The following product was supplied by the lovely people at Antec! - Thanx!
Onwards with the review! - The case is the Antec SX1030B SOHO File Server case. Antec are well known for their cases, but are also a general hardware manufacturer.
Isn't it a beauty ? :)
This case is so packed with features, its hard to imagine! From the outside the case looks unsuspecting, and normal. Its when we take a look inside that we find it to be one kickass case!
Starting with the outside of the case, lets take a look at the dimensions:
- 522mm(H)
- 205mm(W)
- 473mm(D)
The first thing I noticed when I opened the box up, was how wide the case is. This is due to it being a server case, but there is certainly a lot of space within due to the extra width. The SX1030B is also very tall for its class. Its almost as tall as my Full Tower case. All this extra size is great for when you are fiddling around inside.
Onwards to the front - The first thing you notice while looking at the case, is the huge front "grill", this is there to improve the airflow of the system. This does nothing to prevent noise, but it does add a good looking case! Also at the front, is the lockable door to hide the external drive bays. This is a minor security feature as if you have removable drive bay caddies, you will want to protect them from theft, this does just that.
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| The front grill, so big, you can see right through it! |
A neat security feature for your case |
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| Close up of the door lock |
Back of the front bezel
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Moving around to the side panels - They are both screwed on via the back, but the main access panel (the one with access to the inside) has a lock attached. The lockable door is a great little
security feature for if the case is being used as a server or even for general use if you're paranoid, just don't loose the keys!
The lockable main access side panel
Round the back there are 7 expansion slots. One of the slots comes with a blanking plate messing as you can see below. I'm not sure why this is, but there's no reason for it to be missing. (Ed: I think its cos they assume everyone is going to have at least a graphics card in it) You get the usual ATX I/O panel, this can be replaced if your motherboard requires a different I/O panel, but ATX is the standard, so most of us should be fine! At the back there are also 2 80mm fans. There is a large amount of the actual metal cut out, this is to improve the airflow of the fans. Then the last thing you see, is the Power Supply, which is a 300 watt Antec power supply, good quality!
The back of the case
Close up of the fan grills
The last bit of the outside of the case, is the bottom. You get some nice pre-attached feet :D - They are screwed in from the bottom, and can turn 90 degrees to the left (for the ones on the left) and 90 degrees to the right (for the ones on the right). This is a cool little touch, as it makes the case stand proud!!
Some cool feet!
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