Enlight 7237 vs. Fong Kai 603

[BassDominator]

I'm leaning towards the FK-603. It's supposed to be quiet and cool. Anybody have any pros/cons for these cases? Good/bad experiences?

 

[sparkle]

I have also heard really good things about the FK-603, but I LOVE my 7237's. They are a good solid, easily modded case.

 

[BassDominator]

Also, how many fans do you really need? If I have a good cooler like an FOP-32, do I need anything else? Do the optional front and rear fans make a real difference? Just curious what kind of cooling setups folks have. I imagine lots of folks must mod the EN7237 b/c the picture I saw on their website didn't have a space for the rear exhaust fan.

 

[Grendel99]

It's always good to have an intake fan at least. And a fan to move hot air out of the case. Good airflow will keep your system nice and cool.

 

[GasX]

Pretend you have no case fans. Your FOP-32 will be blowing air accross the heatsink and keeping it cool. But as time goes on, the air in the case will get hotter and the cooling efficiency will decrease. Eventually you will fry your cpu.

As you can see by haunting this forum that people regularly go to the other extreme with 10+ case fans. This is not neccesary. As long as you have a healthy intake and outtake fan and a good HSF, you should be fine. When you start getting into hardcore OCing, you will start to need more cooling.

At that point, there is no turning back...

 

[clumsum]

If you need the expansion room (for now or later) the Enlight 7237 has four 5" drive bays and is more conventional looking .............. a beige box, that is a good all around value compromise between price and features ......... decent cooling, lots of options....

If you only need three 5" drive bays and cooling is a high priority, then the F-K 603 is hard to beat in stock un-modded cases.
High quality and good design features, the side panels are heavy plastic, so it deadens the fan noise a little bit.......more rounded looking and sits slightly higher in front on one-piece plastic foot.....for added airflow... also has plastic fan duct over cpu.
Case is a little deeper front to back than the 7237 (I think) ...... so you have plenty of room for cabeling....etc.

For a little more money, you can step-up to the next level and try choosing between the Antec SX-series and the Fong Kai 320 case's...........

 

[Jhhnn]

The pics on the Enlight site are old, later revisions have a stamped grille for a rear 80mm fan. The 7237 begs to be modified, particularly the front bezel. If you're not into that, get the Fong Kai for better stock cooling.

With any case, particularly an Enlight 7237, having a rear exhaust fan is extremely desirable, even if it is a low power model like a panaflo L1A. Some cases will do just as well with only a front intake fan. At least one each for intake and exhaust is what most "enthusiasts" would recommend, although it's easy to get carried away and end up with an annoyingly loud machine.

 

[ericd]

I have had a Fong-Kai 603 and I have seen the 7237 in person...mine hasn't gotten here yet and I think that the 7237 is the superior of the two. For one thing I really don't like cases with plastic sides. It just doesn't scream "durability" to me like good old steel does. It does make the 603 a little quieter I think but not enough to make it worth the reduced survivability. Just my $.02

Eric

 

[LIVAN]

If you like hunking metal cases, just go get yourself one of those 20 dollars ones at the trade shows. The Fong Kai 603 is far superior in this case. Its a no brainer between these two. FonG kai is designed for superior air flow inside teh case with the multiple exhaust and the fan ducts. The Plastic sides are reinforced in metal. How can you beat that?

 

[Beowulf]

I have an enlight 7237 and its great the only thing is that its now too small for me.Tomorrow comes in my Inwin Q500.

 

[clumsum]

ericd,
I know what you are saying about the feel of heavy metal, it took me quite awhile to come around to accepting some of the plastic and nylon construction materials (in everything, not just pc's) but they are pretty tough and durable if you purchase the high quality stuff ............... and the Fong Kai doesn't disapoint me,.... I did however, go for the F-K 320, which is all metal......?
If you really like heavy metal construction, ...... check out any of the Addtronics' or Super Micro cases .......!