Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Review

Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Review

Manufacturer: Phanteks
UK price (as reviewed): £56.99 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): $99.99 (ex Tax)

The basic concept behind the Enthoo Pro M is to take the same internal design of the Enthoo EVOLV ATX and house it in a less extravagant, and much less expensive, external shell. As such, it might not tickle your fancy as much when it comes to form, but where function is concerned, the Enthoo Pro M should match or even trump its flashier sibling, and this is, of course, the more important element for the mainstream market that the Pro M targets. This is Phanteks' second venture into this highly competitive segment, the first being the well-received (by us, at least) Enthoo Pro. It's also the company's least expensive case, so let's hope not too many compromises have been made in pursuit of affordability.


The biggest difference on the outside is that there's no more aluminium – this is a steel case with a plastic front panel. As such, build quality is lowered, but that's not to say it's bad, as the Pro M is solid enough to not bend or creak under reasonable pressure. The plastic on the front panel has a decent enough brushed aluminium effect and sports a single ODD bay cover as well as a large mesh section. This is backed by a removable dust filter, though you also need to pull off the front panel first to access it – thankfully it comes cleanly away with a firm tug.

The mesh/filter combo at the front serves the intake fan area. Here, you can install three 120mm or two 140mm fans, although none are installed by default. The roof can house the same number and models of fans, but again none are supplied. The only fan you do get is the rear 140mm exhaust (the optimal position for a single fan case) which is fitted to height adjustable mounting struts. An extra fan or two would certainly sweeten the deal, but the porous front and roof panels should allow air to enter easily as negative pressure does its thing.


Thankfully, Phanteks hasn't sacrificed protection against dust in moving to a lower price point. In addition to the front, the roof and PSU are both shielded; the former with a full-length magnetic sheet and the latter with a plastic slide-out filter. Neither is fancy, but both serve their purpose well as they can be quickly removed and are easily replaced after cleaning too.

The usual USB 3 and audio ports are found on the front panel, which should be easy to access with the case on the floor or on your desk, provided you keep your PC to the right of you. The large power button is fixed to the roof, and understandably there's no fan control.


The large, clear window gives you a good view of your core hardware while hiding rather well the drive area at the front. It does, however, make the panel rather flexible and even the all-steel right panel is on the thin side. Also, we noticed that the panels aren't fully flush with the case. On our sample, at least, there was a slight outwards curve on both of them, which was noticeable along the top edge between the side and roof panels. It's not a major fault, but it is a slight slip in quality that we didn't expect based on Phanteks' previous efforts.

The last features of note include the standard seven expansion slots and the built-in reservoir mounting struts in the ventilated section to the right of these. We also see that the 140mm fan is fitted to height adjustable mounts. Finally, flipping the case over reveals the four rubber pads that it stands on and which give it an excellent grip on smooth surfaces.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 235 x 500 x 480 (W x D x H)
  
• Material Steel, plastic
  
• Available colours Black
  
• Weight 7.4kg
  
• Front panel Power, reset, 2 x USB 3.0, stereo, microphone
  
• Drive bays 1 x external 5.25in, 2 x 3.5in/2.5in, 1 x 2.5in (extra 6 x 3.5in/2.5in and 2 x 2.5in drives supported via extra brackets purchased separately)
  
• Form factor(s) E-ATX (up to 264mm wide), ATX, micro-ATX, mini-ITX
  
• Cooling 1 x 140mm/120mm rear fan mount (140mm fan included), 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm front fan mounts, 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm roof fan mounts (fans not included)
  
• CPU cooler clearance 194mm
  
• Maximum graphics card length 420mm (300mm with HDD bracket installed)
  
• Extras Removable dust filters, integrated pump and reservoir mounts