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63 About this deal
As with every case we review, thermal performance is important, therefore, we shall measure this by running a series of tests to record CPU and GPU temperatures under load. For dual-PSU builds (not common, but maybe suitable for workstations that need extra power or redundancy), a second PSU mount is already present on the rear panel, but by default it’s blanked out by a cover plate. You’ll also be needing a PSU capable of linking with another, making this feature something of an advert for the Seasonic-built Phanteks Revolt Pro PSU, which can do just that. The integrated power supply shroud is also very spacious which means slotting the PSU into position is a stress-free task. The addition of a flap to cover all the excess cables is a great idea and does its job very well, even with the additional cables of this dual system setup.
You can get enough grip on the front panel to pull it off without having to lift the case, and this grants access to the magnetic front dust filter as well as the full-length bottom one, which slides out to the front and has a slot to make reinsertion as easy as possible. On the inside of the steel side panel, there are also magnetic filters covering the PSU intake area and the optional side fan-mount, and the external magnetic roof filter completes the picture – no area is left unguarded. Phanteks is using what it calls ‘high airflow dust filters’ for all locations except the roof, where a ‘regular’ (denser) filter is used to help combat dust falling in.
Expansion space for more than a decade of hardware
The only slight note of concern is the load temperature of the bottom graphics card. Being so close to the side panel means the bottom GPU does run a little hotter than what we would consider optimal, However, even with both systems under load, the temperature of the bottom card was still within acceptable limits. The left-hand side panel is typical of modern cases with a full tempered glass window, while the right-hand side panel is more traditional steel construction with a large airflow vent towards the front and smaller vent for the power supply at the rear.
Mounting the mini-ITX motherboard of the secondary system requires screwing four standoffs into the PSU shroud and swapping out the metal panel at the rear of the case for the mini-ITX cover. The motherboard then mounts to the PSU shroud in a vertical orientation and allows a graphics card to be installed vertically too. Support for multiple storage options up to eleven SSDs and four HDDs or up to three SSDs and twelve HDDs. This means that the Enthoo Pro II could be ideal for various scenarios, such as integrating two systems into one chassis for streaming, a dual system for busy professionals with the top system perfect for installing high-end desktop components maybe for video editing while utilising the bottom of the case for a mini-ITX gaming build. The fact that there are so many options with the Phanteks Enthoo Pro II is its strongest selling point in my mind. The case can be used for so many different scenarios in various configurations. If you are using a high-end PC for work during the day but want a separate system to use for gaming in the evening, it works for this.
Product Reviews
It seems as though Phanteks has thought of everything with the Enthoo Pro II, even the front I/O ports and buttons can be shared and split between two systems. Four USB 3.0 Type-A ports on the front panel can be split, so two for each system and the reset button/HDD LED on the front panel can be connected to the second system to use as a power-on switch and power LED. When Phanteks revealed the Enthoo Pro II earlier this year, I was in two minds about what to think of it and wondered whether people still want a full tower chassis for their home PC these days. However, since spending some time using the case and building a system inside, my mind is firmly made up, this is a great chassis! Inside the PSU shroud is enough space to fit up to a 280mm long power supply, there are also anti-vibration pads along the bottom of the chassis and on the side of the PSU shroud for the power supply to rest up against, as well as a cable cut-out with a rubber grommet to route cables through into the bottom section of the case. Alternatively, the bottom of the case can be used to house a second system. The Power supply shroud doubles up as a motherboard tray where a mini-ITX motherboard can be installed and a separate rear panel with a rear I/O cutout and three PCIe slots is used.
The main focus of the Enthoo Pro II is to provide a home for a huge amount of hardware. There are acres of space inside the chassis for water cooling, with four potential areas where big radiators can be installed. Both in the front panel and to the right of the top motherboard tray are mounting points for up to 480mm radiators, 420mm radiators can be installed in the roof and there is additional space in the floor of the chassis for a 360mm radiator too. And to keep the RGB enthusiasts happy, Phanteks has added its touch of lighting to the Enthoo Pro II. For me, the balance of RGB lighting is just right for this case, it's not too over the top and suits the design perfectly. The option of controlling RGB lighting effects with buttons on the front panel or connecting to a motherboard should suit everyone too. Building a dual system inside the Phanteks Enthoo Pro II was an absolute breeze and went much better than I was expecting. Phanteks has thought of everything with the Enthoo Pro II. Users have so many options and the case can be utilised for different scenarios with the support for dual systems, dual power supplies or a storage configuration that offers huge capacity for SSDs and HDDs. While on the subject of cable cut-outs, another feature that Phanteks has implemented well in the Enthoo Pro II, there are additional cut-outs with grommets along the side of the top motherboard tray, towards the front of the case for managing fan/SSD cables, as well as above and below the top motherboard tray. Radiators and fans can also be installed in the roof of the case. Up to 360mm radiators or up to three 120mm/140mm fans can be fitted here too. However, unlike the Enthoo 719, there is no coolant fill port integrated into the top panel.
Specifications
The phankteks Enthoo Elite is their best Case ever, I built My PC with that case, and I can tell you: It worths every dollar. For our thermal tests, we decided to focus on the front panel that Phanteks is so proud of. Since there were no fans included with the case, we used three of Phanteks’ own 140mm SK series PWM fans as front intake for baseline testing. We consider that a normal starting point for the target audience of this case. Again, we recognize that most users will install some form of liquid cooling in this case, so we’re primarily comparing the case against itself to test the front panel and various airflow configurations. Even with liquid cooling, air still flows the same way. Behind the right-hand steel side panel is a standard looking layout with some handy additions such as a hinged flap to cover up unsightly cables coming from the rear of the power supply. The Cable cover is secured to the chassis via two thumbscrews and it can be completely removed during installation to provide extra space.
To the left of the front panel are four removable SSD covers that allow 2.5-inch drives to be mounted on either side. With all the SSD covers removed it opens up another mounting point for radiators and fans at the front of the case, with support here for up to 480mm radiators or four 120mm fans. There is a difference though, what I was referring to was that the Xilence is also a Dual Computer Case, similar to the Phanteks’ Enthoo Pro II and IMO the Xilence wins hands down as a dual computer case. The Xilence is much better than photographs show it as, and weighs an absolute ton, the quality is there. Overall, the thermal performance of the Phanteks Enthoo Pro II is impressive. A combination of high airflow due to the mesh front panel and support for multiple radiators means that even when both systems are under load, there is no sign of the CPU or GPU in both systems getting too hot, and there was only a slight increase of CPU temperature in both systems. Load testing is conducted using Prime95 LFFTs and Kombustor “FurMark” stress testing simultaneously. Testing is completely automated using in-house scripting, and executes with perfect accuracy on every run.Other than the standard test suite, we did two more tests with the three 140mm intake fans: one without the filter, and one without the front panel or the filter. We tried doing these tests with the fans at full speed initially, but Phanteks’ 1500RPM SK fans pushed so much air that they erased any scaling, so that results with no front panel or filter were only one degree from baseline. That’s a promising result in itself, but we need to see some scaling, so we reran these tests with the fans set to the speed we used for noise normalized testing (45%). CPU Torture Inside the top section of the case is enough space for the installation of E-ATX motherboard which is the form factor chosen for our primary system build. Manoeuvring the motherboard into position is easy since there is plenty of space to the right-hand side, at the top of the case and a healthy gap to the PSU shroud. That said, we didn’t have a problem with the cable management features of the case with the configuration of the system we installed. There are a generous amount of cable cut-outs, pre-installed Velcro straps and additional cable tie-down points to use with zip ties. Adding more hardware to the system would mean more cables, which could get a little tight with the space provided.
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