sx 1030 or Fong Kai KK-320

[pebbles]

Going to oreder today. Down to short strokes. Need my brave soles to help in the decision. Questions?

Is the Fong Kai a little better in finish detail?
Do they bothcome with a good supply of hardware fasteners etc?
Is the sheet metal in these 2 cases really that much heavier than standard OEM cases by InWin etc?

Thanks

 

[Ferretwulf]

I have worked with both an would give the edge to the Antec 1030 case.

Yes, there is a difference in build quality between the Antec case and say an InWin Q500. (I have both sitting on the floor next to me right now.) While I like my Q500N quite well, it is made of lighter sheet metal than the Antec, and the interior finishing of the Antec is quite a bit better than my Q500.

 

[clumsum]

I have the F-K 320 and would not hesitate to recommend it .......
However, there are some differences that you may want to consider between these two choices:

Removal of the side panel is much easier on the Antec SX-Series.
(Not a big deal if you're not into frequent mods or hardware changes)

The SX-1030 has more external/internal expansion room.

Both choices are good value/quality cases ..........

Inwin's are also good choices, but they are not quite as cooling friendly (in un-modded form).............
But, ............ they are less expensive than the other cases you are considering and their construction and psu's are sound ..........

 

[sad]

I've also worked on both. Go with the sx1030, the Fong Kai seems "cheap" to me.

 

[drewski]

Sad - what's makes the Fong-Kai seem cheap to you?

of course, I'm biased, as a Fong-Kai owner, but it is known to be one of the best cooling cases (without modding) around. I did look at the antec cases when I was shopping around.

i would have to agree with clumsum that the expansion is not the best (only 3 5.25" bays, and only 1 external 3.5" bay) and it can be difficult to open up (the right side is much easier for me, but i only need that when i'm installing more drives), but i think it is well constructed, easy to work in, and more stylish than the Antec/Enermax/ChenMing cases, which look like, well . . . servers!

Get the Fong-Kai in black. I think it's the case that Darth Vader would own.

 

[Muerto]

I don't own either but I've looked at both. You probably couldn't go wrong with either one. If you want to mod your case I'd suggest the Antec. The Fong-Kai has a curved top and front where as the Antec is flat, making it easier to cut holes and what not. The Antec also has more expansion room and more fan slots. For those reasons, my next case is going to be an Antec.

 

[sad]

Okay, the beefs I have with the FK.

1) Poor Fit and Finish. You will find misaligned edges all around. Maybe it was just the particular one I received but it seemed very 2nd rate. Like the others wrote the side panel was VERY difficult to remove and put back on. The side panel is guided by little tiny tabs running along the top and bottom. I thought I accidently bent one of those tabs myself, but then upon closer scrutiny, they were straight! Weird, like the others wrote, the OTHER panel(underneath the motherboard) was easy to take on and off.

2)Cheap Quality material. I dunno, maybe this is just personal preference, but I didn't like the "shiny" plastic look. It reminded of the cheap plastic commonly found in econocars. The plastic garage door in the front is very flimsy/fragile. Also the plastic flares attached on the side of the panels, looked very tacky... Again, personal preference.

3)Er, this I guess this can fall under number 1. I didn't like the curved top, and how the back end of the top "hangs" over the back. So there is like a 1cm gap...looks really cheap.

Basically, compared to the SX1030, it just doesn't feel as "solid". That's pretty much all I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[cdternie]

I don't want to start an argument or anything, but I'd like to express my opinion (even though I'm a day late I suppose).

I own the FK320b and like it a lot. Everything Drewski said was right on, at least in my opinion.

I shopped around also, taking the Antec into consideration. I just didn't think it was asthetically appealing. Both have great reviews written about them, and I can contest that the FK has lived up to what I expected.

Everyone has a different take on the case, and I'm biased slightly towards the FK. Good luck, though. You'll enjoy either one I'm sure.

 

[Wingznut]

Choosing a case is very subjective. What one person likes/needs, can be very different than the next person.

That being said, I second what cdternie just said. I chose the FK over the Antec, because I thought the Antec was ugly in comparison. Plus I didn't care for the drive cover on the Antec. Imho, the cover on the FK was less obtrusive when it's open. And my cover is open, much more than it's closed.

The FK is a helluva case. Fit/finish is top notch, as is quality of build.

Of course, the Antec does offer more external bays. So, if that's important to you, then the FK is not for you.

But I'm sure you'll be happy with either case. And yes, the construction is considerably better on those, than standard OEM cases.

 

[TuffGuy]

having owned the fk-603/604/320 and the antec sx830/840/1030 i would have to say that if you want PERFORMANCE go with the antec. if you're into LOOKS go for the fong kai.

 

[rondeemc]

I have both and you can't go wrong. I like the fk the best but all the reasons are personal. One thing to be aware of is the FK has a brace under the powersupply that can make removing some heatsinks a pain on boards that have the cpu at the top such as my abit. As far a quality there is not a clear winner here, BOTH are well built. As far and the door on the Antec is just as flimsy as the FK plus it opens in just one direction which can be a pain depending on where it is located.

 

[heffe734]

Both are good...why not save some bucks and get a Antec SX-830...doesn't have that stupid door on the 1030 and it's still a massive case that comes with 2 rear fans. I have it...and i love it. Only thing i don't like is the 300 W P/S...if you're an OCer...you should go with a case with a 400 W P/S

 

[rondeemc]

Or just go for a Palo Alto. Never heard any comments but you have to love that 120mm fan in back. Removable motherboard tray too.

Palo Alto PA 810 Tower Server / Workstation Enclosure Cases with 300w Power Supply, For ATX and ATX Extended Motherboards. Model: PA810. Suggested retail price: $199+tax. $139 current price

Features: Supports PIII and Xeon processors; Thumbscrew-secured side panel access; One-screw motherboard mounting; No-screw slide-in drive rails; Snap-on front bezel.

Specifications: Description: For ATX and ATX Extended Motherboards; Case Dimensions: 8.3"W x 18.3"D x 18.9"H (210mm W x 464mm D x 480mm H); Drive Configuration: Seven drives: 3 - 5.25" accessible, 2 - 3.5" accessible, 2 - 3.5" half height internal; Expansion Slots: Seven full length slots, PCI 2.0 and AGP-Pro compliant; Cooling Options: optional 120mm rear exhaust fan and 92mm front case fan for PCI/AGP or hard drives. Optional air flow guides available to direct air to hot components (currently not available from Directron.com yet). Cooling optimized for AGP-Pro, 10k hard drives, and dual processors; Front Panel Control: Power/Sleep switch; Reset switch; 2 LED status lights; Materials: Recyclable materials, Blue-Angel compliant plastic front bezel, Steel housing with powder coat finish, Optional spring steel EMI contacts inside cover; Emissions: Designed to meet FCC 96-208 (DoC) Class B requirements; Color: Pearl white; Power Supply: 300W PSU (optional 400W version available), Standard ATX 2.01 specification, UL, CSA, DVE, CE, DoC compliance.

www.directron.com

 

[rondeemc]

If noise is a concern or if you want to OC think about this:

As far as fans go you can move more CFM's (barely) with the FK's 92mm and 120mm at a lower power consumption then you can with the Antec's four 80's. Noise level is much lower also. Why put more stress on the PS then necessary plus two less wires to clutter up your interior.

Example using the local favorite Panaflows, values from CaseETC
H1A
80x80x25.5, 2.1 Watts, 39.6 CFM, 32 dB-A, .24A.
four fans yield 158.4 cfm at 128 dB-a with 0.96A

The Panaflo 92mm H1A's specs are as follows: 92x92x25.5, 2.7 Watts, 56.8 CFM, 35 dB-A, .29A.
The Panaflo 120mm H1A's specs are as follows: 120x120x38, 5.52 Watts, 103.8 CFM, 41.5 dB-A, .6A.
this gives 160.6 cfm at 76.5 dB-a with 0.89A

FYI

If you want to move a lot of air but keep the noise down go with the FK if you can handle the drive configuration

 

[NeoHC421]

i say go with the fong kai. I have it right now, and i chose it mostly for it's looks AND it's cooling ability. First, i have the black version, so it looks sleek, and ya gotta love that little vent over the CPU slot to the back of the case! its great. In terms of quality of the construction, I don't think it looks or feels very cheap at all, except a little because of the transparent plastic piece in front, but you can just take that out if you want. My only gripe about this case, as many have said before, is the difficulty in prying out the sliding door to access your innards, but since this case was designed as a server case, i guess it was supposed to be that way? But i don't think its a big deal.

 

[clumsum]

I guess the bottom line is that no case is perfect for everyone ..........
These two (Antec SX and F-K 320) are comparable, but quite different in design and construction.

The Fong Kai is constructed of lighter gauge metal but gains strength and rigidity through a series of struts and vertical bracing ......... the side panels do seem flimsy compared to the Antec, but they are tight fitting and rattle resistant, the whole structure is no heavier than necessary and is still designed stout enough for dual Xeon processors and 12,000 rpm hdd's ....... every review I have read comments on the high quality construction .......

The styling is elegant to some and ugly to others .......... personal preference!
The psu quality and the cooling ability of the F-K's is second to none, in it's price range, and these cases' have been consistantly recommended by Anandtech in many of their budget priced system recomendations for well over a year, ..... ever since they did a case review of the F-K 320 and the 603.........!

If you do want to nit-pic, the Antec has some down sides also:

The psu seems to be mounted too low in the case, the area above is wasted space, causing the psu and the boxed rails it is mounted on to be closer than necessary to the cpu socket and hsf on some mb's for easy access....... when replacing/changing hsf's or cpu's .......... too bad they (the rails) are not at least removable .........

The two piece plastic bezel, seems like a good idea, but is cumbersome in use, as part of it remains tethered to the led or switch wiring unless un-plugged from the mb ........

The door on the SX-1030 is not what it should be for a lockable option ............

I would personally be happy with either one of these cases, and look forward to the arrival of the smaller Antec SX's ........... !

Sorry this is getting so long winded ............ ?