Enermax Fulmo GT Review

Enermax Fulmo GT - Performance Analysis

Given its size and the number of fans inside it, we were expecting good things from the Fulmo GT. With its fan controller set to full speed, it unsurprisingly handled our toasty test kit well, keeping the CPU to a respectable 49°C. That’s one degree cooler than the Xigmatek Elysium, although not quite as impressive as the ludicrous SilverStone TJ11.

We were a little surprised that temperatures weren’t slightly lower, especially with two 180mm fans on the side panel, but a quick glance inside gave us a clue why. In their default configuration, they are too far back to blow cold air in front of the heat sink - if you move them to the front two mounts, you should see temperatures drop by a few further degrees.


A GPU delta T of 38°C is up there with the coolest cases we’ve reviewed, two degrees cooler than the Elysium and only two degrees warmer than our current graphics cooling champion, the Cooler Master HAF X.

Noise levels were reasonable, considering much of the front, roof and side is covered with wire mesh. However, if you’re thinking of filling up the remaining fan mounts, you should expect it to make quite a racket. Turning the fan controller down to its lowest setting helped matters, but we could still hear it whirring away from beneath a desk, while the fixed-speed GPU fan was clearly audible.

Thankfully, dropping the speeds didn’t significantly affect temperatures. In fact, the CPU delta T only went up by 1°C, reaching a perfectly manageable 50°C after forty torturous minutes of Prime95. The GPU temperature went slightly higher, but only by 2°C to 40°C – that’s still significantly better than many other cases that have passed through our lab.

Conclusion

With very few manufacturers making full tower cases big enough for HPTX motherboards, the Fulmo GT is currently one of the cheapest options around. It’s not just price that’s worth mentioning though – with a huge interior, plenty of pre-installed fans and an integrated controller, packed front I/O panel and sturdy build quality, it’s a fine chassis in which to build a system.

However, what really made us sit up and take notice was the huge potential for water cooling. With mounting points in the roof, floor, front and rear for radiators of various shapes and sizes, as well as enough room for push-pull fan configurations, it’s ideally suited for housing a liquid cooled system. Even if you stick with the default fans, cooling performance is great, without the need to add more to keep your components cool.

Admittedly the Xigmatek Elysium is around £40 cheaper, but extra features such as an integrated fan controller, controllable LED-lit fans and a side-mounted disk cage make it easier to build, cool and silence a system inside the Fulmo GT. There are obviously cheaper and better featured cases if you’re sticking with air cooling, but this is an excellent choice for a liquid-cooled case under £200.