Phanteks Enthoo Pro Tempered Glass Overview
Available in just a black color scheme, the Enthoo Pro TG brings together a few textures and materials to give the case a nice, high-end look without being expensive. The steel body of the case is black inside and out, and while the front and top panels are plastic, Phanteks has applied a brushed look to them to more resemble brushed aluminum. Of course the tempered glass side panel adds not only a clear look into the case, but a more refined look than the previously available windowed side panel.
Starting out on the left side of the case gives us a good look at the tempered glass side panel that encompasses nearly the entire side of the case. Only a small strip of the frame of the case can be seen along the top and bottom of the case. The sides of the glass panel have a black border that helps hide the internal frame of the case, which helps keep things looking clean.
Phanteks has utilized a hinged solution for opening up this side of the case, which really works out quite nicely. Two thumbscrews on the right side of the glass panel keep it in place, while two hinges on the left side of the panel allow it to swing open once the thumbscrews have been removed. There is also a small spring-loaded “button” that helps push open the panel so you aren’t getting it all smudged up trying to open the case. One thing we did have to watch out for with this design is that the panel will swing all the way open if you let it, so make sure you are aware of your surroundings so you don’t end up with a shattered side panel.
The right side of the case is pretty barren, home only to a standard black side panel. Two thumbscrews at the back of the case keep the panel in place, and with them removed, the panel simply swings out and away from the case for easy removal.
Out front, we see a bit of a throwback look, as there are three 5.25″ ODD bays available just beneath a hinged panel concealing the front I/O offerings. While we are seeing less and less 5.25″ bays, we do appreciate their inclusion on the Enthoo Pro, as some user may still need an ODD or have use for a front-mounted fan controller or audio breakout box. Just below these drive bays is a rectangular cutout with a perforated metal screen used to keep a bit of dust out.
With the front facade removed, we see the single included 140mm fan, as well as the additional mounting options for 120mm and 140mm fans, and even a single 200mm fan option.
Taking a look at the back side of the front panel, we can see a removable dust filter that helps to keep the finer particles out of the case interior.
Below the front panel is a removable dust filter that is used to keep the two bottom fan mounts protected. Being able to access and remove this filter from the front is a great feature, and removing and inserting it is a breeze compared to other filter implementations we have seen over the years.
At the top of the front panel, hidden beneath a hinged door above the 5.25″ drive bays, is the front I/O layout. Two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, microphone and headphone jacks, a reset button, and an LED control button are all present. The LED control button can be used with Phanteks’ optional RGB products, and can adjust their lighting across 10 colors. We would have really liked to see a Type-C USB 3.1 port here, as more and more devices are coming with support for that standard, but we know there is still quite a cost premium to include that option.
Out back we are presented with a pretty standard case layout. There is room for a single 120mm or 140mm fan, and each size can be adjusted up or down depending on your components and preferences, and Phanteks has included a 140mm fan in this location. As this is considered a full tower case, there are eight expansion slots available for adding a number of graphics cards, sound cards, or other PCI slot components. While there is not an option for vertically mounting a GPU in the Ethoo Pro, there is a vertical ventilation section just to the side of the expansion slots. The bottom-mounted power supply can be mounted in one of two directions, again depending on your component and build needs. There is also a removable filter for the PSU at the rear of the case that can be removed from the back. We do wish this filter was just an extension of the front filter, so that it could be removed more easily.
Moving to the top of the case gives us a good look at the nearly full-length ventilation section that offers a number of fan and radiator mounting options, in both 120mm and 140mm varieties, up to 360mm or 420mm in length. A removable filter is held in place via magnets, a design we are seeing become more and more popular lately. To the front of the top panel is the illuminated power button, which changes colors when adjusted by the LED button up front.
Flipping the Enthoo Pro on its side gives us a look at the quite perforated bottom of the case. Seen here are the two lower dust filters, one removable from the front and protecting the fan mounts, and another that is removable from the rear, keeping dust out of the power supply. There are six feet with rubber pads that lift the body of the case up off of its sitting surface, allowing air to circulate underneath.
