Enermax Fulmo GT Full Tower Review

The computer chassis market is one of the most competitive in the tech industry with many companies fighting for market share. Today we are looking at the Enermax Fulmo GT ... a high cost case which offers ultimate cooling performance with multi GPU support. When I first got involved in the PC enthusiast sector power supplies were a primary focus for Enermax. In recent years Enermax expanded their portfolio to include keyboards and mice, CPU coolers, fans, power supplies and cases. They have had no option if they want to survive. There are so many different styles of computer chassis available that it can be difficult to choose the one that is perfectly suited for your particular needs. They must offer a competitive list of features to even stand a chance of making a short list. On review today, is the Enermax Fulmo GT, which is the latest full tower chassis from Enermax. This massive case is supplied with four top panel USB 3.0 ports, a hot swap dock, 1 eSATA port, a fan controller, 5 fans, and a complete assortment of hardware that even includes a set of four wheels. Key Features: Specifications: Fulmo GT Model ECA1092AG-BL Type ATX Full Tower ("Jumbo Tower") Dimensions (mm) D 674 x W 235 x H 640 Material 0,8mm SECC Drive Bays ODD 4 Drive Bays HDD 2,5"/3,5" 10 M/B Micro ATX to HPTX Power Supply 2x ATX12V (optional) I/O on top side 4x USB 3.0, 1x eSATA, HD/AC’97 Audio Hot-swap Dock 2.5“/3.5“ Top side Air Cooling - Front pre-installed: 1x blue 18cm Vegas fan Air Cooling - Left Side pre-installed: 2x blue 18cm Vegas fans optional: 2x 18cm fans Air Cooling - Right Side optional: 1x 9/12cm fan (max. 20mm depth) Air Cooling - Top pre-installed: 1x 23cm fan optional: 1x 23cm fan Air Cooling - Bottom optional: 1x 23cm fan or 2x 12/14cm fans Air Cooling - Rear pre-installed: 1x 14cm fan Air Cooling - Inside optional: 2x 14cm fans (HDD Cooling) Max. Length Graphics Cards 425mm Max. CPU Cooler Height 190mm (170mm with side fans) Expansion Slots 10x Liquid Cooling Holes 7x . The Enermax Fulmo GT is packaged in a sturdy cardboard shell. The front side of the box features a large image of the Fulmo GT being struck numerous times by lightning. Turning the box around to the opposite side, the top half has a large image displaying the dual power supply mounting locations. The lower half features several small images that focus on key features found in the Fulmo GT. Listed on one end of the box are the full product specifications. This list is both long and impressive adding to our building anticipation of opening the box and peeking inside. The case is protected with Styrofoam inserts and a plastic bag for additional protection during shipping. Enermax have supplied an extensive hardware kit consisting of several small bags of screws and accessories. Each bag is individually labeled making it easy to know exactly which screws to use for each step of the system build. With the Fulmo GT completely unwrapped we can fully appreciate just how large this case is. The Fulmo GT Full Tower stands just over 66cm or 26" tall with the four wheels installed. The design lines of the Fulmo GT are very clean and distinct, accented with 2 silver lines on each side which run the entire length of the front and top panels. The left side panel has a very large cutout covered with a steel mesh grill. Behind the grill there are 2 x 180mm Enermax Vegas fans installed with room for two additional 180mm fans. The opposite side panel is solid with the exception of a 120mm fan mounting position. Not many cases have this option but it allows for improved air flow behind the motherboard, useful for highly overclocked situations. The front panel features a large honeycomb mesh grill that hides the front loaded 180mm Vegas fan. It comes as no surprise that this panel is equipped with a dust filter as well. The 5.25" bays all have easy to remove, metal mesh grills which also include dust filters. The front edge of the top panel is loaded with 4 USB 3.0 ports, 2 audio jacks, an eSATA port, and the Power/Reset buttons and LED indicators. Directly behind them is the fan speed controller, the LED light power button and a hot-swap drive dock capable of hosting either 2.5" or 3.5" hard drives. The remainder of the top panel is predominantly made up of a steel mesh grill, however no dust filter is included. Looking at the bottom panel of the Fulmo GT there is a large cutout which is covered by a mesh grill for optimal airflow. There are four large plastic supports at the bottom which serve as feet to elevate the chassis off the floor. Enermax provide four wheels that can be added to the base which really simplifies the process of moving this monster. Simply remove the two feet at the rear of the case and attach the wheels with the screws found in the appropriate bag from the hardware kit. With the side panel removed we get our first good look inside the Fulmo GT. The all black interior works well with a case this size, and if you are looking for some serious real estate the Fulmo GT has plenty of space available. There are 12 cable management cutouts all with rubber grommets which will make hiding cables an easy task. The motherboard tray has a large cutout to assist with changing cooling solutions. This cutout virtually eliminates the need to remove the board to change coolers making installations much quicker. With the case laying on its side we can see the monster size 230mm exhaust fan that is loaded on the top panel. Just below the 230mm fan Enermax have also included a single 140mm rear mounted exhaust fan. With the 5 fans that are included in the Fulmo GT from the factory, we should experience excellent airflow. A power supply can be mounted in two separate places in the Fulmo GT. We are using the bottom mount position for our system build today rather then the option to use the top mounted configuration. The Fulmo GT has a massive drive cage with 10 drive trays available for storage. We can load as many as 10 x 2.5" or 3.5" hard drives in individual, removable drive trays. Thankfully there are plenty of screws in the hardware kit designated for hard drives. The direction of the drive cage means that all cables will be hidden behind the motherboard tray. Optical drive mounting in the Fulmo GT is a tool free design. Simply push the locking mechanism towards the rear of the chassis to unlock it, insert the drive in the chosen location then slide the locking mechanism towards the front of the case to lock it in place. Here we have an image of the connections that originate on the top I/O panel. This includes all the cables to hook up the 4 USB 3.0 ports. 1 eSATA port, audio jacks, the power and hard drive LED's and finally the Power/Reset buttons. Inside the Fulmo GT there are 2 small PCB's mounted on the motherboard tray. The one closest to the CPU socket has a molex input to power up to 3 fans that can be attached to the PCB. The 2nd PCB has a row of 2pin connections that power the LED functionality of the Vegas Fans. The rear panel allows us to view the 2 power supply mounting positions. We plan to use the bottom mounting position for our system build. There remainder of the rear panel consists of 10 expansion slots, 7 liquid cooling cutouts, the I/O shield cutout and a single 140mm exhaust fan. To test the Enermax Fulmo GT we will be using the Phenom II x6 1090T CPU matched with a MSI 970A-G46 motherboard. For today’s testing we will be using the Xigmatek Venus XP-SD1266 to cool the CPU. Below is a diagram that indicates the default airflow of the Enermax Fulmo GT chassis. Test System Chassis: Enermax Fulmo GT Full Tower Processor: Phenom II x6 1090T Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 Cooler: Xigmatek Venus XP-SD1266 Memory: 8 GB DDR III 1600 Storage: Samsung 150 GB Sata II Power Supply: Silverstone 850 watt Graphics Card: HIS 5570 Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) Everest Ultimate Edition Prime 95 Digital Sound Level Noise Decibel Meter Style 2 For the temperature tests, we used Prime95 to load the system for 15 minutes and then recorded the results. We then let the system remain idle at the desktop for 15 minutes before recording the results. The 5 fans in the Fulmo are running at full speed for this test. The ambient temperature was maintained at 21c for the duration of the tests. The temperature results are very positive. The five fans in the Fulmo GT produce good airflow while remaining relatively uninstrusive. The Phenom II x6 1090T maxed out at 47c with the smart fan option enabled in the BIOS to control the CPU fan speed. We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built our test system to be as quiet as possible. We can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate specifically on the individual components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635. Today to test the chassis we have taken it into our acoustics room and have set our Digital Sound Level Noise Decibel Meter Style 2 one meter away from the case. This represents a real world situation and gives us an accurate reading of the noise level produced by the fans in the Enermax Fulmo GT Full Tower. As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels. KitGuru noise guide 10dBA - Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves 20-25dBA – Whisper 30dBA – High Quality Computer fan 40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator 50dBA - Normal Conversation 60dBA - Laughter 70dBA - Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer 80dBA - City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal 90dBA - Motorcycle or Lawnmower 100dBA - MP3 player at maximum output 110dBA - Orchestra 120dBA - Front row rock concert/Jet Engine 130dBA - Threshold of Pain 140dBA - Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range) 160dBA - Instant Perforation of eardrum We are using a passively cooled HIS 5570 graphics card to eliminate as much noise as possible. We enabled smart fan to control the fan speed of our CPU while the fans that are included were set to run at full speed. The factory configuration produced a dBA reading of 42.6 dBA. While far from silent they don't create any high pitched frequencies that would be considered annoying. Enermax have been in this business for a long time and have produced many quality products along the way. The Fulmo GT full tower is a good example of their commitment to high quality craftsmanship. The interior of the Fulmo GT is enormous, providing more than enough room for any type of build. There are a dozen cable management cutouts which all have rubber grommets that protect the power supply cables against any long term abrasion. The Fulmo GT gives the option to mount a power supply at the bottom or at the top of the case. The factory cooling configuration consists of five fans. There is a 140mm rear exhaust fan, a 230mm top exhaust fan, a 180mm Vegas front intake fan and two 180mm Vegas intake fans mounted on the left side panel. The LEDs of the 3 Vegas fans can be set to run through several different patterns. I don't really like flashing lights, but I am sure that other people will enjoy the option. If the default factory cooling is not enough, the Fulmo GT can handle a maximum of 10 fans which will cover an audience who want the maximum possible airflow. Additionally, for those who water cool there are seven cutouts with rubber grommets on the rear panel and the case can accommodate radiators up to a maximum size of 420mm. The Fulmo GT is not a case you can hide in a corner of the room, it stands 26 inches tall and is also very long. Enermax provide a set of four wheels that attach to the bottom of the Fulmo GT, if you need to move it around on a regular basis. The Enermax Fulmo GT is a feature filled chassis. It is very easy to work with thanks to the spacious interior and the five fans produce a high level of airflow. It is an expensive case however, retailing for £184 inc vat in the UK, via SCAN. Pros: Clean layout and design. 5 fans included from the factory. great cable management options. extremely spacious interior. Hot Swap drive bay. Cons: Expensive. Top USB 3.0 ports require a connection to the motherboard.