Anyone try Antec SX1030 Case?

[ragiepew]

I was just wondering because it not only looks cool, I can find it at Microcenter(no shipping and no waiting!). I am interested in the cooling and ergonomics of the case so please let me know what you think...

I posted this in Cases forum but no responses yet... -P.

 

[Kwad Guy]

Got one from Onvia for about $90 shipped. Excellent case. They
call it a "server" case, but anyone running a real server wouldn't
consider this (no redundancies, no nods to hot swapping, etc.).

That said, is IS an excellent home-use full tower case. Very
spacious inside. Good quality 300W power supply. Two fans included
with space/bracket for a third in front. Quick release mounting
rails for the externally accessible bays. Solid case construction,
with no sharp edges. Two locks, one for access to the inside of
the cabinet, and one for a door that covers the external bays and
the power switch (excellent if you have lil' ones with button
fetishes!)

Looks pretty nice, too.

My only complaint: There isn't much sound dampening, so if you use
loud hard drives you'll hear them...

Kwad

 

[ragiepew]

hey thanks!

 

[Kjazlaw]

the door on the front is annoying, and the airflow noise is high.

 

[Jake]

It may not be the quietest case on the planet, but its a great deal quieter than my Supermicro 750, which has been relegated to the case for soon to be web server. I especially like the quick remove side door(not particularly fond of thumb screws) and the hard drive cages that slide out after shifting the release lever.

 

[Rebels7]

I have had one for about a month now and I really like it. It lowered my CPU temps from about 45c to 36c. I installed two additional fans on mine, (one in front of HD and one in the lower part of the front). I think this case is one of the best for overclockers not wanting to do extreme modifications to their existing cases, to achieve more cooling.:}😛

http://www.tecinfo.com\~jlbono\computer.htm

 

[Jhhnn]

I have one, I believe it is a really good buy, all things considered.

Airflow noise? Depends on the fans...L1A panaflos or pcp&c silencers provide low noise and solid performance in gangs of four...The low airflow restriction of the sx Antecs allows quiet fans to perform very near their rated capacity, unlike many designs.

The panaflos are available from Teamawe.com and others.

The front door comes off in 10 seconds or less, I use thumbscrews on the side panel to keep the whole thing a little more rigid.

Run a search for "Antec" or "sx1030" or "sx830" on this forum, and others. The general consensus is pretty favorable, sometimes more like ecstatic.

 

[John P]

You might want to try the 830, a lot of people tend to complain about that door thingy. I have an 830 and I love it.

 

[AndrewR]

SX1030 is an excellent case. Aside from the PC Power & Cooling midtower I also have, it's the best case I've used (PC Power case is just incredibly well made). Noise level is rather high, and I did replace the power supply (do a search on this forum for my rant against Antec power supplies) with a Sparkle 300w. Interior is nice and roomy, and my components are nice and chilly. The door can be removed if it bothers you. Construction quality is very good.

My main reason for buying it and replacing my PC Power case (which is now my wife's computer) was the presence of a fourth full size external drive bay which is so hard to come by. With a CD-R, CD-ROM, and a bay cooler, I couldn't add a DVD-ROM like I wanted to. SX1030 allowed me to do that. It was a steal at Onvia awhile back for less than $90.