Phanteks’ Eclipse case collection has been round for some time now, lengthy sufficient that the corporate thinks it’s time to refresh. Leo just lately reviewed the brand new Eclipse G360A and gave it the KitGuru price shopping for award. At the moment we check out the G500A, the larger brother is a bit taller, barely wider and longer than the G360A which suggests it may cram in additional {hardware}. However can it proceed to impress just like the G360A? Let’s discover out.
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Timestamps:
00:00 Begin
00:42 Choices and Pricing
01:39 The outside
03:13 The preinstalled followers / radiator help / Entrance I/O
04:48 Mobo and sizing help
05:27 Up shut / drive help
07:19 Rear of the case / equipment
07:59 Flip aspect
09:45 DRGB controller
10:15 Underside of the case
10:41 {Hardware} for the construct
12:13 Constructing into the case
19:35 Accomplished construct
21:05 James ideas thus far
21:49 Thermal & Noise Assessments
22:52 Closing Ideas
Phanteks don’t actually do funds, however you possibly can say that the Eclipse collection is the corporate’s worth vary. The Eclipse P500A launched a few years in the past, priced slightly below £120 for the DRGB model. Not rather a lot has modified with the G500A over its predecessor, you continue to get three DRGB followers however now with PWM management, 420mm radiator help and a excessive airflow design. Some new hinged covers on the right-hand aspect to hide cables and create further SSD mounts have been added, bigger dimensions and there is a slight change in aesthetics, that’s about it.
The Eclipse G500A is out there in three completely different variations, making it interesting to nearly all customers. The DRGB model comes with two lighting zones on the chassis and three Phanteks M25 DRGB PWM followers. There’s a fanless model which unsurprisingly comes with no followers however RGB on the chassis and a efficiency model which comes with three black followers and no RGB in sight.
Phanteks Eclipse G500A DRGB Options:
- Eclipse G500A is out there in three variations: DRGB with three 140mm M25 PWM DRGB followers, a Efficiency model that features three customary black M25 followers and a fanless model with case RGB lighting and no followers.
- Entrance and high panels function Phanteks Extremely Fantastic Efficiency mesh to supply excessive airflow by the system, in addition to decreasing the necessity for added mud filtration.
- Two DRGB zones – one on the entrance of the highest panel and one alongside the size of the facility provide. RGB zones could be managed software program free through entrance panel buttons or synchronised to motherboard software program.
- Entrance I/O consists of 2 x USB 3.0 Kind-A ports, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Kind-C port, a single 3.5mm headphone/mic jack and two DRGB buttons to regulate lighting mode and color. The ability button is positioned individually on the high of the entrance panel.
- Nice cooling choices embody radiator help as much as 420mm (3 x 140mm) within the entrance panel plus as much as 360mm 93 x 120mm) within the roof. Alternatively, as much as three 140mm followers could be put in on the entrance and roof of the case and a single 120mm/140mm fan mount within the rear.
- In depth storage choices embody out there house for as much as 10 x 3.5” HDDs and 9 x 2.5” SSD to be put in in numerous places.
- G500A Helps the set up of all present era {hardware} together with motherboards as much as E-ATX format, graphics playing cards as much as 435mm lengthy, CPU coolers as much as 185mm tall and energy provides as much as 250mm lengthy.
Specs:
- Case Kind: Mid Tower
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 500 x 240 x 515 mm
- Color: Black / White
- Materials: Metal / Tempered glass
- Motherboard Assist: E-ATX/ATX/M-ATX/Mini ITX
- Growth Slots: 7 + 3
- Storage: 9 x 2.5”, 10 x 3.5”
- Max GPU Size: 435mm
- Max CPU Cooler Top: 185mm
- PSU Kind: ATX
- Fan Assist: (High) 3 x 120mm/3 x 140mm, (Entrance) 3 x 120mm/3 x 140, (Rear) 1 x 120mm/3 x 140mm
- Included Followers: 3 x 140mm M25 DRGB (Entrance)
- Entrance I/O: 2 x USB 3.0 Kind-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Kind-C, 1 x 3.5mm headphone/mic jack, DRGB mode and color buttons
- Mud Filters: 1 x Backside
Thermal Efficiency Testing
To simulate thermal demand we run the Cinebench R23 multi-thread benchmark and 3DMark Time Spy Excessive stress take a look at concurrently in a loop for 60 minutes to totally load the system. This provides the CPU and GPU sufficient time to succeed in fixed steady-state temperature. With this information, we are able to examine how the system handles the thermal demand and measure peak noise ranges.
Thermal efficiency is measured with the case in numerous configurations, such because the default, with the tempered glass left-hand aspect panel eliminated and with the entrance panel eliminated to see how these configurations have an effect on the CPU and GPU temperature. Throughout testing, solely inventory case followers are used until in any other case specified. All water pumps are set to most RPM and followers are set to a customized RPM curve by the Motherboard software program/BIOS.
All temperature measurements are introduced as Deltas – which means the ambient temperature has been deducted from the CPU temperature giving us a Delta. Knowledge proven within the charts symbolize the typical part temperature over the size of the take a look at as measured by HWiNFO after which the final quarter-hour of the info are calculated to get the typical. The ambient temperature throughout thermal assessments is between 20-21⁰C.
Take a look at System:
Thermal Efficiency/Noise Overview:
Thermal Efficiency:
With the case in its default configuration, each the CPU and GPU temperatures have been completely acceptable for a excessive airflow mesh entrance case. Nevertheless, eradicating the mesh entrance and the tempered glass aspect panels diminished each the CPU and GPU temperatures, exhibiting that the mesh entrance panel nonetheless produces some restriction in airflow, however works nicely general.
Noise:
With panels eliminated, the CPU and GPU temperatures are diminished which additionally implies that fan velocity is decrease. Subsequently noise output with the entrance mesh and the TG aspect panels eliminated is decrease than within the default case configuration. Nevertheless, in both configuration noise output is tolerable because of the excessive airflow and comparatively cool part temperature.
Closing Ideas
In contrast with its predecessor the Eclipse G500A affords extra space for current-generation {hardware} resulting from barely bigger dimensions, further SSD storage places, PWM fan management and up to date seems to be. This isn’t a large improve from the earlier Eclipse era, which was already an excellent chassis to put in high-power system with its glorious cooling choices and {hardware} compatibility, however all in all it’s a welcomed enchancment.
The small modifications imply that Phanteks wouldn’t have needed to make investments closely in new tooling as the bottom chassis is extraordinarily much like the P500/P600 collection. New M25 PWM followers are included with the DRGB model which look very good when illuminated with RGB lighting. It is simple to combine different Phanteks RGB merchandise comparable to an AIO CPU cooler with the case as all of them use the identical connections for RGB lighting which is nice for novice customers particularly.
Utilizing the Eclipse P500A to construct a system is a lovely expertise, every part goes collectively completely, there aren’t any points with motherboard alignment or cut-out places or something like that to fret about. There’s a slight concern with construct high quality in sure areas comparable to the quantity of flex within the right-hand metal aspect panel, however the general construct high quality is ok.
The built-in RGB lighting zones within the PSU shroud and on the high of the entrance panel are refined however look nice when illuminated. Phanteks does an excellent job with the RGB lighting in most of its merchandise. LEDs are nicely subtle, there aren’t any noticeable LED sizzling spots and the colors are very vibrant. RGB lighting could be managed simply through the highest panel buttons or built-in with motherboards through a easy 3-pin 5v connection which is good.
Taken as an entire, it’s a excellent case. Because of its excessive airflow and stable thermal efficiency, this may make the best house for a high-end gaming system. The G500A’s elevated dimensions over the earlier era imply that every one the newest massive and chunky Nvidia graphics playing cards also needs to match within the case no drawback, and for many who may wish to use this case for different causes, there are a great deal of 2.5”and three.5” storage drive areas.
The one minor draw back to this case is the worth, which is perhaps very barely on the excessive aspect in contrast with different comparable circumstances which have launched just lately. At £150, the Eclipse G500A DRGB is over £30 costlier than the mannequin it changed, which solely launched two years in the past and is £40 greater than the sensible Lian Li Lancool 216 we reviewed just some weeks in the past. That extra money could possibly be put in direction of a greater CPU, motherboard, GPU or so on.
The Phanteks Eclipse G500A is out there to pre-order from Overclockers UK now priced at £149.99 HERE.
Execs:
- Mesh panels present respectable airflow.
- Nice RGB integration.
- Helps a variety of {hardware}.
- Straightforward to construct a system with.
- Wonderful radiator help.
Cons:
- Questionable construct high quality in locations.
- The value is a bit excessive.
KitGuru says: With all of the excessive airflow circumstances in the marketplace in the meanwhile, the Phanteks Eclipse G500A is up in opposition to some powerful opposition however holds its personal on this sector. Would you guys select this over different excessive airflow circumstances?
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