Phanteks Evolv Shift 2 Air
Super-compact madness
THE ORIGINAL EVOLV SHIFT series of chassis from Phanteks was quite a departure from regular case design. It was perhaps one of the most interesting products of 2017, and came in two variants, both of which tried to capitalize on a super-small footprint combined with a versatile design. It’s no secret that we here at MaximumPC were fans of the two cases, featuring both of them multiple times across a variety of different builds, the last one being our liquid-cooled, pink, console-killing beastie. But that’s not to say they were perfect in every way.
The biggest problem these systems had came down to a lack of available intake air and exhaust space. In fact, our console-killer’s original configuration, prior to the installation of Mayhems’ XTR coolant, often hit 85 C on the GPU alone. Removing the two dust filters from the side vents of the rear panel dropped that figure by a solid 10 C, and removing an entire rear glass panel of the chassis reduced that figure even further, down to 59 C, which is an utterly staggering temperature drop.
In fact, it was such a common problem that companies such as Modmymods.com still offer custom-cut Evolv Shift front panels for exactly this reason, with any number of cutouts and designs developed to help alleviate the problem—albeit at a fairly substantial cost.
Phanteks recognized this, too. At least, on higher-end gaming systems, where cooling can become an issue, it is far from desirable. To that end, in May 2019, at Computex in Taiwan, Phanteks debuted its latest variant: the Evolv Shift Air. Based on the shorter design of the two, the case’s side panels swapped out the tempered glass for a mesh element instead, helping to relieve a lot of the original heat problems the chassis suffered from—but that was it. Fastforward to the end of 2020, and we were finally graced with a new version: the Shift 2 Air.
The Shift 2 Air isn’t a massive redesign of the overall layout by any stretch of the imagination, but the subtle changes Phanteks has introduced are welcome additions. The rear of the case now features an aluminum panel, complete with rectangular cutout running down its entirety. Better than that, it also features zero dust filters behind the cutouts. Dust filters typically introduce a lot of resistance, and can hinder airflow (in fact, the first thing we do here at
MaximumPC for our personal builds is remove dust filters entirely for better performance), so their absence here is definitely a plus. Additionally, the power cable pass-through position has been tweaked ever so slightly, and the interior has seen some slight changes, too, to better help the would-be SFF builders out there. Cable management is improved, the front I/O USB 3.1 Type A ports have been moved to the bottom, and the feet bracket no longer falls off if you so much as look at it. Phanteks has also redesigned the cable tidy bar, and we found it easier to install the motherboard and its associated cables as well.
By default, it supports up to three 140mm fans; however, it’ll only support a 120mm AIO at the bottom of the chassis. SFF power supply support is still the norm here, but it can get a little cramped in the bottom, so unlike our cover build this issue, we recommend you opt for a half-length SFF power supply if you can, to give you a bit more wiggle room.
When we first ordered this in for review, we assumed that, given the industry’s obsession with tempered glass, the mesh side panels would look dull and drab, but with a completed build, and having spent some time with the chassis itself, it’s a very clean, professional look, and it also helps to avoid any potential fingerprints. The mesh itself is a premium cloth, rather than a metallic design, and overall it’s a crisp-looking case.
If you’re after a super-small chassis, with a clean form factor, and an epic propensity for design and airflow, the Shift 2 Air might be the case for you. There’s only a few things we can criticize, and that mostly falls down to a lack of USB Type C port, and it could perhaps do with being ever so slightly taller to allow for larger GPUs. Apart from that, though, this thing is golden.