Phanteks Pro M cheap cost vs real world value, compared to Phanteks Pro

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Been thinking long and hard about upgrading my open air chassis to an enclosed ATX capable case that gives relative performance and with sound proofing/dust protection.

I wanted :

Free flowing front to top
Fan filters bottom top and front
Caddy less or removable drive caddy setup
One or two 5.25 ODD
Spacious interior
Good cable management
Fan control
Sound dampening (optional)
Side window (optional)


I've had multiple convenience features I wanted covered and managed to narrow it down to several chassis, mainly from Phanteks, NZXT and Fractal. Below is my first hand and second hand observation of two popular Phanteks models, which I had pitted in a stand-off with one another until I broke down the costs. Read along and let me know if you agree and / or were in the same decision making situation.


Initially the Pro M from Phanteks looks a stunning deal in the market place, coming in at under sixty quid - being a Spartan version of the great Evolv ATX model. However further inspection shows that it's not actually a cost effective option if you're still air cooling and to some degree, even if liquid cooling.

Below costs are rough numbers, based around different suppliers.
Note

  • For any fans, we're assuming 140mm and at least four fans, two for front intake and two to match for top exhaust. I like to have one more exhaust fan than intake, so two in three out(these cases come with one rear exhaust) would be ideal. Let's say roughly £5-10 per fan.
  • Shipping at £10 seems average
  • I speak for myself though am not alone I imagine that we have at least two SSD in the system, and two if not three HDD


Pro M
Case £53(includes window)
1x SSD bracket £5 (Pro M comes with one)
1x 3.5" bracket £5 (Pro M comes with none / has only two basement drive slots)
PWM fan hub £13 (Pro M does not have one)
4x fans £30 (Pro M has one rear exhaust)
Dampening kit OCUK £30
Shipping £10

£115 / £145 with DIY dampening


Pro
Case £79/£89 with window £82/92(pre built dampening without or with window)
4x Fans £30 (Pro comes with single 200mm in front, which we'd replace, meaning it's as if it never existed to begin with).
Shipping £10

£119 / £129 with optional window
£121 / £131 with pre built dampening and optional window



Clearly, the value for money here is with the Pro case. To put it into perspective more..

The Pro comes with the fan controller already installed on the back of the case. It has hard drive mounting INCLUDED (as dual removable trays) out of the box for six 3.5 / six 2.5" drives. It also has three ODD 5.25 slots. And of course the single 2.5" mobile mount adapter.
The Pro M can support that many drives and more, however comes standard with only the basement caddy, for two 3.5 /2.5" drives. It also has no fan controller hub, less ODD 5.25 slots and a lower build quality.

In respect to the Pro M, what does the Pro M offer over the Pro?

  • If you absolutely dig the interior design of the Evolv ATX series, then the Pro M is identical.
  • It has no hard drive caddy support frame, allowing that entire space to open(how much that affects air flow vs the Pro with the HDD caddy removed, I do not know - not a lot I suspect).
  • Uses a different HDD installation, where you mount drives in a single fashion as opposed to three at a time(again, may help reduce some air flow resistance, though not much).
  • The cover over the PSU is grated, instead of completely solid (I am not sure if this is good or bad actually. I thought the air rising from the PSU would then end up on your GPU. However it is this way in the Evolv which is one of their newer chassis, suggesting they did it on purpose..)
  • The front fan shroud is taller, potentially allowing more intake of air.

For me, and I suspect some others, these things are not crucial and may not be enough to turn a blind eye to costs or loss of value.

What niggles do I see with the Pro(not specifically in contrast to the Pro M).

  • Still requires additional fans
  • Will need another 2.5" mounting bracket if you do not want to shove your additional SSDs into the standard drive caddy(ies).
  • The top to bottom reinforcement brace, can block some of the front intake flow.

I am not aware - and forgive me if I missed any Black Friday deals - that the Phanteks Enthoo cases are on sale (to a significant degree) and therefore am of the belief that these prices are the normal full time costs.

If so, I cannot (what originally seemed a great idea) justify spending the money for the Pro M vs the Pro. The Pro gives more flexibility, options, features and convenience for roughly the same price (£115 Pro M vs £119/129 Pro).
Combined with the OCUK pre installed dampening kit, and window (if you so desire), you're still getting more for your money (£145 Pro M vs £131 Pro).

In some ways I feel I am back where I started. Here is a short list of chassis I came across and the issues I saw(I appreciate I can use a fan hub like the Phanteks one I listed above for thirteen quid, though that's partially besides the point):

Phanteks Primo - too tall and unrealistic for standard air cooling build.
Phanteks Luxe - silly price for what is a bling Phanteks Pro
Phanteks Evolv ATX - costly, when you consider that it is more or less a Pro M, but with some strong materials and different shaped front. While it does include the extra 2.5" and 3.5" adapter, that seems almost as an insult given the cost and that performance wise, that the Pro M has better cooling out of the box thanks to the top exhaust grill.
Corsair Carbide Air 540 - no fan controller hub, no cable management, no sound dampening (exacerbated by all the grated openings front and top).
Corsair 750D - no fan controller hub, no cable straps, has no front grill(requires buying separate front piece).
Cooler Master MasterCase Pro 5 - no fan controller hub, no cable tie anchor points, no sound dampening.
NZXT H440/450/Phantom 5xxx - Tight cable management due to thick sound dampening material, limited front and top air flow, no cable straps(only tie anchors).
Fractal Design S/R5/XL - no fan controller hub, not enough air flow at front and top(with moduvent installed). No top side air filters.
 
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Ive got the Phanteks Pro M and I must admit I preffered the look of it over the Pro.
both are nice cases but to me the Phanteks Pro M had the edge.

as for dampening.. Ive got 5 case fans, 2 fans on the air cooler and being honest... its pretty silent. sitting next to it at the moment and I cant complain..
 
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Ive got the Phanteks Pro M and I must admit I preffered the look of it over the Pro.
both are nice cases but to me the Phanteks Pro M had the edge.

as for dampening.. Ive got 5 case fans, 2 fans on the air cooler and being honest... its pretty silent. sitting next to it at the moment and I cant complain..

Thanks for reading and responding.

I do also like the Pro M look and prefer the interior as well. Though unfortunately OCUK do not offer a pre built dampening version like they do with the Pro. If they did, I might be so inclined to go for it (with my required extra pieces).
That leaves the Pro looking more valuable of the two[again].

Having said that, the Pro has those unfiltered vents at the front(side lips). Which I'd have to cover up with some hardware store foam or electrical tape (not ideal).
And for the cost of the dampened Pro with window, I could buy a Define R5, with fans, a third party top side dust filter and the Phanteks PWM fan hub.

Then mentioning the Define R5 the NZXT Noctis becomes a factor too, coming with four fans installed, a PWM fan hub, singular drive bags, support for two 2.5" out of the box. It only lacks dampening.

Thus we find ourselves looking at the Phanteks Evolv. Same layout as the Pro-M, comes with all the required accessories to start. Includes two 140mm fans. The construction is good/better quality and it has dampening around the door edges.

  • If the Pro M was a little less (after buying extras) and /or had dampening pre build, I would choose it.
  • If the Pro did not have the bad front grill coverage, I'd select that instead.
  • Had the Evolv been more air flow capable, it's a winner.
  • If the Define R5/S had fan hub, and more included fans, that would make it more appealing. However considering the other costs required to make it fully functional and that the air flow is not particularly great, it makes it less desirable.
  • The Noctis doesn't have a top filter per se, and they took the dampening out, so I'd have to go back to a H440 which has poor air flow.
  • Corsair Carbide Air 540 was something I almost purchased, however concern over noise and dust stopped me.
  • MasterCase Pro 5 is very well done and only lacks the dampening
  • Corsair 750D might just be my favourite, however the cost is a shame. It feels about twenty or thirty quid over priced.

Seems that every one has a glaring flaw.


Here's the costs I've generated after some tweaks:

Phanteks Pro M - not dampened [1 ODD]
Case £53
SSD bracket £5
3.5" bracket £5
Fan hub £13
Four fans £40
Liquid paste £5
Shipping £10
£119.03

Fractal Define S - dampened [no ODD]
Case £60
Fan hub £13
Three fans £30
Liquid paste £5
Air filter(s) £10
Shipping £10
£128

NZXT Noctis 450 - not dampened [no ODD]
Case £99
Two fans £20
Liquid paste £5
Shipping £10
£134

Phanteks Pro dampened(pre-built by OCUK)[3 ODD]
Case £82/92
SSD bracket £5
Four fans £40
Liquid paste £5
Shipping £10
£142/152

Phanteks Evolv ATX - dampened [no ODD]
Case £110
Two fans £20
Liquid paste £5
Shipping £10
£145

Fractal Define R5 - dampened [2 ODD]
Case £80
Three fans £30
Fan hub £12
Liquid paste £5
Filter(s) £10
Shipping £10
£147

Corsair Carbide Air 540 - not dampened
[2 ODD]
Case £99
Two fans £20
Fan hub £13
Liquid paste £5
Air filter £12
Shipping £10
£159


Cooler Master MasterCase Pro 5 - not dampened
[2 ODD]
Case £110
Two fans £20
Fan hub £12
Liquid paste £5
Shipping £10
£157

Phanteks Primo
Case £150
One fans £10
Liquid paste £5
Shipping £10
£175

Corsair 750d not dampened [3 ODD]
Case £134
Two fans £10
Fan hub £12
Liquid paste £5
Filter(s) £3
Shipping £10
£184
 
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yea I also liked the look of the Fractal Define S but with it not having an ODD bay it was a no go for me...
yea I know most folk don't use one but I do use mine on a regular basis I did think of getting an external but then its the grief of plugging it in and extra cables hanging around as it would end out being plugged in 24/7
 
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Indeed. And the MasterCase Pro is now ten quid cheaper.

My only gripes are that it uses three 120mm fan up front, has no dampening and might be a bit noisy in contrast to say the Evolv. It's a shame OCUK do not offer an insulated version of the MasterCase.
 
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havent seen the MasterCase Pro might go for a look..

I know it took me ages to decide on a case. I was so close to going for the R5 then the Pro M was reviewed by kitguru and I fell in love with it.. I ordered it a few days before release and I'm still happy with it.
 
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havent seen the MasterCase Pro might go for a look..

I know it took me ages to decide on a case. I was so close to going for the R5 then the Pro M was reviewed by kitguru and I fell in love with it.. I ordered it a few days before release and I'm still happy with it.

I think it's great too, except a couple of things.

A) The construction..cheap is the word that comes to mind
B) That grating/holes above the power supply compartment. Why would they do that?
C) Price when you throw in all the other bits you still need to make it functional.
 
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Best plan is to buy the case you like, it's better to spend a couple of quid more than try and save it on a case you'll likely regret buying, as for soundproofing it's easy to fit yourself plenty of choice out there, If you really want it.
 
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Decided on the Cooler Master Master Case Pro 5. It was easy to install and I like the options it gives.

  • When you get the case, the accessories and screws are in a black box which is sitting in one of the 3.5" HDD trays in the basement. Do not try to pull this out with force. Remove the tray with the tool less buttons and then flex/spread one side of the tray away from the sides of the box. What they did was put holes in the box on each side then fit it into the HDD tray as if it were a 3.5" HDD.
  • On the back side of the motherboard tray, there are two holes which seemingly have no listed purpose in the manual however were perfect for mounting a Phanteks fan hub onto. The screws supplied with the Phanteks hub, fit great.
  • The handles at the top really do make a difference. Once the case is loaded and you have to move it around, even in the same 5x5 space, it's a boon.
  • The removable fan rack/plate at the top of the case is super nice to work with. It not only lets you add and remove cooling options with ease away from the chassis, it also gives great access into the motherboard area.
  • The top fan filter/shroud piece that comes standard with the Pro 5 version of the case, does not stick into place firmly. Even a little movement can make it come loose and slide back. Thus if you are going to carry the case, even if you are doing it by the handles, just be careful you definitely grab the handles.
  • The length of the cable for the included rear exhaust fan is not particularly long. I feel this is an oversight on their part, though it has sufficient length to plug into a motherboard CHA_FAN (chassis fan) header.
  • Noise is relative to fans and fan speed, though with stock (two intake, one exhaust), it's pretty quiet. Even at 100% duty, the fans are just a woosh of air. At normal operating speeds (around 800-850 RPM), you cannot hear them.
  • The supplied fans do have a bit of a hiss and a drone if you put your ear to the case. I suspect this is because they are not particularly good quality.
  • Cooling wise, it's been about the same as my open bench setup which is a positive. I can't really tell of any specific increase in ambience and during load, my top GPU is seeing a difference of +1-8 degrees. I run games at 96-120fps/hz, so 60c on the top card is OK with me at this point.

In summary, it does everything the reviews say and I think for some people they'll find little extra bonuses like I did. It's spacious, flexible, the construction is sturdy for the materials used and you get every thing in the box you need for a good system build foundation.

If there was anything I would change, it would be for them to find a way to allow you to install the third front intake fan, while retaining access to at least one 5.25" device and or one of those slim fan controllers that are 5.25" form factor but do not take up the whole depth of the slot. This then would give you the extra fan and the controller sitting in front of it.

Should you be looking at two cases of equal cost, one being this Master Case, and are trying to decide, keep fans and fan quality in mind. Sometimes buying the case with the good fans is easier than buying one with mediocre fans and having to replace them any ways.


Part of me is evil and wants to return it while I still can, to try out the Phanteks Evolve. However I feel all I'll get is a heavier case, less cooling(though better fans) and a higher dent in the wallet.

At 99 quid, this was good value.
 
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Can someone quickly mention or think of a ATX supporting case that will allow 240 (or larger) radiator mounting (with fan vents underneath) at bottom of case?

Obsidian 750 came close but it doesn't quite fit.

Ideally looking to bottom mount a radiator, with intake from under the case, meanwhile the rest is business as usual with air intake at front and exhaust out the back and top.
 
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