Cool!

Antec’s not been in the enthusiast league for a while, and their homage to that fraternity has been long due. Enter the Antec 900.

A Plexiglas side window ensures that monster gets all the looks in and the drool out! There’s a very rugged, industrial look to the front, with an aggressively forward-sloping top. Although the body is made of cold rolled sheet steel, the Antec 900 feels very light, especially for its size.

The 120mm fan that served the P180 topside has been ditched in favour of a colossal 200mm fan that serves as an exhaust. There are two blue LED-lit 120mm fans in the front, and draw in a lot of air (courtesy the perforated front). Antec adds another 120mm fan to the rear of the cabinet to aid removal of hot air; excellent thermal management all round. All fans have been provided with a 3-speed controller switch.

The PSU is floor-mounted, reminiscent of the P180, but not thermally isolated. This is good since cable management in the P180 was a royal pain.

To generate heat we ran a few 3D 2006 Marks, and played F.E.A.R. for around half an hour, on a Core 2 Duo X6800 and 8800GTX based rig. Then we monitored temperatures.

Pretty impressive, isn’t it… though not without the odd fault, it does cater to its default audience rather well. You get decent build quality for the most part, very good cooling, plenty of expansion, and a body that will attract glances at any LAN party. What you don’t get is drive rails, a large bay to work in, and the sound of silence. At Rs 8,400 plus tax, cheap it’s not. But then you wouldn’t want to house a Porsche in a barn, now, would you?

RATINGS
Performance  : 4
Features : 4
Build Quality : 3
Value for Money : 3
Overall : 3.5

Specifications
Dimensions: 493 x 206 x 468 mm (L x W x H); weight: 8.4 kg; 4x fans (3 x 120 mm, 1 x 200 mm)

Contact : Cyber Space Abacus P. Ltd
Phone : 044-24362681
E-mail : info@antecindia.com
Web site : www.antecindia.com
Price : Rs. 8700/-