Antec gave a nice introduction of their new products at their hotel suite. At the top of the pecking list, we have the new Twelve Hundred case that comes with a slew of new features. Cooling was a primary consideration in the design of this case, and it includes a top-mounted 200mm fan, two 120mm fans in the back, and up to four HDD cages each with a 120mm fan. The side panel has additional space for one more 120mm fan that will blow directly on the graphics card(s) if installed. There are a total of twelve 5.25" drive bays in which the user can potentially mount lots of hard disks and/or optical drives. The front bezel features small punched holes that allow for direct cooling of the drive bays. Behind the opening are filters that help to keep dust outside of the case. The filters are easy accessible for cleaning purposes. As an added bonus, Antec painted the inside of the case in black, giving the case a very cool "stealth" vibe.
Three Hundred
The Three Hundred looks similar to the Twelve Hundred but it's targeted at a different market - users looking for a case that's not as large and not as expensive as the Twelve Hundred. It comes with a plain steel case and a simple front bezel that is also covered with punched holes for better cooling. It also features washable filters like the Twelve Hundred but they are not quite as easy to access.
Mini P180
In addition to the large high-end cases of the Performance One series, Antec released this smaller version for MicroATX mainboards. It comes in a sleek black color or a stylish white paint-job. The inside is also painted black like the Twelve Hundred. Antec includes two HDD cages which need to be sacrificed if the user wants to install a 120mm fan instead. This case might be a nice alternative for users who want a smaller system with low noise levels.
Signature Power Supply Series and TruePower Quattro 1200W
The Signature series comes with many features such as a PWM controlled fan, a "PCB sandwich" (where the two PCBs face each other and all the components are in the middle), Japanese capacitors, and DC to DC converter for the lower voltage rails. The appearance is more like an industrial purpose power supply, but at the same time it's made for the enthusiast that needs maximum performance. All the cables for running the system are connected to the power supply including all peripheral connectors. Antec added four jacks to add additional PEG connectors if needed. The 850W model shown has four 12V rails with either 22 or 25A rated at 40°C.
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wirelessfender - Friday, January 11, 2008 - link
You clearly have no clue how airflow works. To say that an exhaust fan does harm to cooling is a pretty ignorant statement. Also, as to fan noise a 200mm fan is almost completely silent. Again, you have no Idea what you are talking about.I own an Antec 900 so I would know. The top fan is completely silent and when stress testing with prime 95 I noticed a 1c increase in temps when turning it off. Yes, a small difference, but decrease in temperature is far from harmful...
krwilsonn - Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - link
I think what the OP was getting at is that the top fan is outside of the ATX spec in terms of airflow pattern. I can't quickly find a link to back this up, but if memory serves me correctly the spec calls for cool air drawn in to the front and out of the back of the case near the cpu fan. Having a fan on the top would be drawing the cool air away from the CPU area before it gets a chance to cool the CPU and other hot components near it. I'm sure that this is debatable but what is certain is that a top fan was not included in the original spec.Also being rude in stating your opinions is not particularly helpful to anyone.
Iketh - Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - link
my cpu cooler (ocz vendetta) blows toward the top of the case, so it makes more sense for those situations... u can also set both exhaust at lowest fan speeds and still get decent ventilation with no noisechizow - Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - link
Looks like they addressed a lot of people's comments about the 900 with the 1200. Much roomier, lots more expansion, fan filters, black painted inside, more expansion bays.I would've like to have seen a 2nd 120mm fan on the windowed side panel instead of an extra one on the back. The side panel isn't pictured but the blog said only 1x120mm there same as the 900. Also, some conduits or tubing would've been nice to hide all those ugly fan wires. I didn't see any mention of built-in wire routing behind the motherboard tray, maybe Kristoph can comment if he saw what was behind the other side panel? Front panel still looks to be a bit lacking as well.
Not enough improvement for my needs to move up from my 900 and frankly I think the 900 looks much nicer. The larger honey-comb grates and dark grey don't look nearly as good as the black of the 900. The 1200 also loses the sharp, edgy lines on the top and face compared to the 900.
Also got a kick out of the 300....I'm sure lots of people will buy it just for the name so they can scream "This is Sparta!" while gaming. :)
strikeback03 - Friday, January 11, 2008 - link
I'm amazed they didn't have a custom "300" painted 300 case there. Obvious missed marketing opportunity.Maybe it's just the photos, but the plastic of the 1200 looks cheap, like something decorating a generic Dell case or something.
Christoph Katzer - Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - link
Yeah behind the minboard tray you have quite some nice space for cables. They didn't do anything worse, only better...