SPCR

Posted: **Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:11 am**

Hi everyone, my first post after reading for a while, i've just setup the above case after upgrading my CPU/mobo. I'm not a serious modder or desparate for a silent system and tbh I saw the case and without comparing it I bought it cos it looked nice to me

.

Compared to my old no-name atx case this one is huge, and quiet. Boy is it quieter than i'm used to. My old case had 2x80mm Thermaltake case fans when it was an AMD 2000+ with the stock AMD hsf and it was so noisy. I'm now running an AMD64 3800+ with Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro hsf.

Now I have the fans setup so that my DVD drives/floppy occupy the bottom 3 bays, My 2 HDDs are in the middle 3 bays with a 120mm fan flowing over them and the top 3 bays are empty save for a 120mm fan blowing towards the CPU. I've got all of the fans set on low speed and my temps are way down on what they were in my old case. My HDDs are almost 10'C lower now.

I guess moving the bottom front fan means I get less air to my 6800GT but it never gets hot anyway, but i'm getting more air past the CPU. I can stop the CPU fan at full load and it only rises 10'C to 50.

I'm still learning about a lot of this quiet/cool stuff, as in the past i've just set up a system and used it. I find this stuff dead interesting now. Anyhoo, what's other people's verdict on this (IMHO great) case ?

Posted: **Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:51 pm**

Welcome to SPCR!
Post some pics of the install please. I'm interested in how others are fairing with it too.

Posted: **Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:24 pm**

I have some criticisms of this case - though they are purely from examining materila rather than hands on - and they may not be considerations for others.

1) I hate side windows. They are useless, get scratched and reduce the rigidity of the side panels as they are fastened on rather than being an integral part of thh panel. They also destroy the EMI shielding properties of the case. T

2) I dislike vast amounts of mesh air intake as it seems to act as a dust magnet making frequent cleaning inside the case a must. The same applies to all cases with top-mounted "blowholes".

3) The auxiliary I?O ports for sound?USB etc are on top. They can fill with dust degrading eprformance and if the case is placed on top of a desk, or under a desk with little top clearance can present access problems.

4) I don't see how you can get any degree of quiet from this case but I could be wrong. Too much blowing and open at the same time.

5) This is nitpicking but I really don't need a cup holder/eyeglass holder/key tray on the top of my computer case.

6) It's just plain unattractive.

YMMV

Posted: **Sat Oct 21, 2006 3:25 pm**

Saw it, found info about in on the web, and ordered one right away (from TechonWeb instead of NewEgg because NewEgg wanted 50% more $'s). It's sitting on my living room table. Haven't actually used it yet, though. (I'm waiting for a new model of video card to become available.)

To me it seemed like a wonderful new evolution of the p180 targeted at gamers. Takes some of the p180 design ideas, improves some things (incl. shave 3 inches off the height), and instead of sealing it up, go the opposite route and maximize the potential for low-speed airflow with 3 (optionally 4) 120mm fans and an even larger one on top.

It certainly isn't targeted at the silent PC audience. Afterall, who would imagine such an open air design "gamer's case" could be anything but noisy? Well, maybe it does have some potential after all:

Start with a passive CPU cooler. Like the p180, it's wide enough to accomodate a Scythe Ninja CPU heatsink, probably passively given there's a 120mm and a 200mm fan in that corner . . . maybe even at low speed.
A passive PSU should work, helped by the bottom front fan that would blow right over & through it.
Add a passively cooled video card.
Add an already-quiet hard disk sealed in a Smart Drive 2002c enclosure.
I can't think of how to silence the DVD drive, but I don't use that much.
Not quite good enough? Well, I've had a furniture cabinet idea in mind for years: put a whole regular PC inside a wooden cabinet with ample sound absorption material. Design ample air intake for the front and side (deflecting any noise down to carpeted floor) & design ample exhaust in the back. (I envisioned an intake opening under the front, and an exhaust chimney with sound aborption interior in the back disguised as part of semi-custom desk wall unit.) It gets a little more complicated when I think about access to the cables & side panel, but you get the idea. The Nine Hundred's ample airflow design seems perfect for use in such a cabinet.

Sound intriguing?

Still, it's hard to recommend the Nine Hundred for absolute silence, and I haven't actually tried the above ideas yet. No matter what you do, there'll still be air turbulence noise leaking out. (All cases with multiple 120mm fans will have some of that.) But it might have surprisingly more potential than its open-air looks suggest.

One drawback to the Nine Hundred is that it the exhaust fans have more capacity than the intake fans, so air could get pulled in from all the holes around the card slots, which is right above the hot PSU exhaust. Adding a 120mm side fan for the provided hole would probably fix that nicely.

Another drawback is the big side plastic window. I can live with it, but don't like the lack of EMI/RFI shielding. I think I can easily solve that and improve the look with some black Modders Mesh.

It's perforated sheetmetal front (and part of the side) looks aggressive and a bit industrial, but it works for me. I normally prefer a very conservative style. (I still love my old black aluminum Coolermaster case with plain solid front door, but a case with only 80mm fans (x 4) just doesn't seem enough anymore, not without watercooling.) I'm sure my perception is colored by my appreciation for the engineering design, but it's one of very few cases I actually like the looks of (and the p180 isn't one of them).

Craig in NJ

Posted: **Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:08 am**

I may be the odd one here, but I think it looks decent for a gamers case...kinda stealthy lookin'...certainly better than alot of the cheesy/tacky cases out there. Like others have said, it looks too open for a silent case, but that's not what it was intended for though...is it?

Posted: **Sun Oct 22, 2006 3:04 pm**

Thanks for the replies, I'll get a few pictures up when I get some time, i've been a bit busy recently as I start a new job tomorrow

My cabling is appalling, really embarrasing - I just can't find the best way to put all the standard wires. I may go with round cables and braiding or something but for now i'll live with the mess. My Asrock mobo would be fine for a top-mounted PSU but as it is the main ATX cable has to go diagonally up across the mobo round the hsf. I can't think of another way to do it.

I know what you mean about the top mounted USB/audio ports collecting dust. I don't have a use for them so I might tape over them, under my desk they won't be seen anyway. I don't mind a side window (even though my case is near the wall) but the clear plastic seems to have little in the way of vibration prevention - 3 lame beads of hot glue that aren't very well stuck. Does EMI sheilding really do or affect anything?

I was thinking maybe cutting some pieces of open pore foam for the front grills, like the stuff pan scourers are made of, to catch some dust. I could live without the blue light.

Early days yet and as I said i'm a noob to this.

Posted: **Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:11 pm**

A few pics as promised.

I see one of the front fan LED's is down already and the other 2 look slightly more green than they did.

I want to suspend the HDD's at some point and move the bundle of front panel cables out of the way of the top fan. Black vinyl dye on the dvds/floppy drive too.

Posted: **Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:49 pm**

L3thal wrote:I may be the odd one here, but I think it looks decent for a gamers case...kinda stealthy lookin'...certainly better than alot of the cheesy/tacky cases out there. Like others have said, it looks too open for a silent case, but that's not what it was intended for though...is it?

This case was a surprise to me too. It is one of the few strictly gamer oriented cases that I honestly felt looks good.

Posted: **Thu Oct 26, 2006 5:51 pm**

Currently on offer.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/ ... ly_25.html

Andy

Posted: **Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:08 pm**

Well, as long as you are asking...

I don't really particularly like this case. I saw it on display at Fry's last weekend and my initial reaction was "why?". Why is it that there are so many silly cases out there? Why is Antec getting involved?

I like for my PC to look like a computer, not an air conditioning unit. I don't like front grills that clearly display fans. In my opinion it's not cool, or artsy or industrial, it's just poor asthetics and design.

Because of said fans, the media drives need to be mounted on the bottom. How practical is that?

What's that indentation in the top for? A built in ashtray? Or a place to hold snacks? Probably for screws and stuff but I don't see where it would be useful.

This case is too tall.

On the plus side, if you wanted something "different" looking this case would sure fit the bill. I does have a window which I am ambivalent about. I can take it or leave it. The blowhole has an enormous fan! I'm not a big fan (pun not intended) of blowholes but I was impressed with the size of the fan here.

Just like in everyday life, it's all a matter of taste. This case doesn't please me but I can see where it might please others.

Posted: **Sat Oct 28, 2006 3:26 pm**

Not every case from Antec needs to be quiet. I like it. It allows configuration of the front like the Stacker and that 200mm fan is massive. I'm sure lots of folks who can't stand Antec cases because they are always made quiet will love this thing. I've never seen more fans in a smaller space without resorting to crappy side fans that screw your airflow. An overclockers paradise. It will sell well.

Posted: **Sun Oct 29, 2006 1:59 am**

I guess the S12 power supplies have their fan underneath.

Does this mean these PSUs can't be used with this case, or is the PSU fitted upside down in this case to avoid that problem?

Posted: **Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:39 am**

richard13 wrote:
Because of said fans, the media drives need to be mounted on the bottom. ....

What's that indentation in the top for? ....

This case is too tall.

Point 1: Not true -- the drives are on the bottom in those pictures because that's how the person wanted them. There are three "cages" with up to 3 drives &/or 120mm fan each, and you can configure them as you want. As you can see in any mfr photo's of it, the "normal" configuration puts the fans on the bottom. (And if you want more than 3 accessible bays, you can also move the middle fan to the back of that cage instead of out front.)
Point 2: I'd guess it's for a gamer's game control pad or something so they don't have to clutter their limited table-space at LAN parties or on a small desk. But Antec's site puts it in non-gamer terms that sound silly: "for your MP3 player, digital camera, etc."
Point 3: That's true about almost any case, but I think they made the ideal compromise. It's only as big as it needs to be to have multiple big fans, and they managed it with 3" less height than the famed P180 (which is too tall for my taste).

Posted: **Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:48 am**

CraiginNJ wrote:
Point 1: Not true -- the drives are on the bottom in those pictures because that's how the person wanted them. There are three "cages" with up to 3 drives &/or 120mm fan each, and you can configure them as you want. As you can see in any mfr photo's of it, the "normal" configuration puts the fans on the bottom. (And if you want more than 3 accessible bays, you can also move the middle fan to the back of that cage instead of out front.)

Point 2: I'd guess it's for a gamer's game control pad or something so they don't have to clutter their limited table-space at LAN parties or on a small desk. But Antec's site puts it in non-gamer terms that sound silly: "for your MP3 player, digital camera, etc."

Point 3: That's true about almost any case, but I think they made the ideal compromise. It's only as big as it needs to be to have multiple big fans, and they managed it with 3" less height than the famed P180 (which is too tall for my taste).

Thanks for pointing out the configurability of the fans in the bays. I was going from what I saw in the pictures here and the one on display at Fry's. It still doesn't change the fact that I personally don't like viewable fans.

As far as height is concerned, let's not even talk about the P180.

I was comparing the Nine Hundred to the P150. I see Antec lists the Nine Hundred as only 1.4" taller. I have to wonder if they are measuring height from the front or back of the case. That sloping top accounts for at least an inch. Maybe I'll take a 2nd comparison look at Fry's, it may just be an optical illusion. Either way, it looked tall and bulky to me.

Posted: **Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:40 am**

richard13 wrote:I was comparing the Nine Hundred to the P150. I see Antec lists the Nine Hundred as only 1.4" taller. I have to wonder if they are measuring height from the front or back of the case. That sloping top accounts for at least an inch.

FWIW, using my measuring tape on the one on my dining room table, the front is 17.25 inches tall & the back is 18.5 inches tall (Antec says 18.4). Antec claims the P150 is 17 inches tall and according to the picture it looks the same in the back.

I think the big fat 200mm fan on the top/back explains why they couldn't get it any shorter in the back and still accomodate full sized ATX motherboards.

The front edge might look a little taller than it really is just because of the slope and the agressive styling details at the front top edge. (Cleaner, simpler, less-pronounced features tend to make edges less noticable.)
.

Posted: **Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:34 am**

plees wrote:I guess the S12 power supplies have their fan underneath.

Does this mean these PSUs can't be used with this case, or is the PSU fitted upside down in this case to avoid that problem?

The hole in the back panel is made such that the PSU can be mounted upside-down (as mine is).

I originally had the DVD/floppy drives in the top 3 bays, but I figured that a fan would be more use blowing towards the CPU hsf than the PSU, and I would easily be able to reach the DVD's anyway. I've taken the top-fan rear-bay cowl out as it was only reducing smooth airflow but i've realised that I could move the top fan back there giving better airflow to the hsf. Not being able to see the top fan won't be an issue.

I've also done some more cable tidying but forgot to take photos!

Anyway, here's a few shots of the bays after treating them to a few coats of black vinyl dye. Â£10 from Halfrauds

but it makes an excellent job (the photos don't do it justice actually). I had some self-adhesive real carbon fibre lying around so I added some of that too.

Nice black drives!

Carbon fibre 'ashtray'

The paint:

The photos make the floppy drive look different but it's the angle of the pictures, they all look the same.

Posted: **Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:30 am**

After spraying the drive bezels I had one volume wheel to colour (luckily the other was black) and some small areas where i'd scratched the paint removing the vaseline mask from the LED window, and the floppy drive button i'd forgot to take off, so I just sprayed some into a lid and painted these areas.

Some better cable routing...still not happy with the IDE cables.

The next job will be to suspend the HDDs using rubber straps.

Posted: **Mon Oct 30, 2006 1:34 pm**

If it wasn't for the window and the top fan/spoiler/whatever setup. I would probably go for it. While I have and like the p180 its a bit too tall to fit under some desks. I was hoping for some kind of cross between a p180 and p150/solo.

My opinion generally speaking is top blowholes are useless. Sure if you picked a system comprised of every top of the line (hottest) component you could put in a case (hottest cpu, sli, 4+ hdds and maybe OCed). Or back in the days when you had a meager 80mm exhaust fan or no exhaust at all (a couple cube cases were like that). I could see the need for a monstrosity like the 900 has.

But hey if you purchased the case and are happy with it. That should be all that matters right?

edit typo

Posted: **Mon Oct 30, 2006 1:49 pm**

Yeah, horses for courses I guess, and with my selection of meagre components it's true it's proper overkill. I could probably turn off all the other case fans and just run the 200 at a slow speed and it would be fine. Now that would be pretty quiet.

Posted: **Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:01 am**

Hey all,

I'm actually pretty interested in getting this case and was wondering if anyone could post a pic or give a description as to how much space there is between the back of the mobo tray and the right-hand door. I was thinking of cutting holes for cable routing at the base of the tray beside the PSU and then creating exit holes at the top of the Tray for +12s etc. Is there enough room for these cables let alone connectors?

I'd spray the interior of the case as it is so cosmetics can be worried about later I guess. Currently Have an Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe so some dremeling will be in order if I do buy it, doh......upgrade time soon thou!

Anyhow any help would be greatly appreciated....

Posted: **Wed Nov 01, 2006 11:34 am**

Welcome to SPCR!

Posted: **Wed Nov 01, 2006 4:49 pm**

A quick check with the side off suggests 10mm is all you have between the back of the mobo tray and the side panel. HTH.

Posted: **Thu Nov 02, 2006 9:10 am**

Thats cool cheers for that, 10 mm should be enough to get the cabling routed at least....not planning on putting too much back there really just the +12 and maybe route the fan cables that way too...will have to see.

I definitely like the cooling potential of this case and once coupled with a good fan controller I'm sure it can be pretty quiet aswell as being able to shift an awful lot of air... Has had made me think about getting a passively cooled 7950 and Nexus Heatsink and just let the case provide the airflow (I'd be filling up the two additional fan slots and controlling them too)....for normal usage I'm sure running all the fans at 7V would be more than sufficient to keep everything relatively cool. And then when gaming I really dont mind how noisy it gets...cant be any worse than my current rig.

Cheers for that again....if I do get the case I'll be sure to let ye know how I get on...

Posted: **Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:35 pm**

Sorry for the mega bump, but I have a question regarding the Nine Hundred.

It's not clear if you can mount the front 120mm fans without the HDD bays or the slot covers. Ideally I'd just have the fans and nothing else, but could live with having the slot covers as well if required. I want to remove the HDD bays so that an 8800 Ultra will fit and I can suspend the HDDs.

Is it possible? The manual does not really say one way or the other.

Posted: **Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:11 am**

MoJo,

It's not clear if you can mount the front 120mm fans without the HDD bays or the slot covers.

You can remove the slot covers for sure(I assume you mean the grill in the front), but I'm not sure if you can remove the HDD bays themselves (perhaps with some modding, but I don't think there are any easily removable screws that will permit that... I could be mistaken though)

Posted: **Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:17 am**

PissAnt wrote:Thats cool cheers for that, 10 mm should be enough to get the cabling routed at least....not planning on putting too much back there really just the +12 and maybe route the fan cables that way too...will have to see.

It should be fairly easy to do (dremeling the back plate is kinda time consuming) - just plan out and mark the holes in advance and don't forget to dull the edges of the holes once you cut em out...
A couple of pictures of my build..

Posted: **Fri Sep 21, 2007 3:14 pm**

How loud does your system run? and what if you set all the fans to low?

i really like this case and considering getting it but i'm worried about the noise.

one question though as i cant find a proper confirmation of this. can you suspend the harddrives just like in some other antec cases?

Posted: **Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:40 pm**

Mensis wrote:one question though as i cant find a proper confirmation of this. can you suspend the harddrives just like in some other antec cases?

There's no out-of-the-box suspension system. There's always a way though

Posted: **Sat Sep 22, 2007 7:13 am**

One thing that strikes me about that side panel is that you could probably remove the grill and windows, and install a 36mm fan in the gap. Some mesh could fill the rest in.

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:04 am**

One more question about this case - can you reverse the top fan so that it blows in?

PS. I found an answer to my previous question, it looks like you can mount the fans without the HDD bays. That means you can suspend the HDDs with fans in front of them.

SPCR

Antec Nine Hundred, I like it, do you?

Antec Nine Hundred, I like it, do you?

Antec Nine Hundred: I do like it

Cable Routing