Antec Cube EKWB Edition

[testman78]

Introduction

Antec has cooperated with EK Water Blocks (EKWB) to create a new Mini ITX case which offers PC enthusiasts the best watercooling options in a small format case. If it looks familiar to anyone here, it's because we technically reviewed it very recently, albeit in the Razer Edition format, which was pretty similar with the exception of green LED lighting, a Razer front panel and the green USB ports. Of course, the EKWB edition comes with some unique twists of its own too. LED lighting is on point too, with seven colours that can be changed using controls on the top of the case.



Specifications.




Packaging & Contents

The Antec Cube arrives in a cardboard box that lets you see the shape of the case, as it is already quite cubic. On the front of the box, along with the brand and model, Antec has placed a large image of the case.



The left side visually illustrates the design.



The other side is concerned with the listing of the specifications.



In the delivery we find two 4-pin extension cables, in addition to standard accessories such as screws, cable ties and a quick start guide.





A Closer Look-Outside

The Antec Cube EKWB Edition has dimensions of 250 x 365 x 460 mm (W x H x D), but is compatible only with Mini-ITX motherboards. The coarse framework attracts attention with striking, angular and generously designed contours.



The sloping exterior design is unique in the market and looks great. The housing is constructed in a hybrid structure made of 3mm aluminum and 0.8mm cold rolled steel.The side and top panels have super-elegant darkened acrylic windows. The side panels are wider towards the middle, but when viewed, they indicate an edgy futuristic appearance, which underpins the "chunky" appearance aligned with the front.



The power button is found on the lid. There is a button to choose the color of the LED lighting and another to control the fans.



The I / O panel has been installed and moved forward, spaced from the air intake slots. The panel has a microphone port on the left side, two USB3.0 ports in the middle and a headphone port on the right.



The rest of the front is dedicated to air intake.



Moving on to the back of the case, the Cube features a 120mm LED exhaust fan, as well as the standard motherboard cutout,a button to turn on or off the lighting and a mounting bracket for ATX form factor power supplies.



More notably, the Cube features an upside down motherboard orientation.



We find three expansion bays with perforated cover lippers to maximize air circulation.



In the lower part we observe an air inlet area, two legs of plastic material that prevents damage to the place where we deposit the box and absorb unwanted vibrations, and two strips of lighting that when turned on give a spectacular look to the set.




A Closer Look-Inside

The "Click system", which allows to remove the side parts without screws, was positively noticed.



In the image below we show you in detail one of the side panels.



Both panels have tinted acrylic windows that provide a glimpse of the case's contents, and both pop on and off easily without the need to mess around with thumbscrews.



Worth mentioning is the cube of the mounting space of the motherboard, which is installed inverted.



In the background we find the only fan that supports this box, which comes pre-installed and is 120 mm.



The cube has been given a power supply cover, which makes it possible to hide cables and thus contributes to the tidy interior. The power supply unit is mounted on four rubber bumpers, which at the same time provide decoupling.



On the front we can install a 180 mm, 140 mm or two 120 mm fan. If we decide to put an liquid cooling, we can install a radiator up to 240 mm.



The front panel of the case is also removable, which allows for access to the Cube's front dust filter as well as its front fan mounts.To keep the interior as dust-free as possible, Antec equips the cube with two dust filters in the front and on the underside of the housing (power supply position). The dust filter is huge and is attached to the housing through magnets, which greatly facilitates its removal for cleaning after a while.



The PSU dust filter is easily removable by the base.



A look at the back.



A controller for 6 fans is also included in the back of the tray.



The trays that will support the 3.5 "and 2.5" storage units are located on the back of the motherboard tray.



We can install four units of 2.5 "or two of 2.5" and one of 3.5 ".




Complete System

This mini-ITX box has a surprising space, which is appreciated at the time of assembly and is vital with the latest generation components that require a lot of air to breathe. In any case, remember that in this type of boxes it is very important to make a clean and orderly assembly to optimize air circulation. Antec and EKWB have thought about that.



The ANTEC EKWB Edition is spectacularly well finished, with no sharp edges in any area. All edges are rounded preventing injury during assembly. It is a premium product wherever you look.Everything is very accessible so the assembly progresses very quickly.



Despite its Mini-ITX motherboard tray and diminutive overall size, the Antec Cube accepts graphics cards up to 13.78 inches in length and supports radiators up to 240mm long up front and 140mm inside the aft panel.



The power supply bay is large enough for just about any ATX power supply, too, so aside from your motherboard, you can install full-sized components throughout.



Finally, we refer you to the excellent lighting that this case assembles. Not only the quality of the materials used is top, but the welding and finishing work is unbeatable.




Test System & Methology


Processor: Intel i7 4770K @ 4.2GHz (1.1v)
CPU Cooling: Thermaltake NiC C4
Motherboard: Asus Z87I-Deluxe
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Series 16GB 2400MHz
Video Card: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 770 Reference Model
PSU: Thermaltake Smart 750W
Hard Drive: OCZ Vector 120GB SSD
Optical Drive: DVD-ROM
OS: Windows 7 Pro 64-bit SP2



Software:

CPUID HW Monitor 1.23
CPUID CPU-Z 1.65
Prime95 v27.1
Furmark 1.11.0

I am testing the Antec Cube Razer Edition performance as follows:

Room temperature is kept at 22C throughout my tests.
The CPU Fan is set to 100% to eliminate inconsistencies as a result of PWM control.
Idle temperatures are obtained after booting the PC and idling on the desktop for 30 minutes.
CPU load temperatures are obtained after running Prime95′s Small FTTs test for 15 minutes.
GPU load temperatures are obtained after running Furmark's Burn-In Test for 15 minutes.


Temperature

Although it has only one fan, we must confess that the temperatures inside it remained at very acceptable levels.




Noise Level

We could hear the rear fan working inside the Antec Cube Antec Cube EKWB Edition however the sound was not intrusive. That is quite impressive when you consider there is no noise deadening material.




Conclusion

The Antec Cube Designed by EKWB is aimed at enthusiasts, gamers, modding enthusiasts, and those who like to show off their hardware in luxurious accommodations. It is a very elegant box designed to offer everything that the most demanding gamer can expect from a mini ITX box. The interior design is clever and offers plenty of space for CPU coolers and graphics cards, making it clearer the aspiration to create a cube for enthusiasts. Just as convincing is the cable management with the more than adequately sized space behind the mainboard.



It has everything: reliability, storage capacity, quality of materials, quality of construction, wide possibilities of liquid or air cooling, spectacular design and impressive lighting. Also it consists of a 3.5 "HDD disk bay, up to four 2.5 "SDD bays, three expansion slots, CPU cooler up to 190 cm high, liquid cooling radiator support 240 and 120 mm and space for 330 mm long graphic cards. Side and top panels with windows darkened acrylic, hybrid structure made of 3 mm aluminum and 0.8 mm cold rolled steel. It's the total ITX mini case. Unfortunately the sting in the tail is the price which is truly epic at a little under €185 . We never thought Antec Cube EKWB would be cheap but the price is eye-watering and certainly does not help its cause.