Enermax Phoenix Review - Installation
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Installing components in the Phoenix is easy. The first thing to install in the chassis is the power supply. Installation is almost effortless. I had no problems installing my power supply into the chassis; I even test fit my Enermax Galaxy -- of course, since it is so long, it makes it difficult to access the modular connectors. Next I installed the motherboard. Enermax provides stand offs for securing motherboards with additional mounting locations to ensure the board remains firmly in place and doesn't flex when components are installed.
Installing hard drives in the Phoenix is very simple: attach the slider rails to the hard drive, and slide it into position. It's nice and easy. If you plan to cool your hard drives with an intake fan on the front of the chassis, however, it is easier to install when no drives are in place. You can remove the cage itself from the rest of the chassis with a few screws... but if you don't mind a bit of a fight you should be able to squeeze a 120mm fan into position without having to remove everything.
To secure a front fan or to install optical drives you will need to remove the front panel from the chassis. This is done by pushing in the tabs on the front of the case and pulling the panel away. Now you can secure the fan in position if necessary. With the front panel removed, now is a great time to install your optical drives in position. Enermax provides stealth CD drive covers which are really metal clipped onto plastic, giving the appearance of an all metal design. This is just another sign of quality Enermax provides.
The optical drives are not tool-less though, and the provided hardware will be necessary for installing the drives. Slide the drives into the bays and loosely secure them to the chassis. Install any other components that need to be installed with the front panel off. Then re-install the front panel. The optical drives need to be adjusted in order to work with the stealth front panels. Gently push the eject button back so there is just a little bit of play before it makes contact; that will prevent any accidental drive openings. Tighten the screws and you should be good to go.
Once all the components are installed in the system, you can connect all of the front I/O components to the motherboard. Enermax offers very long cables since they have to reach the top of the chassis. Good cable management may be needed to hide extra wire. Front audio may or may not be long enough to route out of the way, depending on the location of the headers on your motherboard.
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