When one looks for a budget chassis, there are certain expectations one tends to live with. This could be something as trivial as a design that isn't the most appealing, generic OEM build quality without any frills or the lack of active cooling, for example. Fortunately, in the case of the Phanteks Eclipse P200A, you won't have to compromise on any of those. However, before we dive into that, one thing you can expect is the case to feel a little thinner/lighter in some areas compared to more expensive enclosures. None of it is really a dealbreaker, but, rather, simply the nature of the beast—material costs money, too. In other words, the Phanteks Eclipse P200A doesn't feel as solid as the Eclipse P400 or P500 series even though it carries the same name, which is is perfectly fine!

For a chassis of this price point, the Phanteks Eclipse P200A manages to impress with surprising details, and tooling choices as well as out-of-the box equipment. Upon unboxing, the exterior feels and looks just as great as its bigger brethren of the case line, and you get two functional, no-frills 120 mm PWM fans as well as dual USB 3.0 ports and a fully fledged, removable dust filter on the bottom of the case.

On the insides, Phanteks stuck with the PSU bay under the ceiling, which is an interesting choice, but it essentially adds a third fan for the CPU. That said, you may also install up to five additional fans inside the Eclipse P200A or go for liquid cooling on the side or front of the chassis without issue. Cable management within the chassis is excellent, so much so that we did not have to use a single zip tie to get a clean and tidy result, and Phanteks has done an excellent job in keeping the chassis wide enough to allow for enough nooks to hide away unwanted cables as well.

In a segment where ITX cases can carry a price tag of well above $200, the Phanteks P200A presents itself as the option you should go for on the other end of the price spectrum without compromising on anything but a compact size and 3.5" storage capabilities. At $50, that means you can spend the money saved on even better parts for your system, and even if you splurge on high-end components, the Phanteks P200A ends up punching well above its price class.