A Positive Look at the Antec Nine Hundred (900) Case

[DaIceMan]

Wow... you guys make me realize that my Nine Hundred looks like crap. I guess when I tear down for powdercoating, I have a bit of cutting to do as well.

[Guyman]

bjp999 and other experienced modders, I'm about to mod my 900 and have never done done anything like this. Can i cut holes like the first post using only a dremel? are there any threads to help with techniques on planning and cutting? Thanks, can't wait to set up my new rig.

[SkyPorsche]

Hi guys,

This is my first post here on the XtremeSystems forum, and I am highly impressed with what you guys have done with this Nine Hundred case. I just received my 900 late last week and I'm preparing to start modding it for hidden wires, and possibly sound reducing material (DOES THIS STUFF REALLY WORK?) This will be my first attempt at cutting into a case. I have a dremel with a metal cutting bit and the router attachment. I also purchased a 1-1/2" metal circle cutter. Will this case tear up that bit quickly? Those bits are not cheap!!! I'm hoping it lasts.

I was also thinking about powder coating the inside of the case in black. Is there a tutorial of how to do this somewhere? If no one know I'll just have to find some time to do a search for this.

I'll post pics here as I go along, but that may not happen until the weekend. Maybe I can get my 3 year old girl to help me during the week HE HE!!

As I go along I want to create a tutorial for another website forum I frequently visit for AUTO SIM RACING. I'd like to ask for permission from everyone that has put forth an effort here to mod this case, just in case I use an idea someone has come up with. I will reference you guys and this forum in my tutorial and will also share it with you everyone here.

Thanks again for all the info everyone here has given. This post has opened my eyes to case modding and you may see some more modding from me in the future.

[TR1GG3R]

quick question on the front audio ports why does it not mute the rear ports/speakers when u plug headphone in the front ? (usin this case with asus p5wdh deluxe m/b and latest drivers) where as my old nzxt apollo case did mute rear port/speakers has it something to do with not being h/d front panel ? where the nzxt was hd front audio ? and if it cant mute the rear port/speakers how do i do it manually? thanks

[Captn]

Im glad i found this site on google, i just got a bunch of ideas for my Antec 900 Case. Awsome pictures keep em coming & thank you.

[bjp999]

bjp999 and other experienced modders, I'm about to mod my 900 and have never done done anything like this. Can i cut holes like the first post using only a dremel? are there any threads to help with techniques on planning and cutting? Thanks, can't wait to set up my new rig.

Sorry been away for a bit.

Cutting with a dremel and a cutting wheel is not too hard. You might try experiementing on an old case to get the feel of it. Remember it is only the inside of your case, so it doesn't have to be perfect. The holes you cut are obscured by the MB and components.

NEVER dremel without safety goggles!!!

I considered painting the inside black, but opted against. No advice on powder coating and such.

My 900 is still running strong! Very happy with this case.

[Sir Smokealot]

it's a deal, it's a steal, it's sale of the f**king century. lol

900 WOOT WOOT !

[timber715]

thanks for the tips... based most of my mods on this article...
heres my antec 900 modded...
powder coated without mod:


parts disassembled again, holed and powder caoted the mounting plate again.



the reversed hdd's with a slight hole mod to accept sata cable that isn't 45degrees.


did some wiring extensions to accomodate for the need of a longer 12v rails. and the front audio support. all laid at the back side of the case. i have rounded cables but decided to use the flat one as it gave a cleaner finish.


finally the final look of the interior...


front look:


hope you liked it. the holes were cut using dremel and a jigsaw, which i found easier and straight to use. filed and after the powder coat, the corners of the cuts were very much rounded thus removing the need for additional insulations.

looking to mod my case some more, probably the front area.
this certainly is not an easy mod, but heck, half the look is the work placed on it. it gives a certain sense of accomplishment... makes you feel good!

[Captn]

Very nice job!

[afireinside]

Did you make your own SATA power plugs? I want mine to be clean like that

[timber715]

no, i followed instructions to the letter using connectors for the enermax liberty, it was easy to configure that way. made new mount holes so that the hdd can move backward so that the sata cables won't hit the fan.



also removed the side window mesh and replaced it with plexiglass, since the 120mm fan on the side door will hit the tuniq should i mount it.


(picture taken before the final wirings were made)

[SkyPorsche]

parts disassembled again, holed and powder caoted the mounting plate again.

I've never powder coated before and would like to try doing so. Can you give me any suggestions on how to get started, and how to properly disassemble this case? Such as, did you run into any problems taking it apart? I am also going to do the hidden wires with the cut outs on the mobo tray to hide the wires behind the tray. How did you remove the mobo tray? Was it easy?

Thanks in advance!!

I just want to say that this case has made a dramatic improvement on my hardware temps. I have an XFX 7950GT XXX passive cooled video card that was running at high temp of 55 degrees celsius, and now it is all the way down to 43 degrees celsius. My hard drives are also about 8 degrees celsius cooler. I am also impressed with the sound. My old Antec SX1040B was not so quiet with only (2) 80mm fans. Now I have (3) 120mm and (1) 200mm in this 900 and it is more quiet and much cooler. It is a little crampped for space inside, but the trade-off is the nice cool system. The wires can be cleaned up at a later date.

BTW, I also like the plexi you put in place of the mesh on the side panel. NICE TOUCH!!! I may try this also. What thickness did you use, and how did you mount it?

[timber715]

case disassembly isn't difficult. just remove ALL the rivets you find by drilling thier head out. the only bit complicated is the front bottom portion. make sure you remember how you disassemble it.
before powder coating make sure the parts are clean of ALL paint. the holes will become smaller after coating, you just have to cover the ones you dont want painted(i suggest you use bolts to cover them so that the threads will not be damaged. though i did not cover mine, works in any way). the holes for the rivets need not be covered though.
as for the side panel, the plexi is 1/8inch thick. same as the one installed. fairly easy to make. i just used some left over plexi and made the ears for mounting and glued them together.

i did not have the side panels coated, wish i did (just don't have any time at the moment)... good luck on your mod and post some pics here.

btw, what color are you planning on using for your tray? used blue bec. of the mobo. red seems nice too. and yes the case is fantastic when it comes to dropping temps.

reminder: before you mod the case make sure the 12v rails will reach its destination first, else another mod.

[SkyPorsche]

Seems like it would be more difficult to reassemble after you have removed all the rivets. Did you replace the rivets with new ones? If so, how did you do so?

[VooDooRoo]

Hi guys and/or girls....


My 1st post and like what you have done with the 900...
I`m considering buying one BUT I`m not a fan of the "blue led lights".

Now a question if I may?

Can they be turned off/plug pulled out

Can they be covered with something? (thinking my kids playdough ) would do the job nicely but wondering if they get hot?

Can they be snapped off?

Basically I don`t want them to light up,How can I stop the buggers doing that?

Cheers

V D R

[Istasi]

Could just buy some new fans.

[Repton]

I was getting annoyed with my 900 what with the mess of cables, so I was glad I found this forum. I did some modding myself and got the cables nice and tidy. Added some wheels for the hell of it and transformed my case Nice drop in system temperature too as a result.

[Xope_Poquar]

Nice! Could we see some close-ups of the inside?

[VooDooRoo]

my one just a quick pic of the 900 with water cooling the CPU

V D R

[Repton]

Nice! Could we see some close-ups of the inside?

Sure, I'll take some tonight when I get in.

[Repton]

Sure, I'll take some tonight when I get in.

Here's the inside



I was a bit lazy with hole cutting but my cables were either too short or too long so this had to do, still much tidier than it was before.

Thanks to OP for the ideas

[VooDooRoo]

Repton...

I like the idea of the black plastic covering the cables (just over ur ram)..

is it the flexible type or stiff type of plastic?

might tidy up my box with that type of plastic

Thanks for sharing your "insides with us"

V D R

[Repton]

It's springy cable from an in car phone charger, I just cut it off

[deees]

Repton...

I like the idea of the black plastic covering the cables (just over ur ram)..

is it the flexible type or stiff type of plastic?

might tidy up my box with that type of plastic

Thanks for sharing your "insides with us"

V D R

I used a similar item, (back on post #50 of this thread), that you can pick it up at Radio Shack or Home Depot in 1/2" and 3/4 diameter.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family

[TEDY]

bjp which revision do you have?