A star is born... and another yet to be unveiled

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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Shamgar
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A star is born... and another yet to be unveiled

Post by Shamgar » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:15 am

Ladies and gentlemen, witness the arrival of a new generation:

Is this what we can expect in future? and Wonder what all the secrecy is about?

Matija
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Post by Matija » Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:25 am

They are gorgeous!!!!!!11

Image

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Post by nutball » Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:36 am

Oh dear.

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Post by thejamppa » Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:39 am

VSK-2000 is now listed at less than 39€'s in Finland ( availability in few weeks ) with that price its nearly 20€'s cheaper than Antec Three Hundred...

Shamgar
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Post by Shamgar » Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:11 am

Matija wrote:They are gorgeous!!!!!!11
Are you under the influence of something? Or are you blinded by love? :oops:
nutball wrote:Oh dear.
Oh very dear.

Gotta give credit where it's due. If their plan was to create two alien-ating cases (in line with their aliens and space themed adverts lately), they have succeeded. They have alienated me. With these two efforts at least.
Someone there must really like their arrows and stars. Will these two superstars spearhead them to intergalactic domination? Make up your own mind. I think I have. And guess what it is? :wink:

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Post by ilovejedd » Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:22 am

For some reason, I'm feeling the need to stock up on some P182's while there are still a few of them available.

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Post by porkchop » Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:09 pm

beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

it's marketed as a cheap gamers case so you can't really knock it for being gaudy, and i like how antec are starting to put their front ports and buttons at the top front of their cases.... mmm, front ports.

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Post by qviri » Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:53 pm

porkchop wrote:it's marketed as a cheap gamers case
All there really is to say.

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Post by Moogles » Thu Jul 23, 2009 5:07 am

Ehh... it's cheap and practical but maaaaaaan is it ugly. :D

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Post by robbie13 » Thu Jul 23, 2009 5:32 am

ilovejedd wrote:For some reason, I'm feeling the need to stock up on some P182's while there are still a few of them available.
I'm thinking about getting a Solo, but they are like 135$ over here :(

Shamgar
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Post by Shamgar » Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:45 am

robbie13 wrote:
ilovejedd wrote:For some reason, I'm feeling the need to stock up on some P182's while there are still a few of them available.
I'm thinking about getting a Solo, but they are like 135$ over here :(
I paid that amount in AUD for mine. Consider it "affordable". Price has increased even more since I bought it. (Yes, that's what you get for living here.) Pity the individual parts aren't even worth what I paid for them: bits are either damaged or don't fit as they should. I'm seriously holding onto my money next time and waiting for a true alternative.

porkchop, allow me the freedom to dissect your post.
porkchop wrote:beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Anyone who thought cases couldn't get any uglier seriously underestimated the "creative" audacity of the designers.
porkchop wrote:it's marketed as a cheap gamers case so you can't really knock it for being gaudy,
I can. And I will. Consider it constructive criticism. 8)

The superstar on the right of the picture is being marketed as a "cheap gamer's case" to use your words, but the spearhead on the left (according to the marketing blurbs) is going to form part of the NSK line, marketed for budget home and office systems I would presume. I don't know about you, but I don't want that in my home or office. I just don't have the words at the present time to describe my aversion towards both cases.
porkchop wrote:and i like how antec are starting to put their front ports and buttons at the top front of their cases.... mmm, front ports.
I can see how this may help if you keep your cases on the floor (which I do). On a desk, it might become infuriating. I hardly use the front ports of any cases and I prefer them being under a cover so I don't have to see them all the time. And I don't quite share an appetite for front ports like you, however, I know many others who do.

If people think this sidetrack may just be a oneoff, perhaps they are right. But I have a sickly feeling this is going to be the new direction and what we can expect in future. Solo may be next on the massacring line.

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Post by porkchop » Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:55 pm

all you're doing is complaining about it being ugly, like i said before- it's just a matter of taste, i'm sure there a people out there who like it, hate it or just don't care.

i don't like the gamer ver, but i think the vsk/nsk one is ok, the pattern is subdued and seems to be hidden behind the mesh. if the price was right and i needed the extra air, i can see myself pairing one up with my spare psu.

my case does sit on the floor- that's why i like my ports at the top front, sometimes my usb hub just doesn't provide enough power so the front ports come in handy.

square cases made antec, they won't stop making them :wink:

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Post by nightmorph » Thu Jul 23, 2009 4:47 pm

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Last edited by nightmorph on Fri Apr 21, 2023 10:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by ntavlas » Thu Jul 23, 2009 8:58 pm

No, I don`t really like where antec is going with their design, though this is from someone who thinks lian lis are too busy.

Shamgar
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Post by Shamgar » Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:52 am

porkchop wrote:all you're doing is complaining about it being ugly, like i said before- it's just a matter of taste, i'm sure there a people out there who like it, hate it or just don't care.
Not just its appearance but its practical design also, i.e. the open mesh fronts, side intakes, which create more work for the PC builder to achieve silence. But these aren't marketed that way, so it's irrelevant to the majority of SPCRers. I'm not a gamer myself, but they do a disservice to that demographic with these kinds of designs. Educating gamers that you don't need a case to look like a flyscreen door to achieve performance and cool temperatures would be a step in the right direction, even if it's only 10% of them.
porkchop wrote:i don't like the gamer ver, but i think the vsk/nsk one is ok, the pattern is subdued and seems to be hidden behind the mesh. if the price was right and i needed the extra air, i can see myself pairing one up with my spare psu.
Here's a clearer image of the VSK posted by a forum member. Just ignore the constructive criticism if you wish. :)
porkchop wrote:my case does sit on the floor- that's why i like my ports at the top front, sometimes my usb hub just doesn't provide enough power so the front ports come in handy.
I like having convenient port access too but I think having too many USB ports can have a negative impact on power usage. Most motherboards now have 4-8 ports on the back panel, plus cases have 2-4 and many monitors (like my Dell) have a 4 port hub. The most number of USB peripherals I need to use at a time is perhaps 7, but usually 4-5.
nightmorph wrote:Hideous. Looks like the child of a Transformer and a Chrysler.
Maybe that was their "inspiration". Hey, here's an idea: transformer cases, or, cases that transform. A robot shaped PC case would be... interesting. Might even be better looking than these recent efforts.

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Post by blackworx » Sat Jul 25, 2009 1:09 am

Some of you are talking as if these are going to be replacements for the P1xx series, or as if they're all that's going to be available from Antec once all the P1xx's run out. Looking at the insides, these cases obviously aren't part of Antec's premium "Performance" line.

I keep picking up this attitude that whenever Antec, a noted case manufacturing behemoth, brings out a case that doesn't fit the P1xx ethos it somehow means they're going down the tubes. :? :?: :?

These are however very, very hideous :lol: ... They're the sort of thing I could see a 12 year old me buying and thinking they were the last word in understated cool.

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Post by Shamgar » Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:54 am

blackworx wrote:Some of you are talking as if these are going to be replacements for the P1xx series, or as if they're all that's going to be available from Antec once all the P1xx's run out. Looking at the insides, these cases obviously aren't part of Antec's premium "Performance" line.
Obviously, these aren't P1 line cases but they are going to be NSK and Gaming ones, which many SPCRers also adopted and use in their own systems. Take for instance the popularity of the NSK2480, 3480 and Gaming 300 tower, none of them are in the so called top of class P1 line but are still widely used. Whether one is a fan (pun not intended) of their arrow and star motifs is up to the individual in question; I myself do not like it one bit. Antec seem intent on carrying this arrow motif over most of their newer generation cases (with the star possibly to follow): look at Mini P180 (the first of such audacity), P183, ISK 300-65, now VSK/NSK. And so the questions arises, what is next? You can't blame us for being concerned.

People for whatever reason have this long held myth that because Antec were responsible (along with some expert consultation, including the founder of SPCR himself) for two of arguably the best PC cases ever made from a silencing perspective, that they somehow would not dare to massacre the design of these classics, and in turn create a dent in an otherwise small and unprofitable market as "silent computing". Perhaps those people are right and people like myself make too great a leap of judgement when presented with such audaciousness of design.
blackworx wrote:I keep picking up this attitude that whenever Antec, a noted case manufacturing behemoth, brings out a case that doesn't fit the P1xx ethos it somehow means they're going down the tubes. :? :?: :?
I have been a user of Antec cases and power supplies for several years and seen the development of cases and silencing through SPCR almost since its inception (albeit with some lengthy time away). I am not naive to think that they (Antec) really do care about the silencing community as much as some would like to think, but when I see their recent efforts, it diminishes my hope that any mainstream manufacturer can produce and more importantly, maintain a product line that fits our niche and get it right. Perhaps I am too optimistic in my outlook, but it's products like these that make me feel more cynical about any major company claiming to be silence oriented.
blackworx wrote:These are however very, very hideous :lol: ... They're the sort of thing I could see a 12 year old me buying and thinking they were the last word in understated cool.
They are the sort of designs only a mother could love.

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Post by thejamppa » Sat Jul 25, 2009 7:02 am

Solo and P18x are expensive cases. I fully understand if Antec wants to create something... More value orientated and let us remind that looks are what lastly counts. VSK-2000 seems to be priced very aggressively.

I do hope SPCR will get one of them in review... Then we could see is that case antec quality or was that case where was heavily compromised the normal antec quality to get more value level case.

But I think case should not be trashed simply by the looks.

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Post by Shamgar » Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:05 am

As I said in an earlier post, I am not just critical of the looks but of practical elements displayed in these newer models. Even though I would not remotely consider either of these cases, others might, and I question why Uncle Average Joe, Mum and Dad Their Beloved Children need to continually have products that remind me of a flyscreen door dumped on them. Knowing that these demographics would rather spend more on fast food, icecream and unhealthy products in one day than they would for a computer case which they can keep for years, I can see why cases get dumbed down and made to a strict budget. If case makers are scared of getting sued because Uncle Joe overclocked everything to the redzone, maybe I can understand, but if flyscreen designs are there to protect from litigation, I think that is way too silly.

What has all the silencing knowledge been for, is it just for us crazy people or for others as well? I feel sorry for mainstream users who have to endure flyscreen designs forever.

I don't want to be accused of "brand bashing" or being superficial. Let's wait and see what else they have in store. But things like this make me sad that the mainstream is just so stupid and that manufacturers couldn't care less as long as the CEO, his colleagues and shareholders take home the profits.

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Post by oldabelincoln » Sat Jul 25, 2009 2:37 pm

thejamppa wrote:But I think case should not be trashed simply by the looks.
Why not? If a case is sufficiently noisy we feel righteous for trashing it, as we wouldn't buy it because of the noise. So if a case is sufficiently ugly, and we wouldn't buy it beacuse we don't like its looks, it seems reasonable to me to trash it.

For my part I wouldn't use a case that looks like that if it had perfect silencing and was free. But then SPCR folks are obviously not the demographic meant for this design, which is nothing new.

I think Antec is a fine company that makes many products that I am happy to use. I'm sure that in future they will continue to do so, as well as make products that I find appalingly adolescent. When we bash such products, it's a useful reminder to Antec and other manufacturers that there are other tastes to satisfy in the market place. It's not enough to praise products we like - we have to point out why we avoid products we don't like, lest manufacturers draw the wrong conclusion.

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Post by thejamppa » Sat Jul 25, 2009 2:41 pm

Judging by the looks is terrible thing to do. That applies peoples and objects. If you oversight things just way they look you loose a lot. There's beauty in the ugliness too... or then there's no such thing as ugly things. Everything might be beautiful in their own way.

Do not judge book by its covers its still true today as it was when it was first said. Appearance is not everything its basicly nothing...

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Post by oldabelincoln » Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:17 pm

thejamppa wrote:Judging by the looks is terrible thing to do. That applies peoples and objects. If you oversight things just way they look you loose a lot. There's beauty in the ugliness too... or then there's no such thing as ugly things. Everything might be beautiful in their own way.

Do not judge book by its covers its still true today as it was when it was first said. Appearance is not everything its basicly nothing...
That certainly applies to people, animals, and books.

But I can't extend those excellent principles to a hunk of metal and plastic that has no qualities other than its function and its appearance. It's not a person, it's a piece of mechanical design. Ugly looking people, animals and books may well be beautiful inside, and should be judged accordingly, something that ugly people like me are always aware of.

Computer cases and other items of mechanical design must be judged by their functionality and appearance, as that's all they have to offer. This is not an issue of philosophy, morals, ethics, religion, interpersonal relationships, or world view. It's an issue of design.

Good mechanical design is part engineering and part aesthetics, and while a good design may not be beautiful in every instance, and may be plain or simple in appearance, or even perplexing or ungainly, it is never ugly. A product that looks beautiful may prove to be poorly designed, but good design is never ugly.

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Post by Shamgar » Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:03 pm

Abe, you have been able to articulate something that was subconsciously on my mind. Although I am somewhat opinionated (let's use that word) on the matter of computer design, I have also taken the liberty to treat this subject with a finesse of lightheartedness (let's use that word also) as well; either to my own detriment, or to the benefit of many.

Allow me to quote you and agree with this statement as an underlying reason for my constructive criticism of such design in question:

"Computer cases and other items of mechanical design must be judged by their functionality and appearance, as that's all they have to offer. This is not an issue of philosophy, morals, ethics, religion, interpersonal relationships, or world view. It's an issue of design."

Truly well said, sir!

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Post by oldabelincoln » Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:53 pm

Shamgar,

Thanks for the nice words.

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Post by thejamppa » Sun Jul 26, 2009 1:19 am

I judge cases simply in terms of silence and excessive bling. I can't stand long term computer noises in my home, there for case must be quiet. I want to sleep in dark therefore computer must have no bling that illuminates entire room at night.

Looks is hardly important. There are many cases that look very beautiful and pleases the eye while their function is dreadsome. I'd always take case which looks horrible but performs well in my needs.

I am supporter of Utilitarian-spartan design. Simplicity and function over anything else.

I've now said what I wanted. Therefor I will not continue this thread as one cannot really argue in matter's of taste. Not only its unproductive but also nobody cannot win that.

We'll see in future how those cases fare in use.

Edit: Nobody seem to care / know that VSK-2000 can easily made positive pressure case. Its standard fan mountings are 1x 120mm rear and 2x120mm in front. It is rare to see cases which offer positive pressure option out of box and cable management. In such price VSK-2000 is listed in my region.

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Post by roadie » Tue Jul 28, 2009 3:31 am

But the VSK-2000 does have great, gaping openings on the side panel. With a solid side panel and filtered, yet non-restrictive intakes for the front fans, it would be a decent case.

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Post by confusion » Tue Jul 28, 2009 10:03 pm

I hate the side vents that are still on far too many cases. The Antec 300 is a nice case except for it having the side vent. Sure it can be covered but that's ugly.

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Post by mdrumt » Wed Jul 29, 2009 6:45 pm

confusion wrote:I hate the side vents that are still on far too many cases. The Antec 300 is a nice case except for it having the side vent. Sure it can be covered but that's ugly.
If it helps, you can swap the side panels over if that puts the grill outta line of sight. Also helps with keeping the dust out for perhaps a marginal increase in sys temp.

:)

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Post by mdrumt » Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:07 pm

Like i have mentioned in another post...

To me these cases look like rehashes (aka Coolermaster elites 330, 311 etc etc) of the three hundred with revised front bezels (and perhaps PSU layout), they even use the same front i/o layout and buttons.

They seem to offer no real benefits over the three hundred other than a slight price decrease. I'm not sure how though, the three hundred is one of the simplest decent cheap/er cases out there. I would say thinner sheet metal (like bitey coke can CM elites) would be about the only way these 2 are much different to a three hundred.

I really see no point to their existence, they are both about to become the ugly duckings of the Antec line!

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Post by PartEleven » Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:46 am

I think SPCR here is part of the minority that likes the subdued look of Antec's P1XX and NSK lines. Most other forums I've been to have people complaining about how "boring" they look. If it's true that the majority out there prefer flashy and edgy designs, then it's only natural that Antec would design their new cases to meet this demand. It's not unlike how PSU manufacturers are producing grossly overpowered units now.

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