Phanteks Enthoo Pro M vs. Fractal Design Define R5

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SLiGuy

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I'm seriously having a hard time deciding between these two cases for my next build! The Define R5 has been out for awhile and pretty well-documented by reviewers and end users alike, and the consensus seems to be that it's one of the best cases for the money, is super easy to install a build in and is also extremely quiet to boot.

The Enthoo Pro M seems to be a relatively new case and only has a handful of reviews out on it, but Phanteks seems to put together really solid cases and has gotten a lot of good press with the regular P as well as the Evolv. It comes in a Titanium Green finish which I feel is really nice and unique as well.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with either one (or both) of these cases and could chime in on what you did and didn't like about them. I'm particularly interested in how much more noisy the Pro M is compared to the Define, which is known for being an extremely quiet case.

The build is a pretty standard build; i5 4690K, Cryorig H7, GTX 970, Corsair RM650x PSU, only one HDD and one SSD so I don't really need a whole lot of options when it comes to space or drive/slot configuration, I'm mainly concerned about aesthetics, noise, and overall look and feel of the cases.

Thanks for reading and hope some of you guys have some personal experience about these cases to share :)
 
I have a define R5 and I will say that I do like it, very good case, no complaints other than sometimes getting the door on is a pain in the butt and the default fans while good enough do not push a ton of air.


I wanted a Enthoo Pro M, but could not find one when I needed it. It is the exact same internals as the Evolv ATX case. All they did was use a standard metal case with 5.25 bays and mesh front for the fans.

I think you will do well with either choice, good luck
 
zaniix said:
I have a define R5 and I will say that I do like it, very good case, no complaints other than sometimes getting the door on is a pain in the butt and the default fans while good enough do not push a ton of air.


I wanted a Enthoo Pro M, but could not find one when I needed it. It is the exact same internals as the Evolv ATX case. All they did was use a standard metal case with 5.25 bays and mesh front for the fans.

I think you will do well with either choice, good luck
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Are you overclocking at all or any numbers as far as temps go? Also I believe it only comes with 1 intake and 1 exhaust fan, did you add any more to it?

I'm sort of leaning towards the Pro M simply because it's cheaper ($80 vs. $110-120 for a windowed R5), although the fact that the R5 is a quiet case is kind of a big deal for me, my current PC is rather noisy
 
SLiGuy said:
Are you overclocking at all or any numbers as far as temps go? Also I believe it only comes with 1 intake and 1 exhaust fan, did you add any more to it?

I'm sort of leaning towards the Pro M simply because it's cheaper ($80 vs. $110-120 for a windowed R5), although the fact that the R5 is a quiet case is kind of a big deal for me, my current PC is rather noisy
Click to expand...

I am actually using this for my storage box which is my Old I7-920 with a bunch of hard drives in it. I added a single Noctua fan to the front and kept the stock fans. It stays cool. I left the top closed.

My main system uses a Corsair 450D which is good enough.

I was able to get the R5 for 77$ after rebate which is the primary reason I pulled the trigger for my storage box, it holds a lot of HDDs which is what I needed.. Since then the best deal I have seen is $95.

I still want the Pro M and would choose it over either of my existing cases if I didn't already have them. Hard to beat the price.
 
zaniix said:
I am actually using this for my storage box which is my Old I7-920 with a bunch of hard drives in it. I added a single Noctua fan to the front and kept the stock fans. It stays cool. I left the top closed.

My main system uses a Corsair 450D which is good enough.

I was able to get the R5 for 77$ after rebate which is the primary reason I pulled the trigger for my storage box, it holds a lot of HDDs which is what I needed.. Since then the best deal I have seen is $95.

I still want the Pro M and would choose it over either of my existing cases if I didn't already have them. Hard to beat the price.
Click to expand...
The 450D is actually another case I was looking closely at, although it's a little too big for my tastes. How is the noise on that case, though, when compared to the R5? Sorry for bombarding you with questions, lol.

After going back and forth and watching some video reviews (which showcase the cases way better than text reviews or stock pictures do, IMO), I'm leaning towards the R5 again...indecisiveness will be my downfall. One of my gripes about the Pro M is that if I get it, I would absolutely want the titanium green version due to how unique and stunning the color is, but I still want to use the optical drive and I think my black DVD drive would look ugly with it. At least with the R5, there's a door to cover it, and the R5 in titanium looks pretty stunning too.

I have a feeling the case is going to be the LAST part I buy for my build, simply because I have everything else pretty much planned out and decided on, but both of these case choices make such compelling arguments for me to purchase them... :p
 
SLiGuy said:
The 450D is actually another case I was looking closely at, although it's a little too big for my tastes. How is the noise on that case, though, when compared to the R5? Sorry for bombarding you with questions, lol.

After going back and forth and watching some video reviews (which showcase the cases way better than text reviews or stock pictures do, IMO), I'm leaning towards the R5 again...indecisiveness will be my downfall. One of my gripes about the Pro M is that if I get it, I would absolutely want the titanium green version due to how unique and stunning the color is, but I still want to use the optical drive and I think my black DVD drive would look ugly with it. At least with the R5, there's a door to cover it, and the R5 in titanium looks pretty stunning too.

I have a feeling the case is going to be the LAST part I buy for my build, simply because I have everything else pretty much planned out and decided on, but both of these case choices make such compelling arguments for me to purchase them... :p
Click to expand...

No worries.

450D is an airflow case and not a great choice if you want something silent. The top fans seem to make a lot of noise even at low RPMs for me, but this may be due to the tight space my case fits into ( its air noise not actually fan or vibration). I actually have the top fans set to stay off unless temps really start to get high which rarely if ever happens. Its not what I would call an overly loud case, but you do hear air moving in a quiet room.

I like the 450D, I think the clips for the front panel could be better made, I am concerned about them breaking after repeated use, but so far they have not been an issue.

I do not like how the 5.25 bays were designed. When you have something installed it protrudes out and it is kind of ugly.
 
I'm a recent R5 owner, and while it 'looks' nice, I do think the case is fairly average.
I got some flack for saying this on OCN, and the Fractal fan club got pretty offended lol. There's no way getting around it: Fractal cases are very much mainstream, affordable cases. As an owner, I think I should also be able to have an honest conversation about these cases.

I came from a Lian Li (A70), that didn't have cable management (bought in 2008), but was incredibly easy to work in, and had elegant construction. The Fractal is heavier, has the behind-mobo SSD mounting, and has the heavier panels for reducing noise. Those quality-of-life aspects are good, but going from a premium case to a mainstream case (sub$80) is always going to be jarring.

I always 5 or 7-volted my fans, and it's no quieter than my Lian Li. Load temps (especially GPU temps) are also no different. This surprised me. I have both front and bottom intake fans installed, and this still can't beat the performance of my 7-year old Lian Li (that only had front-to-back cooling). I think that's more a testament to Lian Li's quality cases and not really a knock on Fractal.

Fractal had a good starting idea with the Define S, but they completely botched the HDD mounting - see SPCR's complaints about vibration. Note, however, that some users haven't reported vibration issues, so if you want to take the plunge, that triple 140mm intake is no joke for an air-cooled setup.

If Fractal improves on that concept in a future Define S2, that would probably be more my recommendation, honestly. You only have one HDD, and if it's a 5400 RPM drive, you may be able to get away with it.

PS: Your username definitely threw me for a loop, after seeing you only have a single GPU (and it's not nVidia).
 
Mav451 said:
Fractal had a good starting idea with the Define S, but they completely botched the HDD mounting - see SPCR's complaints about vibration. Note, however, that some users haven't reported vibration issues, so if you want to take the plunge, that triple 140mm intake is no joke for an air-cooled setup.
Click to expand...

The drive cage mounts are not consistent. Some of mine were very solid and others had more movement that I wanted. You can put a screw into the cage to lock each HDD in place.

I would agree the HDD cage is one area they could improve on.

I wish Lian Li would make something I like. it seems like they mostly make smaller cases now, I am not impressed with any of their larger cases I have seen thus far.
 
I should probably note that I removed *all* PCI slot covers on the Lian Li.
I did the same on my R5, but also cut out the grill adjacent to the PCI slots. This is in addition to removal of the center, bottom-intake grill.

If you are air cooled, you will see some very real temperature improvements, if you haven't already done this. I note this specifically b/c the same spot on the Define S is completely walled up. But in that case, the removal of the PCI slot covers already takes you 90% there (3-4C reduction on GPU loads).

Yeah Lian Li still needs some work though. The PC-B16B was about 80-85% what I wanted. And the X510WX (yes, $300+), was also an interesting start. But it has its own flaws too.

I probably need to make my own case at this point.
 
Mav451 said:
I'm a recent R5 owner, and while it 'looks' nice, I do think the case is fairly average.
I got some flack for saying this on OCN, and the Fractal fan club got pretty offended lol. There's no way getting around it: Fractal cases are very much mainstream, affordable cases. As an owner, I think I should also be able to have an honest conversation about these cases.

I came from a Lian Li (A70), that didn't have cable management (bought in 2008), but was incredibly easy to work in, and had elegant construction. The Fractal is heavier, has the behind-mobo SSD mounting, and has the heavier panels for reducing noise. Those quality-of-life aspects are good, but going from a premium case to a mainstream case (sub$80) is always going to be jarring.

I always 5 or 7-volted my fans, and it's no quieter than my Lian Li. Load temps (especially GPU temps) are also no different. This surprised me. I have both front and bottom intake fans installed, and this still can't beat the performance of my 7-year old Lian Li (that only had front-to-back cooling). I think that's more a testament to Lian Li's quality cases and not really a knock on Fractal.

Fractal had a good starting idea with the Define S, but they completely botched the HDD mounting - see SPCR's complaints about vibration. Note, however, that some users haven't reported vibration issues, so if you want to take the plunge, that triple 140mm intake is no joke for an air-cooled setup.

If Fractal improves on that concept in a future Define S2, that would probably be more my recommendation, honestly. You only have one HDD, and if it's a 5400 RPM drive, you may be able to get away with it.

PS: Your username definitely threw me for a loop, after seeing you only have a single GPU (and it's not nVidia).
Click to expand...
Honestly, I am not a huge fan of Lian Li's designs. I know most people on these forums love them but I have yet to find one that is aesthetically pleasing to me. Most of them are also way out of my budget as well.

The nicest case I've ever had is an Antec 300, so I'm sure even the Define R5 will be a huge step up in terms of both cooling performance as well as build quality and overall feel.

And yeah, my username was something I came up with when I had a previous build (BFG 6800GS OC...man I miss that thing). I was playing Super Mario World 2/Yoshi's Island and got annoyed at all the Shy Guys in that game, and then the name SLiGuy popped in my head (say SLi like "Sly", not each letter individually). Kind of stupid I know :p
 
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