To paraphrase esteemed literary figure Xzibit: Yo dawg, Phanteks heard you like PCs, so they put a PC in yo PC so you can game while you game. What I mean is the new Phanteks case, the Evolv X, keeps the Phanteks aesthetic the company is known for, but totally redesigns the interior of the Evolv to be roomier and more versatile.
Without increasing the size of the case compared to the older Evolv, the Evolv X made room for more cooling, more storage, and added a second mount point for a mini-ITX system at the top of the case. The Evolv X is a dual system case in the size of a mid-tower.
How does that setup work? An optional $15 mini-ITX bracket slots into the top of the case where a radiator could otherwise fit, and there's an I/O cutout there to support a second motherboard. Phanteks is also including a long riser cable to route the PCIe slot from the top of the case down to the bottom, where there's space for an offset extra graphics card that won't get in the way of your main system.
That's the most attention grabbing new feature in the Evolv X, but there are a ton of other changes and additions to this case that make it look like a pleasure to build in. To quickly rattle them off:
- Compared to the original Evolv, there's about three times the surface area for airflow around the front panel, and around five times the airflow up top, thanks to a redesigned face and vents that still maintain the original look.
- There's a new radiator bracket up top that's easily removable and notches into place to make for simpler installation.
- Really cool panels can completely hide the cable management area from the front chamber. These are held in place with thumbscrews and slide toward the front panel to give you space to route all your cables, then slide to the left to hide the mess. Clever.
- Even more cable cleanup around back, with two large fold-out panels that hide everything in the front half of the case, and along the bottom in the PSU area. These panels also double as mounts for up to nine 2.5-inch SSDs!
- There's a new fan controller up top and new RGB strips on the front face. There's also a USB-C port up front.
- Phanteks added liquid cooling fill and drain ports into the case for custom loop builders.
- Removable, stackable HDD brackets fit into the main chamber if you want them, with room for eight 3.5-inch hard drives.
At $200, this is a premium case, but it's also the most versatile mid-tower I've ever seen, with an almost aggressive number of new features improving cable management options. The covers around the back are especially brilliant: they make the build look much cleaner and double as mounting points for a comical number of SSDs. It can support E-ATX motherboards. It can run two computers, if you use Phanteks' dual-output Revolt Pro power supply. What a list!
The Evolv X should be available starting this August, and I can't wait to build a system (or two, really) from start to finish in one.
