Phanteks Enthoo Evolv X or Cooler Master H500M

gillmanjr

Member
So I've decided to upgrade my case considering how much money I put into my new build. My current case is less than 2 years old (original Phanteks Enthoo Pro) but I also want to upgrade because I want to go back to a mid tower. I just don't need all the space of a full tower and want to put the system on top of my desk rather than having it on the floor. This is also because I just moved my office into a different room in my house, one that has carpet instead of hard wood.

So anyway I have narrowed it down to these two cases after a lot of looking around. I also had the Thermaltake View 32, Corsair Obsidian 500D, Crystal 570X, and BQ Silent Base 600 on my list but eliminated those based on airflow concerns or fan support. All of these cases are basically in the same price bracket (~$200) and all have basically the same features, give or take.

Of the two in my title, which would you choose and why? I am leaning towards the Cooler Master for a couple of reasons: I LOVE the 200mm fans, greater airflow overall, SSD mounts on top of the PSU shroud, and it is a little smaller than the Phanteks. But I also like that the Phanteks has better support for a vertical mounted GPU (three slots instead of the usual two) and the integrated RGB lighting is very cool on the Phanteks. Even though I'm not a huge RGB guy I still think the Phanteks case looks pretty awesome. I'm torn...
 

_Kyle_

Well-Known Member
They're really neck to neck, and at this point it is kinda preference.

Phanteks cases are really easy to work in, though.


In my opinion I would go with the CM case. Those huge fans can move a lot of air at a low RPM, so it would be more quiet. It also looks great too.
 

AlienMenace

Well-Known Member
The 200mm fans are great but on the flip side. Plan on cleaning the case a lot more often. I have a cooler master haf XM mid-tower from 2013. gets pretty dusty in there. lol. I love my case tho.
Haf XM.png
 

gillmanjr

Member
I am also upgrading because I don't need the 5.25" drive bays anymore. Two years ago I bought another case with 5.25" bays because I thought I might use my blu ray player to watch movies or install Windows and I also bought a new fan controller. I now have Win 10 installer on a USB thumb drive, use Amazon Prime for all movie watching, and don't even want the fan controller anymore considering the level of fan control granted by Z390 motherboards, which I'm sure is true of all modern MOBOs. 5.25" drives are just obsolete, nobody really needs them anymore. I'd rather use up all that space with FANS :D
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
I am also upgrading because I don't need the 5.25" drive bays anymore. Two years ago I bought another case with 5.25" bays because I thought I might use my blu ray player to watch movies or install Windows and I also bought a new fan controller. I now have Win 10 installer on a USB thumb drive, use Amazon Prime for all movie watching, and don't even want the fan controller anymore considering the level of fan control granted by Z390 motherboards, which I'm sure is true of all modern MOBOs. 5.25" drives are just obsolete, nobody really needs them anymore. I'd rather use up all that space with FANS :D
Yeah I was able to get a quite smaller case by ditching 5.25's and having less 3.5" drive slots too. Went from a Phantom 410 to a Fractal Design Meshify C. Both still midtowers but once I got it built I love having the smaller build size.
 

gillmanjr

Member
You know what, I just did some more digging regarding the size of these cases. I was curious about the sizes because, as I stated earlier, part of the reason I am doing this is to have a smaller case that can sit on top of my desk. After jotting down the measurements of these cases, guess what? The Cooler Master H500M is virtually identical in size to my current case, the Phanteks Enthoo Pro, which is labeled a FULL TOWER. I don't understand that. I think someone needs to come up with a better and more precise sizing classification for cases. There are so called "Mid-Tower" cases that range from over 21" tall (like the CM H500M) to less than 18" tall (Phanteks P350 or NZXT H500). They call the NZXT a "compact" mid-tower, but there should be a separate classification for these. The Enthoo Evolv X sits between the so-called compact mid-towers and large mid-towers. Now I am leaning more towards the Phanteks just because its smaller than the Cooler Master. Frankly the Cooler Master H500M should be called a full tower, not mid.

Yeah I was able to get a quite smaller case by ditching 5.25's and having less 3.5" drive slots too. Went from a Phantom 410 to a Fractal Design Meshify C. Both still midtowers but once I got it built I love having the smaller build size.

I looked at the Meshify C but don't like the way the front grill looks. Its OK but def not my favorite.
 
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Yeah I was able to get a quite smaller case by ditching 5.25's and having less 3.5" drive slots too. Went from a Phantom 410 to a Fractal Design Meshify C. Both still midtowers but once I got it built I love having the smaller build size.

Do you find the Meshify C noisy? I have a Define C and have though about switching for the better airflow.

It really is a nice form factor. The case has a little less room for building but it fits really well on a desk.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
I swapped all the stock fans so consider that but no it's pretty quiet. I wouldn't call it silent but it's not the least bit of an issue.
 

gillmanjr

Member
So I actually ended up going with THIS case. I just found that one yesterday and pulled the trigger. Its smaller than the H500m and half the price. I also like the 120mm fans, gives me a lot more options if and when I replace them.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
So I actually ended up going with THIS case. I just found that one yesterday and pulled the trigger. Its smaller than the H500m and half the price. I also like the 120mm fans, gives me a lot more options if and when I replace them.
Seems like that design is the new standard. Very similar to mine and many other newer cases I've seen.
 
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