Phanteks Enthoo Luxe Review

Performance Analysis

The cooling performance of the Enthoo Luxe puts it right on par with the other two Enthoo cases, as its detla T results in its default arrangement are 1°C worse on the GPU and 1°C better on the CPU. The CPU result of 48°C is good, especially for a case this size, as normally only rather loud cases can do better than this, and the Enthoo Luxe is very much average in the noise department. With the fans at full speed the case is neither loud nor quiet. One slight irritation, however, is that we were forced to tighten the screws of the roof fan, as otherwise it was producing loud and annoying vibrations.

The GPU result of 50°C is a pretty mid-league result, though again we wouldn't expect much more than this given that it's a large case and there's only a single, relatively slow spinning 200mm fan feeding the GPU area by default.


As is often the case, removing the drive cages does nothing for CPU temperatures – it's the exhaust fans that are important here. That said, even the GPU only improves by 1°C, though this means that you can safely fill the drive cages without worrying about GPU temperatures spiralling out of control, though you may want to use the fan mounts on the cages for multi-GPU arrangements.

Conclusion

The few slips in build quality (e.g. the rattling fan and roof mesh not quite being flush) are not enough to detract from a third excellent chassis from Phanteks. The Enthoo Luxe arguably plays it relatively safe given that the other two Enthoo cases have been available for some time, but compared to the wider case market the Phanteks case still offers something a little special, which is becoming rarer in this market. The Corsair 750D, for example, is a great chassis that we ourselves recommend and that offers very similar features and cooling for a similar price, but also one that plays it much safer in terms of design. The Enthoo Luxe, on the other hand, has stand-out features and details almost everywhere that make it a joy to use, and visually it really makes an impression too.


The default cooling performance is fine, but there's loads of room to upgrade it both with air and water. The bundled pump and reservoir mounts, as well as the ability to fully disassemble the roof and optical drive cage, show what this chassis was really designed for – water-coolers will love it. The addition of lighting is subtle and pleasant, not overdone or tacky (and you can easily disable it anyway), though brightness control would be good to see. Then there's the PWM hub, a great way to easily control fan speeds without ever having to flick a switch or turn a dial. You're really getting a lot for your money here, and as such the Enthoo series of cases is a massive success. Hopefully Phanteks can keep this up and deliver excellence with its future presence in the case market – we're crossing our fingers for some small form factor models...