Antec 900 for newbies?

JohnJSal · 02-16-2008, 11:04 PM

Ok, I'm finally getting to the point where I'm about to start ordering components and I want to decide on everything first. I've heard that the Antec 900 isn't very easy for the inexperienced to work with, and I just want to know exactly why. Is it something that I will have a lot of trouble with, or just little quirks that won't be so bad? I like the case and don't want trouble with my first built, but also don't want to be scared away from it unnecessarily.

Two things in particular I've read are:

1. The mobos sometimes don't line up flush with the back I/O panel. This seems weird to me. Not sure if it depends on the mobo, or if the case just isn't designed properly.

2. Cables from the PSU sometimes don't reach the mobo. Again, this is something that seems fairly significant. I at least want to know what types of extensions I need and order those with everything else as well.

Thanks.

PC eye · 02-16-2008, 11:30 PM

I run the 900 here and find only a few things that have to be mentioned. The back panels do line up. It's matter of getting used to how the case is there.

Your supply should have the extra 4wire molex connectors used on ide type drivers for power. The case fans used those rather then plugging into the board itself.

The case includes a black plastic 3 1/2" to 5 1/4" drive bay adapter for seeing a floppy drive go in since there is no external 3 1/2" drive bay typical of a standard case since this is a flexible gaming style model. For a good full size atx board it could have used a little more space between the top drive bays and the board while the top harness of wires for the power, reset, additional usb ports can be fed down and secured with the plastic ties seen.

The bays for hard drives pull forward once you unscrew the large headed thumb screws for ease there. That's how to get the one or more hard drives in. The design of the case also allows for seeing six 5 1/4" bays and one for hard drives or the default twin bays seeing the pair of 120mm blue led fans.

Get a board with a lot of sata ports for both hard drives and new sata type optical drives and you will see more space available inside. Other then that it's been a good case here for the last several months.

**mep916** · 02-16-2008, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnJSal

1. The mobos sometimes don't line up flush with the back I/O panel. This seems weird to me. Not sure if it depends on the mobo, or if the case just isn't designed properly.

2. Cables from the PSU sometimes don't reach the mobo. Again, this is something that seems fairly significant. I at least want to know what types of extensions I need and order those with everything else as well.

I've never had those problems.

JohnJSal · 02-17-2008, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mep916

I've never had those problems.

Well, that's good to know! At least it isn't a guaranteed issue then. Would you say there are any other tricky things when building with this case?

It's just that I like the look of this case, and I hear the air flow is great, and I really haven't found any other case that I want to use, especially since I don't like having a front door, which other Antec models have.

PC eye · 02-17-2008, 02:36 AM

There's no major problems with the design once you are familiar with how it is setup. The supply installs at the bottom not at the top like most case there to note.

I simply put a 700w model in upside down to allow for the cooler air coming in from the front to pass right over the bottom inverted upward to help cooling there rather then the small space seen when facing the bottom of the supply down. No heat from a supply gets trapped at the top of the case there.

In addition to large gap of space between board and supply you also see the 200mm top fan take care of any warm air while other cases see heat trapped around the upper drive bays unless seeing vented drive bay plates. It sees dynamic air flow when compared to a good number of other case styles and types.

SirKenin · 02-17-2008, 07:06 AM

You have to have a PSU with long leads for certain motherboards. Otherwise you can get an extension. To build, the case is a pain in the butt (and certainly colleagues of mine have mentioned the same). Once it's built, though, and you're not screwing around in it every week like I am, it's fine.

**mep916** · 02-17-2008, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnJSal

Well, that's good to know! At least it isn't a guaranteed issue then. Would you say there are any other tricky things when building with this case?

The Antec 900 was the case I used for my first build. Here's a couple problems I experienced.

-Installing the 3.5 external drive bay adapter was a little difficult. If you don't plan on installing a floppy drive or media card reader you probably don't need to worry about it.

-There's not a lot of room to work with. This is probably true with most mid-tower cases, however.

-There's tons of screws. This case is not, by any means, screwless.

-The fans are loud when set on high or medium, IMO. I've set everything on low and haven't witnessed a significant increase in temps.

Antec has revised the 900 since I purchased mine. They've added a few holes inside the case that allow you to route the cables behind the motherboard. I'd recommend using a modular PSU so that you don't have any unused cables sitting on the bottom of your case.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnJSal

It's just that I like the look of this case, and I hear the air flow is great, and I really haven't found any other case that I want to use, especially since I don't like having a front door, which other Antec models have.

Yeah, those are all the features I like about the 900, too.

PC eye · 02-17-2008, 08:10 AM

I disappointed to hear about the fans on your case there mep916 since the ones here are actually quiter on the 900 then on the previous AeroCool model. That was mainly the fans it came with and not the two Antec blue led 120s I added with one of those still in use on the 900's side cover.

Lack of room is certain for water cooling resavoirs from what I've been hearing at times. With the make and model board here I found it could be slightly deeper in length to allow for not cramming any round ide cables while the OCZ supply in seems to have slack to a degree for it's rails ebough to reach the front fans as well as the top of the case for the 200mm fan there.

**mep916** · 02-17-2008, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PC eye

I disappointed to hear about the fans on your case there mep916 since the ones here are actually quiter on the 900 then on the previous AeroCool model.

It's no big deal.

PC eye · 02-17-2008, 09:20 AM

It still an annoyance regardless unless you are running a media player or have something going other then the system like a tv or stereo where that is drowned out fast. Late at night when everything quiets...

"noisey fans!"

02-16-2008, 11:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
JohnJSal Platinum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hoboken, NJ Age: 28 Posts: 527	Antec 900 for newbies? Ok, I'm finally getting to the point where I'm about to start ordering components and I want to decide on everything first. I've heard that the Antec 900 isn't very easy for the inexperienced to work with, and I just want to know exactly why. Is it something that I will have a lot of trouble with, or just little quirks that won't be so bad? I like the case and don't want trouble with my first built, but also don't want to be scared away from it unnecessarily. Two things in particular I've read are: 1. The mobos sometimes don't line up flush with the back I/O panel. This seems weird to me. Not sure if it depends on the mobo, or if the case just isn't designed properly. 2. Cables from the PSU sometimes don't reach the mobo. Again, this is something that seems fairly significant. I at least want to know what types of extensions I need and order those with everything else as well. Thanks.

02-16-2008, 11:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 19,279	I run the 900 here and find only a few things that have to be mentioned. The back panels do line up. It's matter of getting used to how the case is there. Your supply should have the extra 4wire molex connectors used on ide type drivers for power. The case fans used those rather then plugging into the board itself. The case includes a black plastic 3 1/2" to 5 1/4" drive bay adapter for seeing a floppy drive go in since there is no external 3 1/2" drive bay typical of a standard case since this is a flexible gaming style model. For a good full size atx board it could have used a little more space between the top drive bays and the board while the top harness of wires for the power, reset, additional usb ports can be fed down and secured with the plastic ties seen. The bays for hard drives pull forward once you unscrew the large headed thumb screws for ease there. That's how to get the one or more hard drives in. The design of the case also allows for seeing six 5 1/4" bays and one for hard drives or the default twin bays seeing the pair of 120mm blue led fans. Get a board with a lot of sata ports for both hard drives and new sata type optical drives and you will see more space available inside. Other then that it's been a good case here for the last several months. __________________ Turning the Tongue into a Device Controller http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Sma...ory?id=5647175 Is EBay going out of the Auction Business? http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5626840&page=1

02-17-2008, 02:36 AM	#5 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 19,279	There's no major problems with the design once you are familiar with how it is setup. The supply installs at the bottom not at the top like most case there to note. I simply put a 700w model in upside down to allow for the cooler air coming in from the front to pass right over the bottom inverted upward to help cooling there rather then the small space seen when facing the bottom of the supply down. No heat from a supply gets trapped at the top of the case there. In addition to large gap of space between board and supply you also see the 200mm top fan take care of any warm air while other cases see heat trapped around the upper drive bays unless seeing vented drive bay plates. It sees dynamic air flow when compared to a good number of other case styles and types. __________________ Turning the Tongue into a Device Controller http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Sma...ory?id=5647175 Is EBay going out of the Auction Business? http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5626840&page=1

02-17-2008, 08:10 AM	#8 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 19,279	I disappointed to hear about the fans on your case there mep916 since the ones here are actually quiter on the 900 then on the previous AeroCool model. That was mainly the fans it came with and not the two Antec blue led 120s I added with one of those still in use on the 900's side cover. Lack of room is certain for water cooling resavoirs from what I've been hearing at times. With the make and model board here I found it could be slightly deeper in length to allow for not cramming any round ide cables while the OCZ supply in seems to have slack to a degree for it's rails ebough to reach the front fans as well as the top of the case for the 200mm fan there. __________________ Turning the Tongue into a Device Controller http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Sma...ory?id=5647175 Is EBay going out of the Auction Business? http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5626840&page=1

02-17-2008, 09:20 AM	#10 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 19,279	It still an annoyance regardless unless you are running a media player or have something going other then the system like a tv or stereo where that is drowned out fast. Late at night when everything quiets... "noisey fans!" __________________ Turning the Tongue into a Device Controller http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Sma...ory?id=5647175 Is EBay going out of the Auction Business? http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5626840&page=1

02-17-2008, 07:06 AM	#6 (permalink)
SirKenin banned Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 4,711	You have to have a PSU with long leads for certain motherboards. Otherwise you can get an extension. To build, the case is a pain in the butt (and certainly colleagues of mine have mentioned the same). Once it's built, though, and you're not screwing around in it every week like I am, it's fine.

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