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Centrepiece of the Chillblast Fusion Raptor gaming system is its Phanteks Enthoo Evolv mATX chassis (which we video-reviewed HERE). A gunmetal aluminium exterior and well-positioned side panel window give users the opportunity to show off their eye-catching system and its internal hardware.
The full-frontal aluminium piece looks good when viewed head-on. Aiming to minimise aesthetic interference on the front panel, Phanteks places the two USB 3.0 ports and audio jacks on the right side panel.
This is the first time that I have seen the Enthoo Evolv in person, and I must say that it looks very smart. From an aesthetic perspective, my current favourite mATX case is the Corsair 350D, but the Phanteks offering is not far behind. If you prefer a white or black chassis colour, Chillblast allows them to be selected at the point of customisation.
Chillblast places its company logo and “The Power to Play” tag-line in a bubble-like feature which is fastened to the case's front panel.
This is where supplying all of the hardware accessories proves thoughtful, because users who like stickers can place those bundled with the motherboard and graphics card on the chassis.
Opening the side panel door gives access to the motherboard area. If you plan on removing the graphics card for any reason, a vertical section of the Phanteks chassis will have to be removed (which is simple) to gain access.
The cable management efforts by Chillblast are excellent. Fan and power cables reaching for the motherboard's upper edge are tightly tucked through their routing holes. The black SATA cables are routed away from visibility. Even the Corsair cooler's fan cable is tied to itself to prevent it from trailing across the motherboard.
Other than the H75's tubing, the only set of cables which are distinctly visible are those of coloured form on the 24-pin connector.
Both of the H75 cooler's 2000 rpm 120mm fans are positioned as exhaust. This allows them to draw air out of the system while passing it through the radiator.
Positioning of the motherboard's 10Gbps M.2 slot means that a user can easily install a high-speed SSD without having to remove other components.
Our sample shipped with a pair of Crucial CT102464BA160B 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 DIMMs to give a total of 16GB of system memory. The sticks were set to operate at 1600MHz with CL11 timings. Chillblast's component selector outlines that Corsair, Crucial, or Samsung 1600MHz memory will be provided.
Adding to the gaming prowess of a 4.4GHz Core i7 4790K CPU is an MSI GTX 960 Gaming 2GB graphics card. Many gamers may be quick to point out the value aspect of the cheaper Core i5 4690K for a pure gaming rig. And that's fine, if the system will only be used for gaming. Many streamers and gamers who record their footage, however, may welcome the Core i7 4790K processor's hyper-threading.
We have reviewed cards based on the GTX 960 GPU here and here. Our findings are that it is a stellar performer for the 1920×1080 resolution.
MSI's dual-fan Twin Frozr V cooler is well-received by gamers and enthusiasts alike. The card only requires a single 8-pin power connector and its fans remain static (therefore silent) under low loads.
A Phanteks 140mm roof fan is set as intake, allowing it to accompany the 200mm front intake fan in drawing air into the system.
The overall cooling configuration is: 1x 200mm Phanteks intake fan (front), 1x 140mm Phanteks intake fan (roof), 2x 120mm Corsair exhaust fans (rear – on the radiator).
Corsair's 600W CX600 power supply is stealthily hidden in the case's bottom chamber. Not much more than the PSU itself is on show – a metal covering piece built onto the chassis hide the mess of power cables.
Chillblast positions the PSU with its fan facing downwards, allowing the unit to manage its own cooling needs through the case's specific filtered holes.
A number of zip-ties are used to maintain order behind the case's motherboard tray. Both Phanteks chassis fans are controlled via the case's supplied fan-control hub.
Accessing the drive bay will be a difficult task due to the tight routing of power cables. Users installing an additional 2.5″ drive will be able to make use of the case's easily-accessible drive tray, which is positioned below the motherboard backplate cut-out.
The 120GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD and 2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 HDD are hidden away in the case's drive bay. Left-over cables are stored directly in front of the PSU, keeping them away from the side panel window and interference with cooling airflow.
A combination of Phanteks' well-designed chassis and Chillblast's positive cable management make the side panel door easy to close. This is good news for users who may need to troubleshoot the system's internals.
Chillblast places a pair of stickers over the motherboard's built-in video connections, ensuring that users get the full benefits of the GTX 960 GPU's power.
The Asus Z97M-Plus motherboard features four rear-mounted USB 3.0 ports and Intel Gigabit Ethernet.
