Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass
A lesson in efficient chassis design
A QUICK HEADS-UP: You’re going to read the beginning of this review and say, “What on earth are you on about?” But keep on reading and hear us out before you turn the page, because hopefully it’ll all make sense. Probably.
If there’s one thing that separates a good manufacturer from a bad one, it’s intelligent use of design. Take VW, for example, or more specifically, the VW Group. Across a broad range of its vehicles—from its SUVs to its hot hatches to its sports cars—it uses a single chassis design: the MQB platform. Whether it’s a $44,000 Audi TT, a $21,000 VW Beetle, or a $31,000 4x4 Tiguan SUV, at the heart of them all lies the MQB chassis. There’s good reason for this: The design is modular, it’s easy to adapt, and with an arsenal of easily attachable components and panels, whatever you need it to be, it can be. It’s versatile, it’s adaptable, and, most importantly, it saves a ton of money for Volkswagen, which means bigger savings can be passed on to the buyer. In theory, at least.
The reason we’re bringing this up so flippantly is because Phanteks seems to be following a very similar methodology with its tower case lineup, albeit without the grandiose nature and a mass arsenal of brands to power it. The Evolv ATX, Evolv ATX TG, Enthoo Pro M, Enthoo Pro M TG, Eclipse P400, and Eclipse P400S all, at their core, feature the same internal chassis, the same internal layout, and the same feature set, which is no bad thing.
With it, you get support for up to E-ATX motherboards, rear-mounting SSD trays, cable grommets, a huge CPU tray cutout, integrated Velcro ties, liquid-cooling pump-mounting brackets, a sliding top radiator bracket, noise dampening as standard, a front SSD mount, a PCIe cable pass-through cutout, and some seriously solid ventilation at both the top and bottom of your PSU cover.
On top of all that craziness, Phanteks has also managed to bake in a 5.25-inch drive cage and extensive cooling support, for up to three 120mm or two 140mm fans in the front, ditto in the roof, and a single 140mm fan in the rear. It’s an absolute beast, to say the least, and the fact that the company is pushing this internal chassis, or a very similar design, into a wide array of its products is a blessing.
Why? Well, simply put, regardless of whether you invest $190 into a premium case or $70 into a budget variant, you’re essentially still getting the same compatibility, and the same quality of life improvements. It makes a world of difference. Of course, there’s always going to be some cost cutting when it comes to these things, but for the money, it’s hard to find a better specced case.
That doesn’t mean the Enthoo Pro M is flawless. It’s a nice budget chassis, for sure, but it does lack some of the pizzazz you’ll find in the other offerings, even the cheaper ones. Its saving grace is that extensive compatibility we mentioned earlier. The big advantage, however, is the 5.25-inch bay—with so few cases on the market nowadays supporting the old standard, if you’re clinging on to your old CD drive, the Pro M may be your last bastion when it comes to buying a modern chassis.