Fong Kai FK-320B vs Antec SX1030B....

chutamango

Junior Member
Jan 12, 2001
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I like both...i just cant decide here. I love the look of the 320B but it seems that the 1030B has all these features....well at least a LOT of people praise it. How about someone giving me a comparison of the 2.....maybe someone out have used both....thanks again....

BTW...i will be OCing.

Ben
 

dadx2mj

Senior member
Nov 8, 2000
289
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I know you wanted a comparison but I have no experience with the Fong Kai but the SX series is flat out AWESOME
 

chutamango

Junior Member
Jan 12, 2001
18
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ya...i figured the antecs are great...i just love the way the fong looks....also..more ppl have used the antecs....and of course its great...but all i need is someone to tell me the fong sucked compared to the antec...of course...that would suck...but it would help...

chuta
 

clumsum

Senior member
Nov 19, 2000
806
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Well,.................... maby this will help some..........?
In my opinion, (I have two Fong-Kai's) it basically boils down to looks and intended use......
If you need more expansion room the SX-1030 has four 5.25" bays........
If you are going to be opening the case often after your system is built (like 3 or 4 times per week, or more)...... or are planning to modify the case (blow holes, windows, plexiglass, lights, etc.).
Or if you will constantly be swapping internal components............then in my opinion the Antec would be the preferred choice (assuming you like the looks, style, etc.)
It's very easy to open the side panel and it's built very sturdy. (So are the Addtronics' cases)
Making both of them more suitable to cut and modify...........

If you just plan on an occasional case opening and very light modifying .......(the F-K 320 doesn't really need it) .......... and you like the somewhat "flamboyant" style of the case, then you may be happy with the Fong Kai ............ they are very well built and designed with good cooling (using plastic ducting) and comes w/approved ps ...............
They are not built any heavier than needed and have internal bracing and stiffeners designed in as necessary............. the internal hdd cage was designed as a heat-sink and the case is approved for Xeon mb's and 12K RPM HDD's ...............!

I would like to hear from someone who has experience with both Antec SX's and Fong Kai's 320 and 603.....?
Really, you can't go wrong with either choice, they are both high quality, top of the value line cases .........!
 

ZeroBurn

Platinum Member
Jul 29, 2000
2,892
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i used the SX1030 at work and i just got my fong kai 320, i've never seen the 603 besides pictures.

here's a few impressions i got. the sx1030 has way more room for expansion, and is built like a monolith. it's solid, durable, and yet very convient. the bays come out easily, the door is literally a snap to get out, and the side panel comes off and back on without effort. roomy as hell and more space for fans then you could ask for.

the 320 is a little smaller, and still roomy inside. it comes with just enough space as i needed for my setup, the sx1030 seemed like it just had more then i ever needed and was wasteful. i have a modest 2-cdrom, 2-hdd system and a modestly OC'ed 1.1ghz chip that doesn't require much cooling. as a result the fong kai's single 120mm intake and exahust w/ cpu shroud was better suited to me. the bay removal was easier then the sx1030 and not as clunky and awkward, i felt it was designed better especially w/ the intake housing fong kai uses. it's a specialized housing you can just slide a 120mm fan into, i don't recall the sx1030's since i never needed to put a new fan in there (this was at work and i didn't need to mod it any further :) ).

the front is completely based on which style you'd prefer. the fong kai's got a nice face at slides up, which i prefer to the sx1030's door which i felt was cool but rickety and unstable, always felt i had to be careful or i'd snap it (if you notice, the joint where the door is hinged isn't very durable). i preferred fong kai's PSU over the one in the SX1030 much more- it seemed better built from the inside and also uses a grill on the outside instead of the sheet metal casing of the standard PSUs and the SX1030's. i replaced both PSU fans w/ panaflos, so i had a chance to check them both out.

my only real complaint about the fong kai is that the top is beveled to the top a bit (to house the slide-down shroud when it's pushed up) which gives it a nice style i really like- but you can't rest cds, cell phones, books, etc on top of it. since it's sloped and so smooth everything slides off- and i really hated that since i used my case as a temporary shelf a lot.

so in conclusion, here's why i prefer the fong kai 320 to the sx1030. it seems to me the fong kai's just built and engineered a little better with more features which are useful to me, such as the shourds, the PSU choice, the HDD bay, etc. also the size is just perfect for my needs, the sx1030 offers a lot more power and options for cooling, however w/ my modest needs (intake, exhaust, PSU exhaust) the fong kai fits me better. i liked the front door of the fong kai better, it offers a distinguishing look, and the shroud pulls up easily and out of the way. i didn't like the way the door flopped there on the SX1030 when i need to pop in a cd-rom real quick, and i didn't want to remove it since i was going to put it right back on. but remember, it's completely personal to the style you're looking for, both are EXCELLENT designs. finally, the door on the sx1030 is a lot better designed might i add, as it's secure and pops on easily like a door swinging closed. the fong kai requires you to line up the tracks again as on traditional cases, and slide it on- not new and inventive as the sx1030 at all. but it's a minor complaint- i remove my side panel to work with the inards of the system a lot, but the case itself is better suited to me which i felt was more important.

try and check out both cases before you buy if possible- however i understand the Fong Kai may be VERY hard to find =) i doubt you'll be able to scope it first, but i hope this comparison gives you a better idea of what you're looking at. but in any case remember- you can't go wrong with either of these cases and will be VERY satisfied, there is no wrong choice :)

regards,
Dang
 

Turin39789

Lifer
Nov 21, 2000
12,218
8
81
I am putting my new kt133a system into a fong kai 320(black) and this case is beautiful. as far as hard to find i found mine at directron no problem. I dunno this case really gives you the feeling that it was designed for professionals (i read it was designed for dually setups)
 

ZeroBurn

Platinum Member
Jul 29, 2000
2,892
0
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Turin39789- that's how i felt about it. and yes, this case would be even better for a dual-cpu setup as there is plenty of excess space between the right edge of my MSI K7T Pro2-A board and the drives.

 

clumsum

Senior member
Nov 19, 2000
806
2
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On the Antec SX-1030, what are those large dimples or recessed areas for on each side of the drive bays (on the front bezel w/door open) .......... ?
Maby for drive rail access or something ?
I hope they look better with the drives installed than they do with the door open and just the covers in place .................. ?


Zero Burn,
Thanks for the comparison .............
I like the sliding cover on the F-K 320 'cause it stores up and out of the way........... you really don't need to remove the sliding cover to remove the front bezel though, I just push it back under its cover and it's out of the way, no need to remove it from the track ...........?
The SX-1030 is more secure though w/the door closed and locked .....!

I think the FK-320 probably compares closer to the SX-830, although I've only seen pic's of it.
 

JustStarting

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2000
3,135
0
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Recesses are for rail access. This case (SX1030) is great. Good stock cooling and lots of room for extra drives. I'm running an IDE (Striping) Raid setup so its perfect for my needs. If your building a basic system w/ only HDD, CDROM and CDRW Drives its probably overkill.
 

HONKER24

Senior member
Dec 19, 2000
694
0
0
I have never tried an Antec case but I can tell you that I am a proud owner of FK-320 AND an FK-603 and I must say these cases give quite a bang for the buck. My first case, the fk-320, wowed me ass I lifted it out of it's box, its looks better in person than it does on the website. The front 120 (intake) and back 90mm (exhaust) fans make for GREAT airflow, if I put my hand behind the case I can feel a great force of air rushing out which lets me know its doing it's job. The 603 is sturdy as well and well built especially for its size/price, I am still building my sys for the 603 so I cant give you any real specs on that just yet but just know that both fks do NOT have mobo trays that come out, they are permanent but you will have more than enought room to comfortable work in the case. The fks hard drive bays are GREAT if your using more than one hard drive, you just disconnect the drives, pull the lever, and you find yourself holding a small metal box with your hard drives in them which makes it great for changing those once hard to reach jumjpers on the hard drives. Never tried an antec though, sorry
 

ZeroBurn

Platinum Member
Jul 29, 2000
2,892
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<< On the Antec SX-1030, what are those large dimples or recessed areas for on each side of the drive bays (on the front bezel w/door open) .......... ? >>

<< Maby for drive rail access or something ? >>


you answered your own question. :) yep, they don't look bad at all and just make it easy for you to grab the rail and pull the sucker out.

<< I like the sliding cover on the F-K 320 'cause it stores up and out of the way........... you really don't need to remove the sliding cover to remove the front bezel though, I just push it back under its cover and it's out of the way, no need to remove it from the track ...........? >>


that's what i was saying, it's easily snaps up and slides into the little shelter it has built in above, completely out of the way and not flimsy like the sx1030 door. sorry if i got you mixed up, i never removed it from the track and think it would actually be quite difficult to, you'd need to remove the entire top plate i believe and even then it might be a little hard to access the rails it's on. when you push it up you can also quickly and easily pop off the front of the case for modding (changing the LEDs is a snap, i changed my dual-green stock LEDs to a blue/red combo and it looks GREAT) and exposing more air to the intake by cutting the front grill.

<< The SX-1030 is more secure though w/the door closed and locked .....! >>
absolutely, it makes for a great server case so people can't mess w/ it. it has a lock on the front to close the drives away from prying fingers (little kiddies, wandering engineers ;) ) which is a great midpoint. it isn't completely secure though- you can just pop it off by the hinge ! =)