Phanteks Eclipse G500A DRGB Case Review

[@ferhatpercin4290]

Once again a brilliant build from James, real nice to see him work.

[@KitGuruJames]

Thanks 👍

[@RocketBoom1966]

Excellent review. High quality production. Love the music! I've just bought the performance model and can't wait to start the build.

[@zingwilder9989]

After a great deal of research on PC cases, I purchased this one; although, Non-RGB. The cost was $150. It was roomy, ight, durable and extremely easy to build in. In addition, the thermals are excellent. The only change I made was to upgrade the fans to Noctua NF-P14s.

[@JGW5000]

I also just did a build, but like you, the performance model (no RGB). This is an awesome case. I did buy the vertical mount, but not sure if I'll use it or not. (It actually mounts the card well inside the case, so fans should have plenty of airflow around it). Good airflow through out. Stock fans are actually pretty good and very quiet.

[@zingwilder9989]

@@JGW5000 Oh, it's a nice case, for sure!

[@raarnt]

Thank you so much for making this very detailed and interesting review! I actually already purchased this chassis for my prebuilt rig but I wanted to learn more about it so this was perfect❤

[@KitGuruTech]

Glad it was helpful!

[@boltsandbraces6261]

thats a pretty nice looking case, not sure its anything out of the ordinary, but its another solid design from Phanteks. I think I prefer the Fractal one leo reviewed this week.

[@Forty2de]

You said the mesh grid in the front panel reduced thermal performance, but according to your charts it didn't have any impact at all, it was only removing the side panel that improved thermals. So no, they should not make bigger holes in the mesh grid, it's perfect as it is since it doesn't reduce performance and it doubles as a dust filter.

[@iancurrie8844]

I would suggest you look a the graph again. Removing front panel dropped both the CPU and GPU temps by 3 degrees.

[@yusifr1]

I used this in my first build 7900x3d and a 4070 went pretty smoothly with a bit of help from a friend

[@QuentinStephens]

Great review. I thought you were very thorough in covering all the points, but just one query: are the included fans voltage (3 pin) or PWM (4 pin)? Leo highlighted the fans being PWM / 4 pin in his review of the new Fractal Design North case. If they are 4 pin that might account for some of the difference in price. That's a gorgeous build, and once again a masterclass in how to create a tidy build, but those AIO hoses look dangerously close to the rear fan. Perhaps you might fit a wire grille / guard on that fan? Speaking of the build and storage options, how about a revisit, loading it up with both 2.5" and 3.5" drives? You say it can fit 10x 3.5" and 7x 2.5" drives, so how about trying it? The use case would be someone wanting a quiet NAS or a server to run VMs and storage for home / home office use - so the roar of a rackmount server rules them out. They repurpose an old ATX motherboard - or maybe a new Threadripper Pro or Epyc board - into a large case like the G500A with lots of storage and lots of cooling. Equally, someone buying one of these cases for their gaming rig might buy another for their server / NAS purely from an aesthetic POV if they are to be next to each other.

[@KnightRider-lq5yb]

Its quite expensive for what you are getting, even if they are 4 pin

[@bobsmithson8592]

I think they are 4 pin, maybe james will clear that up for us

[@DangerGnom]

I call this proper show of a usecase. 😅 Including some thermal testing on the max. I like that. And yes you are right with the pricetag. A little bit on the very high side. The lack of quality is noticeable. The flex on the side panel, and the flex of the motherboard area @16:23 . Considering the competition at that pricerange, that is a rough pricemove. Awesome video.

[@KitGuruJames]

👍

[@larwiemcdonnel5322]

Im surprised they feel they can charge this for it to be perfectly honest.

[@geofftatesmate7748]

yeah the competition is very very tough in this sector, I wonder how this will sell for them considering the options

[@burakfugundu7727]

Love a good James review.

[@KitGuruJames]

👍

[@kalitvenec]

A very nice build turned out

[@lucifersheadscarf6988]

Great build James. It’s a pretty good looking chassis overall. 😊

[@KitGuruJames]

👍

[@canarychrome7012]

awesome, nicely done James.

[@KitGuruJames]

Thanks.

[@vdfdfg6735]

Nice design seems to cater for most build combinations with lots of radiator or fan mounts etc.

[@zingwilder9989]

Absolutely!

[@Buffinator1988]

This was a great video, thank you for covering. Sadly, this case isnt for me. PSU cut-outs? Why? Whenever I see this "feature" I get annoyed. Why sacrifice the clean look of a chassis to look at a poxy PSU label? And the cable hiding "plates" just look too busy... I think rubber grommets look much cleaner. Not much has changed here since the last tine they released a case in this series.

[@KitGuruJames]

Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@historianfabulousio5128]

yeah I agree.

[@armaanahmed3902]

I would disagree since high end PSUs come with LCD screens like the ROG thor power supplies but I guess its personal preference

[@fairycat]

Thanks for review

[@xredarmy8541]

Very thorough review.

[@gettattoo]

Hi, Thank you for the great video. How to control RGB light if is not possible from the buttons? (connected to the motherboard)

[@jerryy538]

have you found a solution? i also would like to know if they have a software to change the lights.

[@oih1969]

Thanks, finally a solid hint on how to power the PHANTEKS built in ARGB (Guess I should have suspected the lose SATA plug...). And d o n ' t connect the female and male ARGB wires either, the female is for motherboard controlled ARGB and the other is for the CPU fan, it it has ARGB

[@pawnipt]

Thanks for the review on this it has been revealing. I'm disappointed in this case design now, I was expecting the best but when I look at the vertical mount configuration and the RTX 4000 series GPU's all I can think of is 3 fans trying to suck air from a glass panel. Definitely sticking with my Fractal Design Meshify 2 compact RGB!

[@dominicmoass8478]

Thanks for the review James. What case would you buy right now with £150?

[@KitGuruJames]

Good question. I would probably go for the Lian Li Lancool III, just a touch over £150 at the moment.

[@KitGuruJames]

Or of I could get away with something smaller it would probably be the Fractal Torrent Compact.

[@marinipersonal]

Very good choices. Tried the Lancool 3 this week looking for a change from my Evo but sadly the EK Elite would cover much of the motherboard (aesthetically a no-go for me), but many details better performed than the Evo. CCL got the ARGB for 139 now. A good buy.

[@_AshishMohanty]

awesome review 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@KitGuruJames]

Thanks! 👍

[@TheSwayzeTrain]

At the rate Nvidia GPUs are increasing in size, by the time we hit the 60 series, Phanteks will be making cases the size of a garden shed.

[@mattgreenfield8038]

Pretty funny. As long as they keep smashing AMDs teeth in, it's worth it.

[@tobiasthengs]

@@mattgreenfield8038 Nividia fanboy. Shame.

[@Ben_B6]

We will have to sit inside the case to play

[@miyamoto_mu2837]

​@@Ben_B6 😂😂😂

[@-Grovesy-]

@@mattgreenfield8038 instead of trying to say AMD is bad, just be appreciative that NvIdia has someone to compete with. Otherwise, they'd be shit.

[@gogopowerrangers6596]

I think its a fair review, I like Phanteks products, and this is good, but the pricing seems off to me.

[@frankthepriest1220]

HI, great review. I bought one and I'm doing my build. If I connect my daisy-chained fans' argb and pwr connectors to the motherboard, can I still power the onboard controller connecting its data power cable to psu? I mean, can I have both motherboard control and case controller powered at the same time?

[@johnc0817]

10:37 The metal under the power supply at the rear looks a little bent. Is that by design or is Phanteks quality control lacking? With the way the right side panel was so flimsy, I wouldn't be surprised regarding the metal quality.

[@KitGuruJames]

I didn't notice any significant flex or damage to the underside.

[@t.i4451]

I want to get the fanless version of this case so I can put my own fans in, they are argb fans so I just want to know how to connect the led strips for the case. Because I will be using both jrainbow ports for my fans.

[@Baeby999]

What if I want to use this in Icue ? Like I want to buy A Corsair aio how do I go about that

[@byFraze]

what about the noise with the defualt fans coming with the case?

[@MDXZFR]

I didn't found any reviews about this M25 fans from Phanteks. Is it a good fan for radiator? The specs look good tho

[@marinipersonal]

Such a thin panel, add an AIO pump or some fans and that should resonate badly. Tried to move from Lian Li just for the sake of change but can’t see anything that justify that. There’s a decent case for every category: O11 Air Mini, O11 Evo, Lancool 3, Lancool 216… very solid cases. But O still rocking 10 Phanteks T30. The best fan money can buy.

[@inlovewithmycar7085]

Yep, pretty much

[@phlebas80]

Are the fan of this case so loud and poor as I've read in some forums? do you recommend this as a casa I can take with me for next 8-10 years? (my previous cooler master cm II 600 advanced is entering its 10th year and I woulkd replace it with another good one). Thanks lads.

[@artomanninen9522]

i order mine with i7 14700 KS, Geforce 4080 S so its good with lots of fans cool them down

[@cornelia3912]

The buttons that changes the colors of the lighting is not working. Why?

[@blackheartwolf]

Thinking about this for a new build but I want the riser card. Not sure if it's compatible

[@saylanavci8846]

Hi Which case do you think.? Phanteks g500a Lian li lancool III Thanks..

[@unpatitoRU]

Noob question... Its possible to put a 360 radiator on the front using 140mm fans? 🤔

[@KitGuruJames]

Not easily.

[@jacobrosenberg1607]

Hi, i just build my own pc and i used this chassi but now my 3 light on the fan at front has shut down, the fans still working, and the 2 buttoms up on chassi dont work eather, can you do a video where the rgb cabel is on motherboard?

[@dfinagin]

Hello. is it possible to install ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II-420 under upper mesh? Why did you replace the front fans? Why are bundled fans worse than m25?

[@ObliteAbyss]

From experience it doesn't seem possible, the top only really has room for the 3 fans and once the radiator gets involved it becomes too long.

[@butilcaflavius]

Hi man I have the same case but my fans don't work could u show how u plug in the cables thx

[@Metaris]

Are you able to disable the RGB through the included controller?

[@acidcrow4051]

You can buy a none RGB version of the case, saves you some money if you don't want it.

[@ragexg]

Hi, Alone for the Radiator support Picture you get a above and a Like. That's more than everything I have seen on KZbin when I search for cases Thanks

[@rsabatino]

here is a question I just bought this case and installed the motherboard that power switch plug what other plugs does it incorporates?

[@JayzBeerz]

at least they made a cut out for the gpu power cables. i gave the G360A a bad review for not having the cut out.

[@TheEspectro11]

so to get the case to light up i either need the SATA connection or plug it in to my V_DG pins?

[@inosuke-chan1095]

i have the same case the fans are on but theres no rgb im not sure if i plug it in wrong or i gotta do something for it to turn on

[@hooksy8613]

Never figured out the rgb either, any follow up?

[@R3dOct]

Anyone with a 420mm crossflow radiator in the front? The radiators (Ek, Alphacool and Hardwarelabs) I saw are bigger than clearance size declared in the manual

[@Zombie101]

What happened to silverstone cases, back in the day Silverstone was the best of the best with thr TJ07

[@chonco74]

Hey there I saw on the website that using a MSI motherboard means you can only have rainbow RGB, is this true?

[@donkeysunited]

A good case but Phanteks still refuse to stop using the sliding cable covers and the PSU shroud cut-out. It's impossible to get the cable covers lined up without showing the holes with no grommets. And you have to be very choosey in getting a PSU that is both long enough to fill the cut-out (so the cables won't be visible) and has the right label on display and the right way up. They clearly want the Revolt PSU to be used. Let's have case reviewers put in other PSUs that are normal length and maybe have the PSU specs label on that side, preferably upside down, and we'll see if we can get Phanteks to drop this silly design. Did they ask you to use that specific PSU?

[@KitGuruJames]

No, Phanteks didn't ask for this PSU to be used. It's a Seasonic OEM which is why I used it. I agree with you though, I don't see any reason to have a cut out for the power supply side.

[@harleylover9446]

good points donkeysunited

[@donkeysunited]

@@KitGuruJames I have the Phanteks Enthoo Pro M TG which also has the cutout and I remember seeing builds at the time where there were a few mm of a gap and you could see the cables plugged into the PSU. I looked for a long time to find one long enough and with the name the right way up (for the fan pointing down) and eventually got a Seasonic Prime Gold. The things we have to consider when building a PC!

[@xastarothx96]

Just ordered this on white with a rog thor II psu for my all white ryzen 7 build. Came to see how the case going to look like 🤣

[@ChristopherWoods]

Yikes, £150 and not even a diffuser over the COB LED strip at the front? Disappointing that they couldn't be bothered to grommet the management holes either for the sake of a couple of quid. Shame because I like the rear side cable management covers and accommodations for massive GPUs. Any fan inlet/outlet dust filter options and blanking shrouds for the unused PCI slots?

[@undisputedtruth4954]

Yeah, Phanteks is better than that. I can only speak for myself, but "I expect them to continue Enthoo 719 quality in their $150+ cases.

[@justindavis7600]

I thought i was the only one who noticed a few of these things, I agree. seems a bit on the high priced side with missing features id expect.

[@haremofprocessors6954]

Yeah they seem to be really using old designs with tweaks now. hope they create something new for 2023.

[@MikeZak101]

Is it even worth doing reviews on phantek mid tower cases anymore, they've been selling the same chassis with different exteriors for 6 years now, looking at my evolve x the interior right down to the rgb strip along the power supply shroud is identical on yet another case

[@inlovewithmycar7085]

I guess they are a popular brand, so people ask to see the reviews, but I would agree with you, they need to come up with something fresh for 2023. whether they will or not is a different question.

[@MikeZak101]

@@inlovewithmycar7085 tbh I love my evolv x and it has kind of spoilt me with its build quality, I wanted to upgrade to a larger case but everything I'm finding is either way to big or just looks crap with the finishes, wish they would do an evolv x that was 3" longer 2" wider and an inch taller and i don't think you would ever need anything else, might have to message them and see if they can make me a one off lol

[@stevemy99]

Gone from a p400a to this, everything is installed but it wont power on, any ideas?

[@GenericJohnDoe]

What is the name of the song at 12:13?

[@georgelowrielowrie5428]

Looks awesome 👌 I prefer it over the lian li!

[@amdforlife5591]

specsavers are calling, your new glasses are in...

[@citygent101]

how can i hook the case up to corsair iq?

[@Nick_R_]

To make these build reviews more informative, it would be better to include at least one HDD and at least one SSD. Without them being included I'm left thinking the space for cables is probably inadequate.

[@hesapkrali8332]

Once again James puts the rest of us to shame with one of his builds.

[@KitGuruJames]

😁👍

[@pernil636]

How are things in Rome?

[@overclockingdemon7179]

James- would you buy this man with your own money? curious

[@KitGuruJames]

There are other cases available at this price that I would consider first. Lian Li Lancool III and even the Fractal Meshify 2 which is a fair bit older now but still very good.

[@jorgecalderon6196]

the included fans are PWM ?

[@KitGuruJames]

Yes

[@kooktiaz]

Finally an Intel / Nvidia combo, thanks guys was getting tired of the Ryzen/Radeon builds.

[@majorpayne0195]

Too bad it still has no ventilation on the psu if mounted fan upward. A big no no for user's that have PSU like Asus Thor. I was forced to drill holes on my P500A for the airflow of my Asus Thor Eva edition.

[@tiredpoison5784]

Can’t you flip it upside down like every other gpu, only the logo would be wrong would it not?

[@futboleglence609]

It’s a nice case but aside from the RGB lighting it seems pretty standard.

[@Cruor34]

"The side panel isn't reinforced and isn't ridged enough" Oh yeah thats a major issue because I like to just randomly kick the side of my computer, make sure it's working right. Also I use it as a little step ladder to get up to high shelves, gotta have that reinforced frame to hold my 200 lbs up. Seriously who the hell cares there? I'll open that panel once to build the pc, a few times to clean dust maybe once for a part change out. Why do I want them making it tough? I'd rather the budget spent elsewhere. I get you are trying to do a harsh review but come on.

[@tylercejvan7603]

would you know why the front LED strip is not working on my case? i just built in it this weekend and noticed it had never worked and i dont know how to go about fixing it. everything is plugged in and the two buttons on the top are not affecting it at all.

[@cncart4990]

while everyone slides the case in all directioons to mount (side/backside...), KitGuru : YES

[@hmmmmmmmmm]

Just got this case for 100 bucks on black friday.

[@rufusmctavish1164]

looks like slight tweaks on previous cases they put out, with a nice price increase 🧐

[@noasilverman5]

I dont get it does it come with the hardware or not?

[@urom575]

Unless you live in a super-clean environment, dust filters are very useful. Ultra fine, front mesh panels working us a filter? What a joke.

[@powermaster5004]

Not sure what they are thinking at this price, seems quite a bit over the odds for what you get.

[@Jordash-1]

Case reviewers are horrible when it comes to show case shots. Like 2minutes of legit angles of it all lit. Not missing anything

[@buyingastairwaytoheaven5252]

$30 too expensive IMO. nice effort, but Phanteks seem to be losing their way a bit this year.

[@hyrttnyagar]

Türkiyeden selamlar.

[@taomahNEGEV]

What a disappointment that cheap paper looking flimsy slide panel is. I'd rather go for the Lian Li Lancool 2 Mesh.

[@MetalForever895]

Only thing missing is a reset button...

[@Tyronom]

new versions have and rgb is controlled by motherboard software :)

[@stevewatson6839]

In an infaltionary era you will find unstable pricing. Phanteks are Dutch; Lian Li are Taiwanese. They will price things differently having different perceptions of what inflation will look like in their countries. Where do Phanteks build their cases? That'll again feed in to how their gear is priced. Phanteks may simply be being more realistic in their pricing.

[@MichaelChan0308]

Another case with little innovation. Almost exactly the same for interior with Evolv X and P600S

[@haremofprocessors6954]

Yep,. Phanteks need to hire a new design team and get creating something different. very disappointing.

[@vensroofcat6415]

You can cram in more hardware..." what hardware in 2022? Oh, some 4090 strix probably 🤣 But besides that this is an empty dog house with RGB. It's highly inefficient for the price and space and thus hardly a great design. If you do custom water cooling home server something - a maybe. Niche.

[@Ari_G73]

I know phanteks sponsors a lot of the channels but I find most of their stuff to be garbage. Another super mediocre case backed by significant marketing spend.