The Phanteks EX5-Plus is easiest to justify if you want a 360 mm liquid cooler included and your graphics card fits the motherboard’s primary PCIe slot position. In a review published October 29, 2026, El Chapuzas Informático found no major practical cooling gain in its test build, which used an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. The case’s GPU thickness limit changes by PCIe position, so check your exact card and motherboard before buying.
What the EX5-Plus includes
The EX5-Plus is a mid-tower case for ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards. Its dimensions are 449 × 234 × 474 mm, and its listed net weight is 9.35 kg. The separated compartments distinguish its layout from a conventional open interior. Phanteks lists the full EX5-Plus specifications.
The Plus includes a pre-installed Glacier One 360S25 all-in-one liquid cooler, with three 120 mm fans in one assembly, plus a separate 120 mm fan behind the motherboard area. You still need to attach the cooler’s pump module to the CPU. The base EX5 does not include the AIO, while the EX5-Max adds an LCD display to the cooling package.
The compartment layout is also visible in JonjonTech’s English-language build video, which uses fog to trace airflow paths through the case’s separate chambers.
The case has four horizontal expansion slots, one 3.5-inch drive mount and one 2.5-inch drive mount. A conventional CPU air cooler is limited to 72 mm in height, and the power supply can be up to 210 mm long. Those limits matter if you plan to add expansion cards or use air cooling instead of the included AIO. Phanteks’ EX5 manual covers the installation and fit details.
Will your graphics card fit?
Phanteks lists maximum GPU dimensions of 358 mm long and 175 mm wide. The thickness limit depends on the position of the motherboard’s primary PCIe slot:
| Primary PCIe position | Maximum GPU thickness | Slot width |
| 1 | 93 mm | 4.6 slots |
| 2 | 73 mm | 3.6 slots |
| 3 | 53 mm | 2.6 slots |
These are manufacturer-listed clearances from the EX5 manual. El Chapuzas Informático gives 75 mm for position 2; Phanteks lists 73 mm for that position, so use the manufacturer’s 73 mm figure when checking a close fit.
A card’s series name alone cannot determine fit. Compare the exact card’s length, width and thickness with the limits for your motherboard’s primary PCIe position. One verified buyer on Inet reported building with an Astral RTX 5090 in the EX5-Plus, but said the included GPU support bracket did not fit that card.
What the review found on cooling and noise
El Chapuzas Informático reported that its Intel Core Ultra 9 285K reached 81 °C under full load, with noise at about 52 dBA. The reviewer found no major practical cooling difference from the case’s separated-chamber design and said the tested GPU’s temperatures were comparable to those in a conventional case. These are results from that review build, not a prediction for every combination of CPU, GPU and fan settings.
For noise, EX5-Plus owners on Reddit describe adjusting BIOS fan curves. One owner said running fans at about 40% below 75 °C made gaming quieter in their system. That is an individual configuration, rather than a setting that can be assumed to produce the same result in every build. Owners’ fan-noise discussion.
US listing prices and which EX5 to choose
On November 1, 2026, Newegg listed the EX5-Plus with its 360 mm AIO at $159.99. Google Shopping displayed a Best Buy offer at $172.99. These are dated listing prices, not a manufacturer’s suggested retail price.
The base EX5 is the option for builders who want to choose their own cooling. The Plus bundles the 360 mm AIO, while the EX5-Max adds an LCD display. For the Plus, the practical decision is whether that included cooler suits your build and whether your specific motherboard and graphics card meet the slot-dependent clearance limits.
