PC Components

Phanteks Eclipse P200A – ITX with a lot of space but a big footprint

Phanteks was founded in the Netherlands in 2007 and focuses on manufacturing PC cases, fans and other PC accessories. However, the company celebrated its first successes with a massive dual-tower CPU cooler in various colors. About five years later, the manufacturer then also ventured into the case market and introduced the Enthoo Primo in 2013. This was followed by numerous other PC cases, but they mostly covered the ATX segment. In April, Phanteks has now introduced a new offspring of the more affordable Eclipse series in the ITX format.

The new tower is called Eclipse P200A and is a relatively large ITX case with about 30 liters. Due to the larger volume, the P200A offers significantly more space for longer graphics cards, radiators or large CPU coolers. In addition, there is a mounting option for an ATX PSU and a good airflow is also said to be among the positive features of the P200A. Phanteks offers the case in two variants “Performance” for 49.90 (MSRP) and “DRGB” for 69.90 (MSRP). Find out whether the P200A can convince us for this price in this review.

Technical details

Model: Eclipse P200A DRGB
Case type: ITX
Dimensions: 205 mm (W) x 400 mm (H) x 365 mm (D)
Weight: 5.5 kg
Material: Steel, plastic, tempered glass
Color: Black
Front connectors 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x headphone, 1x HD audio (combo port)
Drive bays: 4x 2.5″ (internal)
Expansion slots: 3x horizontal, 3x vertical
Shape factors: ITX
Ventilation: Front: 2x 120 mm or 2x 140 mm.
rear: 1x 120 mm
right side panel: 2x 120 mm
Bottom: 2x 120 mm
Radiators: Front: 1x 280 mm or 1x 240 mm.
rear: 1x 120 mm
Right side panel: 1x 240 mm
Max. CPU cooler height: 165 mm (72 mm with vertical GPU)
Max. Graphics card length: 355 mm (3-slot, height: 65 mm)
Max. Net part length: 205 mm
Cable management space: 15-30 mm
Price: 69.90 (MSRP)
Features: Dust filter, cable management, tempered glass, ARGB lighting with control unit

Scope of delivery

Like all Phanteks cases, the Eclipse P200A comes in a plain brown cardboard box. Other than some lettering and a schematic drawing of the front, the cardboard doesn’t really give any information about the object inside. To protect it from damage, the P200A was wrapped in a plastic film and two thick styrofoam blocks. The manufacturer stows the included accessories in a cardboard box, which was secured with a large cable tie. Inside, you’ll find all the necessary screws, six cable ties, and a steel base for mounting an optional riser cable for vertical GPU mounting. Also included is a dust filter and, in the DRGB version, two pre-installed case fans with RGB lighting including control unit.

Exterior impression

Externally, there is no denying the kinship with the other cases in the Eclipse series. The striking and downward slanted front panel made of a fine mesh is supposed to allow for optimal airflow and also provides for a sleek look. Since ITX cases are usually located on the table, Phanteks installs the front panel of the P200A in the lower area. Regardless of the version, there is a reset button, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports and an HD audio combo port here. The DRGB version also has a USB 3.1 Type-C and another button for RGB control. Disassembling the front panel reveals the two pre-installed RGB case fans in 120 format. Alternatively, you could also install two 140 millimeter fans here.

There is nothing to see in the lid of the Eclipse P200A. Only the prominent power button in the lid is also present here. According to the fans, the power LED also has digitally addressable LEDs. The rest of the lid is made of solid steel and has no other vents.

As befits a case with RGB lighting, the left side panel is made of a three millimeter thick Tempered Glass and is set on a steel frame. The right side panel is made of a nine millimeter thick steel and features a fine mesh texture on the left side. To maintain a uniform look, the mesh is of the same structure as that of the front panel. Both side panels are quickly and easily attached via two metal push pins. For transportation, the panels can also be secured with an additional screw.

Up to now, there hasn’t been a really big difference to the other cases of the Eclipse series. However, this changes abruptly on the back of the P200A. Above all, the position of the power supply is unusual. The P200A’s power supply is mounted on top of a removable frame. Below that, there is a recess for the I/O shield, a mounting spot for a 120 millimeter fan and three horizontal slot covers. The latter can optionally be converted to a vertical position.

There are no big surprises on the underside. The P200A stands on four sturdy feet made of plastic, which have been covered with thin rubber mats to protect the base. Otherwise, the underside is designed to be very airflow-friendly and features large openings and holes for two 120-millimeter fans. To keep the interior dust-free, the entire underside is covered by a fine dust filter. This can simply be pulled out to the front for cleaning.

Interior impression

In the interior, we can expect a design that is not often seen anymore. The front area takes the form of a large main chamber for the ITX motherboard and long 3-slot graphics cards. The mainboard is embedded in the mainboard tray and is accompanied by a cable management channel and other cable openings all around. Two plastic covers can be found to the right of the mainboard tray. Unusual is in any case the mounting place for the power supply above the mainboard. However, this gives the graphics card unrestricted access to fresh air in the lower area.

On the back, you’ll find the neatly routed cables of the I/O panel and, especially on the right side, plenty of space for cables. Laying the cables is also supposed to be made easier by two solid steel clamps with thumbscrews and a Velcro strip. Furthermore, mounting rails for fans can be seen in the right area of the motherboard’s back. To expose these, only the two plastic covers have to be removed.

The mounting options for data media aren’t quite as diverse in the P200A and are limited to 2.5″ models. A total of four HDDs can be attached either to the steel frame behind the mainboard tray or to the bezels that are located in front of the side fan slots. Unfortunately, there is no decoupling in both cases.

The exterior and interior workmanship leave a good but not perfect impression overall. Thus, on closer inspection, slight machining flaws can be seen on the curves in the lid. Otherwise, however, the finish is flawless and sharp edges are also looked for in vain.

System build in the Phanteks Eclipse P200A

Now we come to the system build. For hardware, we’re using a AMD Ryzen 5 1400 on a MSI B350 PC Mate with 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport LT gray DDR4-2666. The Ryzen is cooled by a SilentiumPC Fera 5 Dual Fan and is overclocked to 3.8GHz (1.25V). A GTX 1060 6GB from Gigabyte AORUS is responsible for the image output. The power supply is handled by the fully modular LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum with an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency rating.

The assembly of all components was done quickly. The ITX mainboard almost looks a bit lost in the spacious interior. Since the PSU slides into the case from the back, this saves frustration later on during a possible conversion. The spacers have slight elevations and thus allow a short-term vertical mounting of the motherboard without screws. Cabling, on the other hand, took a bit more time, but could be made easier with a fully modular power supply. There is enough space behind the mainboard tray to stow away remaining cables. However, we recommend pre-routing all cables and installing the PSU as the very last one.

Unusually for the ITX format, the Eclipse P200A offers plenty of space for components. CPU coolers may be 165 millimeters high and graphics cards may be a maximum of 355 millimeters long. Furthermore, 3-slot GPUs are also supported. There is also plenty of room for power supplies with 205 millimeters. To a certain extent, a water cooling system could also be installed in the P200A. Thus, a 280 and a 120 mm radiator fit into the interior at the same time. If you decide to use two very thin radiators, there could possibly be room for two 240 radiators in the front or on the side at the same time.

Phanteks installs two fans in the P200A DRGB ex works. These consist of a black frame and white fan blades with digitally addressable RGB LEDs in the fan hub. The fans reach a maximum speed of 1500 rpm and are each powered via a 4-pin PWM connector.

Lastly, we come to the temperatures that were reached in the Phanteks P200A. During the stress test, Prime95 and FurMark were run for 15 minutes at a room temperature of 21°C. In addition, the test was run at two different fan speeds.

Scenario
Temperature
CPU: 50% PWM (1050 rpm)
GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm)
2x 120 mm on 100% (1550 rpm)
CPU: 58 °C
GPU: 68 °C
CPU: 50% (1050 rpm)
GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm)
2x 120 mm on 50% (1100 rpm)
CPU: 60 °C
GPU: 71 °C

In terms of maximum temperatures, the Phanteks Eclipse P200A does well or very well. Thus, the overclocked CPU does not even come close to reaching a critical value. The temperature of the graphics card, on the other hand, is 10 degrees higher on average, but also doesn’t reach critical values. Nevertheless, we would have hoped for a bit more here due to the fan openings in the base. If you are also sensitive to noise, you should not run the pre-installed fans at full speed. Below 1000 RPM, however, the noise is reduced significantly and the temperatures hardly increase.

Lighting Options in the Phanteks Eclipse P200A

As with all Phanteks cases, a “DRGB” in the product name indicates that there are digital-addressable elements inside. In the case of the P200A, these are two fans in the front and the power button in the lid. The control is done by a circuit board in the front panel. This allows changing colors and modes at the push of a button and requires a SATA connector for power. If the mainboard has a 5V 3-pin ARGB header, then the control board can also be connected directly to the mainboard.

Summary on the Phanteks Eclipse P200A

Phanteks has sensibly added an additional model to the Eclipse series with the P200A. Besides a simple but airflow-friendly design, the tower can convince with a spacious interior and a high flexibility. Thus, the accommodation of large CPU coolers, long graphics cards and water cooling is no problem at all. The overall package is rounded off by two pre-installed RGB fans, tempered glass and the USB Type-C port in the front panel.

However, the size might be less convincing for many. Despite the ITX form factor, the P200A has a volume of almost 30 liters. With cases like the DAN Case A4 or the Cooler Master NR200, many associate the word ITX with volumes of 18 liters and smaller. The requirement to be as compact as possible definitely cannot be met by the Phanteks Eclipse P200A, but it does offer a lot of flexibility. Minor manufacturing flaws also prevent a better rating.

If the focus is not on a particularly compact system, the Phanteks Eclipse P200A DRGB is definitely worth a look for a purchase price of €69.90 (MSRP) and can convince with a lot of space, cooling and features. If you can do without tempered glass, RGB fans and USB Type-C, the “Performance” variant for €49.90 (RRP) is an even better purchase option.

Phanteks Eclipse P200A

Workmanship
Structure
Features
Cooling
Value for money

89/100

The Phanteks Eclipse P200A is a spacious case for ITX mainboards and offers very good features for its price. However, an ultra-compact system cannot be realized in the P200A.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

Related Articles

Neue Antworten laden...

Avatar of Basic Tutorials
Basic Tutorials

Neues Mitglied

3,251 Beiträge 1,471 Likes

Phanteks was founded in the Netherlands in 2007 and focuses on manufacturing PC cases, fans and other PC accessories. However, the company celebrated its first successes with a massive dual-tower CPU cooler in various colors. About five years later, the manufacturer then also ventured into the case market and introduced the Enthoo Primo in 2013. … (Weiterlesen...)

Antworten 1 Like

Back to top button