Phantek Enthoo Mini XL Super Micro Tower Chassis Review

Peter Donnell / 9 years ago

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The Phanteks Mini XL chassis is available from Overclockers UK for £144.95, which isn’t cheap, but keep in mind the features and component support this chassis has to offer. The Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL ITX Upgrade Kit and the HDD bracket adaptor are also available from Overclockers UK for £20.99 and £5.99 respectively. Readers in the US can pick up the chassis for $159.99, the upgrade kit for $31.99 and the HDD bracket for $9.99 from Newegg.

Overview

This chassis is absolutely bonkers, which is certainly something I love about it, because on the surface it seems pretty normal, but it’s certainly anything but. There’s been a lot of fuss about dual chamber chassis recently, especially with cube-style form factors. There’s also been a lot of popularity surrounding dual-system chassis, such as those from Thermaltake, the CoolerMaster HAF Stacker, Lian-Li, etc. What we have here is the best of both worlds. You’ve got the dual chamber design that allows for some storage and the PSU to be separate from the main system and you have the option to install two complete motherboards, graphics card configurations and more, while only requiring the space for something the size of a standard full-tower; that’s pretty incredible!

Build quality is stunning, no doubt about that and it’s certainly something that adds to the visual appeal. It’s not easy to make a dual system chassis with huge windows look understated, but Phanteks have managed to pull it off. The component compatibility is amazing too, aside from two full rigs, it’ll house extra-long graphics cards, plenty of storage and super thick water cooling radiators or extensive fan configurations. The fact that the internals of the chassis can be moved and removed on helps advance that compatibility for all kinds of upgrades, now and in the future.

Of course, not everyone needs a dual-system like this, but the Mini-XL is still great just for one system, the mini-ITX add-on is completely optional. Of course, should you need an efficient and fast booting system for day-to-day work, then a coal-burning GPU powerhouse for gaming, video rendering and more, you can quickly reap the benefits of both worlds.

Pros

LED lighting
High-quality fans pre-installed
Extensive cooling support
Modular components
Mini-ITX add-on kit
All major intakes fitted with dust filters
Excellent cable routing
ATX PSU is hidden from sight
Exceptional build quality
Huge side panel windows
Competitive price (given specifications)
Built-in fan hub

Cons

SFX PSU cable routing can be tricky

Neutral

Dual system may mean sacrificing some radiator sizes in top and rear, but that’s a fair trade-off

“The Phanteks Mini-XL is one of the most original chassis I’ve ever seen. Sure, it’s not ideal for everyone, but it’s great to see an innovative, practical, versatile and stylish product at a very reasonable price, this may very well be one of the coolest cases money can buy.”