Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL Review

Performance Analysis

The standard cooling performance for micro-ATX systems is top notch, with the Mini XL being the fourth best case for CPU cooling and the fifth best for GPU cooling. We have no complaints really, as the noise level is audible but not loud, and there is clearly plenty of headroom to actually utilise the PWM fan hub properly to lower noise output rather than running them at full speed as we do. Oddly, removing the HDD cages actually sees the CPU temperature rise a little (though the GPU is cooled better as expected) – it's possible that they actually help direct airflow towards the CPU cooler.

For the mini-ITX system by itself, we see poor CPU cooling matched to great GPU cooling. In fairness, our chosen fan position (roof exhaust) may not have been the best choice, as it isn't aligned with the CPU cooler. We could have fitted it as an intake, though then the case wouldn't have had a real way of exhausting heat. The GPU cooling is great though; both with and without the HDD cages, the graphics card receives a good supply of cool air from the front fans.


We also thought it would be fun to have both systems running under full load at the same time. Impressively, the micro-ATX system doesn't suffer a whole lot like this. In fact, the CPU temperature only increases by 2°C, despite it no longer having an exhaust fan behind it. The GPU goes up by 6°C – it is battling with the SFX PSU intake fan, after all but it's still a decent result that's still cooler than a number of single-system cases. Still, we wouldn't want to use an air-cooled SLI system in this manner.

The mini-ITX system does suffer a lot, however, with the CPU increasing by 10°C and the GPU by a massive 15°C. Evidently, the micro-ATX system receives most of the cool air. The larger system's CPU fan is just in front of the intake fan on the ITX graphics card, taking most of the air in. What's left goes to the GPU, with barely any reaching the CPU, hence the large increase. Again, having that roof exhaust as an intake might have helped in retrospect, but the case has so many possible cooling configurations that it would take an age to test them all. Even so, it's honestly pretty impressive that the two systems survived the thermal tests. Remember, this is two full systems with overclocked CPUs and fan-locked GPUs in a single enclosure running at full load, and the case was able to keep the components cool enough to prevent throttling with just three fans and without excessive noise.

Conclusion

Phanteks' innovation in the case market continues to please us. Its latest case here brings something new to the table while retaining everything that has made its previous efforts so great – excellent build quality and ease of use, supreme cable routing and extra touches that you just don't see often at all, like the fan hub and water-cooling accessories.

Clearly, this is a very niche chassis. For those sticking to micro-ATX, it's a great choice for those who don't mind dimensions closer to a mid or even full tower, especially if you want to cram a load of storage and water-cooling inside. Indeed, a good example of a great micro-ATX build using this very chassis came across our desks just last week in the form of Overclockers UK's Infin8 Nebula. There are clearly plenty of cheaper options for large cases that can house micro-ATX systems (including numerous ATX towers). The Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 also has lots of water-cooling support and is almost half the price, but the Mini XL gives you far more options still with regards to liquid cooling and drive mounts and is, of course, a much nicer and more premium chassis externally too.

The crowd of people looking to install two systems in a single case is likely to be even smaller; after all, it hasn't even really been an option until now. In this instance, there are a lot of considerations to be made with regards to spacing, component size, airflow and cabling, but with forethought and planning it's certainly possible to do some really interesting things with the Mini XL – there's really very little else like it.