With the XT series (Pro/Pro Ultra and View), Phanteks has three cases on the market that support special mainboards. These can have their connections on the rear, such as on MSI Project Zero or ASUS BTF mainboards. In our case, we are testing the Phantes XT Pro Ultra for you. Although without such a mainboard, there are other important aspects that we will look at.
Technical data
| Model: | Phanteks XT Pro Ultra |
| Case type: | ATX |
| Dimensions: | 230 mm (W) x 500 mm (H) x 450 mm (D) |
| Weight: | 8.17 kg |
| Material: | Steel, plastic, tempered glass |
| Color: black or white | black or white |
| Front connections: | 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB-A 3.0, 1x HD audio combo port |
| Drive bays: | 2x 3.5″/3x 2.5 or 1x 3.5″/5x 2.5″ |
| Expansion slots: | 7 x horizontal |
| Form factors: | E-ATX (up to 280mm), ATX, mATX, ITX |
| Ventilation: | Rear: 1x 120 / 140 mm Top: 3x 120 / 2x 140 mm Front: 3x 120 / 2x 140 mm Bottom: 3x 120 mm |
| Radiators: | Rear: 1x 120 / 140 mm Top: 1x 240 / 280 / 360 mm Front: 1x 240 Bottom: 3x 120 mm |
| Max. CPU cooler height: | 184 mm |
| Max. Graphics card length: | 415 mm |
| Max. Graphics card height: | 184 mm |
| Max. Power supply length: | 270 mm |
| Space for cable management: | 90 mm |
| Price: | € 74.90 * |
| Special features: | Dust filter, cable management, tempered glass, tool-free mounting of the outer panels |
Scope of delivery
The Phanteks XT Pro Ultra is only packed in a brown cardboard box. The entire case is printed on one side and the front view on the other. On one of the short sides of the box we find some technical information about the case itself. Inside the box, the case is well wrapped. The typical plastic film around the case is contained in two polystyrene elements. The polystyrene is also enclosed in cardboard for additional transport safety.
After unpacking, we find the mounting material in the hard disk cage. In any case, Phanteks does not skimp on cable ties, we find enough of them in the small box – 30 in total. There are also enough screws, especially given the large number of SSD mounting slots. There is a small plus point for the addition of a little extra. A small tool is included for removing the motherboard spacers. This allows you to easily remove the spacers with a Phillips screwdriver.
Four RGB fans (120 mm) are included with the XT Pro Ultra variant. As is almost a matter of course, these are already pre-assembled.
External impression
The Phanteks XT Pro Ultra makes a rather standard impression on the outside. Completely black (also available in white), with a side panel made of tempered glass. The lower part of the glass panel is black to prevent the lower part of the case from being visible. This is where the power supply unit and the hard disk cage are located. The side is secured by two knurled screws, but is held in place by three pins. After removing the screws and simply pulling it back, it can be dismantled. We find exactly the same principle on the other side of the housing.
For optimum airflow, the entire front is made of metal with a very fine mesh. If some dust gets caught in it, you can remove and clean it by simply pulling it out. Three of the four RGB fans are located directly behind the front. These have a size of 120 millimetres, but the same number of 140 millimetre fans or a 240 millimetre radiator would also be possible. The RGB lighting and mesh give the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra a small eye-catcher. Directly underneath is a small lettering from the manufacturer.
The I/O panel is on the top. In addition to the power button, there is also one for the reset and a combined 3.5 mm audio connection. As the test device is the XT Pro Ultra, we also get a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port and a USB-A 3.0 port. There is also a magnetic dust filter to be seen here.
The back and underside are again rather uninteresting. On the back we can see the last pre-assembled fan and the seven PCI slots. There is also a removable dust filter in front of the air intake of the power supply unit on the underside. The case also stands on four rubberized feet.
Interior impression
The interior of the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra is divided into two areas. In the large main chamber, we have space for a mainboard up to E-ATX format. A graphics card can also be mounted vertically, the only requirement is an appropriate holder. The large recesses in the mainboard tray are striking. On the one hand, they provide an advantage for cable management. On the other hand, with the XT Pro Ultra, Phanteks provides support for motherboards with connections on the rear. Examples here would be MSI Project Zero or ASUS BTF. However, motherboards from other manufacturers should also be supported.
The completely open main chamber gives us enough space, especially in the front area, to mount sufficient fans or radiators if you prefer water cooling. The grommets for the cables are not rubberized and due to the size, the appearance suffers a little.
We found sufficient space for mounting fans or radiators throughout the entire case. For example, we could mount a total of ten 120-millimeter fans. We can fit large radiators both in the front and under the lid and there is even space for a smaller one (120 mm) at the rear.
Behind the motherboard tray we have enough space for cable management. Unfortunately, there are no real cable guides, just a few eyelets to which the cable ties can be attached. Together with the supplied cable ties, however, cable management can be carried out properly. There is also a mounting plate for three SSDs directly behind the mainboard. The entire plate can be removed using a knurled screw.
The hard disk cage and space for the power supply unit can be found in the lower area. If you don’t need a 3.5-inch HDD and can manage with the mounting plate behind the mainboard, you can remove the cage and have even more space for the cables from the power supply unit. We also find a mesh grille directly under the power supply unit, which we can easily remove for cleaning.
Workmanship
The workmanship of the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra is impressive. Although the material thickness of the case could be a little thicker, the paintwork is without any major flaws. We noticed a small lug above the power supply unit. We would not have noticed this without a really close look. In addition, the area with the installed power supply unit is not visible anyway.
If both side panels are removed, the case appears slightly unstable, which is due to the thickness of the material. Once everything is in place, the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra stands like a rock. The front panel is also well made and makes a stable impression despite the mesh front.
Hardware installation
We also want to install hardware in the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra. An Intel Core i5-10400 is installed on a Gigabyte B460M DS3H V2 with 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX LP black DDR4-3200 RAM. It is cooled by a be quiet! Pure Rock 2 and we use a Palit GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card.
Even if the case doesn’t look particularly large at first glance, we still have enough space to install the hardware without any major problems. Thanks to the option of installing radiators under the top, we have enough space to insert and connect cables – even with large hands. We can remove the front panel to install fans or a radiator. The cables can be hidden well behind the mainboard tray, even if proper cable guides would have been better.
We have enough space for the hardware in the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra anyway. CPU coolers can be up to 184 millimeters high, which makes a huge selection possible. As graphics cards are also getting bigger and bigger, we can install up to 415 millimeters long and 184 millimeters high in the XT Pro Ultra. We can install fans on each side. Up to 140 mm fans can be installed in the front, lid and rear. We can even fit three 120 mm fans under the mainboard. A radiator of up to 360 millimetres can be installed in the lid, and we have 240 millimetres of space in the front.
Best load test
Of course, we also want to know how the system performs in the test. To do this, we put the hardware installed in the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra under load with Prime95 and FurMark. Please note that the results may vary depending on the hardware. The test was carried out with the installed fans, the data are the average values after 15 minutes.
Scenario |
Temperature |
| Idle: CPU: 50% GPU: 50% |
CPU: 43.57 °C GPU: 46.3 °C |
| Load (Prime95/FurMark): CPU: 50% GPU: 50% |
CPU: 73.6 °C GPU: 71.6 °C |
Conclusion on the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra
The Phanteks XT Pro Ultra is a rock-solid case. The workmanship is good, even if the material thickness could be a little thicker. The paintwork also fits, except for a small lug, which is not visible when the case is full. There is also more than enough space inside for mounting the hardware.
Visually, however, the case is nothing special. The mesh look of the front and the RGB fans behind it are eye-catching, otherwise the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra looks like any other case. Nevertheless, we must not forget to mention that it is compatible with motherboards with rear-facing connections.
If you need a rock-solid case, you can’t really go wrong with the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra.
Phanteks XT Ultra Pro
Workmanship
Structure
Features
Cooling
Value for money
89/100
Solid housing with good features and a great price-performance ratio.
