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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ncsaephanh - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
Love this case! First saw it on Linus tech tips, and used it for my brother's build and was immediately impressed by not only the features of the case, but the roominess. Tons of room for expansion, along with a simple and sleek aesthetic while not sacrificing airflow (the filters BTW are very easy to access). Cable management is also fantastic. Cannot recommend this case any more than I already have.twanto - Monday, March 30, 2015 - link
Does spell-check not exist for internet articles?bigboxes - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
Yes it does. I only wish that douche-check was standard operating procedure.Folterknecht - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
When you speak greek (I think it is) as good as the author speaks english you can come back and complain. Until then stfu!Murloc - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - link
that's a 11.16 oz can, it's not 11.2 oz!!!!11gopher1369 - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link
Agreed with you. My gaming setup is ITX: Coolermaster Elite 130 case, 256Gb SSD and 1Tb laptop harddrive. It's great and sits in my AV unit under my TV next to my Xbox.gopher1369 - Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - link
*sigh* my comment was meant to be a reply to an earlier comment, but it's stuck it on the end. Also no obvious way to edit/delete, anyone?I blame my old and horribly locked down work PC with IE8.
46460 - Saturday, April 4, 2015 - link
I bought the Enthoo Primo about a year and a half ago right when it came out and it's the END ALL of cases. Stock, it can fit 2x480mm rads + a 240mm, but I modded the side and cut out a bit of the drive bays for ANOTHER 480mm rad. So right now I have 3x480mm rads with Delta fans, a huge reservoir with an Iwaki RD20 pump on the back; it's almost powerful to passively cool my overclocked 3930k and an R9 290. The case quality is fantastic. Also, I want to point out that the PWM controller that it came with is AMAZING. Can control a large quantity of fans with your motherboard and OS software real time..really a great feature, along with the quality 140mm fans it included (3).All in all, I love my case with all of its space, and despite a front fascia that doesn't quite stick flush I am very happy with my purchase and wouldn't hesitate to buy it again at $250. I must say, however, I underestimated the sheer size of WEIGHT of the unit; fully stocked, my PC weighs like 70 pounds, but it's totally worth it ;)
echtogammut - Wednesday, April 8, 2015 - link
No comment on the drawing on the front of the box? How did something like that pass cursory review?Posaune - Saturday, July 24, 2021 - link
This idea that ALL cases should ditch older tech storage housing is odd - reality is like this: there are MARKET SEGMENTS; this has 5.25 bays, which I will be filling with an ASUS DVD drive (writer) which allows me to easily play a library of existing DVDs and to rip my pretty large CD library. It's simple I fit in with that segment. There is another segment which does none of this. Think long and hard about tech: there is still terrestrial radio and it remains quite healthy. This is tech of the turn of the last century. Still with us and not going away.