Is the Antec Three Hundred Two a pretty good case?

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Dubnoman

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Sep 28, 2012
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I was set on getting an Antec Three Hundred case, but the GPU I want is 11.4 inches long and the case only has about 12.5 inches of space, and it is advised that no GPUs going beyond 12 inches long should be used for the case. 11.4 inches is cutting it pretty close, so I should get a bigger case.

The Antec Three Hundred is a basic case with a low cost and it does the job, and it is highly rated on newegg with about 3,000 reviews. The Antec Three Hundred Two, a newer case from Antec that is very similar to the Three Hundred, seems pretty solid but not as good as the Three Hundred.

Could I do fine with the Antec Three Hundred Two? It has 62 reviews and ratings at newegg, and I checked out the one-star reviews (there are only two), and one person wrote this about their negative experience with the case: "the usb 3.0 plug which was very hard/thick broke my motherboards usb header off". Does anyone know what this person means by this? I'm assuming it is just a fluke thing for him, but what I'd like to know is, do you have to plug the motherboard directly into the cases USB 3.0 connector, and is it problematic to work with? Or can you add and remove most motherboards easily and it should be a snap? Someday, I'd like to get a new motherboard to go with the case I choose (for when I upgrade in a few years), and I want to make sure this case is easy to work with for adding and removing motherboards. I will probably opt for another case if this is a hassle due to poor design choices by Antec.

Is there another type of case or other cases that would be recommended over the Antec Three Hundred Two? I'd like something with a very basic design. I'm not looking for something very flashy. For example, another case I'm considering is the Corsair Carbide 400R ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008 ). Nothing flashy with it. Should I opt for this case instead of the Antec Three Hundred Two? It is probably the better case, but I should point out that it would cost me almost $70 more for the Corsair Carbide 400R.
 
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The review on newegg about the USB 3.0 header is most likely a fluke as most USB 3.0 headers are nearly identical; I have NEVER encountered a problem with them breaking off my Motherboard header. I have, however, encountered cable management problems due to the thick cable. But that's a whole different issue.

What is your budget for your case? If you're on a very tight budget, I would recommend the Three Hundred Two or the Corsair Carbide 300R. The 300R is essentially a cut-down 400R and it can still support massive GPU's if I remember correctly.

However, on a side note, if you aren't on a very strict budget in terms of getting a case (as this is a very worth-while investment as it will last you MANY builds), I would HIGHLY recommend the Corsair Obsidian 550D. It's quite expensive at $140, however, you do get what you pay for in terms of premiums.

 
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What makes the Obsidian 550D so good? Right now I'm more inclined to get a cheaper case. Do you think I'd do pretty well with either a Corsair 300R or 400R? Is the Corsair 300R better than the Antec Three Hundred Two?
 
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If you're in the market for a cheaper case, then throw away the suggestion of the 500R :)

However, I will answer your questions on why it is the ideal case for me.

- Great cable management
- Decent airflow considering it's a 'quiet' oriented case
- Components inside are fairly inaudible while in operation
- Simple design that I absolutely love
- Sheer elegance IMO

Alright, enough about the 550D and what I think makes it great, on to the Three Hundred Two and the 300R! :lol:

I personally prefer the 300R over the 302 due to two MAIN factors -

1) 300R has a black painted interior; this may or may not bother you since both cases do not have any windows anyway, however, this is something I personally prefer for when I 'show off' my rig

2) Better airflow in 300R; The 300R is 'missing' one of the drive cages which allows for two things - better airflow to your GPU and will support massive GPU's without having to worry about clearance.

Those two things alone sell the 300R to me. I personally don't care for many drive cages as I don't personally use more than 3 drives (on my 550D), you'll have 4 drive bays in the 300R.

Phew, this came out to be quite a post :lol: if you have any questions, feel free to ask :)

 
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Interior paint job is a somewhat odd feature to get sold on IMO... but then again, I build PCs to get stuff done, not for showing off.

As for drive cages blocking airflow, I would not worry about that much since most of the front fans' "pulling power" is spent overcoming the filters' and grille's static pressure so there isn't much of a flow to block unless using high-power fans. With a quiet setup, fans on the PSU/GPU/case are required to draw what little air makes it through front filters+fans towards where fresh air is required since the air velocity out of the intake fans is too slow to push the fresh air anywhere. When the air flow is that slow, obstacles have almost no effect since exhausts will draw the intake airflow away from components that aren't directly in the intake-exhaust paths much like obstructions would anyhow.

If you want to get the most 'work' out of your airflow, you actually have to engineer obstructions into your design to redirect airflow where it is needed instead of letting it go wherever it wants in which case air will simply pick the paths of least resistance. This is part of why you see many esoteric high-end cases with layouts/structures that look like abstract art or at least seem unnecessary like partitions within the case.
 
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^ Very informative about airflow, +1

Though speaking of interior paint jobs, I'm very picky and OCD when it comes to cases and I'll refuse a case if the interior doesn't match the overall appearance :lol: However, I will say that the 300 or 302 are probably the two cases I'll paint myself (or rather, overlook) since they're so robustly built.
 
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I do appreciate the recommendation for the 550D, but I tend to be scared away from real pricey cases. However, I am reading that getting a good quality case is pretty darn important. I plan to buy a custom made system from AVADirect. I've been doing homework on many components I'm looking at. It has made me look into other components from the ones I was initially looking at (for different things; from card reader/writers, to blu-ray drives, power supplies, RAM sticks, and so forth).

For the 550D, I assume that faceplate just moves either to the left or right when you want to access a disc drive? This case will make my system pretty quiet, it keeps a system cool well, and...is it pretty good with good airflow while being good about letting only a bit of dust in? I'm sure some poor cases must make dust accumulate inside of them fast compared to a very good case. The 550D will also allow for big cards and as you said it will allow for good cable management?

You've got me interested in this case. Would I do well with a Corsair Carbide Series 400R, or would it be a better idea to invest in a 550D? I suppose I could invest into a pricier case if this one is really advised. But I'm not counting out the 400R yet and I'm still weighing the options. Is the 400R a worthy case to weigh against the 550D?
 
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Yes, the face plate can swing either to the left or right when you need to access the drives :) It can be a pain at times, though, I don't use DVD drives anymore so it's not much of a hassle for me.

Speaking of dust, here's a few pictures for you :

DSCF0731.jpg

DSCF0723.jpg


I haven't cleaned the inside of my case ONCE in three months. It's still very clean (my room is fairy dusty as well). The air filters at the front really do make a difference :)

Anyway, 400R vs 550D

Between the two cases, it really depends on what you want. I wouldn't really compare the 400R to the 550D as they're quite different on the inside (500R is a worthy adversary to the 550D considering they're based around the same design).

However, I will say that the 400R would most likely be a better airflow oriented case due to all the mesh it has. The 550D has plenty of airflow options, however, those 'options' require you to remove plastic panels that destroys the elegance of the case. Cable management in both cases would be nearly identical IMO :)

500R vs 550D on the other hand, is a much tougher choice. Between these two cases, it depends on what you want. If you're looking for the highest performance possible and looking to install as many fans as you can, the 500R is the obvious choice. It has the same interior as the 550D (just more room in the back for cables) and has mesh all over to provide superior airflow (at stock configuration).

The 550D will provide (almost) the same cable management (you lose around 1.5CM around back) and provide (almost) the same amount of airflow at stock. You do, however, gain the simplicity and sheer silence.

**EDIT**

I should mention the other options if you're looking for some 'simple and silent' cases :)

Fractal Design R4, Cooler Master Silencio 550, Antec P280.

They all feature simple clean designs with the main goal of keeping your rig as quiet as possible. Personally, I find them to look a quite cheap. Perhaps I'm a bit biased being the Corsair fanboy I am :lol: but those cases just can't beat the 550D in terms of looks. Maybe the brushed aluminum on the 550D just sells it for me, or again, maybe I'm being a fanboy :lol: you be the judge!
 
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Hello Dubsterman,

The Three Hundred Two is a great bang for the buck case at around $50 🙂 Yes there are better cases, just like if you spend $30 more than the mentioned cases here in this message thread that more expensive case is even going to be better. A $200 graphics card is going to be better than a $170 graphics card.

Good luck with your system build!

Antec Support Team
 
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If you're looking for something between the $50 302 and the $100+ cases, check out the Fractal Design Arc Midi, currently on sale for $69.99 at newegg after promo code
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352007&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
 
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Well, mocchan, I might get a 550D. Reviews for it are good for almost all the reivews I've seen for it on newegg. It seems like it is a very good case in many regards.

I plan to have two disc drives on my computer and sometimes I'll make use for them. I plan to watch DVDs and Blu-rays on the PC sometimes. If I ever get sick of the front plate, is there a way to detach it (a design feature to detach it, leaving you with the option to reattach it)? That wouldn't affect the soundproofing much, would it? The front plate doesn't do much for noise reduction, right?

Also, I'm curious to know, about PCs with plates that go over tray loading disc drives, if I accidentally activate the "eject disc" command in Windows (let's say that happens) and the front plate is covering the front of the disc drives, could it screw up a disc drive? Or would it be fine? Would the disc drive just start to open, meet resistance, and then retract back to being closed?

Another question. I see a headphone jack up above where the top disc drive would be, and I see two USB 3.0 ports up there. Would the wires from the headphone jack and USB ports ever become a bother; sometimes interfering with the opening of the disc drive? Would you have to always unplug things from up there before dealing with the disc drives, or is that not necessary and do all these things work out better than I think they would?
 
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New Antec rep? 😀

<3 Antec.
 
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