Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass Review

Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass Review

Manufacturer: Phanteks
UK price (as reviewed): £87.95 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): Currently unavailable

It appears to be a good time to be a supplier of tempered glass, as more and more case manufacturers are seeing fit to release either new or refreshed editions of cases sporting the rather desirable. Joining the list now is Phanteks, who in the last few years has demonstrated consistent competence in case design and will now be releasing a slew of updated glass-equipped models from its catalogue. With us today is the Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass, which is technically the third iteration of the same internal design since the original Enthoo Pro M was pretty much the same as the Enthoo Evolv ATX with a basic and more cost-effective exterior.


The original case did have a window occupying around two thirds of the left steel side panel but now the entire panel has been replaced by a thick tempered glass one, which will benefit anyone that's really looking to show off their hardware – those who invest in custom water-cooling or fancy lighting setups, for example. There's also an Enthoo Pro M Window Edition that uses acrylic rather than tempered glass for this panel. Nonetheless, here the window has a slight tint but it doesn't occlude your hardware all that much – it's nowhere near as strong as that on the BitFenix Aurora for example, where lighting is a necessity to see anything inside the case.

The Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass is built for airflow as evidenced by the mesh sections that dominate the roof and front sections, and its ability to house up to seven 120mm or five 140mm fans. One other welcome change compared to the original case is the inclusion of a second 140mm fan to complement the rear 140mm exhaust fan. It's fitted as a front intake, and the two fans have been upgraded to newer models that Phanteks naturally claims are better performers.


Elsewhere, it's pretty much business as usual here with no major changes that we can see compared to the Enthoo Pro M. You still get the single optical drive bay and build quality as a whole is good – the case holds together well and while plastic is used on the front panel it's solid and treated with a decent looking brushed aluminium effect. The case still uses foam rather than rubber feet, although grip on our smooth desk was still fine.

The large, top-mounted power button is joined by side-facing audio ports, USB 3.0 connectors and a small reset button. Sensibly, these are on the same side as the window. The power button is a tiny bit wobbly but otherwise we've no complaints regarding the I/O connectivity. External fan control would be a nice touch, but users can buy Phanteks' PWM fan hub if they wish.


For dust filtering, Phanteks has stuck with the same systems as before. The roof, front and PSU are pleasingly all covered by removable filters. The top one is magnetic, sitting neatly in a slightly recessed portion of the steel roof. The PSU one slides out and there's enough clearance to make reinserting it post-cleaning a breeze. The front one is a little more awkward to get at, as you have to pull off the front panel entirely before clipping it out but this is easy to do so it's not a major issue.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 235 x 500 x 480 (W x D x H)
  
• Material Steel, plastic, tempered glass
  
• Available colours Black
  
• Weight 7.4kg
  
• Front panel Power, reset, 2 x USB 3.0, stereo, microphone
  
• Drive bays 1 x external 5.25in, 2 x 3.5in/2.5in, 1 x 2.5in (extra 6 x 3.5in/2.5in and 2 x 2.5in drives supported via extra brackets purchased separately)
  
• Form factor(s) E-ATX (up to 264mm wide), ATX, micro-ATX, mini-ITX
  
• Cooling 1 x 140mm/120mm rear fan mount (140mm fan included), 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm front fan mounts (1 x 140mm fan included), 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm roof fan mounts (fans not included)
  
• CPU cooler clearance 194mm
  
• Maximum graphics card length 420mm (300mm with HDD bracket installed)
  
• Extras Removable dust filters, integrated pump and reservoir mounts