As with the StarryKnight SK30, the Enermax uses four ARGB fans and a ventilated grid front. On the lighting side, however, a closer look reveals considerable savings in many corners. At least the temperature in the test can be described as very good.
The StarryKnight SK30 draws attention to itself with its almost-full-surface mesh front, behind which are sleeping three 140mm fans with angular RGB frames. The front part is made of plastic and is decorated with a metal strip at the top and bottom area. The front perforated grid is made of metal and is extremely stable. It cannot be weakened even by selective pressure.
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 Im Tested
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 Im Tested
The glass on the left side of the case measures 4mm, is dark in color and has a black frame about two and a half centimeters in the edge area. Apart from the two vertical extension shots, the rear of the housing offers very little initially which is great, though later especially the rear becomes a real disaster. The sides of the case are attached to the body with screws attached to it.
The non-removable cover is home to the I/O panel, which is easily accessible neither under a table or standing on a table. The I/O panel isn’t on the front as usual, but is almost in the middle of the lid on the StarryKnight SK30. USB 3.2 Gen 2 is not used for the connection. A traditional Type C port is also sought in vain. The dust filter on the top is magnetic and protects the upper fan slot. It is different on the floor: the dust filter of the power supply unit is clogged on all sides and cannot be easily removed. The case should also always be tilted for cleaning.
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 im Test: I/O-Panel
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 im Test: I/O-Panel
The general exterior build quality is good at first glance. No wobble components or sharp edges are found and the torsion stiffness is consistently extremely stable. Only the difference at the transition point between the lid and the front area deviates from the norm, making the transition look a bit distorted.
The interior of the Enermax StarryKnight SK30 is divided into two chambers, with the power supply and hard drive missing behind a screen in the cage floor area. As a little special feature of the front hardware chamber, the case offers a height-adjustable holding arm, which is intended to support extremely tall graphics cards.
On a positive note, Enermax thought about stripping the glass side panels with foam struts. The power pack is also mounted on a foam pad, which sticks in a bit of a zigzag. Cable bushings, which are not rubberized and open, are also unattractive. On the back, it’s also quickly apparent that the case lacks cable management options. There are only a few notches on the left side through which cable ties can be tinkered with. Speaking of cables: there isn’t even 2cm of space for them behind the mainboard carrier – too little, as will be shown later.
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 in Testing: Hardware Room
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 in Testing: Hardware Room
There are two brackets to accommodate the 2.5″ drive on the rear of the mainboard, which are inserted using rubberized screws. An ARGB hub is installed right next to it, which can control a total of six light sources. Mainboard connections In addition to control via the VIA, the hub can also be operated manually. Using the reset button on the I/O panel, it is possible to switch through various lighting effects.
There is only one cart in the hard disk cage installed in the floor area. It doesn’t give a solid effect and is made of fairly thin plastic, but at least it has small sponges. The last hard disk slot is located on the hard disk cage and is therefore extremely difficult to access as the cage cannot be easily removed. To do this, the entire housing must first be placed on its side and loosen the screw connections of the cage to the floor.
Like the outside, the torsion tightness is also very good from the inside. Almost all components are mounted on their sides, which ensures stability. The rest of the build quality is fine too, though (again) with the exception of the front. The front of plastic can only be opened with great effort. The punched perforated sheet in it is bent and punched in some places. When crossing the edges with your fingers, it is precisely the areas that appear as sharp edges. There is no dust filter on the side of the airflow.
Installation of the mainboard is easy thanks to the spacious main chamber, but the project is already stumbling with graphics cards—though that’s to say the least. The bezel for the vertical extension bay at the rear is straight up for the horizontal (traditional) bay. To remove the bezel and install the graphics card, however, the entire component must first be removed, which costs unnecessary screws and time. This “manufacture error” is trampled by the actual expansion shaft, from which only the top sheet can be removed. The remaining six panels must be dismantled when used. Considered an absolute no-go and, above all, dead, leads to extremely sharp fractures and was otherwise known only from very cheap cases from the early 2000s. With a little bit of misfortune, a component on the mainboard also prevents breakage of the metal sheet, which may require the entire main circuit board to be retrofitted.
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 in testing: Vertical card recording is extremely poorly implemented
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 in testing: Vertical card recording is extremely poorly implemented
But anyone who thinks that the mayhem is over is wrong, as the slot cover has to be reinstalled after the graphics card is inserted. With an oversized heat sink, however, the sheet metal must be carefully worked past it. Unfortunately, prior insertion is not possible.
As mentioned earlier, the area behind the mainboard also causes problems. There are hardly any options for cable management and usually too little space for cables leading to clutter, which can also be seen from the front due to the lack of aperture plates. Enermax itself speaks of 25mm of space for cable management, but this value only measures the distance between the mainboard carrier and the outermost housing wall. Measured in actual terms, there is only 18 mm between the wall mount of the carrier and the housing.
Looking back also leads directly to the second déj vu from the earlier computer age. Also considered dead, the old 4-pin Molex connectors protrude towards the screwdriver when wiring. While three of them belong to the front fan, which also optionally provides a 3-pin fan connection, the rear fan only comes with a neutral plug connection. Not only does the latter fan always run at full speed, there is also the question of whether the built-in power supply still has an associated Molex connection. The model used for testing has a similar breakout cable, but it was not to be found in the spaciousness of the warehouse, so a SATA Molex adapter had to be used.
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 in testing: hardly any space and options for cable management
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 in testing: hardly any space and options for cable management
The position of the two fans on the power supply cage is also somewhat questionable. Enermax itself lines up the StarryKnight SK30’s airflow in such a way that hot air can be moved outside through two fans. However, since the lower air outlet is already blocked by the power supply unit, both fans are completely useless and only blow fresh air stolen by the graphics card onto the power supply unit housing. The last thing in the long list of drawbacks is screwing the front fan inside. Replacing fans is inevitably tied to circumstances – especially if the hardware has already been installed.
Enermax StarryKnight SK30 in testing: fan detail
In addition to the two fan slots above the power supply unit, the StarryKnight SK30 uses traditional methods to connect the fan. There are also no modular fan brackets. There is room for a 120 or 140 mm fan at the front. Optionally three 120 or two 140 mm models can be installed in the lid. The rear is limited to 120mm. The factory-installed fans are from Enermax’s SquA-ARGB series. While the 140 mm front fans also rely on an illuminated frame in relation to the illuminated fan blades, the rear 120 mm examples only offered the illuminated frame paired with black fan blades. In addition to the old-fashioned connectors, the fans make a nice impact and have small rubber pads at the corners for dampening. However, it is interesting that Enermax does not offer the Squaw RGB fan on the open market with a frame width of 140 mm. Retail branches in 120mm also rely entirely on 4-pin PWM.
Radiators up to 280 and 360 can also be adjusted in the front and cover. The combination of radiator and fan can take about 54mm in the lid. Complications can arise with a protruding heat sink on the mainboard. In the front area, fans can be mounted facing outwards and the associated heat exchanger is mounted behind them inside the housing. 64mm are available inside, thanks to a cut-out in the power supply cover, to also accommodate the fan-radiator-fan sandwich combination.
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