blackangst1
Lifer
So my old Lian Li finally had to go. This thing is like 12 years old and is all beat up. Cases are a funny thing...they read good online and look god in the store, but you really dont know how they'll stack up till you get em built.
I went to Fry's. The dude there seemed knowledgeable, and after answering a few questions suggested the Antec 1200 series. Well, yeah, its a great case, but I honestly dont need a full tower. Is there something similar but smaller? (I have two HD, an Nvidia 260GTX, and a DVD-r is all).The 900-2. I never looked at it before, so he was explaining its built around the technology used for the flagship 1200. I got it at $129.99 + tax.
Uncasing it, it felt sturdy, and I like the non-smudge texture of the outside. Opening it up it reminded me of my Lian Li...very compartmentalized. Starting my installation was pretty easy, theres plenty of room. There are essentially 3 installation bays with 3 slots in each for components or HD's. The top bay is not removable, but the middle and bottom ones are, from the front, and have a fan in each bay also. I used the upper most slot for my DVD-r (so I wouldnt have to bend down as far to access it), and initially used the middle bay for my 2 HD, but realized later that left no room for the vid card (the 260GTX is pretty long), so moved them to the bottom bay. This could be a problem for anyone that SLI's and needs those bays.
The standard cut outs behind the mobo were fine for basic wire management, but for "elite" management you will still need to cut your own holes (isnt that way for every case?).
After getting it all put together I was very pleased. The case comes with two 120mm fans on the front, two in the rear, and a big boy 200mm on top. There is also a spot for another 120mm on the case side (which I used). The thing that sold this case for me was each fan spot has a removable, washable filter! I live in AZ and is very dusty so the inside of my cases have always had issues with dust. I think these removable filters will help a TON.
My Lian Li case had 3 fans, this one 5, but is quieter. I think it has to do with I had 2 80mm fans, and larger fans are quieter and not as "whiney". It could also be the case and fans were old 😛 One of the rear fans and one front fan has a pleasing blue LED, and the top fan has one with an on/off switch on the back, as well as a 3 position speed control. Mine are on low, and under load kept my case 11 degrees cooler than my Lian Li did.
All in all Im very happy and would recommend it to someone who wants a good looking quiet case, with dust issues (again the removable filters are a boon). Here is a link on Antec's site.
edit: forgot to add there two watercooling ports built in to the back also.
I went to Fry's. The dude there seemed knowledgeable, and after answering a few questions suggested the Antec 1200 series. Well, yeah, its a great case, but I honestly dont need a full tower. Is there something similar but smaller? (I have two HD, an Nvidia 260GTX, and a DVD-r is all).The 900-2. I never looked at it before, so he was explaining its built around the technology used for the flagship 1200. I got it at $129.99 + tax.
Uncasing it, it felt sturdy, and I like the non-smudge texture of the outside. Opening it up it reminded me of my Lian Li...very compartmentalized. Starting my installation was pretty easy, theres plenty of room. There are essentially 3 installation bays with 3 slots in each for components or HD's. The top bay is not removable, but the middle and bottom ones are, from the front, and have a fan in each bay also. I used the upper most slot for my DVD-r (so I wouldnt have to bend down as far to access it), and initially used the middle bay for my 2 HD, but realized later that left no room for the vid card (the 260GTX is pretty long), so moved them to the bottom bay. This could be a problem for anyone that SLI's and needs those bays.
The standard cut outs behind the mobo were fine for basic wire management, but for "elite" management you will still need to cut your own holes (isnt that way for every case?).
After getting it all put together I was very pleased. The case comes with two 120mm fans on the front, two in the rear, and a big boy 200mm on top. There is also a spot for another 120mm on the case side (which I used). The thing that sold this case for me was each fan spot has a removable, washable filter! I live in AZ and is very dusty so the inside of my cases have always had issues with dust. I think these removable filters will help a TON.
My Lian Li case had 3 fans, this one 5, but is quieter. I think it has to do with I had 2 80mm fans, and larger fans are quieter and not as "whiney". It could also be the case and fans were old 😛 One of the rear fans and one front fan has a pleasing blue LED, and the top fan has one with an on/off switch on the back, as well as a 3 position speed control. Mine are on low, and under load kept my case 11 degrees cooler than my Lian Li did.
All in all Im very happy and would recommend it to someone who wants a good looking quiet case, with dust issues (again the removable filters are a boon). Here is a link on Antec's site.
edit: forgot to add there two watercooling ports built in to the back also.
