31-05-2010, 05:51 PM
I opened the box and there is was, my new, shiny (well, not really) Antec 300. Granted it was the last part of my computer build to arrive but the cardboard box did fine until now.
The first thing I noticed about this was how dark it is, You see pictures where the flash has reflected off the sidepanel but it just seems to suck in light from all around, it's that dark (Which is good because that's pretty much the colour of the rest of my computer setup)
I picked it up and it seemed really light for a computer case, which is good for LAN parties and if it needs transporting anywhere. It also seems very sturdy, which considering how little it weighs is very clever. It came with thumbscrews for easy access (which a lot of other cases don't, especially for this price). The front of the case is completely uniform, with the drive bezels matching the bottom half of the case.
Opening the case up and you get a full ATX motherboard (which unfortunately is non-removable), three external optical drive bays and six internal hard drive bays that sit right in front of the two frontal fan mounts.
In the front there are two 120mm fan cages, a fan mount on the sidepanel and one (taken up by the included Tricool) on the back, as well as the 140mm Tricool fan in the roof. Again, a change from what I was used to), with dust filters included for the front two fans (again, excellent value for the price). As I have another intake fan on the side panel I use a pair of tights wrapped around the fan. In the three months that I have owned this case I've cleaned the dust filters once and there are still no signs of dust on the inside (so they're doing their job).
I have to be honest, this is one of the best cases I have ever used (though the old server case I had was a lot more sturdy and cheaper), The amount of features is amazing for the price, granted the included fans are noisy on full, but most are, and I wasn't exactly after quiet when I was building it. The power supply being in the bottom seems like a weird idea to me as well (especially as hot air rises) but if you're using a good power supply that shouldn't really matter
Should you get one? Definitely if that's your area of budget, though there are better cases out there for the higher end systems
The first thing I noticed about this was how dark it is, You see pictures where the flash has reflected off the sidepanel but it just seems to suck in light from all around, it's that dark (Which is good because that's pretty much the colour of the rest of my computer setup)
I picked it up and it seemed really light for a computer case, which is good for LAN parties and if it needs transporting anywhere. It also seems very sturdy, which considering how little it weighs is very clever. It came with thumbscrews for easy access (which a lot of other cases don't, especially for this price). The front of the case is completely uniform, with the drive bezels matching the bottom half of the case.
Opening the case up and you get a full ATX motherboard (which unfortunately is non-removable), three external optical drive bays and six internal hard drive bays that sit right in front of the two frontal fan mounts.
In the front there are two 120mm fan cages, a fan mount on the sidepanel and one (taken up by the included Tricool) on the back, as well as the 140mm Tricool fan in the roof. Again, a change from what I was used to), with dust filters included for the front two fans (again, excellent value for the price). As I have another intake fan on the side panel I use a pair of tights wrapped around the fan. In the three months that I have owned this case I've cleaned the dust filters once and there are still no signs of dust on the inside (so they're doing their job).
I have to be honest, this is one of the best cases I have ever used (though the old server case I had was a lot more sturdy and cheaper), The amount of features is amazing for the price, granted the included fans are noisy on full, but most are, and I wasn't exactly after quiet when I was building it. The power supply being in the bottom seems like a weird idea to me as well (especially as hot air rises) but if you're using a good power supply that shouldn't really matter
Should you get one? Definitely if that's your area of budget, though there are better cases out there for the higher end systems
![[Image: Bulbasaur_by_bigsharn.jpg]](http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/113/9/8/Bulbasaur_by_bigsharn.jpg)
As you do...