NZXT Phantom Help

So if I understand correctly, you're going for air cooling until you decide on a water cooling solution, is that correct? If so, here are my thoughts: with water cooling you won't need the 140mm fan up front and even with air cooling I doubt it would make a huge impact, if any, on your cooling unless you do some serious OCing. This is based just off of my experience with all fan positions filled except for the side 200mm which won't fit with my air cooling solution. However, if you feel you need one, go for it. I will say that the NZXT fan does work very well and is VERY quiet. As for the color of the blades, the 140mm fan can't be seen so color shouldn't matter, but if it's just a preference thing (or if you actually plan on looking through the front mesh all that often) and you can't find a fan you like in black, why not spray paint it? And as for brand choices, I'm pretty sure there is a thread or four about which fans are best for CFM, static pressure, etc. Just do a quick search and you'll find what you're looking for.

As for keeping airflow over the HDDs, the two 120mm in the side do a good job of that. If you install your radiator on the side with the air flowing out I would think that would still get decent flow over them since there is a vent on the opposite side of the case directly in-line with them. Blowing in would seem to be a bad idea simply because it's blowing hot air over the drives, but I could be wrong. Also, I'm not even sure the radiator could be installed there without some work. All of the pics of radiators I've seen show the fans butting right up against each other and the fans on the Phantom are spaced apart about 1/2 inch. But don't forget that there is a space on the case floor designed for a radiator...not sure what size it's designed for off the top of my head.

That just leaves keeping airflow on the motherboard when you have the water turned on. I don't know for certain since I haven't done it myself, but I think the 200mm side fan blowing in would be plenty, especially since it's right in front of it.

Color scheme? I'm a bad one to ask since I can't even color coordinate my clothes! lol Personally, going with those two colors, I would stick with blue for the fans with a green "low-light" glow from inside the case.

And finally, 25dB is VERY quiet. That's like a whisper. Honestly, with all of my fans on low I can't hear any of them. Just the 140mm maxxed out and I have to actually listen for it. If there is any ambient noise, I can't hear it even maxxed out. With all running at max it's still quieter than a single 80mm I used to have in an old rig.

At this point, I'm only really worried about air cooling.

Here's the point that I'm at:
140mm front intake. This should blow over the hard drives, no? I think I'm going with white, just for visual appeal - I should be able to see it.

200mm side intake. Green LEDs

200mm top outtake (default)
200mm top outtake (Blue LED)

Default 120mms

I'll think about watercooling in about 12 months

Here's side view shot. If you keep the stock setup I really think the two 120mm fans will keep your HDDs cool because they're both right in line with the drives.

Also, Dooms101 did a nice little writeup on his here: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=676098
Yes, this is for a WC setup, but his pictures illustrate some things that might help you out. For example, the second picture below is one of his and shows how you can remove the drive bays and below are two vents which are about perfect for a radiator. I did something similar to what he did and mounted my smaller bay in a different spot.

Anyway, just some pics to help you get your ideas together. I'll say that you can't go wrong with all of the fans installed so you can start there and if you find you don't need one, take it out. Simple as that.

That seems like a really good setup (the log you linked to) - I won't need the smaller rack, so could I go w/ a 120mm rad? I feel like that might not be enough cooling.

I couldn't say without knowing which CPU you'll be using, if you plan on GPU waterblock, etc...that and I'm definitely not an authority on water cooling. lol But, from what I have read, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want a 120.

How high would I want to go?