Conclusion
After all is said and done does the Pro leave us feeling excited about the case, or feeling regret that it could and maybe should have offered us more?
There are a few things that I would have liked to see the Pro come with. The first, and this was a complaint I had with the Primo is the lack of a true fan controller. True you get PWM but we all know that is not the same thing. Even cases priced as low as the NZXT Phantom give you a fan controller. Second would be even one more included fan. It just feels like there should have been a fan included for the top of the case. And lastly when it comes down to it this is a steel and plastic case with a fake brushed aluminum finish.
Sounds harsh right? Well now let’s look at what I liked about the case. The most impressive feature to me is how easily it is dismantled. If I am a modder and looking for my next case project I look no further than the Phanteks Pro. There are only a few things that I can think to mod, but if I wanted to it would take little extra work to do so. Throw in unmatched cable management, pass throughs in all the right places, a fantastic PSU shroud, and tons of storage options and that list of wants doesn’t look so bad. Not to mention that this case, though not probably the most ideal case to water cool due to size, does boast out of the box support for several radiators plus all the other watercooling goodies to boot. There is easily enough room left under that shroud to hide even a decent sized pump. And though I would have like to see another fan the cooling we have right now is good enough for even a little bit of overclocking on our super hot 3770K.
Bottom line, does this case deliver? Is it a value driven and driveable supercar? I say absolutely. At $99.99 for the windowed version from my favorite online store, this is a steal. If you are shopping in this price range currently this is your next case. ThinkComputers.org would like to award the Phanteks Enthoo Pro Case a 10 out of 10 score!
Pros:
– Mod Friendly
– Price
– Overall Design
– Cooling
– Build Quality
– Cable Management
Cons:
– Fan Control
– Plastic Finishes
– Could Use An Additional Fan
Just my 2 cents…
1) If you think that the case not having a fan controller is a bad thing, I guess we’re all entitled to our own opinion.
This being said; for folks that are into modding their case(s) – as you pointed out – they’re probably either going to remove the built-in fan controller anyway, so why have it? Personally, I much prefer to install my own controller.
2) If I were to buy this chassis, then the 1st thing I’m going to probably going to do is swap out the existing fans for something I like (or a fan that has better static pressure for radiators). So not having enough fans included in this rather inexpensive case doesn’t bother me.
3) While it’s always nice to have an entire chassis built from steel (or aluminum); for this chassis to come in under $100, sacrifices have to be made. Besides; most brushed aluminum finishes are fingerprint magnets, so if the plastic doesn’t have this trait, then I’m all for it.
Both a bog-standard controller and the PWM controller have their own advantages.
One thing I find no-one explores is that due to the way it works, you don’t get the buzzing at low speeds with the PWM that you tend to find with certain combinations of fans and controllers i.e Corsair fans with Bitfenix Hydra/NZXT Sentry etc.
If you’re controlling all fans at the same time, with decent software it is the far superior solution.
Brechan, thanks for the comments! I completely agree with you on all points here. But when you’re reviewing you have to point these things out.
1) Agreed it’s just something you see at this price range.
2) Understandable, but for most people shopping at this price range they’re not going to want to spend another $15-20 more per fan to replace them. That aside, they are actually quite nice fans, I would just have liked one more. And for water cooling of course you get your own and quite a few more. 😉
3)All true, and again for the sake of the review it just had to be pointed out.
Thanks for reading!
Very interesting point, I know what you’re talking about but it hadn’t occurred to me that the buzzing was absent. Plus one to Phanteks there.
I will semi disagree with you on the point of the PWM controller being superior. Yes there are a few nice fan controller suites that make it easy to control. However not until your into your OS do you have access to make any changes.
Additionally any decent add in controller is going to have more fan support and better functionality in the area of thermal performance. There is no way the small board that comes with the Pro can output at high levels as consistently and for as long while keeping heat build up under control. It is a fine place holder, but is no substitute.
Thanks for reading and keep commenting Adrian!
Thanks for responding to my “Reply” so soon, it means a lot.
Now; speaking of reviews, I realize it takes a lot of time to (upload, edit, etc.) produce a quality review of just about anything. But.
More sites are including the size of radiator supported for the particular product (usually PC chassis’) but completely forget to post the maximum thickness ( or heaven forbid thinness ).
For those of us that are considering a specific (new) chassis for an upcoming build, how difficult is it to post the maximum thickness of supported radiators?
Some company(s) are doing away with the “traditional ” fan controller, let alone 5 1/4″ bays altogether…
Those of us that water cool the old-fashioned way, may want this external 5 1/4″ bay specifically for a controller that can handle 20+ watts, which includes the D 5’s, the EK 4.0’s and the DDC’s.. So the inclusion a controller that can only handle only 12 watts (max) is wasted space. Better filled with something useful.