Enermax Equilence: Midi Tower With Dark Glass Panel Reviewed

Enermax has been an established manufacturer of coolers, power supplies, enclosures and other PC components for many years. With the Equilence Enermax wants to offer a quiet case with a simple design and a large dark glass pane. But how the case performs in practice and whether it can stand out against the wide range offered by other manufacturers is the subject of our detailed test.

Technical Details

The Enermax Equilence* is available since early 2018. The housing is only available in black. There is also a version without fan, which is not distributed in Germany.

Packaging and Scope of Delivery

Since the case has some fragile parts, good packaging is mandatory. Enermax packs the Equilence in Styrofoam. The left side with the glass was additionally padded and covered with a foil. The front part of the case is covered with a brown protective foil that can be removed easily. The connections at the front are protected with black plastic parts. They also serve as an optional design element.

A 3.5-inch hard disk slot inside the housing conceals the accessories in a small cardboard box. Included are:

• Miscellaneous screws incl. additional spare parts/screws for side panel mounting
• Different cable ties, two with Enermax logo (Velcro)
• two Enermax magnets (not very strong)
• Twelve screws for attaching fan to radiator

The accessories are sufficient and equipped with useful extras. Especially the screws for fastening to radiators are a practical addition. This would allow all supplied fans to be attached to radiators.

Exterior Impression

The optical focus is on the left side, which is completely made of dark, 4 mm thick glass. The glass is held by means of rubberized screws. The front part with a reflective surface is also conspicuous. Otherwise the case is completely in black. The choice of material is limited, apart from a few plastic parts, almost exclusively to steel.

The top cover is magnetically attached and can be easily removed by hand. The front part of the housing can also be dismantled without tools. Two 120 mm fans are hidden behind a magnetically attached dust filter. The lower side of the Equilence also has a removable dust filter at the level of the power supply.

The right side is fixed at the top with two screws and can be folded down and removed. With the appropriate amount of cable, the reattachment is somewhat easier than classic with 4 screws.

The front panel has enough USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports as well as the typical on/off and reset switches and two 3.5 mm jack ports. It is also possible to control fans connected to the front panel in three stages. A port for USB type C is missing.

Overall, the case leaves a very positive first impression. Optically the housing looks a little bit like. With the quality and feel of the individual parts, the Enermax Equilence leaves a positive overall impression.

Internal Impression

The interior of the Enermax Equilence looks tidy and clean at first glance. This is partly due to the separation of the mainboard and power supply room. There are various possibilities for cable routing. The openings above and below the mainboard are rubberized. Two points are particularly striking: On the one hand, an ATX mainboard is flush with the partition wall of the PSU room. On the other hand it is possible to mount a 240 mm radiator or fan to the right of the mainboard. Alternatively, the space can be used for other components of a water cooling system. Above the mainboard there is a lot of space, which could easily be used for a top radiator.

The power supply area is visible from the right side of the housing. Two 3.5-inch drives can be mounted next to it. However, these are not decoupled. Two 2.5-inch drives can be mounted behind the mainboard and between it and the front. There are also options for attaching cable ties to the housing.

In addition to the connection options of the front panel, such as the USB ports, six fans can be connected to the fan controller. The power is supplied via a SATA power cable.

All supplied fans are slightly rubberized at the corners to decouple them and reduce vibration.

Also the interior leaves, like the outer appearance of the case, a very high-quality and positive impression. The gap dimensions are all good, there are no sharp edges and everything looks stable and in the right place.

System Configuration in Enermax equilence

The following hardware is built into the Enermax Equilence:

The spacers for mainboards are pre-assembled ex works. The generous space above and to the side of the mainboard allows easy connection of cables. The case also offers plenty of space for the graphics card and the large CPU cooler.

The good and short possibilities of the cable routing between the power supply and mainboard area allow a very good cable management in the visible area. The supplied cable ties and Velcro fasteners can be used in the invisible area, nothing is pre-assembled. In addition, all data carriers can be mounted easily in this area and invisibly for the front area. The closing of the right side is possible without problems even with large amounts of cable.

The system setup with the mentioned hardware in equilence is simple and problem-free. The only point that could be improved is that Velcro fasteners are pre-assembled at the back.

Cooling Capacity and Volume

The cooling capacity of the Equilence has a positive effect. The temperature of the installed hardware is continuously in the green range.

With the help of the fan control in the front the voltage of the fans can be adjusted in three steps. The fans are generally quiet, but not completely silent even at lowest levels. A soft wind noise is audible. At a small distance (less than 20 cm) you can also hear a click through the fans.

A very quiet electronic noise is noticeable from the front panel through the fan control. At level 1 it is quietly audible, at level 2 the noise is very quiet and at level 3 not perceptible anymore. Probably the noise is caused by the reduction of the maximum 12 Volt voltage for fans.

Overall, the noise development at the lowest level is at a good level. The existing insulation material also helps in this process. This means that the housing is hardly noticeable even in a quiet environment. However, only absolute silent freaks should resort to alternative cooling options.

Everyday Experience

The case is optically successful and looks good. Especially the front and the left side are nice to look at because of the reflection and the dark glass. The Equilence stands non-slip and stable on black rubberized feet.

During operation, the housing has a discreet red illumination on the front panel and the two Enermax lettering at the front. However, this cannot be changed or switched off. Too bad – because at least the option to switch off the lighting in the front panel would be a sensible extension.

Résumé of the Enermax Equilence Review

With the Enermax Equilence, optics and workmanship are of paramount importance: The case looks great due to the reflective front panel and the dark glass on the left side.

It is a pity that there is no USB type C port on the front and that the lighting cannot be changed. The volume of the fans is also very quiet at the lowest level of the fan control, but the quiet electronic noise clouds the overall impression somewhat.

But if you’re looking for a chic and top-quality case and aren’t the biggest silent freak, the Enermax Equilence is a good choice.