Custom PC - UK (2020-01)

LABS TEST / CASES

A

s thebiggestandmostexpensive
caseontest,theEnthooLuxe 2
needstotopthe charts,andon
paperatleast,it doesappeartohavemost
othercasesontesttrumped.This£180
behemothstandsnearly60cmtallanddeep,
andtickspracticallyeverybox.Yougetfour
USB3 portsanda USB3.1Gen2 Type-Cport
onthefrontpanelalongwithbuttonsto
controltheRGBlighting.Thissitswithin
tastefullythinlinesofdiffuseRGB-illuminated
plasticthatrunaroundthefrontfasciaand
internalPSUcover.
There’salsoa hugenumberofupgrades
available,withadditionalharddiskmountsand
supportfordualsystemsanddualPSUsbeing
justsomeoftheextras.Outofthebox,there’s
stillspaceforuptofourharddiskswitha
maximumof 12 supported,viatheoptional

PHANTEKS ENTHOO

LUXE 2 /£180 inc VAT

SUPPLIER overclockers.co.uk

cages, plus up to 11 SSD mounts. While it’s

clearly geared towards water-cooled

systems, the Enthoo Luxe 2 is still a very

capable air-cooled case with 195mm CPU

cooler clearance and it bristles with fan

mounts. However, unlike its predecessor,

there are no fans included as standard so, like

the Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Razer Edition,

you’ll need to factor your own case fans or

liquid-cooling setup into the price.

The latter benefits from four locations

(base, roof, front and side) that can house a

minimum of a 360mm radiator, albeit with

those at the front requiring the sacrifice of

some storage mounts. The latter can stretch

up to a 480mm radiator, drawing air in or

exhausting it through a dust filter-covered

vent in the side panel. It’s a similar deal in the

front of the case, except here you also get

140mm-sizesupportupto420mm

radiators,whiletheroofandbasearelimited

to120mm-widthradiators.Youevengetfill

anddrainportholesandan8-portPWMfan

hubwithfive4-pinconnectorsthatshould

makecontrollingyourradiatorfansmuch

easier.Cableroutingisalsoexcellentand

whilewe’dhavelikedtoseea

fewmoreVelcroties,youget

a largehiddencablestowage

areainfrontofthePSU

mount,socreatinga tidy

systemshouldbeeasy.

Withnofansincluded,out-

of-the-boxcoolingwasnever

goingtobea strongpointand

theCPUdeltaT was12°C

warmerthanthebestresult

ontest;theCPUcoolerreally

sufferedfromthelackofa

rearexhaustfan.TheGPU

deltaT of55°Cwas

reasonableandbetteredthe

fan-equipped Corsair Carbide

Series 678C and Fractal

Design Vector RS, largely

thanks to better ventilation

and its cathedral-like interior.

Conclusion

BeingpricierthantheNZXTH700iand

requiringmorecashforfansandupgrades

tomakethemostofitsinternalspace,

theEnthooLuxe2 isnicheandhigh-endin

itsappeal.

TheLianLiPC-O11DynamicRazerEdition

canbeboughtkittedwithfansforthesame

priceandisalsogreatforwatercooling,while

FractalDesign’sVectorRSandCooler

Master’sSL600Moffergoodstorageand

water-coolingsupport.However,thesheer

potentialofPhanteks’newtowerkingin

termsofbuildinganinsanePCmeansthatit’s

trulydeservingofourExtremeUltraaward.

VERDICT

Huge potential for masses of storage

and hefty water-cooling systems but the

competition offers better value for money.

LUXURIOUS

• 
  

  Superb water-cooling
  support

  
  


• 
  

  Massive upgrade
  potential

  
  


• 
  

  Excellent features

  
  

LUDICROUS

• No fans included


• Optional extras required
  to maximise hardware


• Huge

SPEC

Dimensions (mm) 240 x 595 x 570 (W x D x H)

Material Aluminium, Steel, tempered glass, plastic

Available colours Black, gunmetal grey

Weight 14.3kg

Front panel Power, reset, 4 x USB 3, 1 x USB

3.1 Type-C, RGB controller, audio jacks

Drive bays 4 x 2.5in/3.5in, 7 x 2.5in

Form factor(s) Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX

Cooling 4 x 120/3 x 140mm front fan mounts

(fans not included), 3 x 120/140mm roof

fan mounts (fans not included), 3 x 120/1 x

140mm base fan mounts (fans not included), 1 x

120/140mm rear fan mount (fan not included),

4 x 120mm side fan mounts (fans not included)

CPU cooler clearance 195mm

Maximum graphics card length 503mm

COOLING

23 / 30

DESIGN

28 / 30

FEATURES

19 / 20

VALUE

17 / 20

OVERALLSCORE

87

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