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Intro:
Since 1986, Antec has been providing the computer hardware community with grade A cases and power supplies. Their tradition continues on to this day with their power supplies being the best in the business. Antec's cases are equally well known for quality. Today, ASE Labs looks at the Antec Nine Hundred which is one of Antec's premier cases.
Box / Packaging:
Antec packages the Nine Hundred in a sleek black box that is packed well enough to survive the trip from a shipping company. Unless a forklift drops on it, it should be fine.
Parts:
Apart from the case itself, the Nine Hundred comes with a video card holder, screws, a manual, a 3.5" bay plate, and a rubber pad.
Specs:
I will highlight that the case has space for 6 hard drive and 3 optical drives. It has a 200mm (two hundred) fan at the top for exhaust. This is one cool case.
Exterior:
First looks are very important and this case does not disappoint. The Nine Hundred has an all black matte finish and it looks great. Black cases are great, but you will notice when dust gets on them. A quick blow with canned air does the job. You should also notice that the design is very unique with an angular top and a totally grilled front.
The Nine Hundred's window side not only looks good, but is functional as well. The grilling on the left can house a 120mm fan on a 45 degree angle. I've mentioned before that bigger fans are better for airflow and quietness. Only look for cases that support 120mm fans these days. The fan is positioned to give the graphics card optimal cooling. Most graphics cards are pumping out more heat and their relatively tiny heatsinks could use the extra boost in cooling. The window shape almost looks like Pac-Man. The window hides the drive section which is fine considering you mostly see just metal.
The first thing you notice about the back of the case is the power supply position. It is located on the bottom instead of the top. This is good for a few reasons which I'll discuss later. Aside from that drastic change, the case is fairly standard. The I/O shield as well as the PCI brackets are all removable and they are not the snap off variety that gives you cuts. Antec also uses grilled PCI brackets for extra exhaust. The rear houses the back 120mm fan.
Moving to the front you can clearly see the two mounted intake fans that are built into the two drive cages. The top three sections house the optical drives and are not built with a cage. This case is really built for airflow and with the entire front opened with grills you can see why. The fans in the front shine with blue LEDs for a nice touch. The bottom part holds the beveled Antec logo.
The top of the case hold the ports and power/reset buttons. You get external USB, Firewire and audio ports as well as a tray for your digital camera or music player of your choice. You should notice the large 200mm fan that extends a bit beyond the sides of the case.
Intro:
Since 1986, Antec has been providing the computer hardware community with grade A cases and power supplies. Their tradition continues on to this day with their power supplies being the best in the business. Antec's cases are equally well known for quality. Today, ASE Labs looks at the Antec Nine Hundred which is one of Antec's premier cases.
Box / Packaging:
Antec packages the Nine Hundred in a sleek black box that is packed well enough to survive the trip from a shipping company. Unless a forklift drops on it, it should be fine.
Parts:
Apart from the case itself, the Nine Hundred comes with a video card holder, screws, a manual, a 3.5" bay plate, and a rubber pad.
Specs:
Code
. * Unique Top mounted 200mm "Big Boy" TriCool exhaust fan to cool the hottest system
* Perforated front bezel for maximum air intake
* Two front loaded HDD cages for up to 6 hard disk drives
* The HDD cages act as air ducts to take air in more efficiently. Optional middle 120mm fan bracket to cool the hottest graphic cards or CPU
* Two 120mm TriCool blue LED front fans to cool hard disk drives
* Window side panel comes with an optional 120mm fan mount for maximum VGA cooling
* Top tray for your MP3 player, digital camera, etc.
* Power supply mounts at the bottom of the case (power supply not included)
* Rubber grommeted ports on the rear for liquid-cooling tubes allow you to mount external liquid-cooling hardware
* Advanced cooling system:
- 1 top 200mm TriCool fan with 3-speed switch control
- 1 rear 120mm TriCool fan with 3-speed switch control
- 2 front 120mm special black TriCool blue LED fans with 3-speed switch control to cool HDDs
- 1 side (optional) 120mm fan to cool graphic cards
- 1 middle (optional) 120mm fan to cool CPU or graphic cards
* 9 Drive Bays
- External 3 x 5.25"; Internal 6 x 3.5" for HDD, or
- External 6 x 5.25"; Internal 3x 3.5" for HDD, or
- External 9 x 5.25"
* Motherboard: Fits micro and standard ATX
* 7 Expansion Slots
* Top mounted I/O ports
- Power and reset buttons
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 1 x IEEE 1394
- Audio In and Out
* Unit dimensions:
- 19.4" (H) x 8.1" (W) x 18.4" (D)
- 49.3cm (H) x 20.6cm (W) x 46.7cm (D)
* Package dimensions:
- 21.5" (H) x 10.6" (W) x 21.1" (D)
- 54.6cm (H) x 26.9cm (W) x 53.6cm (D)
* Weight:
- Net: 18.5 lb / 8.4 kg
- Gross: 24.4 lb / 11 kg
* Perforated front bezel for maximum air intake
* Two front loaded HDD cages for up to 6 hard disk drives
* The HDD cages act as air ducts to take air in more efficiently. Optional middle 120mm fan bracket to cool the hottest graphic cards or CPU
* Two 120mm TriCool blue LED front fans to cool hard disk drives
* Window side panel comes with an optional 120mm fan mount for maximum VGA cooling
* Top tray for your MP3 player, digital camera, etc.
* Power supply mounts at the bottom of the case (power supply not included)
* Rubber grommeted ports on the rear for liquid-cooling tubes allow you to mount external liquid-cooling hardware
* Advanced cooling system:
- 1 top 200mm TriCool fan with 3-speed switch control
- 1 rear 120mm TriCool fan with 3-speed switch control
- 2 front 120mm special black TriCool blue LED fans with 3-speed switch control to cool HDDs
- 1 side (optional) 120mm fan to cool graphic cards
- 1 middle (optional) 120mm fan to cool CPU or graphic cards
* 9 Drive Bays
- External 3 x 5.25"; Internal 6 x 3.5" for HDD, or
- External 6 x 5.25"; Internal 3x 3.5" for HDD, or
- External 9 x 5.25"
* Motherboard: Fits micro and standard ATX
* 7 Expansion Slots
* Top mounted I/O ports
- Power and reset buttons
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 1 x IEEE 1394
- Audio In and Out
* Unit dimensions:
- 19.4" (H) x 8.1" (W) x 18.4" (D)
- 49.3cm (H) x 20.6cm (W) x 46.7cm (D)
* Package dimensions:
- 21.5" (H) x 10.6" (W) x 21.1" (D)
- 54.6cm (H) x 26.9cm (W) x 53.6cm (D)
* Weight:
- Net: 18.5 lb / 8.4 kg
- Gross: 24.4 lb / 11 kg
I will highlight that the case has space for 6 hard drive and 3 optical drives. It has a 200mm (two hundred) fan at the top for exhaust. This is one cool case.
Exterior:
First looks are very important and this case does not disappoint. The Nine Hundred has an all black matte finish and it looks great. Black cases are great, but you will notice when dust gets on them. A quick blow with canned air does the job. You should also notice that the design is very unique with an angular top and a totally grilled front.
The Nine Hundred's window side not only looks good, but is functional as well. The grilling on the left can house a 120mm fan on a 45 degree angle. I've mentioned before that bigger fans are better for airflow and quietness. Only look for cases that support 120mm fans these days. The fan is positioned to give the graphics card optimal cooling. Most graphics cards are pumping out more heat and their relatively tiny heatsinks could use the extra boost in cooling. The window shape almost looks like Pac-Man. The window hides the drive section which is fine considering you mostly see just metal.
The first thing you notice about the back of the case is the power supply position. It is located on the bottom instead of the top. This is good for a few reasons which I'll discuss later. Aside from that drastic change, the case is fairly standard. The I/O shield as well as the PCI brackets are all removable and they are not the snap off variety that gives you cuts. Antec also uses grilled PCI brackets for extra exhaust. The rear houses the back 120mm fan.
Moving to the front you can clearly see the two mounted intake fans that are built into the two drive cages. The top three sections house the optical drives and are not built with a cage. This case is really built for airflow and with the entire front opened with grills you can see why. The fans in the front shine with blue LEDs for a nice touch. The bottom part holds the beveled Antec logo.
The top of the case hold the ports and power/reset buttons. You get external USB, Firewire and audio ports as well as a tray for your digital camera or music player of your choice. You should notice the large 200mm fan that extends a bit beyond the sides of the case.
Page 2
Interior:
Other than the position of the power supply, the case is fairly ATX standard. There are already mounting stands for micro ATX cases and an extra three stands are used for full size boards. This shot clearly shows the 9 total drive bays in this case.
The back holds the 120mm Antec exhaust fan. Antec actually includes plenty of cooling with this case so you shouldn't need to install additional fans unless your system is a space heater.
Here is the back area of the drive cages. The middle drive cage also holds the mount to put an addition fan (grill shown with the parts) for directly blowing on the graphics card. Antec knows where heat is being generated and it is nice they thought of these options. Most people shouldn't need to use it, though. The thumbscrews you see are not to the drives themselves. You need to remove them to gain access to the drive cage. This case is not screwless.
There are two drive cages in this case. Each cage holds three drives total. It is done in this arrangement because of the intake fan on the cages. The intake fan on each cage is 120mm. Interestingly, each fan in the entire case has a speed adjustment switch (the white thing dangling on the left). You get low, medium, and high. The highest setting is pretty loud. Medium is probably the setting for everday use. You can cut the noise significantly on low.
The cages slide out from the front of the case which is good. If you have a motherboard mounted, the last thing you want to do is try to get a new hard drive in with other components in the way. With this, you easily mount the drive in the cage and then slide the cage back in. The thumbscrews secure the cage in place. You need regular screws for the drives themselves.
The optical area of the case is pretty standard with no drive cage. The front grills are screwed into the case so you need to unscrew them before attempting to remove them. Each optical drive needs screws to secure it in place.
More screws for the PCI brackets. These brackets are good quality ones that are easily removed and reinstalled. Each bracket has a grill in it for extra airflow.
Use:
Why is the power supply mounted on the bottom of the case? Gravity. All the extra plugs and cables that aren't in use simple stay on the bottom of the case and not hanging all around the CPU and memory area. The only thing you need to worry about is if the cables are long enough to reach the proper places. In fact, the location of the power on headers for the Intel DX38BT was so far away from the top of the case, the cables on the Nine Hundred barely reached.
With the power supply I was using, there was so much cabling I couldn't just stuff into the bottom, but if I moved the drive up on on the ladder, it would all fit. The location of the power supply adds for some unique cabling situations that you need to plan for yourself. The case is very expansive and there is room to do virtually anything you would need.
The case is extremely quiet with all the large fans on it with the medium setting and even quieter if you put all the fans on low. You will suffer on airflow, but you gain near silence. An interesting trade-off if your system can handle it. The highest settings gets fairly loud but pumps a huge amount of air.
Conclusion:
The Antec Nine Hundred retails for about $85. This is an excellent price for an excellent case. Antec is a well known computer hardware manufacture and this case certainly extends the brand. Pair this with an Antec power supply and your build is in good hands. I highly recommend buying this case for your next computer build.
Interior:
Other than the position of the power supply, the case is fairly ATX standard. There are already mounting stands for micro ATX cases and an extra three stands are used for full size boards. This shot clearly shows the 9 total drive bays in this case.
The back holds the 120mm Antec exhaust fan. Antec actually includes plenty of cooling with this case so you shouldn't need to install additional fans unless your system is a space heater.
Here is the back area of the drive cages. The middle drive cage also holds the mount to put an addition fan (grill shown with the parts) for directly blowing on the graphics card. Antec knows where heat is being generated and it is nice they thought of these options. Most people shouldn't need to use it, though. The thumbscrews you see are not to the drives themselves. You need to remove them to gain access to the drive cage. This case is not screwless.
There are two drive cages in this case. Each cage holds three drives total. It is done in this arrangement because of the intake fan on the cages. The intake fan on each cage is 120mm. Interestingly, each fan in the entire case has a speed adjustment switch (the white thing dangling on the left). You get low, medium, and high. The highest setting is pretty loud. Medium is probably the setting for everday use. You can cut the noise significantly on low.
The cages slide out from the front of the case which is good. If you have a motherboard mounted, the last thing you want to do is try to get a new hard drive in with other components in the way. With this, you easily mount the drive in the cage and then slide the cage back in. The thumbscrews secure the cage in place. You need regular screws for the drives themselves.
The optical area of the case is pretty standard with no drive cage. The front grills are screwed into the case so you need to unscrew them before attempting to remove them. Each optical drive needs screws to secure it in place.
More screws for the PCI brackets. These brackets are good quality ones that are easily removed and reinstalled. Each bracket has a grill in it for extra airflow.
Use:
Why is the power supply mounted on the bottom of the case? Gravity. All the extra plugs and cables that aren't in use simple stay on the bottom of the case and not hanging all around the CPU and memory area. The only thing you need to worry about is if the cables are long enough to reach the proper places. In fact, the location of the power on headers for the Intel DX38BT was so far away from the top of the case, the cables on the Nine Hundred barely reached.
With the power supply I was using, there was so much cabling I couldn't just stuff into the bottom, but if I moved the drive up on on the ladder, it would all fit. The location of the power supply adds for some unique cabling situations that you need to plan for yourself. The case is very expansive and there is room to do virtually anything you would need.
The case is extremely quiet with all the large fans on it with the medium setting and even quieter if you put all the fans on low. You will suffer on airflow, but you gain near silence. An interesting trade-off if your system can handle it. The highest settings gets fairly loud but pumps a huge amount of air.
Conclusion:
The Antec Nine Hundred retails for about $85. This is an excellent price for an excellent case. Antec is a well known computer hardware manufacture and this case certainly extends the brand. Pair this with an Antec power supply and your build is in good hands. I highly recommend buying this case for your next computer build.