httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBfrTMpRULk
What’s goin on guys, Jerry Neutron here and today we’re gonna take a look at what is probably my favorite case when it comes to build quality. This is the Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV, a micro-ATX, premium version of the EVOLV case I reviewed previously.
The great thing about this case is all of the outer panels are made of a thick aluminum which gives it a super premium feel. You definitely don’t see this often so the moment I got to hold the case in my hands I was like whoa!
The panels aren’t perfect though as there is quite a bit of noticeable orange peel in the paint so I would like to see them address that in the future.
One thing I like about this case is all of the panels are removable without any tools so it makes breaking down the case a breeze.
If we take a look at the front you’ll notice a nicely shaved aluminum panel absent of any USB ports or power buttons with only a small LED light towards the bottom.
In case you were wondering, the front I/O has been moved to the right side panel in order to keep the front looking clean. I personally don’t mind this but I would like to see 4 USB ports instead of 2, I don’t think that’s too much to ask considering the price of this case.
Taking off the front panel will reveal a removable dust filter and swappable LED along with an included 200mm fan underneath that. The fan can be swapped out for dual 120 or 140mm fans OR up to a 240mm radiator.
The top panel features these small mesh covered vents to allow for airflow out of the top of the case. And if we remove it, you can see there is room to mount dual 120 or 140mm fans OR up to a 280mm radiator.
At the rear of the case you’ll find a plate for installation of an optical drive. I’m not sure how functional it is being at the rear of the case but it is nice to see them find a way to include it for those who are not ready to give up those discs just yet.
You also get your rear I/O, exhaust fan mount, four PCI slots and a bottom mounted power supply with a removable dust filter.
On the left side panel you’ll see a large tinted window to display your components. Side windows are pretty much a must have in cases these days so it’s nice to see them incorporate that although I do prefer what they’ve done with the side window in the ITX version. Although this one was done this way for a reason as you’ll see once we open up the side panel.
Also to quickly note, both side panels are hinged so they simply swing open anytime you need access to the interior of the case. You can take them off if need be but there are no thumb screws to deal with in this case which I enjoy thoroughly.
And taking a look on the inside you can see what we’re working with. It’s kind of like a dual chamber setup where you’ve got your main components up top and then things like your power supply and hard drives sit on the bottom.
Looking at the main compartment you can see the included 140mm fan which can be swapped out for either a 120mm fan or a 120 or 140mm radiator.
Just above that is where you’ll install the optical drive bracket if you need it.
There’s your motherboard mounting location with a large CPU cooler cutout. You can use either a micro-ATX or mini-ITX motherboard with this case. You’ve got a few rubber grommets for cable management. And if you’re wondering about this large plate towards the front of the case, this is called the multifunctional side bracket.
On this bracket you can mount several things like an additional hard drive or SSD or even a reservoir or pump bracket. This is a nice touch as it can give you some extra options for your build and I actually had to use this for mine which you will see in a moment.
Moving to the other side of the case you’ll find dual SSD mounting locations, although it only comes with one SSD bracket. I don’t know why they haven’t included two brackets with a premium case like this but that would be nice to see.
You also get a fan hub which will allow you to run up to 6 fans off of a single PWM signal.
And the case comes with velcro straps for your cable management.
In the lower compartment there is a drive cage for installing either two 3.5″ or 2.5″ drives. This cage can be removed if you wish and an included pump bracket can be installed in its place. In fact I actually had to remove this drive cage when building in this case due to my power supply. It appears that if you are using a longer than average power supply like the be quiet! Power Zone there isn’t enough room to route cables with both the drive cage and PSU installed.
So in that case I mounted my 3.5″ drive on the multifunctional side bracket.
Other than that, I didn’t run into any issues building in this case. The cables on my power supply are a little long for a case of this size so it doesn’t look the greatest back there but you can’t tell at all from the main compartment.
It also had no issues fitting my 290x graphics card as there is enough clearance for cards up to 318mm and it fit my be quiet! cooler just fine as it accepts CPU coolers up to 192mm.
So overall I do enjoy this case quite a bit and I wish more manufacturers would build aluminum cases like this. I know they aren’t as cost friendly but it just takes the build quality to a whole other level. Pair that with the watercooling friendliness of Phanteks and you could have a pretty bad ass, premium, watercooling beast!
So that’s about it guys, let me know what you think about this case down in the comments below. Also check out my review on the ITX version in the description and let me know which version you like better.
Don’t forget to like this video if you’ve found it helpful or entertaining, subscribe for more similar content and until next time…see ya!
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Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWfpOcsdIN0
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