Introduction and First Impressions
A new mid-tower version of the Enthoo Pro with EVOLV ATX DNA
The Enthoo Pro M is the new mid-tower version of the Enthoo Pro, previously a full-tower ATX enclosure from the PC cooler and enclosure maker. This new enclosure adds another option to the $79 case market, which already has a number of solid options. Let's see how it stacks up!
I was very impressed by the Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ATX enclosure, which received our Editor’s Choice award when reviewed earlier this year. The enclosure was very solidly made and had a number of excellent features, and even with a primarily aluminum construction and premium design it can be found for $119, rather unheard-of for this combination in the enclosure market. So what changes from that design might be expect to see with the $79 Enthoo Pro M?
The Pro M is a very businesslike design, constructed of steel and plastic, and with a very understated appearance. Not exactly “boring”, as it does have some personality beyond the typical rectangular box, with a brushed finish to the front panel which also features a vented front fan opening, and a side panel window to show off your build. But I think the real story here is the intelligent internal design, which is nearly identical to that of the EVOLV ATX.
Before we take a closer look at the Enthoo Pro M, here’s a rundown of the specs from Phanteks. (I love how complete these are, right down to cable management depth!)
Form Factor: Midtower Chassis
Materials: Plastic Exterior, Steel Chassis
Side Window: Yes
Motherboard Support: E-ATX (up to 264mm wide), ATX, Micro ATX, Mini ITX
Front I/O: 2x USB 3.0, Mic, Headphone, Reset
Expansion slots: 7
Drive bays: Internal 3.5" 8x (2x included); Internal 2.5" (dedicated) 3x (1x included)
Cooling:
120mm fan: Front 2x (3x without ODD cage); Top 3x; Rear 1x
140mm fan: Front 2x; Top 2x; Rear 1x (included)
Graphic card: Up to 420 mm (16.54 in), no HDD brackets; 300 mm (11.8 in) HDD brackets installed
PSU: 318 mm (12.5 in)
CPU cooler: 194 mm (7.6 in)
Cable management: 35 mm (1.38 in)
Memory clearance (motherboard – fan): 120mm: 68 mm (2.68 in); 140mm: 48 mm (1.89 in)
Dimension (W x H x D): 235 x 480 x 500 mm (9.25 x 18.9 x 19.7 in)
Our thanks to Phanteks for providing the Enthoo Pro M enclosure for our review!
First Impressions
The packaging for the Enthoo Pro M is your typical cardboard affair with thick foam protecting the enclosure. Once out of the box we have our first look at this new mid-tower design.
There is a magnetic filter on the top of the case
Another filter slides out from the back under the PSU
Pulling off the front panel reveals a third screen filter
Considering the $79 retail target, it makes sense that Phanteks employed a steel and plastic construction for the Enthoo Pro M; and while it might look understated it avoids being bland with the side window and brushed front panel (actually textured plastic). The feet provide a solid base and have rubber pads to dampen vibration, and there should be plenty of airflow with the large filtered vent on the front panel.
Next we'll look inside the case and cover a quick build before testing performance.
Front would look pretty
Front would look pretty badass if it didn’t have the optical drive.
Reminds me of the Fractal
Reminds me of the Fractal Design Arc Midi case, especially the front panel design. Does anyone have sound level comparisons with the Define S case? The review says it’s nearly silent, but the open front and top panels should hurt it’s noise levels.
I’ll be re-testing this one
I'll be re-testing this one along with the Define S (and a few others) with a new, improved system soon. The enclosure was very quiet, but that was with very quiet components though the included fan made no audible sound at idle.
On page two, you say that you
On page two, you say that you installed a H110i GTX, I think you meant a H100i GTX.
You’re right! Fixed. Thanks
You're right! Fixed. Thanks
surprised to see clc’s still
surprised to see clc’s still mounted to the top, this case looks like it could support the rad in the front, and after many, many different tests done personally, I found that mounting clc’s to the front of the case makes a viable difference in temps and still gives the system adequate cooling. anyone else noticing this? nice case btw, love the clean design
This case may have been
This case may have been designed with AIO (clc?) intended for the front. The sliding top fan mount although cool doesn’t seem to have the height I would like with the config in this build. It seems to descend into the upper motherboard area too much. I suppose you could pull that sliding fan mount out for memory swaps, etc. Currently I’m more interested in pushing my graphics card rather than my CPU so I like the AIO exhausting out the top. As a Fractal owner this one is definitely on the short list for the next build.
How many fans did you use in
How many fans did you use in the Evolv ATX when doing the noise test?
All 3 140mm as mounted from
All 3 140mm as mounted from the factory were used for EVOLV testing, and just the one included fan was used with the Enthoo Pro. I used the upper bracket for the cooler installation with the EVOLV ATX so I could test temps/noise without removing any fans. The EVOLV has a big noise advantage with components under load because it has very sparse venting along the edges, and the Enthoo Pro M has the big front/top vents.
This case doesn’t know what
This case doesn’t know what it wants to be. While the slide out components and magnetic filters show an aire of modular design for people who like playing with new parts, the SSD mount and harddrive solutions seem clunky at best. The metal looks quite thin in the photos, and the idea that I need to take both sides off to do heavy work shows they got half way to a new design and filled in the holes with today’s defacto placements. While the harddrive plate sticking out is a nice minimalist design feature, I cant imagine they used high enough quality materials at this price point to make it feel solid enough for me to feel better about suspending a $150 drive.
They tried, they had a couple of evolutionary ideas, but nothing that changes the game. It makes me wish my corsair case had a slide out tray and magnetic filters, but not enough to purchase this case in its stead. Is this alot for a case these days? For under $100 There isn’t much to complain about as far as price to feature ratios, but I would gladly pay more for a solid feeling version with more HDD trays included.
Still deciding on whether I
Still deciding on whether I should replace my Lian Li (Lancool) PC-K7B I have had for years now. I like many things about this case, but there are things that wouldn’t get me to buy this to replace my current case. I wonder why the put the front port stuff on the side of the case. Why didn’t they put it on the top like Lian Li and Fractal do, or on the front. It seems very impractical to me where they put the ports. If you have the computer standing on the floor, next to your desk, accessing those ports would be extremely inconvenient. I would be much more inclined to get another Lian Li or a Fractal Design case, at least for where my computer sits.