Thoughts on Phanteks’ Enthoo Luxe PC case.


  1. Posts : 5,899
    Win 11 Pro (x64) 22H2
       #1

    Thoughts on Phanteks’ Enthoo Luxe PC case.


    Well a few weeks back I broke my leg while visiting my daughter in N.Y. for her baby shower. With that, I’m back at home now and stuck in the house since I have to wear a cast for another 8 weeks.

    Anyway since I’m bored I thought I’d post my new, and old systems here for show. Was going to post this review elsewhere, but decided to post here…

    Nice case but It couldn’t replace my HAF X

    -_adm5131.jpg

    I originally bought the Phanteks Enthoo Luxe to go with my new Skylake build, but after seeing how low it sat on my carpeted floor, and given the tight space it needed to fit in, I became a concern. Unfortunately, on the test run of pushing and pulling the case in and out of its designated spot revealed how easily the rubber feet on the bottom can be pulled off by the friction of dragging the case across the carpeted floor. And this was when the case was empty!

    For this very reason it couldn’t replace my Cooler Master Case, which comes with small castor wheels that 1) allows for easy maneuver in tight places, and 2) raises the case off the floor about an inch.

    I also feel like the HAF X case is more tolerant of air cooling as it has more open vents in the front than the Luxe. Even the drive bay front plates are vented, whereas on the Luxe they are solid sheet metal.

    And where the front grill on the HAF X is fully vented without need to remove any covers, you’ll need to remove the Luxe’s removable metal cover that blocks most of the front fan vents. Unfortunately doing this reveals 4 screw studs sticking out in the front of the fan vent making for an unsightly view.

    With that, in my opinion, the HAF X seems more suitable to air cooling, especially in tight spaces, whereas the luxe is more suitable to water cooling. That said, the Enthoo Luxe is well vented for air cooling, just not as vented as the HAF-X.

    All that said, I was going to return the case, but instead decided to keep it for my backup system since my aging Antec P182 case was getting cramped and breaking down. Plus, the P182 couldn’t handle my Corsair 240mm AIO CPU cooler, so the Phanteks turned out to be a perfect replacement to the P182 housing my backup system which now comprises of…

    • Phanteks Enthoo Luxe
    • Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5
    • Intel i7-4790K
    • 32gig Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM (1866MHz)
    • Corsair AIO CPU cooler – H100i
    • Samsung 840 Pro 256gig (Windows 10 Pro x64 OS drive)
    • OCZ Vertex 4 (256gig) SSD (data)
    • Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB drive (Games/data)
    • Sapphire R9-280X Vapor X
    • Onboard soundcard – Creative Sound Core 3D
    • Lite-On DVD drive
    • EVGA Super Nova I000 G2 (1000 watt) PS
    • Windows 10 Pro x64

    -_adm5389.jpg

    -_adm5291_pel-f.jpg

    The Phanteks Enthoo Luxe is certainly a beautiful case; much better looking than Cooler Master’s HAF X. The Luxe comes in both black, and white, but I chose black, and Its brushed aluminum is certainly a beauty to look at…. as long as you keep it whipped down from fingerprints as it’s definitely a fingerprint magnet. Still it’s one beautiful looking case. The built-in wire management is excellent and makes for a nice clean looking setup...

    -pel-b_adm5287.jpg

    Likes….

    • Style
    • Case is highly customizable – removable bays, braces, and other items.
    • Excellent wire Management capabilities – Velcro tie straps
    • Exterior light strip along the sides of the case (top & front)
    • Removable Filters – Top, bottom, front
    • Various fan choices & location options
    • Built in central PVM fan hub
    • Removable hard drive bays (to allow for unencumbered front fan air flow)
    • Backside SSD locations without need of drive bay
    • Added accessories – screw box with additional screws. Water pump/reservoir bracket.

    Dislikes

    • No wheels
    • Air Management – not enough open vents
    • Rubberized sticky pads which can easily come off if case is dragged across floor/carpet
    • The removable front vent panel reveals 4 raised screw studs, killing aesthetics
    • Non-ventilated power supply cover (Really???)
    • Thin sheet metal material
    • Stock fans are loud!

    At the end of the day, this is still an excellent case, especially for what you get in under $150 bucks. It’s highly customizable, even in fans and locations, come with a central fan hub, and has exceptional looks. But for location of my main rig, this would house my main system. Well worth getting one of these.

    So now I present my new Skylake system housed in my HAF X case….

    • Cooler Master HAF X case
    • Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming GT MB (BIOS F7b)
    • Intel i7-6700K
    • 32gig Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM (3333MHz)
    • Corsair AIO CPU cooler – H115i
    • Samsung 950 Pro 512gig NVME SSD Card (Windows 10 Pro x64 OS drive)
    • Samsung 850 Pro 512gig SSD (data)
    • Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB drive (Games/data)
    • Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB drive (removable – backups)
    • Sapphire Tri-X R9 Fury GPU
    • SoundBlaster ZXR Soundcard
    • LG Blu-Ray disk recorder/player
    • EVGA Super Nova I000 P2 (1000 watt) PS
    • Windows 10 Pro x64


    -_adm5297-haf-f.jpg

    -_adm5305.jpg

    Case comparisons....

    -_adm5363.jpg

    -_adm5359.jpg

    -_adm5361.jpg

    Peace
      My Computers


  2. Posts : 1,113
    win 10
       #2

    Very nice sygnus21. Your attention to detail is awesome. Love how tidy it all is. Looks like the new case will work out very well.

    Best of luck with the new build and also with the leg healing up fast... :)
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 5,899
    Win 11 Pro (x64) 22H2
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks... on both the PC's and leg :)

    And I'm somewhat obsessive when it comes to wiring.

    Peace
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 2,086
    Windows 11 Pro 64
       #4

    That Skylake hardware looks great, sygnus21. Have fun with that and don't fall!

    I stuck a blue ray in mine as well, but I know two guys who recently built systems where (unlike me) money was no object. They didn't install cd rom/DVD/blue ray, said they will never use it and in their view their systems look better without it.

    With every install being downloaded from the net for the most recent version and music in the app stores some say that hardware for DESKTOPS is going the way of the dodo bird like the floppy drive. I know some like to watch movies. For me once in awhile on a laptop but at home I use the TV. In the last couple of years it's rare for me to use that drive.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 12,799
    Windows 11 Pro
       #5

    Excellent review and build, Drew. You did your normal excellent job. You do excellent builds always. You'll enjoy the new rig, I'm sure.

    I had the first Phanteks case built, The Phanteks Enthoo Primo. It was a great case, especially being their first entry into the case building market. I also have my HAF X case too and have recently thought of dragging it out for another build, if I ever get around to it. I loved the Primo. It is an excellent case, especially for water cooling. I have owned probably as many different cases as anyone on the forums, but I still think my all time favorite is the HAF X. If they would have just fixed a few minor problems that had nothing to do with it's primary function it would, IMO be the perfect case.

    Congratulations again on your usual excellent build and on the new rig. Extremely well done as always. Excellent review of cases too.

    Excellent pictures too. I don't know how you manage to take such good pictures always. :)
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 5,899
    Win 11 Pro (x64) 22H2
    Thread Starter
       #6

    specialkone said:
    That Skylake hardware looks great, sygnus21. Have fun with that and don't fall!

    I stuck a blue ray in mine as well, but I know two guys who recently built systems where (unlike me) money was no object. They didn't install cd rom/DVD/blue ray, said they will never use it and in their view their systems look better without it.
    Thanks.

    I've always use optical drives since I often play and record CD's on and from my PC. Lately I started watching movies as well, thus the Blu-Ray reader. Anyway I'm aware some people do use optical drives but for me, I'll always have on installed. That's me. YMMV

    Thanks.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 5,899
    Win 11 Pro (x64) 22H2
    Thread Starter
       #7

    essenbe said:
    Excellent review and build, Drew. You did your normal excellent job. You do excellent builds always. You'll enjoy the new rig, I'm sure.

    Yeah, I like it but I'm not so sure it's any faster than the backup system (Haswell). That said, the technology and options of the Z170X chipset makes it a worthy future proof upgrade.

    I had the first Phanteks case built, The Phanteks Enthoo Primo. It was a great case, especially being their first entry into the case building market. I also have my HAF X case too and have recently thought of dragging it out for another build, if I ever get around to it. I loved the Primo. It is an excellent case, especially for water cooling. I have owned probably as many different cases as anyone on the forums, but I still think my all time favorite is the HAF X. If they would have just fixed a few minor problems that had nothing to do with it's primary function it would, IMO be the perfect case.

    The Enthoo Luxe was my first Phanteks case and I really wanted to keep it with my primary build, but the space I need it in makes it an inconvenience since I'm always pulling the rig in and out of it's spot for routine maintenance and upgrades. Had they included some small wheel castors with the case it would have been perfect for my area. Nonetheless it's still a great case; well worth the price for what it does and what you get.

    Congratulations again on your usual excellent build and on the new rig. Extremely well done as always. Excellent review of cases too.

    Thanks.


    Excellent pictures too. I don't know how you manage to take such good pictures always. :)

    Being I'm a photographer, I always use my high end equipment (Nikon D800E, Nikon SB 800 flash) when doing shots like those above. I also try to make sure I have good light or use a flash where necessary. Good post processing techniques also helps. To be honest I put a lot of work in these shots as it makes good practice should I decide to go into product photography
    :)

    Thanks Steve, very much appreciated :)
      My Computers


  8. Posts : 16,623
    Windows 11 Pro X64
       #8

    Well done, Steve is right the pictures are like the build....Great quality!
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 5,899
    Win 11 Pro (x64) 22H2
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Thanks Dude, appreciate that :)
      My Computers


 

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