Page 4 - Installation and Conclusion
Because Phanteks makes the installation process so easy, I could not help but take additional photos to emphasize the point. As seen from the first photo, I installed my power supply first, with all cables routed in place. With the cabling out of the way, I had very little to worry about, since everything else fell into place easily thanks to the sheer amount of space at your disposal. It really does not take a genius, nor does it take much work, to have everything installed in its place while keeping all the cables bundled together nicely. As you can see in the next photo with my motherboard and cooler installed, there are barely any visible cables, simply because I have already managed them in the back. Talk about how easy it was!
Since most of the cabling job was done behind the motherboard tray, you will get a very clean layout in the front to show off your hardware, especially with a windowed panel. It also keeps airflow at an optimal state, considering your system has additional fans to keep it going. 3.5" and 2.5" drives were also very easy to install; the tool-free brackets clipped to the 3.5" drives, while using the screws that came with your SSD made it easy to install into the trays without hassle.
Next, I installed my video card, and due of its length, I had to remove the reservoir bracket to accommodate it. Although the reservoir bracket may be a good way to additionally keep cables hidden, a good cable management job on the other side will keep things looking sharp without the bracket. I then slipped the hard drive trays into place, while the SSD tray mounted on its respective rubberized mounts tool-free. Finally, I hooked up all the power to my SSD, HDDs, motherboard, and graphics card, and that was the end of that. Slap the panels back on with minimal force gives you a completed system.
After plugging everything in, our system configured inside the Phanteks Enthoo Primo White was ready to go. I hit the power button on the right edge, and the system roared to life. To give you a better perspective, I took a step back before taking the photo to show how large the Enthoo Primo is compared to its surroundings. I have to say, this is by far the largest case I have owned. Sticking in LED lights in addition to the included front LED fans and LED strip on the side will make your build look like a beast, not to mention its outstanding appearance. Moving on to the topic of noise, on a scale from 0.0 to 10.0 where 0.0 is silent and 10.0 is the loudest, the stock fans would come in at 3.5 subjective sound rating at full blast. I was very impressed by this, given there are five of them, and that Phanteks has not provided any sound dampening material. I am quite sensitive to perceived sound volume, but the Phanteks Enthoo Primo White was extremely impressive given the specifications. The bearing on the fans ran smoothly with no annoying noise during operation, which is always a plus.
-----------------------------------------
With the Vancouver Canucks on the brink of losing a chance at the Stanley Cup, both teams continue to fight on while keeping the competitive level high. When we take a look at the Phanteks Enthoo Primo White, it offers many great and outstanding features for PC enthusiasts to build awesome computers. Although relatively young as a company, Phanteks is able to pack all these features in a large case to satisfy a niche market. Out of the box, we are presented with clean and classy looks. In addition, the Enthoo Primo features a large tinted window alongside a smaller window to showcase its name tag to enhance its classy theme. It also has aluminum panels, giving the case a cool touch, with plenty of ventilation all around for good intake air. All panels fit together nicely, dust filters can be easily removed, and are placed in appropriate spots to ensure the least amount of dust getting into your system. Its spacious interior and good layout eases the installation process, especially when installing many pieces of hardware for extreme system builds. Additionally, there are many options to install radiators and fans, and with all these options, an additional fan controller on the backside of the motherboard tray ensures you will not run out of connectors on your PSU or motherboard. The dual power supply bay allows for a duo of power supplies to be installed simultaneously, or to have additional fans installed for less extreme builds. The plethora of cable management openings along with the Velcro behind the motherboard tray encourages a very clean system build, and because most of the cables are behind the motherboard tray, good airflow is kept. The installation process itself is enhanced by using tool-free features, such as thumbscrews all around, and simple push-and-go button tools for the 5.25" drives. With all these great features, it is easy to over the one thing that I can complain about, which is the lack of sound dampening material. Because there are so many options to install fans, sound can build up. If Phanteks were to implement such material, the Enthoo Primo would be the full tower in my opinion. In the end, it comes down to a price tag of $250. Whether it is worth the price is ultimately the end user's call, but as for myself, I have no question in making this purchase.
Phanteks provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Recommended Award | APH Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks; but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Numeric Rating is 7.9/10
Please note that the APH Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other sites.
The Phanteks Enthoo Primo White is a gigantic case with many great features to boot, and the space to house all the hardware you have planned to install.
Do you have any comments or questions about the Phanteks Enthoo Primo White? Drop by our Forums. Registration is free, and it only takes a minute!
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
