The Phanteks Enthoo Pro Case Review
by E. Fylladitakis on March 30, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Full-Tower
- Case
- Phanteks
The Exterior of the Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Phanteks based the Enthoo Pro on a postmodern design, using basic geometric shapes and straight lines. It is a relatively simple and elegant case with a metallic brushed faceplate, coming across not too minimalistic but not extravagant either. Only the double window left side panel is spoiling the seriousness of the Enthoo Pro; users that want a more subtle appearance should opt for the version with the solid panel. Measuring 53.5cm tall and 55cm deep and with a volume of 0.0691m3, the Enthoo Pro is a rather large and bulky case, which is to be expected from a tower capable of housing EATX motherboards.
When seen from afar, the brushed metallic appearance of the faceplate and its 5.25" bay covers generate feelings of sturdiness and quality, making it perhaps the most important stylistic feature of the Enthoo Pro. Regrettably, that is nothing more than an illusion, as the faceplate is plastic that has been treated to look as if it is metallic for aesthetic purposes alone. Nevertheless it is fairly strong and sturdy and of quality on par with the price of the case. The faceplate of this sample was seriously damaged during its transportation, half due to the poor packaging and half due to the "overzealous" courier company.
Nearly half of the faceplate is covered by a metallic mesh, with extra ventilation holes at both sides. Four solid metallic 5.25" covers dominate the top half of the faceplate. There are actually only three 5.25" bays available for devices as the top 5.25" cover is a door hiding the front I/O ports (two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0 and 3.5mm headphone jacks) and the reset button. The oval power button is at the top of the case, near the front, surrounded by an LED light.
The rear of the case reveals the black chassis of the Enthoo Pro and that the PSU compartment has been moved to the bottom of the case, which is common for high performance designs nowadays. Thumbscrews with rubber rings hold the side panels in place and the reusable expansion slot covers are vented.
Nearly the entirety of the Enthoo Pro is focused on cooling - ventilation openings and fan mounts can be seen virtually everywhere. Six tall sturdy feet on the bottom elevate the case significantly, as the bottom of the case hosts the PSU fan intake and ventilation openings where two 120mm fans or a single 140mm fan can be installed. Separate nylon filters cover the PSU intake, the bottom and the front ventilation openings. Most of the surface of the top panel is covered by a metallic mesh as well, with three fan mounts behind it, but there is no filter. This is what we would expect to find as these openings are intended to function as exhausts.
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kepstin - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
I think like the drawing on the box was in isometric perspective; the issue is that the picture of the box was taken at an angle. If you look at the side of the box straight on I expect it would look ok.Coffeehead - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
True. It's an isometric projection. The proportional sizes of each line is preserved and each of the x,y,z axes are separated by 120°. It is supposed to make measurements easier to take for engineers, but the visual perspective projection is what we consumers are used to seeing because we want to buy what we see.It's also the basis of how the art illusion drawings of M.C. Escher used isometric projections.
DanNeely - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
Is the severe face plate damage you're referring to just the scuffed up top front edge; or was something else broken too. The scuffing isn't good; but I'd've expected something to at least be cracked before it was called severe damage.DanNeely - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
I'm not picking on this case in particular, since it appears to be an industry wide problem; but if you're going to build a case around bottom air intakes you need to use feet big enough to lift the case up above a carpeted floor. Having to suck air in through the carpet really reduces the total flow, and even with the case having a built in dust filter, after only a few months the intake of the PSU in a case I had like this got horrifying nasty. I've had boxes that went years before being blown out that had less dust in them. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that case; probably either look for taller aftermarket feet somewhere, or drill new mounting holes in the back so I can flip the PSU over to point its fan up and draw air from the rest of the case instead.BillyONeal - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
That's why Silverstone's FT02 is still one of the best cases ever -- it has its own "channel" in the side of the case to pull air in for the bottom intakes which works great for the carpeting problem.Dug - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
Silverstone FT05 has a flat solid surface for the base, but the bottom case fans are about 2-3 inches up from that so you have air coming in from the sides and then up.bigboxes - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
Funny about the illustration on the packing box. That said, this is one butt-ugly case. That power button is way too small and the top panel connectors should not be hidden under that door. Just something that will be left open anyways.xthetenth - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
The power button isn't particularly small and isn't difficult to hit in the slightest. The door isn't in the way when it's open and being able to close it is kind of nice. I have the Luxe, which is one step up from that, and while I have a few minor quibbles about it, it was amazingly easy to put together a really nice looking build with it.Peichen - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
Such a traditional and old design. I think an ideal case as mATX with 1x 5.25", 2x 2.5/3.5", 4x 2.5" drive cage. 2x 120/140/180mm fans w/filters. Open space around graphic card(s) and CPU cooler otherwise fully sealed to keep dust and sound down.Silverstone TJ08B-E is pretty close but the needs to be updated for SSD and better sealed.
eanazag - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
But are you using multiple GPUs and have a north of 6 storage drives? I have a hot swap 4 2.5" drive add in that slides into a 5.25" and am considering a second one. I have a DVD burner. That means three 5.25" slots would make sense for me. I can do 2 though.I really don't see the point in 5.25" disc drives anymore being that large. I think they all need to be laptop type slim drives.
This is likely too big for you also.