Introduction
I would like to thank Antec for supplying the review sample.
Antec's website has a very refreshing "About Antec" page, with the following text:
Antec, Inc. is the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in the industry and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of quiet, efficient and innovative products. Antec has also achieved great success in the distribution channel, meeting the demands of quality-conscious system builders, VARs and integrators.
We are taking a look at the newest chassis of the Gaming Cases line.
Antec has named this one "Eleven Hundred", which is on the higher end of
the spectrum.
Specifications
Packaging
The chassis comes packaged in a full color cardboard box with a large
Antec logo and a partial image of the chassis on the front of the box.
Turning it over you will find an array of smaller images, showing you
the features of the Eleven Hundred. Antec has placed the specifications
on the top of the box, while both smaller side panels hold even more
images of the chassis.
The unit is protected by two foam spacers along with a cardboard sheet
in the front of the chassis. A plastic bag has been placed over the case
to keep scratches or finger prints away.
Contents
You will receive an adequate set of parts to get everything up and
running. Two bags of screws, a few zip ties and the required hard drive
rails to fill all six bays within the Eleven Hundred. A simple piece of
paper is also part of the extras, but cannot really be considered a
manual.
A Closer Look - Outside
Taking a look a the chassis, it seems to be an evolution of the DF
series in the farthest sense. Gone are the rounded corners and elaborate
industrial look. What has remained is a lot of metal mesh, straight
lines and an overall edgy look. In terms of construction quality, the
plastic does not leave anything to be desired and the metal mesh in the
front is thick enough as well.
Taking a look at the front, the interior of the case can be seen
shimmering through the metal mesh parts. In the rear, there is a bottom
mounted PSU bay and it should become apparent at this point, that the
Eleven Hundred has an all black interior.
Antec has done a very good job with both side panels. On one hand you
have a thick acrylic window with two embedded slots for 120 mm fans. In
terms of size the window is just big enough to show you the most from
your system, but not the drive bays. Antec has done an excellent job
incorporating the cutouts for the fans, but I would have still liked to
see a built-in dust filter here. The other side has been extruded
slightly and also has an air vent right where the CPU cooler underside
would be. You may install a 120 mm fan here to keep temperatures down if
you wish. By having to place the cooling unit unto the side panel and
not the mainboard tray one keeps the area free and the backplate
accessible.
Taking a closer look at the front, there is the large metal mesh in the
bottom. A fairly big Antec logo has been placed on the bottom edge of
things. Above that are the three 5.25" drive bays and the I/O consisting
of 2x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0 and the usual pair of audio plugs. I would
have liked to see the addition of a 3.5" adapter to give the user the
utmost flexibility to install whatever is needed.
In the rear, there is the bottom mounted, multi-directional PSU bay. You
may install a power supply with the fan facing up or downward. Above
that are the nine expansion slots, as this is an XL-ATX chassis. There
are two openings for water cooling in the side as well, allowing you to
route tubing out the back of the chassis. In the very top you will find a
120 mm exhaust fan, which does not have any LED or speed control. Antec
would call this a "MonoCool" unit.
Just like with the P280, Antec has placed the power and reset buttons in
the top panel of the Eleven Hundred, but unlike two 120 mm fans, you
will find one large 200 mm unit here. This one features a blue LED which
may be turned on/off separately.
A little panel has been placed in the top area of the rear, which
usually allows you to control the fan speed of numerous units, but with
the Antec Eleven Hundred, the only thing you may toggle is the power LED
of the top fan. Having such a panel has been one of the unique factors
of the manufacturer and I do not see any reason why they could not have
included the full functionality here. There is a dust filter protecting
the power supply, which may simply be pulled out from the main side of
the chassis - just like in the P280.
A Closer Look - Inside
To gain access to the interior, simply remove the pair of thumb screws
holding each side panel in place. As mentioned before, the entire
interior of the Eleven Hundred is black as well. In terms of layout, the
chassis is actually quite simple but certainly effective. A very large
opening in the mainboard tray ensures easy access to the underside of
the CPU area, no matter where the socket is placed, while there is 30 mm
of space to route cables through the various openings around three
sides of the mainboard tray.
In the front, there are the six 3.5 inch drive bays. Antec has not
included any fans here to cool at least three drives actively, which
would have been a nice touch, considering the Eleven Hundred clocks in
at well above 100 Euro at the moment. Above that are two slots dedicated
to 2.5 inch hard drives or SSDs and three 5.25 inch, external drive
bays - each with a screw-less locking mechanism.
In the rear, the bottom PSU bay does not have any rubber pads or other
anti-vibration measures. As you can see, the dust filter has not been
placed in the underside of the chassis, but sandwiched nicely between
the floor panel and PSU itself. Above that are the nine expansion slots,
each protected by separate covers held in place with individual thumb
screws. The 120 mm exhaust fan does not seem like anything out of the
ordinary, but has an Antec label on the side facing the metal air vent
of the chassis.
The 200 mm fan in the ceiling of the chassis pushes hot air out the top
of the case and has semi transparent blades to maximize the LED effect
when turned on. Last but not least, it should be mentioned, that you may
remove the simple but effective dust filter in the front of the chassis
for easy cleaning.
Before we dive into the assembly process, let us take a quick look at
the cables. All of these are black except for the color coded ones. This
goes well with the rest of the chassis. You will not find anything out
of the ordinary in terms of connectivity and Antec utilizes a 20-pin,
internal USB 3.0 plug to connect the I/O to the mainboard. While this is
great, the addition of a combo-cable or adapter would have been a great
extra.
Assembly
Installing the motherboard is done by traditional means. Simply screw it
unto the provided, golden spacers. Antec includes just enough screws to
install it into the chassis. As you can see, there is plenty of space
around the CPU cooler, so even the really big units will fit. On top of
that, the Eleven Hundred can hold GPUs with up to 33 cm in size - more
than enough by modern standards.
Installing hard drives does not require any screws. Simply clip the
rails on each side of the drive and slide it into the bay of your
choice. The entire contraption will snap into place firmly, so that you
will not have to worry about it, even during transportation. You will
not require anything for a 2.5 inch drive: just slide the drive into the
bay - that is it. The side panel will act as a stopping mechanism,
keeping the unit in place.
Installin an optical drive will require you to remove the entire front
panel, allowing you to free the bay of its metal cover and taking out
the desired mesh part of the front panel. Once free, simply slide the
drive into place until the plastic locking mechanism snaps into place.
It holds quite well, so you will not need to worry about this aspect
either. Antec does still allow for screws to be used, just in case you
are not convinced that the system will hold your drive properly.
Placing the PSU within the chassis is done utilizing traditional methods
as well. Four crews hold it in place - that is it, nothing else to see
here.
Once everything is placed in the appropriate location and all the cables
are connected, the Antec Eleven Hundred still makes a very clean
impression. I have used neon orange SATA cables, so that you can see
where these are routed.
Finished Looks
Once the side panels have been placed back unto the chassis and it was
turned on, I was quite relieved that both fans are actually nice and
quiet. The above shows the system up and running, but with the top fan
LEDs toggled on/off. Two blue LEDs in the front of the chassis are used
for power and hard drive activity.
You can clearly see the entire motherboard and a part of the power
supply through the window - pretty cool. Both vents for the side fans
have been well placed as they are at the same height as the graphic
card. Taking a closer look at the rear, there is nothing out of the
ordinary and the blue LEDs in the top fan actually fit the chassis quite
well overall.
Value & Conclusion
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Antec's
Eleven Hundred is an excellent addition to the Gamer Case line-up of
the company. With its rugged and timeless looks, the large window and
blue LED fan on top, it manages to impress when viewed from the outside
already. Luckily the interior is just as functional, with more than
enough space and openings to hide and route cables through, allowing you
to keep things nice and tidy - no matter how much hardware you stuff
into the chassis. This brings me to the next point, as the Antec Eleven
Hundred can hold up to eight hard drives, an XL-ATX motherboard and
large graphics cards or CPU coolers. All-in-all there is really nothing
besides the short case cables to change, as the Eleven Hundred is a
functional and potent chassis.
The only issue may be the "price to
feature" ratio for some. Clocking in at just 10 Euro less than the P280,
some may be swayed to buy that chassis instead for the ultimate
expandability. While the quality of the Eleven Hundred is excellent, I
would have liked to see a single, third fan in the front and the
addition of a 3.5 inch drive bay adapter to make the most of it right
out of the box.
Still, at the end of the day, none of these small shortcomings are deal breakers, so the Antec Eleven Hundred really remains a darn cool and extremely functional chassis with an adequate price - especially considering that the case is refreshingly well constructed.
Still, at the end of the day, none of these small shortcomings are deal breakers, so the Antec Eleven Hundred really remains a darn cool and extremely functional chassis with an adequate price - especially considering that the case is refreshingly well constructed.
source:www.techpowerup.com
