Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ATX Tempered Glass Edition Case Review

When I first saw this case I was immediately impressed with the outward appearance and by how much flexibility Phanteks has built into the case with very little clutter.  The Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV Tempered Glass Edition takes the design one step further by replacing the standard side panels with shaded tempered glass and improving the LED lighting system to support 10 colors and Phanteks LED lighting strips.

The motherboard sits vertical like in a standard tower case with the power supply at the bottom under a decorative case divider.  In the basement of the Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV you will find a 3.5” HDD drive rack that supports both 3.5” and 2.5” hard drives on removable trays.  Two SSDs can be mounted vertically on the backside of the motherboard tray and if you need one more it can be placed on the motherboard side of the case divider.  Personally I’m still a fan of having external 5.25” drive bays in my main machine but for a high-end enthusiast build with watercooling it is reasonable to say you won’t need it.

Cooling is handled by a three 140mm fans located at the front and back of the case but can be expanded to support additional fans at the top along with radiators at every location matching whatever fans happen to be installed.  AIO and DIY watercooling are supported with the preference for DIY given the included pump mounting bracket and slotted locations specifically for it.  Of course AIO cooling is rather simple and takes up less space but cannot support both CPU and GPU on the same loop which will multiply the number of radiators needed to be installed. 

Getting air into the case is a bit of a concern.  The front panel does have venting along the sides however the top panel is somewhat restrictive with smaller vents along the sides.  Given how many fans are supported in that location I would have expected a larger vent. 

Case construction is extremely good with solid connections at each corner and well rounded edges.  The aluminum panels are available in three colors with the version in this review being the Anthracite Grey which accents the black interior quite well.  Many of the case panels are removable to aid in system installation including the top and lower drive rack.

In terms of customizations there is a very short list given that most everything you would need to do to this case has already been done.  I would like to see the front bezel be offered in a mesh version to both improve airflow and show off any LED fans you may install.  I am also surprised that Phanteks didn’t retain the same window pattern on the Tempered Glass that obscured the PSU location, nice thing is that sort of situation is easy to remedy with some masking tape and spray paint.. 

Solid Construction
Tempered Glass Side Panels
Thick Aluminum Panels
Open Interior Design
USB 3.0 Support
Unique Modern Style
10 Color LED Controller
PWM Fan Hub

Restrictive cooling though case panels
No external drive bay
Watecooling wipes out most internal storage