Phanteks has quietly unveiled a revamped version of its more than three-year-old Evolv Shift ITX case. At first glance, the case clearly resembles its predecessor with its aluminum front and back panels and clearly high shapes. The revamped Evolv Shift 2 will be available in both the basic glass-side version and the Evolv Shift Air 2 version with mesh sides, which means that the case will also serve as an upgrade to the original Evolv Shift Air, which introduced fabric panels last year.

Despite its familiar appearance, the enclosure has also undergone clear innovations: the exterior dimensions have increased by 2 centimeters vertically, providing more space for the motherboard and graphics card IO connectors as they point upwards from the predecessor, but are hidden under the enclosure roof. Previously, the USB connectors on the back of the case have been moved to the front panel. In addition, the interior tools have been modified and moved to allow for significantly more graphics card compatibility than the original Evolv Shift.

As is common in Phanteks’ original Evolv Shift, the video card is still mounted on the opposite side of the motherboard using a riser cable. Perhaps the biggest change from the outside is the complete rotation of the interior tools the other way around – in the original Evolv Shift, the graphics card was on the right side of the case and the processor on the left, while in the new model they are the opposite. Also, the way of the last model to set the video card as standard to take air from the back of the motherboard has been abandoned and the novelty case positions the video card fans directly towards the glass side or the network panel, depending on the model. The space available for the video card has also been increased, as the PSU has been moved from the back panel to the right side, which has increased the maximum width in the video card. At its maximum, the case supports 2.9 card slots ( mm) thick, 150 mm high and 335 mm long video cards

In addition to the increased video card space and shifted power supply slot, there have been other changes in the case that are partly the result of previous ones. In the original model, the 140 fan slots found on the front panel have been discarded and instead placed on the rear panel, which as a new feature is also perforated in the way of freer air flow . The fan position of the base mm) is still the same, but with the moved power supply it is no longer possible to place an AIO liquid cooler in it, there is only room for the fan . However, support for the chiller is still available: the lower fan slot on the rear panel supports the 109 chiller. In the case of air cooling, there is space for the processor controller 59 e.g. Phanteks Evolv Shift 2 (Air 2) specifications:

• External dimensions: 170 x 490 x 274 mm 186 x 490 x 274)) (W x H x D)
• Weight: 6.8 kg (4.9 kg)
• Materials: Steel, aluminum, glass (steel, aluminum, fabric side)
• Front panel connections: 2 x USB 3.0 (bottom), power button (top), RGB light control buttons
• Compatible motherboards: mini-ITX
• 3.5 “Stations: 1
• 2,5” stations: 2 (separately sold space for another two-station frame)
• Expansion card slots: 2
• Maximum video card dimensions: 335 x 150 x 59 mm (P x H x L)
• Maximum CPU height: 85 mm
• Power supply location: SFX, SFX-L
• Fan location at: 2 x 140 / mm mm on the rear panel , 1 x 120 mm at the bottom
• Fans included: 1 x SK 140 mm Black PWM fan
• Cooler locations: 1 x 140 mm on the rear panel (max 158 x 148 mm, thickness with SFX power supply max. 30 and with SFX-L power supply max. 30 mm)

The recommended price for Phanteks Evolv Shift 2 is 109, 90 and Evolv Shift Air 2 99, euros. Both versions are available in two color options – Satin Black and Anthracite Gray. The cases will go on sale worldwide in December, but there is currently no more detailed information on availability in Finland.

Sources: Phanteks (1), (2), Hexus