]

@@michaeltschuertz fractal meshify c with steel panel + buy 2x 140mm fans and put them as front intake = you have suuuper good case

[@John__K]

I totally agree with you Steve about the stock fans, most people who can afford ~70$+ for a case can also afford to buy their own fans. But people on a tight budget can't and most likely don't want to bother with tweaking their cooling system. So why not throw a few extra dirt-cheap fans that make a huge difference on performance? Companies should be aware of this by now..

[@derpenberg7814]

Anyone else low key celebrate when GN mentions their case positively?

[@BennyTech]

I have been waiting for this!

[@kiboshinji1203]

thank tech jesus i got this case on the local market for the exact same price 3 weeks ago. and yes, the airflow is reaaaaally good if you fill all 4 slot of fans. i planning to get NF F12 iPPC and put on the back replacing the stock phanteks exhaust fan

[@antoniop5476]

The white P400a digital is in stock on amazon. Was able to order mine. Get on it ladies and gents!

[@TimHaunFishing]

I entirely agree with your take on fans. People with expensive cases are much more likely to get their own fans, where as a person looking at budget cases are trying to get the most for their buck, and will be better served by an included fan.

[@mchipelo]

Just bought one of these last week (still waiting for it to arrive) for 45€..its going to replace my old Nox Coolbay MX2.. On this one I have 3 fans and never had any temperature issues, but needed more bays for HDDs and the case is showing its age...still good for the price. I'll be moving all 3 fans to the new case, so I expect the temps to be nice.. Also bought a new Hyper 212 to go with my old R5 1600..temps were never an issue for the stock cooler, running in stock configuration..(28ºC as of right now, and tops at 60/62ºC on full load..), when running with some sort of OC on it, it still handles the temps, but at a much higher noise.... Looking forward for next year's black friday to get a 5600 :p

[@malchezlink1359]

This is why I love Gamers nexus they go so in depth lol My brother is gettin this case now xD I already have the meshify c

[@CliffForster]

This case is absolutely fantastic if you put two decent front fans in it. Get a couple artic P14's or something like that and you have one of the best performing cases for very reasonable money. I'll say, PSU choice is huge here, definitely get flat cables because the position of that drive cage makes installation a little painful. I think this is great to pair with a Micro ATX board and a decent air cooler on a reasonably spec CPU that can run on air. I'm running a 5800X3D along with a Radeon 6800 and temps are fine without ramping up the fans all that high. Good basic air cooling case but it does require two intake fans.

[@somebrains5431]

They're $74 ish shipped right now from Newegg. Only reason I paid it is bc a build needs to be done for a kid that's wants a box for graduation. Parts are so spotty right now I'm just getting it done and calling it good.

[@josephroth3982]

I do believe that I got the last P400A from Phanteks themselves. It was $70, but the shipping was $25. Ordered it 2 weeks ago. Had it for a week now, great case for the 3950X

[@Bagel398]

I bought one of these a couple months ago i like it a lot! I had fans from my previous build to put in it. The only thing i didn't like was the cable cut outs since they were a bit small and the hard drive cage gets in the way of putting away the psu cables a bit but i removed it since I had no need for it.

[@tomhsia4354]

My friend has this thing and we stuffed an MSI 2080S Gaming X inside. We had to slide the case fans (2*140mm Be Quiet Pure Rock fans, because I'm a fan supremacist) in after the GPU, but it fit. I Just love how space efficient this thing is. Personally, I think this case has much higher quality than the P400A.

[@jensosjensos1696]

I got this case for around €55 and got 3 fans along with it. Use the stock fan for top exhaust at a lower speed and two front intake and one rear exhaust.

[@vincyzed2326]

Great review, would have been nice to see comparison against the P300 non a

[@alistairblaire6001]

Oh my god a top panel that's held by screws and not rivets. The last case I've owned that had this is a Lian Li case from over a decade ago. It is fiddly because you have to lightly put the screws in to align the panel, then carefully tighten them. But it is definitely nice to have the option.

[@seanruffolo6083]

The only reason I'm choosing this case is the width. My standing desk included a computer holder to be bolted to the bottom, and this is the only case that fits it while still allowing for full size CPU coolers. It's a compact, efficient design

[@elgapandiko6531]

Thank you steve, this is what i am looking for 😄

[@noj9891]

Props to Phanteks making these front panels compatible with previous 300 models and purchasable standalone.

[@quiltedquickerpicker]

I agree with adding more fans on budget cases. People on the budget will appreciate the added deal for paying bulk pricing for fans.

[@laynewoodruff7502]

It's a bit disappointing that they didnt include more fans as it seemed like they would at CES. Tha that being said, Cooler Master dropped that RGB $60 case and it's supposed to compete with this, I'd love to see a review on that to compare the two (hopefully sparking budget case makers to have mesh cases). Also I've been waiting for the P500a, I hope it's not too long before it comes out, I've been pretty hyped for that case.

[@Howaboua]

Thanks guys, now I "had" to buy one before the stock would've ran out :D Luckily I've got some decent fans already... Much needed improvement over my far-too-big-to-justify-matx q300l with a fatigued acrylic window and practically no airflow.

[@vawx-]

I think the fact that Be Quiet include 3 Pure Wings 2 fans make the 500 DX pretty great deal compared to this.

[@ryuuseiboi950]

It's what? $100? You can easily buy 3 better fans than the Pure wings for $40

[@papabear1476]

I NEVER use stock fans, anyway.

[@Drinkyoghurt]

It's kinda weird to see how popular the P400a is. I bought it pre-release in Germany and had to wait like a week before it was in stock because supplies were really limited but at least got to have it for 90 euros. Supplies are still limited. It's a good case with some room for improvement, but at the 90 euro price point it's very hard to beat. Haven't had much dust issues, definitely not any more than in any other cases I've had. The NZXT Zero I had before this was a big dust magnet but with the P400A I haven't even had to clean out my cpu heatsink because there's literally no dust on it. Oh and if anyone is wondering, these cases to fit the Thermalright Macho series which is supposedly 3mm above the max spec of the case. It's such a tight fit it basically creates its own airflow shroud.

[@leecline5759]

I built my first PC in a in the old P300, with a solid metal front panel and just the slits on top for intake. For a newb build I really liked it, minus my bad decisions of leaving out front intake fans and using a stock Intel CPU cooler. I swapped to a Cooler Master H500 (mesh front) recently, and I have to say my cable management was better in the Phanteks case. I kind of miss it a little.

[@BCSJRR]

I love you case reviews Steve. Will we be seeing a p500a review any time soon?

[@murai_maquina]

I don't know if this is an official Phanteks thing, but one Australian retailer I often use is selling an RGB version of this case with three fans instead of one.

[@nihilimobscuras9750]

That's the P400A Digital.

[@mosnaidei]

@@nihilimobscuras9750 No it's not, the Australian retailer he's talking about is probably pccasegear and they sell a p300a with three rgb fans installed

[@murai_maquina]

@@nihilimobscuras9750 No it's not. The listing is clearly a P300A. www.pccasegear.com/products/49915

[@simpson6700]

holy crap cases are expensive in australia

[@skartimus]

@@simpson6700 that's just our currency value. Removing the tax and converting back to USD, that is $75 US for the 3 RGB model.

[@radicalxedward8047]

The tiny little RGB dash just seems like a waste of time. They should have just left the LEDs out of it.

[@TheNiteNinja19]

Yeah if someone wants LEDs, addressable strips are abundant and cheap.

[@jaysoncronly7041]

it isn't rgb though

[@nc0gneto]

The thing with these case reviews is (to no fault of yours Steve) everyone is different in terms of what parts they may be carrying over from their old build (if any). If people have fans they can use in their old build, and carry them over to their new build, it changes the landscape somewhat. It becomes no longer an issue of having to buy new fans.

[@fabio.loureiro94]

Hey guys, really appreciate the effort and detail you put into these reviews. Is it possible for you to do a review on the refreshed version of this case which is the Phanteks G300A , comes with 3 pre-installed fans and has a little ramp on the front to redirect air to the GPU.

[@JhanSolo332]

Still use my RL06 to this day and love it

[@KenS1267]

Most people won't buy fans for any case. I had a customer just before the malware that came in specifically wanting the o11, not that he knew what it was but had a picture of it from a friends build with the infinity mirrors. He didn't blink at the cost of building a matching system until he got to the line item for 4 fans, aRGB ones to work in the build that cost less than $150. I really thought for a second he was going to walk away from a $3000 system over $150.

[@shaq__2400]

I bought this case on sale, for around $50 and spent $30 fans, pretty nice

[@sparkyfox7956]

I got this case before seeing the review. At first I loved it, now I can’t wait to go to an H510. Even with an added fan, this thing manages to be a furnace and a dust magnet at the same time. Just impressive in some ways.

[@HarryUnchained]

Furnace even with another 2 fans added? then you want to replace with H510? You're kidding right?

[@MakoRuu]

Dear Gamers Nexus. Please do a video on budget gaming chairs and office chairs. I would like to find a good one, but I can't afford $300 - $400 for a chair. And I hear so many terrible things about $80 chairs from Newegg or Walmart.

[@mikeoleksa]

I couldn't agree more on including fans with any budget or entry level case like this. The person looking at this case is likely to be someone that is building their first PC on an extremely tight budget and already squeezed every dollar to get the best performance for their money for the parts they are putting into it. They may not have even realized the fact that they need something to put their parts in until they got ready to click the "place order now" button and fans are not even a thought at all. Include the fans and make it one less thing for someone to worry about and make the experience a little bit better. There's nothing like the disappointment of getting everything and putting it together, only to find out that you don't have everything that you need. As you said, included "basic" fans from the case manufacturer would be less expensive than buying them separately anyway. The person that this case fits the need for is not someone that is worried about fan performance right out of the box. They are trying to get their foot in the door of this great hobby at the best price possible.

[@Spartan536]

I have to hand it to Phanteks, they have their heads on straight. I went with a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv X for my 3800X build and its been fantastic, no major complaints and the build quality is there, but it had better be for $200.

[@Danko_HS]

The Evolv X is a brilliant case. My heart was telling me to go for it, but my brain opted for the P600s for better airflow. Those aluminium panels are something else though. I still wonder if i made the right decision 😜

[@Spartan536]

@@Danko_HS P600S is a great case, it was another contender for my build next to the H500M. In all honesty there is no wrong choice between the P600S and the Evolv X. What I can say is that any concerns about the airflow from the front of the case is nil from me, I have my 280mm radiator mounted there in a push/pull with 4x Noctua AF-14 iPPC 2000 fans and it works brilliantly.

[@Danko_HS]

@@Spartan536 The front and top panels do allow some air to circulate, but it's still worse than the fabric mesh of the P600s. I wanted to focus on silence so open front and low rpm fans it's still the best combo imo. Aesthetically the Evolv X is more pleasing though. Ah well, you can't have it all.

[@Spartan536]

@@Danko_HS Unfortunately that is so, I have nit picks with the Evolv X but at least I did not have any major issues. I suppose one thing that could be a major issue is that the SSD mounts on the rear cover panels would likely not mount correctly so I am glad I bought 3 of the not included SSD mounts for the rear otherwise it would have made my build a nightmare. Also ARGB wiring is a frakkin nightmare.

[@Danko_HS]

@@Spartan536 Why they didn't include those SSD mounts, when they did on the P600s, i will never understand. All in all these 2 cases are very well designed and built and have good airflow. There aren't many choices in this price range right now.

[@xcerazes]

I'm using this case since 4 weeks. It's pretty good so far, but if I could go back, I'll definitely buy the P400A. While P300A have a slight cheaper price, if I'm including the 3 extra case fan which is needed for a proper ventilation as the Tech Jesus mentioned, the HDD brackets and the PSU almost doesn't have any airflow at all. My old Seagate 280GB drive constantly in 45C degrees without any usage. However I've installed the second fan of an Arctic ESport Duo in the front top, a Noctua NF-P14s-redux-1200 PWM (btw this fan is a beast) in the front bottom and a Noctua NF-B9 redux-1600 PWM (which will be replaced to an another P14s) to the top mesh as an air pressure regulator. I've also applied 6 layer of mosquito net to the mesh panels because I live in a very dusty house. The Red Devil performed incredibly well in FurMark 4K torture test. It had 69C constant with 50% GPU fan speed while the P14s were around 40%. CPU burn caused 65C degrees with 60% of case and CPU cooler fan speed on a Ryzen 5 3600 @ 4150Mhz average. So overall it's a good case with some downsides but if you have an extra 20 bucks I recommend you to go for the P400A.

[@maeldupont4097]

I kind of agree with the fact that it would be great to have more fans included for 5-7 dollars more because it would be more exoensive for the customer. But, when you have fans like the ARCTIC P12 PWM and P14 PWM (between 6 and 7euros here in Europe) that are definitly quieter and at least as good as the cheap fans that would have been included, I think that the few extra bucks are worth it

[@kanyeeastlolz]

wow: 65 degrees over ambience is dangerously hot 13:48 for our test bench and is on the edge of thermal throttling the CPU

[@MrInsanityflea]

Thank you! I love the smaller towers, easier on desk space.

[@DC3Refom]

I got the phanteks enthoo Pro tempered glass edition case last years, still a really good full tower case