Phanteks Enthoo Pro Tower Case Review

By David Shields

Manufacturer: Phanteks Company
Product Name: Enthoo Pro
Model Number: PH-ES614P
UPC: 886523300144
Price As Tested: $99.99 (This product is not available at retailers)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Phanteks.

Phanteks is a relatively new face to the chassis market. Their first case, the Enthoo Primo, was released less than a year ago. The Primo was very well received by many reviewers and put Phanteks on the market as a new and upcoming chassis designer. Now, Phanteks has released their second case in the Enthoo lineup, the Enthoo Pro. The Enthoo Pro is designed to provide many of the same features the Primo did, such as an outstanding build quality and multiple options for both closed and custom water cooling setups, but do so at a much more affordable price.

The Phanteks Enthoo Pro full-tower computer case boasts compatibility with EATX, ATX, and mATX motherboards, plenty of options for 3.5 and 2.5 inch drives, and a large tinted window combined with a PSU shroud for a clean, attractive build. Cooling wise, the Enthoo Pro features mounts for up to ten case fans ranging from 120mm to 200mm in size, four different locations for radiators, and and a mount for an internal reservoir.

Model	Enthoo Pro
P/N	PH-ES614P (Window) or PH-ES614PC (Non-Window)
Case Type	Full Tower
Dimensions (W x H x D)	235mm x 535mm x 550mm
Materials	Brushed Plastic / Steel
Color	Exterior & Interior : Black
I/O Ports	2x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, Audio + Microphone
Drive Bays	6x 3.5 inch bays, 8x 2.5 inch drive bays (with additional bracket and HDD trays) and 3x 5.25 inch bays.
Expansion Slots	8
Motherboard Support	ATX, EATX, mATX
Fan Support	Front : 1x 200mm or 2x 140mm or 2x 120mm (1x 200mm included). Top : 3x 120mm or 3x 140mm or 1x 200mm. Bottom : 2x 120mm or 1x 140mm. Rear : 1x 120mm or 1x 140mm (1x 140mm included). HDD cage : 2x 120mm
Radiator Support	Front : Up to 240mm. Top : Up to 360mm or 420mm. Rear : 1x 120mm or 1x 140mm. Bottom : Up to 240mm or 1x 140mm.
Special Features	PSU shroud (windowed version only), small window with Phanteks Logo, optional large tinted side panel window, fully filtered ventilation, removable HDD cages, concealed I/O ports, mounting bracket for internal reservoir, PWM hub with 6x case fan connectors and 1x CPU fan connector.
Other	GPU clearance : 347mm (without HDD cages, 472mm) CPU cooler clearance : 193mm Cable management space : 27mm (39mm @ PSU area) Top radiator clearance : 65mm between top and motherboard.

The Enthoo Pro features a similar design to the Primo, with just a few changes. The side panel has remained mostly the same from it’s previous incarnation in the Primo. It features a small tinted window that displays the internal Phanteks logo, along with a large tinted window for showing off the hardware inside the case. The windows look great, but they are extremely reflective, as you can see in the photo. The Pro is made of a mix of aluminum and plastic, but both materials feel quite sturdy, especially the plastic. The plastic parts feature a brushed look similar to the brushed aluminum on the Primo, and I had a hard time telling it was plastic without actually touching it. But when touching the exterior, I noticed that the surfaces and windows of the Enthoo Pro do unfortunately tend to attract dust as well as fingerprints. This can be easily cleaned with a cloth or some canned air, but this issue does detract somewhat from the overall excellent appearance of the case. The panels are removed by taking out the dual thumbscrews and lifting the panel out. I like how easy Phanteks has made it to remove the panels and access the interior of the case.

The front panel is no longer flat with a recessed vent like with Primo, and instead the vent is raised above the rest of the panel. Furthermore, instead of mostly covering the intake mesh like on the Primo, Phanteks has left it open for better airflow on the Pro. The intake does feature a removable dust filter which can be accessed by taking off the panel. I wish it was possible to remove the filter without removing the entire panel, but the panel was easy to remove and came off smoothly. What looks like the top 5.25 is actually the I/O port cover, but below that are three tool-less 5.25 inch drive bays. This entire panel is made of the previously mentioned brushed plastic, and is quite attractive to look at.

The top panel of the Enthoo Pro features another brushed plastic panel that has a large mesh with a dust filter. Up to three 120mm or 140mm fans can be installed in the top, and it offers excellent unobstructed airflow. One unfortunate issue with the top dust filter is that it can’t be removed from the panel. In order to clean the filter you have to take off the entire top panel and clean the filter while on the panel, which is relatively simple but still a bit more complicated than it needs to be. I also express some concern that the power button, which comes off with the top panel, may be a little flimsy and could be potentially damaged by taking off or replacing the panel.

The Primo featured a long base with ventilated mesh along the side, and removing the bottom filters was as simple as pulling them out from the side of the chassis. With the Pro, Phanteks has gone with three feet on each side, and each foot is equipped with a small rubber pad to help with vibration reduction. The bottom filters are easily removed by pulling them straight out from the front or back of the case respectively. I did have some small difficulty pulling out the frontal filter, but was unable to ascertain the reason. The bottom of the case can mount two 120mm fans or one 140mm fans, but depending on size of the fans or radiators you may have to remove the PSU cover and / or a hard drive bay to make room.

The rear of the case is mostly standard, with a mount for one 120mm or 140mm case fan that can be moved up or down for more optimal airflow, and eight expansion slots. There are no holes for water cooling tubules, as both the reservoir (with included bracket) and the pump (bracket sold separately) are both installed in the interior. The 140mm fan shown is included with the case.

The I/O ports are located under the top panel, which is flipped up by pressing on the top of the door. Unlike many door panels this panel actually feels quite sturdy and not a likely candidate to snap and break like others. The Enthoo Pro features two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports, one microphone and headset jack each, and the reset button, all pretty much the standard for cases these days. And of course, the case has internal connectors for the USB ports. As the Pro does not have the outer led strips that the Primo does, there is no LED switch.

Removing the front panel reveals the mount for the front fan(s), which can accommodate anywhere from a 200mm to dual 120mm or 140mm case fans. Phanteks helpfully includes a 200mm case fan for you.

The Enthoo Pro’s interior is able to accommodate graphics cards up to 347mm GPU, CPU coolers of up to 193mm, and can accommodate a top radiator of up to 65mm. The HDD bay is closed off on all but one side to help create a cleaner looking interior. Both HDD cages can be completely removed to accommodate better airflow from the front or for longer graphics cards (storage can still be provided by dual SSD mounts on the back plate) but the cages do have to be installed in order to mount a reservoir. With the bays installed you can install radiators up to 30mm thick in the front, and removing the bays can provide room for graphics cards up to 472mm in length, as well as the potential for push/pull radiator configurations. The reservoir bracket mounts are on the interior side of the cages, and adding that plus the reservoir itself reduces compatible card length. I recommend anyone looking to build a custom loop in the Pro measure video card clearance with the bracket and reservoir installed. One problem I also noticed with the lower fan mounts was that the HDD cage has to be removed to fit a fan in the second slot. My BitFenix Spectre Pro fan would not fit underneath the cage, meaning you either need a slimmer fan or have to remove the cage. It is odd the Phanteks would make such an oversight. space The interior also features a very large motherboard cutout (a generous 203mm x 152 mm) as well as numerous cable holes with grommets, including four very large holes next to the HDD cages and one on the PSU shroud. The shroud can be removed by simply taking out the screws out from the back plate and lifting the shroud out. The PSU shroud is included with the windowed version of the Enthoo Pro. The shroud can accommodate PSU’s up to 88mm tall and, assuming you are installing a bottom case fan up to 203mm long. Phanteks also included six rubber soles for the PSU to rest on to reduce vibration. The back plate has a number of interesting features, especially in the cable management department. There is 39mm of space at the PSU area, and 27mm of space around the rest of the back plate. The Pro also includes another very large cable hole for the PSU (intended mainly for the motherboard cable) as well as several pre-installed Phanteks cable straps and ties with some cable management already done for you. The included accessory kit contains extra ties and straps as well. One SSD bracket comes installed with the case, but I wish that Phanteks had included an extra bracket considering the back plate has mounts for two. The six HDD cages are accessed from this side, and each tray can support either a tool-less 3.5 inch drive or a screw mounted 2.5 inch drive.

The most noticeable feature on the back plate is the fan hub. This fan hub features six connectors for case fans along with a four pin connector and a PSU connector. Connecting the four pin to the CPU fan socket on the motherboard allows you to control the fans via the PWM function, while getting power via the Sata connector. You can also connect to a different 4 pin socket, but you would not be able to connect the Sata connector because then the fans would run at full speed. Phanteks explanation of how this hub works was quite confusing, which is a shame given the potential of the feature in question.

 

System
Motherboard	Gigabyte 990FX-UD3 ATX
CPU	AMD FX 8350 8-Core @ 4.0ghz
RAM	G.Skill Sniper 8GB 1866 (2x 4GB)
GPU	EVGA GTX 750 TI SC
Storage	Crucial 120GB SSD
PSU	Corsair HX750
Cooling	Three BitFenix Spectre Pro 120mm, one 200mm Phanteks, Corsair H100i AIO Liquid Cooler

Building in the Enthoo Pro was very simple and hassle free. Plenty of routing holes keep cables out of the way and allow you to route them to where you need very easily. The black tinted window works excellently with black internals and white leds and the shroud covers the PSU nicely. Getting the bracket back over the PSU did require a little wiggling, but nothing major. The front 200mm, dual 120mm on the HDD cages, and the dual 120mm on the radiator are all mounted as intakes, while the rear 120 is the exhaust. While running all fans at low speed temperatures remained below 30 degrees Celsius, while the CPU stayed at an average temperature of 35 degrees Celsius (and the FX series are known to run hotter than other chips). The H100i fits quite easily and you can see even larger coolers will fit. Furthermore, after running this PC for a couple of weeks the interior is staying nice and clean and very little dust is making it inside.

 

Cable management was also very simple and easy to customize…you could leave cables loose or do an even better job than I did. To accommodate cables the SSD bracket can be relocated to the lower mount as shown. Phanteks includes plenty of cable ties and straps for you to basically do your cable management any way you want, which I’m sure will be popular with those looking to construct ultra clean builds. I did notice the main 24-pin cable didn’t fit all the way in and the straps were a little small for it, but again, this all can change depending on what you do with your cables.

Phanteks has created another winning design with the release of the Enthoo Pro. Taking a $250 case and dropping the price by more than 60 percent while still keeping many of the core features and excellent quality is no small feat. The Enthoo Pro puts many more expensive full tower cases to shame with extensive water cooling options, a high quality build, and excellent internals management. Honestly, my only issues with the Enthoo Pro are the design of the front and top filters, the tendency for the finish to be marred by dust and fingerprints, and the few missing accessories that I think should have been no brainer inclusions such as an extra SSD bracket. But these are almost a negligible complaints when compared to what Phanteks got right with this case and the $99.99 price tag. Phanteks supposedly still has one more potential release in the Enthoo series, which is going to be titled the Enthoo Luxe and will have a target price between the Pro and the Primo. Honestly, if you are looking for a full tower case that doesn’t break the bank, you can’t go wrong with the Enthoo Pro.

I have not had the opportunity to test the performance of this case, but I will update this section when I do. Obviously, the water cooling performance of this case cannot be ignored for the price, and air cooling is also a very attractive option. However, if you mount case fans at all possible locations you may have some conflicts with airflow so if you plan to use all the available mounts you are really limited to positive pressure only. Also, the HDD cages and the PSU shroud somewhat restrict airflow through the lower mounts.

This is a great looking case that really caught my eye the moment I took it out of the box. Its hard to tell that the brushed plastic surfaces are actually plastic and not aluminum and the dual window panels look great while showing off the interior quite nicely. You can really tell Phanteks has taken the time to make a case that can be admired for both it’s exterior and interior. The only issue I have with the appearance is how the case attracts fingerprints and dust that also show up quite noticeably, but again, that’s a pretty small complaint.

Its hard to find fault with the construction of the Enthoo Pro. Solid build, easy access to internals and I/O ports, easy to disassemble and reassemble as needed, what more could any builder ask for? I personally wonder how well the power button will stand up to repeated use over time, as well as repeated removal of the top panel, but only the test of time can answer that.

Again, great functionality for any case, but especially for one at $100. Tool-less 5.25 and 3.5 installation is always nice, the ability to pop a case out of the box and instantly build a custom water cooling loop inside is always a nice option, and if you don’t want to go with water cooling you’ve got up to 10 mounts for fans, including the ability to mount fans on the HDD cages and create a push / pull configuration to force air through the cages into the case. As mentioned earlier, the only issues I have with the functionality are the somewhat poorly thought out top filter design as well as the lack of a second SSD bracket for the back, considering they took the time to include such a well organized and inclusive accessory kit I find it odd that Phanteks chose to leave that out.

You can’t really argue the value point of this case. Some other full towers might have more fans included out of the box, or maybe one or two other additional features, but again, what the Enthoo Pro does offer for $100 sets it in a tier of it’s own. This a great case regardless of whether you are on a budget or not, because it offers massive options for later expansions and a sturdy design that will likely last for a good while. There’s no reason to pay for more expensive chassis unless you need a specific feature or have the money, because the Enthoo Pro really has what you need.

Phanteks really hit the nail right on the head with their latest design. Value, construction, functionality, and excellent looks that easily outweigh the cons (which are really just nitpicks), it is difficult to find any chassis that offers what the Enthoo Pro does for the price. Phanteks continues to make a name for themselves in the chassis market, and I hope to see more designs of this quality from them in the future. Big case designers should watch out, because there’s a new contender are the market, and it looks like they plan to stick around.

+ Amazing value with an excellent feature set.
+ Top tier options for both air and water cooling systems.
+ Great appearance and build quality.
+ Plentiful cabling holes, cable ties and straps make organizing a clean system a breeze.
+ Multiple storage options for both 2.5 and 3.5 drives.
+ Included accessories such as reservoir bracket, cable ties and straps, and lots of case screws are a nice inclusion.

– Case finish tends to noticeably attract dust and fingerprints.
– Top fan filter access could have been designed more conveniently.
– Could have included an extra SSD bracket along with additional case fans.

• Performance: 9.25
• Appearance: 9.50
• Construction: 9.50
• Functionality: 9.50
• Value: 9.75

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.