Nick Race02 March 2008, 10:57 PM
This is the gamer’s chassis from Antec, and it includes some nifty ideas.
One of the smaller cases we’ve reviewed, the Nine Hundred also includes one of the bigger fans, but not in the usual spot. Antec includes a 200mm fan in the top of the case to exhaust naturally rising heat. There’s also a 120mm fan mounted mid case, behind the drives but in front of the motherboard, combined with two 120mm fans in the front of the case — you’ve got some serious air flow.
Building a system in it is a squeeze, especially if you install the mid case fan, and beware of full-length video cards (like the 8800GTX and Ultras) — you’ll shoehorn them in, but it won’t be pretty.
Design-wise, Antec has taken cues from Thermaltake’s Armor series and Cooler Master’s Stacker cases, including a mesh front, but protected by material at the sides of the case.
Unfortunately, the Nine Hundred looks a lot cheaper than it is, using copious amounts of thick plastic in place of more-expensive but better-looking steel or aluminium. It will either appeal, or turn you right off.
The Nine Hundred would be suitable for a gamer’s rig, but we wouldn’t qualify it as a truly impressive case.