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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!
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.
Streamers and content creators should love this case too, a primary system in the top section can be used for the resource-hungry workloads while the bottom system can be switched on when the top is fully utilised, to carry on with other work or simply installed with a video capture card for next-level content streaming performance.
Another option I think this case could be ideal for is to be used in the storage configuration for a home server or data backup while integrating a PC into the same case. This means there is no longer a need for two separate systems and two cases to make space for in your living room or home office.
With so many options available, I expected there would be some limitations with the Enthoo Pro II. There are, but they are very minor and certainly wouldn’t stop me from parting with my own money to buy this case. The main area where the case could be improved is the width of the chassis. Adding maybe 20-30mm to the width would allow a little more breathing room for the vertically mounted GPU at the bottom, as well as a little more space for cable management behind the motherboard tray.
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.
Another feature of the case that I was very impressed with is the extensive radiator support. With four positions for mounting large radiators, custom water-cooling enthusiasts should love this case. Alternatively, if custom water cooling is not your thing, then the radiator mounts can be populated with up to FIFTEEN 120mm fans, which should be more than enough to keep everyone happy.
Finally, we come to the aesthetics. I am happy that Phanteks has stuck to its tradition of an understated appearance with the Enthoo Pro II and you can see the DNA of the original model running through this new version, but with the welcome addition of that full length vented front panel. The original Enthoo Pro suffered from restricted front radiator mounting length, so its great to see this isn’t a problem with the Pro II.
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.
Priced at around £125, the Phanteks Enthoo Pro II represents astonishing value for money. The number of possibilities with this case reaches far beyond what some would call normal for a budget full tower chassis. Granted, not everyone wants a large case of this type, however for those that do, there isn’t much at all to complain about with the Enthoo Pro II, which makes it a must-have for anyone in the market for a well built feature-rich full tower chassis.
The Phanteks Enthoo Pro II with tempered glass is available to purchase from Overclockers UK now, priced at £124.99. An all-steel side panel version is also available for £115.99.
Pros
- Perfect for various scenarios.
- Great water cooling support.
- Dual system installation is easy.
- Excellent use of space.
- Supports an extensive range of hardware configurations.
Cons
- Bottom GPU fans very close to the case side panel
- Cable management a little tight behind the motherboard tray
KitGuru says: The feature-set of the Phanteks Enthoo Pro II makes it one of my favourite cases of the year so far. The modular design of the case means it can be configured for various usage scenarios and should please anyone looking for an affordable full tower chassis.
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