CCityInstaller
Banned
Well as the topic states, I just completed my new system that is housed in the Antec Super LanBoy case. My specs are as follows:
Athlon 3000 (running @ 9x250 at the moment)
1 gig SuperTalent ram (2-3-3-7 @2.6V)
Epox EP-9NDA3J MB
Nec 3520A DVD burner
Maxtor 160 gig AtA 133 (staples special)
ATI 9800 PRO AIW @ XT speeds (holdover until the 800xl is ready)
Antec Super Lanboy (of course)
Antec 480 trublue PS
My goal when I first decided to upgrade from my aging o/ced XP system was to find a case that was quiet and still had great airflow. My old case housed 5 80mm fans along with 2 80mm fans in the Thermaltake 480 Silent PS I was running. I was using a mix of Vantec Stealth and the Enermax temp controlled fans, and trust me they were anything but silent. I was shopping for a case that house at least 2 120mm fans that would provide great airflow and still be quiet enough to leave the computer on 24x7(it resides in my bedroom), and NO Door!!. I looked into the CoolerMaster line and everyone that I liked seemed to only have a 80mm intake fan. I finally decided to settle on the Antec P160 as it seemed to meet all of my needs, however the price seemed to be quite high with the lack of a PS being included. The Lanboy offered a much cheaper route however I really didnt like the look of the case and the fact that it had a door on it didnt exactly make me jump for joy. I happened to stop into CircuitCity on my lunchbreak and I noticed they offered the Lanboy for 129 with a 350 watt Antec PS. I managed to get them to PM the case to BestBuy and paid $96 out the door with tax, so I figured I'd give it a try. The first thing I noticed about the case is that is extremely lightweight as many on here had stated, but that certainly comes with a drawback. The case felt extremely cheap, and seemed to bend and flex quite a bit. I swapped the included 350 PS out for my new Antec 480 and proceded to get everything installed. The included I/O shield wouldnt work with my Epox MB thanks to the Optical Output, so I swapped it for the included I/O that came with my MB. I installed my CPU and Ram and proceeded to install the Epox into the case. There was barely enough room for the MB to clear the HD cages at the front of case. I had to install the board at a 45+degree angle in order for it to clear the cages, and even then almost dropped the MB into the case due to lack of space for my hands. I simply cannot grasp why Antec did not include a removeable MB tray, as this would make it job so much easier. I proceeded to finish installing the rest of my gear into the case, and had to do some creative wiring do to the NEC burner almost touching the outputs of the Antec PS. The harddrive mouting system is the best thing I have ever used in over 10 years of building custom systems, and I think Antec should be praised for it. I finished everything up and promptly booted the system up, only to hear the noise, err lack thereof from the included fans. I wasn't even sure the system was running save for the power LED and the noise from the Maxtor formatting itself. The case is easily a full 3-6dB quieter then my last system. To end a long story, I am happy with the case overall, its very quiet and keeps the temps in my system much lower then I expected. The little plastic door seems very cheap, however as long as you are careful I think it will last for quite a while. My review seems to be a little mixed, and I don't want to bash the case, but Antec certainly took the idea of a lightweight case to the extreme. I would gladly trade a few extra pounds for a chasis that doesn't feel like its going to bend everytime you pick it up. I dont plan on transporting the case very often, but I am surprised that any hardcore lan gamer wouldnt be worried about the case twisting over time. If the space issues and lightweight cheap feeling don't bother you, I would highly recommend the case to anyone that wouldnt be carrying it around very often. I didnt post this in hopes of starting a flame war, it's just my opinion.
Athlon 3000 (running @ 9x250 at the moment)
1 gig SuperTalent ram (2-3-3-7 @2.6V)
Epox EP-9NDA3J MB
Nec 3520A DVD burner
Maxtor 160 gig AtA 133 (staples special)
ATI 9800 PRO AIW @ XT speeds (holdover until the 800xl is ready)
Antec Super Lanboy (of course)
Antec 480 trublue PS
My goal when I first decided to upgrade from my aging o/ced XP system was to find a case that was quiet and still had great airflow. My old case housed 5 80mm fans along with 2 80mm fans in the Thermaltake 480 Silent PS I was running. I was using a mix of Vantec Stealth and the Enermax temp controlled fans, and trust me they were anything but silent. I was shopping for a case that house at least 2 120mm fans that would provide great airflow and still be quiet enough to leave the computer on 24x7(it resides in my bedroom), and NO Door!!. I looked into the CoolerMaster line and everyone that I liked seemed to only have a 80mm intake fan. I finally decided to settle on the Antec P160 as it seemed to meet all of my needs, however the price seemed to be quite high with the lack of a PS being included. The Lanboy offered a much cheaper route however I really didnt like the look of the case and the fact that it had a door on it didnt exactly make me jump for joy. I happened to stop into CircuitCity on my lunchbreak and I noticed they offered the Lanboy for 129 with a 350 watt Antec PS. I managed to get them to PM the case to BestBuy and paid $96 out the door with tax, so I figured I'd give it a try. The first thing I noticed about the case is that is extremely lightweight as many on here had stated, but that certainly comes with a drawback. The case felt extremely cheap, and seemed to bend and flex quite a bit. I swapped the included 350 PS out for my new Antec 480 and proceded to get everything installed. The included I/O shield wouldnt work with my Epox MB thanks to the Optical Output, so I swapped it for the included I/O that came with my MB. I installed my CPU and Ram and proceeded to install the Epox into the case. There was barely enough room for the MB to clear the HD cages at the front of case. I had to install the board at a 45+degree angle in order for it to clear the cages, and even then almost dropped the MB into the case due to lack of space for my hands. I simply cannot grasp why Antec did not include a removeable MB tray, as this would make it job so much easier. I proceeded to finish installing the rest of my gear into the case, and had to do some creative wiring do to the NEC burner almost touching the outputs of the Antec PS. The harddrive mouting system is the best thing I have ever used in over 10 years of building custom systems, and I think Antec should be praised for it. I finished everything up and promptly booted the system up, only to hear the noise, err lack thereof from the included fans. I wasn't even sure the system was running save for the power LED and the noise from the Maxtor formatting itself. The case is easily a full 3-6dB quieter then my last system. To end a long story, I am happy with the case overall, its very quiet and keeps the temps in my system much lower then I expected. The little plastic door seems very cheap, however as long as you are careful I think it will last for quite a while. My review seems to be a little mixed, and I don't want to bash the case, but Antec certainly took the idea of a lightweight case to the extreme. I would gladly trade a few extra pounds for a chasis that doesn't feel like its going to bend everytime you pick it up. I dont plan on transporting the case very often, but I am surprised that any hardcore lan gamer wouldnt be worried about the case twisting over time. If the space issues and lightweight cheap feeling don't bother you, I would highly recommend the case to anyone that wouldnt be carrying it around very often. I didnt post this in hopes of starting a flame war, it's just my opinion.
