Hardware Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL Review

A solution looking for a problem?

Seriously though, I like the Phanteks range an awful lot, If I were to rehouse my PC from my current Corsair 450D, I'd definitely go for a Phanteks.

...just not this one

 

They do bring something new to the case market, I must admit.

I like the stepped design to accommodate the PSU in a separate compartment, and the clean look of the drive cage, which is begging for a custom logo mod, thanks to that second smaller window.

However, a little voice in the back of my mind is screaming "a mATX case that's 550mm tall, are you frikkin kidding me?"

 

Mini you say?

 

You're kinda missing the point here - MINI is but a word in it's name...

What you are getting however is a dual system case, which off the shelf which can be either air or water cooled or even both; not many cases (if any) offer that for £130.

 

£130 is the price for the basic case, the mini itx upgrade costs £23, which puts the price within rounding error margin of the Phobya WaCoolT Cube 1.

But yes, cases that fit more than one pc without modding are usually a lot more expensive.

 

No, I get that.

Just normally when something has the word "Mini" in it's name, one kinda expects it to be less, you know, dual system capable.....

 

I hear you with reference to the additional cost of the upgrade kit but none the less would certainly pass up on the Phobya

Personal preference

Fair play and point conceded

More emphasis should have been placed on XL

 

Understandable, that Phobya Cube somehow manages to look even less appealing than the Mountain Mods Cubes it is ripping off (but to be fair, it does cost like a third of them).

Personally I would probably just go with a Corsair 540 and get the dremel out to accommodate a mini itx system in the right half if I somehow felt the desire to have two computers in one case.

 

Isn't Mini XL an oxymoron?

 

Indeed, mini-extra-large makes no sense.