Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV Micro-Tower Chassis Review

Introduction

Today is a pretty cool day at eTeknix HQ, as I get to take a look at my very first Phanteks chassis! The new Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV looks set to be another welcome addition to the enthusiast gaming chassis market, perfect for those who love to show off their build. Phanteks already have a great reputation thanks to their extreme performance air coolers, which are still proving popular amongst system builders, so I’m certainly eager to see what this chassis has to offer.

First up, the EVOLV came with a large box of accessories.

In the box, I found cable ties, velcro ties, three LED lights (red, green and white), a toolbox full of screw fittings, a user manual and two drive tray adapters; pretty much everything you’ll need and more!

First impression of the EVOLV are very positive, this is a great looking chassis and it’s certainly unique in terms of its shape. It’s a little shorter from front to back that most towers of this size, we’ll take a look at why in a moment. The model we have today has a large side panel window and a brilliant white paint job, great for showing off your build. It’s also worth mentioning that this chassis is surprisingly heavy, the panels are thick steel and I wouldn’t want to lug this around to LAN gaming events anytime soon!

The right side panel has all the important stuff you’re likely to need.

There’s a small power and reset button near the top.

As well as a pair of HD audio jacks and dual USB 3.0 ports near the bottom.

The front panel is really nicely designed, with a rather strange yet cool looking metal front panel, which has some gaps around it for airflow to any front-mounted cooling. There’s a small LED strip near the bottom, which can be customised thanks to the extra LED lights that are included in the box.

Around the back, you can see that this is a Micro-ATX compatible chassis, so there are only four expansion slots, but each one is fitted with a reusable, ventilated metal cover. There’s a 140mm fan pre-installed, but there’s also fittings for a 120mm should you feel the need.

The top panel has a nice and clean look to it, lots of space on top for you to leave you wallet, glasses, phone and other stuff; not that you should, but a lot of people do. There are four ventilation holes down the left side of the top panel and four more on the right side, perfect for getting airflow to/from any top mounted cooling.

Two full-width feet provide a strong and stable base for the chassis, as well as freeing up a good amount of space for airflow to the PSU air filter.