Under The Plastic
Taking Off the Plastic
The plastic shroud up front needs to be taken off to install optical drives. This is a pretty easy process. It's held in place firmly by magnets, and you can remove it without worrying about accidentally ripping anything away from the case.
The same goes for the top of the case, which is also easy to remove. This gives you an unobstructed view of the four-channel fan controller and the six USB ports.
The steel frame is more than strong enough to pass our 100 kg load test with flying colors. Even under the strain of the author’s entire body weight, the case just doesn't budge.
The cables run from the small board on top of the case into the enclosure's depths via different routes. It might look a bit messy when you're peeking under the hood, but it works.
The hue control board consists of an RGB color control knob and lighting mode switches. It's conveniently hidden behind the front shroud.
The case stands on four corners, each with a rubber strip glued to it. Although the quartet of surfaces keep the Phantom 820 quite secure, they don't help with acoustics or vibration since the rubber is both thin and hard. Even still, we like everything else about the chassis' frame.