Is the Antec Nine Hundred the right case for me?

[Guest]

I'm trying to finalize on a case & PSU combo, with first the case. I have used an Antec Sonata III case in the past, and I found that case to be great. Now there's a special going on at my local Fry's that is selling the Antec Nine Hundred for $69.99. I wanted to know if this case was the right for me. Looking at the reviews, it seems to be mostly favored. I haven't seen a case where they put the PSU at the bottom. My main concerns is if this case is compatible with my system. Here are my current specs:

CPU: Intel i7 930
Mobo: MSI X58 Pro-E
RAM: Haven't bought it yet.
GFX Card: PowerColor 1GB HD5850 OC (it is measured to be 10.2 inches long) (no crossfire)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
DVD-RW: ASUS DRW-24B1ST DVD-RW @ $24.
PSU: Haven't bought it yet.

Here are my main concerns:

* I've read taking apart HDs and other things into its drive bays are a pain.
* I've also read that some video cards may not be able to fit into the case? My HD5850 measures 10.2 inches long...although I haven't physically taken out all my parts yet (they're still boxed up), I wanted to find peace of mind knowing my components are okay before I take them out of the box.

However, for less than $70, this case seems like a steal. I'm about to make a decision, but wanted some further input. What do you guys think?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

The Antec 900 is a great case....and here's a nice case / psu combo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129064

They also have great tech support, you have any questions give em a yell.

The HAF 922 w/ the Corsair TX650 is also a good choice and has twin $10 rebated atm, making it even cheaper.

The best buy on the market tho is $50 more at $229.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.359977

Top of the line case, top of the line PSU and the quietest high wattage PSU ever tested at silentpcreview.com

 

[nukemaster]

This case cools far better then Sonata. I have the first and second one. And while they are nice will cool systems i find they can not keep the noise of lots of hard drives down(i actually find hard drives louder in sonata, but my MCE system in one is real quiet). I also found the sonata was kind of starved for air. so faster fans did not give it much of a boost in cooling and made it VERY loud.

As for space, you are right long cards will hit the hard drives(this issue is present in the sonata cases as well, but there is nothing you can do), but as long as there is not a drive there you should be fine.

Older pic, but you see longer(5870) cards do fit.

EDIT,

The hard drive system IS a pain if you change drives often. The newer ones are a bit better, but still a pain. I honestly love the way the 300 is for drive installation. Sonata was also great for that.

 

[buzznut]

I can't say enough nice things about the Antec 900. I has so many high quality features that I can't mention them all, but as mentioned the HD management is less than ideal for frequent or hot swapping, although it has to be the best as far as vibration reducing and solid drive cages go. I am willing to give up a little convenience for quiet and piece of mind.

And yes, that's an Iron Maiden reference.

I love my Antec 900, and I think you'll be hard pressed to find this kind of quality at $70. I say go for it!

 

[buzznut]

I believe my HD 4850 is 10.5 inches. The PCI-E power cable comes close to my hard drive power cable but there is about a half inch of breathing room. I have 3 HD in there now, with room for 3 more.

 

[jsc]

I have three. Plus - great cooling, pretty quiet with case fans set on Low. Running the fans on higher speeds does not improve cooling in my case.

Minus - truly abysmal cable management. The only way to fix that is to cut some extra holes in the case. My Antec 900 case mods for cable management:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/264112-28-antec

Definitely not a toolless case, but I figure that I am not going to swap out drives very often.

The case does not come with a system speaker. And depending on your motherboard, you may need some extension cables. I got mine from frozenCPU:
Extension cables
http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g44/c34/s276/list/p1/DIYMod_Parts-Wire_Management-Extension_Cables-Page1.html

The window molding (if you decide to mod the case) also came from frozencpu:
Window molding
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/5096/mol-04/Slim_C-Strip_FanWindow_MoldingGrommet_Edging_-_Black.html?tl=g44c355s338

 

[antec_rep]

I'm trying to finalize on a case & PSU combo, with first the case. I have used an Antec Sonata III case in the past, and I found that case to be great. Now there's a special going on at my local Fry's that is selling the Antec Nine Hundred for $69.99. I wanted to know if this case was the right for me. Looking at the reviews, it seems to be mostly favored. I haven't seen a case where they put the PSU at the bottom. My main concerns is if this case is compatible with my system. Here are my current specs:

CPU: Intel i7 930
Mobo: MSI X58 Pro-E
RAM: Haven't bought it yet.
GFX Card: PowerColor 1GB HD5850 OC (it is measured to be 10.2 inches long) (no crossfire)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
DVD-RW: ASUS DRW-24B1ST DVD-RW @ $24.
PSU: Haven't bought it yet.

Here are my main concerns:

* I've read taking apart HDs and other things into its drive bays are a pain.
* I've also read that some video cards may not be able to fit into the case? My HD5850 measures 10.2 inches long...although I haven't physically taken out all my parts yet (they're still boxed up), I wanted to find peace of mind knowing my components are okay before I take them out of the box.

However, for less than $70, this case seems like a steal. I'm about to make a decision, but wanted some further input. What do you guys think?

Hi StridingCloud,

I also stumbled upon that deal at Fry's. $70 for a 900 is a steal like you have mentioned earlier. I bet you got your powercolor 5850 from zipzoomfly? As for your main concerns, do you swap or add hard drives in often? I personally don't change hard drives that often so taking apart hard drives or adding it isn't a big problem for me. As for the video card, the 5850 should fit in an Antec 900 but you may have a tough time installing your 5850 because it looks like your (2) 6-pin connector is on the side as oppose to being on top (like nukemaster). Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,
Antec

 

[Guest]

Best answer selected by StridingCloud.