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Need opinions on Antec 300

F

faxon

Platinum Member
i live in the SF bay area, and it can get that hot in doors w/o AC even during the winter in some places. what i need is a cheap case with good airflow that can be run for hours on end without overheating the system. the rig will be on the 2nd floor of a friends house, where indor temps can easily go up over 100f+ daily during the summer. im going to have a xigmatek s1283 on a q6600, a thermaltake 500watt PSU, and an HD4850 all in all as far as major heat generators are concerned. im hoping to OC to at least 3GHz and i can put in high capacity fans on the front of the case to help pull in more fresh air.

so has anyone had any experience with this case, or ones with a similar layout, in less than ideal conditions like these?

on another note, said friend has an HP build with a 5600+ X2 and an 8600GT in it, and if he doesnt point a fan into it it overheats. im hoping to puild a rig for less than what he spent overall that is cooler and outperforms it 3 fold in games. this shouldnt be hard, but if anyone can name a similarly priced case which is cooler, im all ears

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129042
link to said case
 
A system in room temps around 100f will have heat problems no mater what air cooled case you use. With 100 degree temps running threw a PC there is almost no cooling effect to the compnents. If your friend wants to solve the heat issues then he needs to get the room temps belowe 85F.
 
I would look at the Coolermaster CM 590. I have to say, who could live in room temperatures that hot? Reducing the room temperatures would be the most obvious and best place to start.

If UK prices are to go by, it should be priced similarly to the Antec 300. It has space for a front intake, two side intakes, one rear exhaust and two top mounted exhausts all 120mm. The PSU is also placed at the bottom, drawing air from underneath the case and exhausting it out of the back. This should help reduce the impact your PSU will have on temps.

It also comes with two Coolermaster 120mm fans pre-mounted which can be useful. Perhaps two less fans to buy?

EDIT: CM 590 @ Newegg -At $65... In the UK, theres like $5-10 between the Antec 300 and CM590.

You might want to get some more opinions.
 
Like mpilchfamily said, with 100+ F you'll have overheating problems, no matter what case you're using. The Antec 300 is a very good case, it has very good ventilation and it's pretty cheap, but when you want to cool an overclocked Q6600 at 100F ambient temperature, there is no case in the world that will keep it cool. You have to take those temperatures down, otherwise you'll run into troubles.

4850 with stock cooler seems to have overheating problems even in a normal room environment. You'll surely have issues with it in that hellish room.
 
Originally posted by: error8
Like mpilchfamily said, with 100+ F you'll have overheating problems, no matter what case you're using. The Antec 300 is a very good case, it has very good ventilation and it's pretty cheap, but when you want to cool an overclocked Q6600 at 100F ambient temperature, there is no case in the world that will keep it cool. You have to take those temperatures down, otherwise you'll run into troubles.

4850 with stock cooler seems to have overheating problems even in a normal room environment. You'll surely have issues with it in that hellish room.
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yea i was planning on looking into an aftermarket cooler for the 4850 for starters. i may just look into getting him an AC for his room since he simply cat afford it. he is 20 and still living with his parents in an apartment, and no matter how many times his computer crashes they cant do anything about it :disgust:. last i checked you could get a 1 room AC for $200 from sears. it wasnt that strong but the room he is in is kinda small as it is so it should work fine. if they dont let him put one in soon they are going to have to replace his rig they got him only last christmas inside 2 months, considering how much AoC he plays lol
 
I remember last summer, we had one amazing heat wave that lasted for an entire week, temperatures soaring every day to around 108 F and I had no air conditioning. I couldn't use my computer for gaming during the day, since my videocard was artifacting or the computer just crashed, maybe because of the cpu getting too hot or who knows what else was causing instability at that temperature. The only thing I could do, during afternoon hours, was watching movies and listening to music. Gaming had to be done during the night, but it was still very hot even then.

This July I've installed AC and my life changed. 😉 If your friends room is small, like mine is ( 36 square meters or so ), even a 7000 BTU unit can cool very well.
 
Originally posted by: faxon
last i checked you could get a 1 room AC for $200 from sears. it wasnt that strong but the room he is in is kinda small as it is so it should work fine.
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I got a 12000 BTU window A/C from Sears a couple of years back for $200. It was a closeout model from the previous year. I live in a 90 year old house and it gets really freaking hot in Washington DC, especially in August!

Anyway yeah, screw a new case get an A/C! And he should shut his system down when the unit is off and it's over 85 degrees F outside. That's what I do.

 
Originally posted by: Elcs
I would look at the Coolermaster CM 590. I have to say, who could live in room temperatures that hot? Reducing the room temperatures would be the most obvious and best place to start.

If UK prices are to go by, it should be priced similarly to the Antec 300. It has space for a front intake, two side intakes, one rear exhaust and two top mounted exhausts all 120mm. The PSU is also placed at the bottom, drawing air from underneath the case and exhausting it out of the back. This should help reduce the impact your PSU will have on temps.

It also comes with two Coolermaster 120mm fans pre-mounted which can be useful. Perhaps two less fans to buy?

EDIT: CM 590 @ Newegg -At $65... In the UK, theres like $5-10 between the Antec 300 and CM590.

You might want to get some more opinions.
Click to expand...
The four top and side mounts take up to 140mm fans. (In practice, it's cheaper to get 120mm fans since they're much more widely available.) The CM fans that the case come with are surprisingly quiet -- unfortunately, the front fan is a bling fan (blue LEDs), so I had to ditch it immediately.

Both the 300 and the CM590 were on my shortlist. I decided against the 300 because 1) it has fewer fan mounts, 2) it has no cable management area behind the motherboard tray, 3) it only has 3x 5.25" bays. It's not a fully stacker-style case -- the bottom six bays can't be used for 5.25" devices. The CM590 has a more flexible bay configuration.



Originally posted by: Engineer
Coolermaster case has $18.xx in shipping on top of the $65 so it's a no brainer on the Antec 300 if it will work! 😉
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Free shipping at Buy.com.
 
Originally posted by: Engineer
Originally posted by: AmberClad
Free shipping at Buy.com.
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True, but is it worth the $15 more than Newegg or $20+ of Electronicadirect (both linked above) of the Antec 300?
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Personally...

I would say so. I spotted the Antec 300, posted here on the Cases & Cooling Forum less than 2 months ago and was told to look at the CM 590. Its a hands down winner imo.

More fan mounts and isolated PSU make it a better platform than the Antec 300 in this cases where its obvious heat is an issue. I am not sure if the Antec 300 comes with pre-installed fans but if it does and if they are anything like the Tri-Cool I got with my Antec SLK3000B, they arent worth diddly.
 
I picked up a Antec 300 on sale at MicroCenter a few months back for my back up rig. My trusty Lian Li PC-60+ was having grounding issues I didn't feel like resolving so I figured it was worth it for only $47.99. My advice is to spend a little bit more on the Antec 900 or any similar case in the $70-100 range.

The 300 is small, only includes 1 x 120mm fan and 1 x 140mm (top), has none of the extra features of the 900 or 1200 like cable routing, side window, removable 3.5" cages, water cooling hole/grommets, etc. By the time you spend on additional fans to get its cooling up to par with the 900 or similar case that includes fans, you'll have spent about the same and still end up with less case.

I'd only recommend the 300 to someone who can get it for $50 or less, prefers the Spartan (lolz) look without any LED or window bling, and is OK with the sub-par stock cooling.
 
I would not recommend the Antec 300. It's really a barebones case that contains minimal amenities and most of all the motherboard placement area is very small. You better have really small hands to work on that sucker. If you were to get an Antec 300, you might as well get yourself a Centurion 534 which is much more...stylish, so to speak and can be much quieter and cleaner.
 
$94.94 with combo deal on Antec 430W PSU. SOLD

The PSU on the bottom is a little weird though, hope that doesn't cause problems. The 430W PSU only has 1 fan on the back (doesn't have one on the bottom) othewise I think you'd have to mount it upside-down.

I don't see how people can say this case has poor cooling. It has a gigantic oversized fan (140mm) in the top and another 120mm in the back, plus room for 2 more in the front (fans are $10 people, this case is $50... 50+20 = still a lot less than $100-200 fancy-pants cases..)
 
Yes, but people have been comparing it to the CM 690, which comes with three fans and can be stuffed with 5 more. I hear the PSU on the bottom is better for the PSU itself since it isnt sucking hot air into itself. Also, the CM 690 is really. really. big. Very easy to work in (provided you remove the cable management thingies, they get in the way.
 
Well personally I'd rather not have my computer sound like a damn Hoover.

1-2 exhaust fans, PLUS what's in the PSU should be plenty. Unless you OC, then all bets are off. Even then you can get good airflow with 1-2 fans placed properly. 5 fans.. cmon that's overkill (and LOUD).
 
Originally posted by: walk2k
Well personally I'd rather not have my computer sound like a damn Hoover.

1-2 exhaust fans, PLUS what's in the PSU should be plenty. Unless you OC, then all bets are off. Even then you can get good airflow with 1-2 fans placed properly. 5 fans.. cmon that's overkill (and LOUD).
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I have 6 fans in my system including my PSU, all 120mm, and my HDD at idle makes more noise than the fans... yes and the fans are all spinning correctly. Im looking to replace my HDD because it is now the loudest part, even when in a suspension cradle.

BlueAcolyte: I was advocating the use of the CM 590, not the 690. I do not know anything about the 690 but from what Ive heard, it is a step above the 590. In the UK, the Antec 300 would go up directly against the CM590. I had that dilemma when moving from my old, faithful Antec SLK3000B.
 
If you live in an area with a Fry's B&M, then you can pick up an Antec 300 for $39.99 through 9/2. Also, Fry's has got the Antec Tricool 120 mm fans on sale for $5.99 each. Includes all varieties of their Tricool 120 mm fans.
 
I have TriCools, they are ok. It sounds like an air-conditioner when I put them on high, but it's pretty quiet on medium. I can hear my hard drives over my fans.
 
Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte
I have TriCools, they are ok. It sounds like an air-conditioner when I put them on high, but it's pretty quiet on medium. I can hear my hard drives over my fans.
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I keep my Tricools on low. They move enough air and I can't hear them. There are better fans on the market, but for $6 each, it is a pretty good deal.

Also, in case anyone is interested, Microcenter will have the Antec 300 on sale for $39.99. The sale starts on 9/1 and runs through 9/14.
 
I just bought my case at Fry's yesterday for $42 with tax! I am going from a Lian Li PC65B with new fans installed. I can definitely say, my temps dropped around 1-5 degrees C and in load my CPU barely gets over 42C!

Also note, I live in Los Angeles (hell on earth) and have no air conditioning.

Even on high the fans don't bother me, as I am use to the traffic outside my apartment.

I give it a 9/10. It was really worth it for me. Also, I have 3 Yate Loons coming from Xioxide for the 2 front 120mm and a side 120mm.

Case = 4x120mm + 1x140mm

Perfect size case for mid-tower build.

Anyway, I guess I am a little stoked about a new case in 3 years 🙂

 
All this talk about this case made me hungry , so I went ahead and ordered one. It will arrive tomorrow and I'll share my experience with it. 😛
 
Ok, got the case and it's amazing!!! The truth is that I never owned a good case before, but this one is just so good. The 140mm fan at the top makes all the difference. I actually managed to have the lowest temperature on my E7200 at 4 ghz with this Antec. With my cheapo , even with the side opened, I was hitting 70 C but now I'm only at 65 C. Great budget case really. I don't think you can get a better one for this price. 🙂
 
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