Wired2Fire Diablo Elite GTX 1080 Gaming PC Review

A Closer Look

The Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX is a marvel of engineering and looks absolutely stunning. In particular, the 3mm aluminium panels exude a premium feel and the distinctive angles create a really distinguished appearance. On another note, the gunmetal finish is extraordinary and complements the sleek, streamlined layout extremely well.

Not so long ago, Phanteks unleashed a revised edition featuring two tempered glass side panels. The advent of tempered glass panels complicated the process of removing each panel but added a more spectacular visual style. Saying that, the idea of displaying the cabling chamber divided opinion and only seemed beneficial to those with exceptional routeing skills. While the tempered glass model could have been deployed, it doesn’t detract from the original’s aesthetic charm.

After removing the side panel, you can view the quintessential Phanteks internal layout which includes a handy PSU cover and slide-out radiator mount. The power supply cover hides any excess cabling and has ventilation holes to improve airflow. Also, the cover allows you to proudly display the power supply model. It’s not perfect though because once the power supply is installed, accessing the modular connectors is tricky. The radiator/fan mount works remarkably well and makes it easy to install hefty cooling apparatus in a tight space. Also, the chassis has a soft velvet coating where the side panels attach to reduce vibrations.

Wired2Fire have adopted a red and black colour scheme which should cater towards the core gaming demographic. For some reason, this combination of colours has proved to be quite popular and preferred by a large number of users. As a result, basing the build on this theme seems a sensible approach. Unlike many pre-configured systems, the Wired2Fire Diablo Elite utilises a premium motherboard with impeccable audio fidelity and superb networking. Not only that, the ASUS Maximus VIII Hero looks incredible and the brushed silver heatsinks are nothing short of sublime. On another note, the Corsair Vengeance LPX memory has an attractive gloss black finish which contrasts with the cooler’s tubing in a seamless manner.

Upon first inspection, the Fractal Design Kelvin S36 appears to use FEP tubing but this isn’t actually the case. The tubing is surprisingly smooth and implements anti-kink coils. This should add another layer of protection when positioning the tubing in its optimal position. Aesthetically-speaking, the tubing is still reminiscent of an FEP design and pales in comparison to Corsair’s textured tubing seen on products like the H110i GTX. Thankfully, the coils which create this appearance are less pronounced after the side panel has been closed.

Here we can see the red illumination surrounds the chassis in a visually-pleasing manner. Additionally, the graphics card’s branding is extremely clear and doesn’t detract too much from the system’s colour scheme. Also, the GPU lighting can be customised using Palit’s overclocking software and supports a wide range of rich colours.

The EVGA Supernova 850 P2 power supply has a platinum rating and optimised grills to reduce the noise output. Additionally, you can enable an ECO mode which switches off the fan unless the power draw and heat become quite substantial. According to my previous experience with this power supply, I’m fairly confident that it’s made by Super Flower, which is a testament to the build quality and premium components.

Wired2Fire decided to replace the stock cables with an EVGA braided cable kit to produce a more luxury finish. The cables have a gorgeous, thick braid and the alternating two-tone colour scheme complements the system’s visual design. Interestingly, the braid is much thicker than Super Flower’s custom cable set which makes cable routeing easier and doesn’t require cable combs to maintain a straight run.

It’s quite uncommon for closed-loop liquid coolers to opt for a radiator size beyond 280mm. Despite this, the Fractal Design Kelvin S36 utilises a hefty 360mm radiator to improve heat dissipation at the expense of compatibility. Thankfully, most modern cases are able to accommodate the larger surface area and the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv has enough room to fit the cooler in the top section. Problems begin to occur when installing thicker radiators as the clearance to the fittings becomes quite tight. As you can see, the radiator alongside the installed fans doesn’t suffer in this regard.

The Wired2Fire Diablo Elite sports the Samsung SM951 NVMe drive which slots in just underneath the motherboard’s heatsink and near the front panel. This allows for a neat finish and it’s great to see the build utilising a drive with unbelievably fast read/write speeds.

The Palit GTX 1080 Super Jetstream is extremely large and takes up 3-slots. This isn’t a huge problem unless you have any intention to add a second card at a later date. However, SLI support is abysmal in modern games and it’s rare for multi-GPU scaling to be executed in a proficient manner. Even though the graphics card has a large frame, the mammoth heatsink is exceptionally well-made and allows you to enjoy a lower noise output. Also, there’s a stylish backplate which balances the GPU’s weight and prevents unwanted drooping. From this image, it’s clear that the cable routeing is pretty good and the wide array of rubber grommets have been used to their full potential.

Here we can see, the pump’s fan cable has been neatly tied down and any excess cabling is hidden behind the radiator fans. On another note, the block’s glossy decal is really striking although it might be prone to collecting a large amount of dust over time.

Performing effective cable management in the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv is a fairly simple process thanks to the integrated velcro straps and a generous amount of rubber grommets. Saying that, there’s not a huge amount of room to store bulging cables so it’s important to consider the cabling runs and plan accordingly. Wired2Fire have done a commendable job and used both the integrated velcro straps and a large number of zip-ties. The overall finish is good and shutting the side panel door doesn’t require any undue force.

Around the hard drive section, the SATA data and power cables are neatly stored in the rear chamber and remain well within the chassis’ limits. Additionally, the PWM hub’s SATA power is held flush against the 24-pin connector and shouldn’t come loose due to a stable mounting point.

As you can see, Wired2Fire took full advantage of the case’s PWM hub to improve cable management and ensure there are less visible cables around the motherboard. There’s still some confusion regarding this hub and if the SATA connector makes the fans run at their maximum RPM values. This could explain why the idle fan noise is loud, and it’s often down to the BIOS or a software implementation to control the fan speeds. Nevertheless, the cabling is tidy and it seems appropriate to use the integrated hub.

This section is a little bit disorganised due to the fan cables crossing over the CPU cut-out. It’s far from a problem though and the short cable length meant it probably wasn’t possible to connect the cables to the fan hub at a tidier angle. On another note, the 8-pin EPS is held down using mounting points and has a lovely, tight cable run to the connector.

Finally, the front panel cabling feeds through numerous mounting points and doesn’t interfere with the heavier power supply cables. To maintain a neat finish, Wired4Fire stored the remaining cable length in the PSU chamber and adopted the tightest possible cable runs.