PC Components

Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Review: Good, better, Flow-Edition

Unser ausführlicher Testbericht zur Neuauflage des beliebten Gehäuses

The Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX is one of the best cases on the market and its unique design stands out from the crowd. In addition to the aging variant with acrylic glass windows, there is also a tempered glass variant, which was one of the first housings to feature hard glass side panels. In addition to the tempered glass on the sides, Phanteks also provided the TG version of the Enthoo Evolv ATX with an RGB LED as a power light, which together with other Phanteks RGB products can be controlled via a button on the front panel.

The only criticism that was raised regularly was the limited airflow of the Enthoo Evolv series. The fantastic design of the ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX enclosures have made the Enthoo series a big seller and the airflow “problem” has often been bypassed by removing the dust filter from the lid, for example.

The solution to the problem: the Flow-Edition. With the latest version of the Enthoo Evolv ATX, the airflow is significantly improved by honeycomb openings in the front and lid! And this honeycomb pattern gives the case an interesting appearance at the same time. Depending on the system configuration and load, these additional air inlets reduce the temperature of the hardware by up to 8° Celcius, at least according to my measurements. With an aggressive fan curve even more is possible!

Design

I personally like the design of the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX and its offshoots very much and the towers of the Dutch are also a real bestseller at my employer. The Flow-Edition with its honeycomb patterns in the front and lid also offers interesting possibilities to set the scene even further with RGB lighting. Of course, some of the design features are purely a matter of taste, which is why I personally don’t like the cut-out in the power supply cover. Nevertheless the design is one of the best in my eyes and makes the Enthoo Evolv ATX stand out from the crowd – without being too intrusive.

Scope of Delivery

The scope of supply includes the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Flow Edition itself, which is well packed in the box of the normal Tempered Glass Edition.

The accessories of the Mid-Tower consist of a box with screws, some cable ties, three holders for 3.5 inch hard disks for mounting next to the mainboard and a pump holder. A high-quality user manual rounds off the scope of delivery. Two SSD mounts are located behind the mainboard tray and one of these mounts can alternatively be mounted on the side of the power supply cover. Especially the plastic box for the screws is very welcome in this price range.

Workmanship

At a price above the 200 euro mark, one gets the usual Phanteks quality, which clearly surpasses other cases in this price class. I’ve tested a few enclosures and often seen systems in the Enthoo Evolv at my employer’s (Caseking) without ever noticing any flaws. The 3 mm thick aluminium gives the noble case a valuable look and even little things like the power button are perfectly integrated.

Equipment

The Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Flow-Edition offers like most Midi-Towers very good hardware support. Up to 42 cm long graphics cards and 194 mm high CPU coolers can be accommodated in the case. The three pre-installed 140 mm fans offer a good airflow and also the installation of a water cooling is supported by various features.

Material:
  • Housing: steel
  • Cladding: Aluminium
  • Side part: Tempered glass
Dimensions (LxWxH): 510 x 235 x 495 mm
Mainboard: Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX
Expansion Slots: 7
Drives: 2.5 inch SSD 2
2.5/ 3.5 inch SSD/HDD 2
3.5-inch HDD 3
I/O Ports:
  • 2x USB 3.0
  • 1x each Audio In & Out
Pre-installed fans: Front 2x 140 mm, 1,200 rpm, 19 dB(A)
Rear 1x 140 mm, 1,200 rpm, 19 dB(A)
Fan max.: Top 3x 120 or 2x 140 mm
Front 3x 120 or 2x 140 mm
Rear 1x 120/140 mm
Radiators max.: Top 280 mm / 360 mm
Front 280 mm / 360 mm
Rear 120 mm / 140 mm
Clearance CPU cooler (height) 194 mm
Graphics cards (length) 420 mm

It is worth mentioning that no two 360 mm radiators can be installed at the same time, as they would interfere with each other. The upper radiator, or corresponding fan, is mounted on a removable bracket, which makes installation much easier.

System Construction in the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Flow Edition

The installation of the hardware in the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Flow-Edition is very easy, because the case for a Midi-Tower is very big. In the first photo, the SSD is visibly attached to the power supply cover. The connection cables can be laid cleanly from the front. Two SSDs can also be mounted behind the mainboard. The power supply unit is also traditionally installed and those who need more space for their cables can remove the drive cage using four screws in the floor.

The mainboard is also installed without problems. For the necessary cables there are rubberized bushings next to the mainboard and further openings above and below the mainboard allow the laying of further cables.

With the graphics card, you can decide whether to lay the PCIe power cables through the PSU shroud or run the cable harness through the grommits next to the mainboard.

Pre-assembled Velcro fasteners and numerous fixing points for cable ties facilitate cable management. The slightly tinted tempered glass sides can be used to display the system – only photography can become a problem thanks to the reflections.

Conclusion

The Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Flow-Edition is top and the price of the tower may be a deterrent, but it is justified. The case is not extremely popular for nothing and offers the perfect housing for gaming hardware. I especially like the simplicity of the RGB LED lighting. However, if you would like to show off your hardware with LEDs, you will also find help from the Dutch case experts. Despite all the praise I would like to see improvements:

  • doors as side parts
  • Strong tinted glass on the right side
  • continuous PSU-Shroud
  • Vertical mounting of the graphics card
  • Some more space under the mainboard

The Flow-Edition is already one of the highlights 2018 for me and eliminates the only flaw of the Enthoo Evolv ATX. The cover picture shows the King Mod Systems CK Express System XV Edition and you can see the eye candy potential of this outstanding tower.

Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Flow-Edition

Cable Management
Features
Water Cooling Support
Cooling
Workmanship
Design

Top class!

The Flow Edition puts an end to the Archilles heel of the Enthoo Evolv series: the mediocre Airflow. The case is out of date, but still one of the benchmarks by which all other midi towers have to measure themselves!

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button