Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Case Review

A Look Inside
Removing the windowed side panel, we find what feels like a very spacious interior. You really have to remind yourself that this is an ITX case that’s how roomy it feels. Mostly this is due to the extra width, at 9.1in it’s plenty wide; also due to the arrangement the main space does not feel very cluttered at all.

Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX

There are two small brown boxes in our review sample, these hold the “Drop and Lock” 3.5 HDD mount and the vibration dampening pump bracket. These are optional accessories and are available for $7.99 and $6.99 respectively. There is also a third brown box, this one is located in one of the HDD mounts around back and holds the accessories. We find several zip ties, some extra thumb screws and four zip ties for cable management. There is also a brief paper manual. The full manual can be found on the Enthoo Evolv ITX page.

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Back to the main compartment there are really two very interesting things to talk about. The first stands out quite easily. On the lower right there is a metal box with rubber mounts on top. The mounts are where you would attach either a “Drop and Lock” SSD mount or HDD mount. If you remove the rubber mounts, you can attach the water cooling pump bracket. All that is very cool, but what is actually more impressive is how the front of that box is hinged. Removing two thumb screws and lifting the metal door allows you to install a GPU up to 13 inches in length! We see so many ITX case build that are all stuck using small form GPU as there is no room to mount anything full size. Phanteks designed their way around that and as you’ll see in the install you will have no problem installing even dual GPU cards.

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Now as I mentioned there are actually two very notable design features being implemented here. The second is the removable radiator mounting bracket. That doesn’t sound that exciting to you? Well let me tell you, it is if you have ever installed a rad in a space like an ITX case. The bracket slides into rails that are on the top of the case. This allows you to install your radiator of choice; AIO or custom watercooling it doesn’t matter, outside the case. Once installed simply slide the bracket into place secure with screws and you’re done. The bracket is attached with four screws that are left unpainted so they can be identified more easily. Remove these, two from the front, two from the back and the bracket slides easily out. The bracket accepts radiators up to 280mm in size.

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Although not quite as exciting as the standout features, the rest of the interior is quite luxurious as well. We are treated to a cutout in the front of the PSU shroud to show off the side of the power supply. On the back panel there is a large cut out for access to the back of the motherboard which should make your cooler installation a breeze. And for cable routing we find a total of three grommeted pass throughs as well as five other additional pass throughs all with folded metal edges. All of the pass throughs are in essentially the perfect position to help with your cable management. You will have a harder time making a cluttered interior in the Evolv ITX than keeping your cables nice and clean.

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While I can guarantee you will have a clean interior of your main bay, the back panel is not likely to be as pretty. I can’t really blame Phanteks for this, it’s just the reality of the space an ITX rig provides; you are going to be a bit cluttered back here. In the middle of the back panel you will find two cable straps with the Phanteks logo. They will help a lot with restraining loose cables and ship holding the USB 3.0 mobo plug, as well as your standard motherboard adapters. You’ll find HD audio, case power, reset switch, HDD led, power led, and a 3 pin fan connector for the cases single fan. There is no fan hub on the Evolv ITX, you will have to either purchase one separately, or settle with running your case fans off the motherboard. Even though it will be cluttered in the back, you will find that you do have a really decent size space to install even a full size PSU. There should even be a small bit of space to spare in front of it which you can tuck some of your longer cables into.

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On the left of the PSU mounting area you will find a HDD mount with two brackets inside. These are the same quick install brackets that you will find in all Phanteks cases and I have absolutely no complaints about them. Like most things with the Phanteks name attached it really couldn’t get easier. Going up the back panel from the HDD mount you will find a SSD bracket installed in rubber “Drop and Lock” mounts. In total that gives us an impressive four mounting areas for drives in an ITX case.

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Another really nice feature of the Evolv ITX is the inclusion of dust filters at all the intake locations. You will find one on the bottom back for the PSU that simply pulls straight out. The other one is for the front 200mm PH-F200SP intake fan. This is accessed by removing the front panel. Simply pull out on the bottom of the panel gently. With the front panel removed pull on the handle of the front fan filter and it will pop off.

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With the front panel removed pull on the handle of the front fan filter and it will pop off.

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This is also how you will get access to the front fan if you need to remove it, change it, or clean it. It is possible to mount up to a 240mm radiator in place of the 200mm fan. At the bottom right you will find the LED for the case power. It shines down a channel in the front panel and lights up a clear plastic strip. Remove the rectangular plastic frame by taking out just four screws around the front of the chassis. This will get you down to the metal frame.

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The top of the case can be removed by taking out the 13 black screws around the bottom edge. With the top removed you have complete access to the interior of the case should you have the need.

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With the top removed you also have access to the power button should it need service or modding. As well as access to the power button you have access to back of the front panel inputs, which include the two USB 3.0 ports, audio jacks, and reset button.

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