Antec Lanboy

mdrumt · Post by **mdrumt** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:41 pm

Antec Lanboy, IMO ugly as sin.

BUT

Would it make a great enclosure for a fully passive system? Considering all the open mesh.

Your thoughts?

KayDat · Post by **KayDat** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:53 pm

You talking about the 7 year old Lanboy? Yeah, it was pretty ugly huh?

Or did you mean the new Lanboy Air? ;]

Quite funny reading old press releases...

LANBOY offers gamers all the benefits of a larger case, but in an easy-to-carry package. Gamers finally have a lightweight option that doesnâ€™t require them to sacrifice the performance or personality of their systems.

BTW, I have an old Lanboy case kicking around somewhere. It sucks =P

Back on topic, I guess the LBAir has quite an industrial look...suits some, doesn't suit others. I'm impartial personally, but I personally wouldnt' fork money out for one. You might be able to get a cool running system in there, but there's absolutely no sound isolation. Even if everything was passive, you'd still have to deal with electrical noise. No thank you.

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:02 pm

quite simply, not really.

LanBoy Air
1) no BTX support so far
2) no focus for airflow
3) too many vents

The case has terrible airflow, and the hard drives have terrible cooling. With huge passive heatsinks, like the scythe orochi, you might be able to pull it off, but even then, i have my doubts.

I'll be putting up a pretty extensive review in the gallery section soon about the new lanboy air, as I received one just last week.

KayDat · Post by **KayDat** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:21 pm

I guess they're "improving" from their designs in the -Hundred series. And you thought they couldn't punch any more holes in those computer cases huh?

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:30 pm

This looks like some Lego things I built so very long ago.

The standard layout isn't really suited for fanless cooling. Most hot components would be adding heat on one convection path, creating a very bad situation for whatever is on top. If you want a case for a fanless system, get the SilverStone Raven or Fortress. You won't get good results without the motherboard turning trick.

mkk · Post by **mkk** » Thu Oct 07, 2010 12:41 am

Just an extreme example of the downwards route that Antec has been on recently. Though I must say the harddrive mounting seems at least interesting.

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Thu Oct 07, 2010 6:02 am

Can this case really hold a silent computer? It depends on how hellbent the user is on getting that silence. After tearing the case apart, and doing the 7v trick on every single case fan, the WD Raptor is the only audible component. Every fan in the computer is running at 7v, only exception being the PSU fan, which is running on a PWM circuit of its own. Running a steady idle shows the CPU and GPU to be sitting at a steady 35C each. The hard drives, now with a constant low breeze (considering the fan controller of the front fans, they aren't even running at 7v, maybe closer to 5v) are running at 35C, with not much fluctuation. The only downfall I can think of at this point is that the LEDs on the fans are all noticeabley dimmer. For me, considering this room is full of computers, and also one of the household pets, This doesn't bother me at all. Having an option with no LEDs would be nice, if the computer needed to be on all night, it wouldn't keep the critters up all night.

that's a small excerpt from my review. Honestly, at 7v, the fans are barely kicking any air, and I did notice that one fan also did not start right away at 7 (although the LEDs did light up).

At 5v, I would expect worse problems, such as none of the fans starting at lowest voltage.

This case in general shouldn't have mesh side panels, and it should have better fans installed.

walle · Post by **walle** » Thu Oct 07, 2010 7:10 am

There is no noise reduction here, no dust filters... no nothing - seems to me they lost the plot on this one.

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Thu Oct 07, 2010 10:48 am

It's called diversification. I don't see why you would try to impose SPCR standards on any of their gaming enclosures. It's not like they're even mentioning "quiet" or "silent" on the product page. On the other hand, the 12-year old in me is positively drooling about the looks and Lego-ish design, so I say good job.

Antec_Jessie · Post by **Antec_Jessie** » Thu Oct 07, 2010 12:51 pm

Modo hit the nail on the head here - we're not marketing this to the silent computing crowd. For silent computing, we still offer the Performance One and Sonata series of cases.

I'll be around so if you guys have some questions about Antec products, fire away.

- Jessie

walle · Post by **walle** » Thu Oct 07, 2010 2:40 pm

Modo wrote:I don't see why you would try to impose SPCR standards on any of their gaming enclosures.

I don't see how you could suggest that I were imposing SPCR standards when pointing out that there were no noise reduction or dust filters on the case to begin with. Need I remind you that there are "gaming cases" out there that has one of those features already, some both? noise reduction may perhaps be reserved for quiet orientated enclosures, as a rule of thumb. Granted, but not dust filters.

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Thu Oct 07, 2010 9:35 pm

Antec_Jessie wrote: I'll be around so if you guys have some questions about Antec products, fire away.

There are a couple of things that you could improve in the Fusion. I wonder if/when a proper refresh will happen.

walle wrote:Granted, but not dust filters.

You are reaching. They obviously deliberately chose the toy look with meshes on all sides. To get what you suggest, the entire case would have to be one big dust filter. That's just silly and you know it.

danimal · Post by **danimal** » Thu Oct 07, 2010 10:42 pm

bonestonne wrote:3) too many vents

The case has terrible airflow

how do you get terrible airflow with too many vents?

the yogi berra of spcr, lol:

I really didn't say everything I said!
No one goes there any more; it's too crowded.
A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.
Even Napoleon had his Watergate.
Half the lies they tell about me aren't true.
I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
I'm as red as a sheet.
I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did!
I couldn't tell if the streaker was a man or a woman because it had a bag on its head.
I guess that's the earliest I've ever been late.

mdrumt · Post by **mdrumt** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 4:33 am

I guess I was thinking along the lines of a system using intergrated or low end passive gfx, large passive cpu heatsink, seasonic passive PSU and SSD. You would think that a passive system would benefit from as much ventilation as possible no?

I think it would be interesting to see how the Lanboy Air would perform with a setup like this.

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 4:58 am

When all hot components are lined up, convection moves all the hot air to the top component (CPU in this case). It might be difficult to keep that component cool enough under load. This is why I recommended the 90 degree motherboard turn provided by the Raven and Fortress (FT02). Their layout makes sure that each component can draw its own fresh air when only convection is available. You can get a similar effect using the Lanboy Air, but you'd have to put it in a very well ventilated place (like at some window).

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 5:19 am

danimal wrote:
bonestonne wrote:3) too many vents

The case has terrible airflow
how do you get terrible airflow with too many vents?

Air has similar properties to water, in that it will flow across the path of least resistance. Quite simply, with an exhaust fan, or any other fan close to a vent, that fan will draw most of it's airflow from that vent, rather than creating a pressure zone which will help cool other components.

Without the front fans, the hard drives have no airflow. Without a fan on the CPU heatsink, there's very little airflow over that heatsink, passive or otherwise. The mesh allows for too much "air leak" which just creates a really poor airflow circuit.

I think if you were to build a passive system, it might work, however it would benefit from having top fans for exhaust, because by itself, it may not be able to cool using convection currents alone.

I tried posting last night, but I guess it didn't go through.

In short, I didn't test it for silence because I think that's what it should be, I tested for silence because I have it, and I want to see if it's capable. Obviously, because of how things worked out, the case would require lots of modding, but it's also important to note that the case is far from having "install flexibility" as I was recently told. To install all the components, the first thing I have to do is remove 15 thumbscrews (7 per side, 1 for the power supply). In addition, if I want to use the removable motherboard tray, that's another 5 screws. On top of that, I have to take out another two screws to get the tool box out of the case, so I can get to the screws used to attach the hard drive Airmounts.

I can't really say this case is one for a first time builder, but I also can't say it's complicated. The case is a case and gets the job done, however it is very complicated in how it reaches it's goal. The Cooler Master Elite 330 I bought for $40 several years ago has 4 thumbscrews to get both side panels off, and tool-less hard drive mounts. They may not suspend the drive, but the install process is infinitely easier.

Like I said, I'm not criticizing the case because it's not silent, and I'm not subjecting it to SPCR standards, because I don't have an anechoic chamber at my disposal. I simply built the computer, and did the most extensive testing/writeup I could. I wanted to cover all aspects the hobbyist will look for when they choose a case, and if I'm going to even begin looking at cases in the price range of the LanBoy Air, for taking to Lan Parties or even just using at home, there are lots of features that have to be present or possible.

I'm not imposing standards, as I'm not testing it in a standardized way, I'm simply including as many viewpoints as I can, I was asked to review the case, it would be a poor review if I decided that the case was good enough as I pulled it out of the box. Objectivity is important for readers to make informed decisions.

KayDat · Post by **KayDat** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 6:52 am

So, well ventilated, but bad directed air flow. Air spills everywhere, as opposed to taking a designed path through the case. Correct?

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 4:04 pm

Precisely.

While few cases have a designated path of airflow, this case seems to simply lack any path, mostly because there are too many vents for fresh air to enter, without letting already warm air out anywhere.

walle · Post by **walle** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 4:55 pm

danimal wrote:
bonestonne wrote:3) too many vents

The case has terrible airflow
how do you get terrible airflow with too many vents?.

For the very same reasons you would get higher temperatures after having removed the left side panel on your case. You kill the airflow.

danimal · Post by **danimal** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 8:29 pm

bonestonne wrote: While few cases have a designated path of airflow, this case seems to simply lack any path, mostly because there are too many vents for fresh air to enter, without letting already warm air out anywhere.

"The Antec LanBoy Air is an amazing product for the serious enthusiast, with a unique, functional design. The components will be protected inside the case and, at the same time, the user will have the highest airflow possible."
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/ ... iew/1099/9

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Fri Oct 08, 2010 9:43 pm

You're better off using the fans to push air straight at the hot components. The meshed walls make sure that you don't need too worry where the air goes from there. It should work quite well, and be easier to set up than the usual positive pressure builds (no ducting required). This kind of configuration is described and shown on the Lanboy Air product page (standard fans section, and second pic in the gallery).