Construction Quality
Overall, there is very little to complain about – in terms of building a thoroughly solid case with parts that fit well together and are easy to work with, Phanteks has knocked it out of the park with the P600s.
The only potentially negative observation we had was a difference in the shade of white used in various parts. This is really only obvious in the photographs, which tend to emphasize color differences, and most of the parts in question are not visible with the case buttoned up.
Cooling Potential
The P600s works fine for air cooling, and the PH-F140SK fans have nine swept blades that should be equally at home as intake fans or radiator fans. The main cooling potential here is for custom loops or at least multiple AIOs.
The three 140mm fan positions up front are the star here – with support for a 420mm radiator and appropriate fans out of the box, the P600s is a great foundation for a custom watercooling loop. Phanteks has even cut 20.5mm holes for fill and drain port installation, on the top and front inside panels, respectively, and sells appropriate plugs as well as a pump mount for the case bottom.
Installation Notes
Being such a large case, Phanteks’ P600s is a breeze to work in, which is helped by having toolless access to the case front, sides, and top, using thumb screws. Only the motherboard and power supply require a screwdriver to install.
Phanteks deserves praise for their attention to detail here, not only for pre-routing cables where they’re simultaneously out of the way and also right where you need them but also for providing the right accessories, including a printed manual that is surprisingly comprehensive.
Our Build Recommendation
In addition to the usual steps we provide for assembly, we’re first going to show Phanteks’ manual for the P600s:
- Install any radiators for AIOs
- Install any additional fans
- Install memory, CPU, air CPU cooler if used, and the CPU 12v leads into the motherboard
- Install the motherboard into the case
- Run the fan power leads and any lighting cables to their appropriate headers and secure them loosely to the back of the motherboard tray
- Run any remaining front-panel connections to the bottom of the motherboard along with any other cables needed, loosely securing along the way
- Run the remaining power supply leads for GPU(s), 24-pin motherboard header
- Connect all power supply leads while the power supply is still outside the case
- Install the power supply
- Route the power supply leads along the back of the case and secure
- Fully secure all other leads