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

[Meteor|WAR]

Awesome, thank you!

Yeah, that PCH site was other one I couldnt remember.

[VooDooRoo]

i never liked the antec 900, it has bad wire management and it is a small case for me

anthonylew95

Who really cares what you think?

It really ain`t worth much...

And the only reason I responded was I`m bored at the moment.


Move on ppl


V D R

[MetalRush]

Hmmm, now I'm curious what, fantastic, awesome, brilliant, case anthonylew95 is using at the moment... your fault VDR

[Hughyhunter]

@ techie... I am largley impressed by your wire management. Did you order another 120mm case fan for front?

@ obitus. I'm impressed with your wire managment too. The modular PSU must make a difference for you guys. I have the PCPC and it's wires are all over the place. I have everything zip tied but it's not nearly as presentable is your guys' cases.

@ pistol pete. Is there a reason why you didn't have your CPU HSF blowing upward toward the largely 200mm fan? After all... Heat does rise. Nice job though... Looks very sharp!

[fart_plume]

You new guys need to read the forum rules, "no personal attacks" consider this a friendly reminder to play nice.

[Obitus]

@ obitus. I'm impressed with your wire managment too. The modular PSU must make a difference for you guys. I have the PCPC and it's wires are all over the place. I have everything zip tied but it's not nearly as presentable is your guys' cases.

Thanks. I specifically went for a modular PSU so that way I wouldn't have all the extra wires to deal with. I maybe could have hid them behind the mobo tray, but it would have been tougher.

[pistol_pete]

@ pistol pete. Is there a reason why you didn't have your CPU HSF blowing upward toward the largely 200mm fan? After all... Heat does rise. Nice job though... Looks very sharp!

Heat does rise, but the air comming out of the heatsink won't be especially hot (maybe 30 degrees hotter than ambient at load?) and the pressure of the fans will overcome that.

The general idea was to have 3 fans in a row for a good pressure rise through the cooler (I run them on low), the hot air from the CPU would go straight out the back, and the 200mm fan would suck out the generally warm air floating about the rest of the case.

Seems to work quite well, although I admit I haven't tried it with the TRUE120 blowing upwards.

[Ch3ck5um]

Well, didn't have time yet to take good pictures...
So hereby 2 quick-'n-dirty shots (low-res)...





As you can see, the cables need to be 'cleaned up'.
Hopefully I can find some time soon...

Looking good MetalRush

I need to dust off my 900 again and see what else needs improving

Ch3ck5um

[Meteor|WAR]

Sounds like some of you guys are more interested in modding your cases than actually using your PCs.

That's cool though. Shows a lot of creativity and constructive thinking. Unfortunately I dont have the time to get that creative.

I'm planning on just mildly modding mine. Just drilling a few holes for better cable management. I picked up a couple of extension cables for the PSU. I've got a newer A900 that comes with some holes already there but I really wish they added a couple more. Notably a circle hole next to the PSU.

[Ch3ck5um]

OK boys and girls! Here is the final final build 3 & 4 mega post! Build 3 is changing to a slot loading DVDRW. Build 4 adds taller blue feet for airflow to the PS, a blue CCFL, lots more blue fans.








Added a blue backlit kyb, now I have to order a matching Belkin N52TE!





I agree with deees.. get a step drill. It is easier than the knockout punch and leaves just as clean a hole. Much better than a std drill for thin sheet metal. Time to tear this down again:




Here is the new slot loading Pioneer DVR-K06RS DVDRW (I cannot recommend this drive due to the flimsy front bezel. I had to RMA the 1st as it wouldn't stay on. I superglued the replacement in place) and the Slimline Optical to Desktop IDE Adapter Conversion Board. I really liked the clean minimalist look of build #1. I had to hold my nose at the thought of putting an IDE cable in this rig. A shot of flat black on the cable end helps hide it.




Need some spare parts for your build? Just get another case Got another on sale for cheap. Cheaper than buying the fans etc. seperate:




Cutting slot and fitting the slim DVDRW. Props to Ch3ck5um for the kickass idea!




Here are some random wiring shots, extending / sleeving the front panel & piezo speaker cables, wiring blue feet / switch etc.








pustbunker here is your diagram edited with the airflow in this build.. I went with #3 and a few more fans lol:




Shots of the interior with the eleven fans etc. The Abit IN9 32X-MAX is backlit with blue leds all over.. looks cool! During the day or with the lights on the blue is not overpowering, but turn the lights out and the music up to get the thumper going and WOW!!




Final final shots:










NineHundred.avi (DIVX)


-Sailrabbit







Build #1
Build #2

Dude, that is kickass!

[Got_Vtec?]

Hey guys i am brand new to these forums its nice to see so many nicely modded 900's i love these cases and really i dont think there is any other case that looks more bad ass...here are some pics of mine nothing major only painted the inside and some cable management thanks to the original poster of this thread...it was inspiration lol.....more to come soon

[=>WiLL<=]

i finished my side window mod

I plan on doing this same window mod soon. I just received a replacement side panel from Antec, that said "left side panel" (I thought that the left panel was the windowed panel, that I want to replace). Well, it was the other blank panel. So I need to RMA it.

I can get plexiglass from Home Depot, I just need to know how you cut and mounted this. I can use a jig-saw after I draw some lines.

Also, I've seen a few window mods and different rubber window trim. Does this trim make it difficult to mount the plexiglass window? Duct-tape?

[sailrabbit]

I have a guide on how to mod a slimline dvd into the bottom here:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sho...php?t=17756187

Thx Ch3ck5um! And thx for the kickass slimline DVD mod idea & guide (post 21 & 22)... made it easy! Makes the cleanest looking front ever! As soon as I saw yours I had to give it a try

[Hughyhunter]

I'm extremely impressed with everyones work on here. Thanks for all the advice and ideas too!

I spent the day modding my case (minor compared to what some have done) and am happy to post my results.

Just a couple of things I would have done different with the modd: 1. I wanted to buy the CPU power extensions but couldnt see spending more for shipping the part than the actual cost of the part. 2. I should have done some very fine sanding of the case then used a primer then paint. I found that even with the slightest abrasion installing parts the paint would come off. 3. I dont think I had the best tool for cutting metal. I used a dremel, but the wrong bit (all I had). If I had more time and a better cutter I would have done better with the holes. 4. Finally I think this would look so much sharper with a modular PSU! Oh well!

Here are the before shots:

[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]

Here are the after shots:

[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

[Meteor|WAR]

I'll share my little mod. No painting or cool lighting like some of the great mods in this thread, just a few holes cut for cabling. But I thought some might be interested in seeing cable management in an Antec 900 with two IDE drives which as you might imagine is tougher because of the bigger cables.

First, a before picture: pretty bad.

After:


The traditional one hole at the top left for the EATX12V cable, and one by the PSU for the rest of the power cables to be routed to the back of the mobo tray. Note: I installed the PSU upside down so as to get the cables closer to the hole.

The back:


Definitely was tough to the get the back panel on but I used the trick someone in this thread mentioned of laying the case down (window panel side) and sliding it on that way and it went on fine. Hopefully everything's ok in there!

The final result:


Some obvious improvements, you can see the EATX12V cable that was floating over the mobo is now nowhere to be seen. And the area near the PSU is much cleaner which will help airflow even more in this already windy case.



All in all I do like the Antec 900, great cooling and I like the look of it but it definitely requires some modding if you're anal about cable mess. I think Antec would have had a more complete case if they made a couple more holes, especially one by the PSU. The two pre-cut holes to the right of the mobo are useless without a hole by the PSU. To anyone still wondering if they should get this case, I'd definitely recommend using all SATA drives for their thinner cables and the drill mods are a necessity. A modular PSU is a plus as well.

[FilluX]

What an Awesome thread!

Here is my first build! Please tell me what u think!













I know it is a bit messy behind the dvd drive, but it and the sunbeam fan/light controller both need power and i was not able to hide the cables.

The green ones can ofcourse be turned off.

[Hughyhunter]

@ Fillux and meteor. Both look really good.

Fillux why not mount TRUE parallel? FAn blowing hot air up... after all heat rises. Like this: [IMG][/IMG]

[FilluX]

Thanx! Good idea, can i just like turn it or do i have to take it off and mount it again?

[Hughyhunter]

Thanx! Good idea, can i just like turn it or do i have to take it off and mount it again?

That's a good question! Let me know what you find out. I probably would at least loosen up all the screws a bit (lay it flat first) and then try to turn it.

[deees]

Thanx! Good idea, can i just like turn it or do i have to take it off and mount it again?

If you're using the scissor bracket, (or the old one for that matter), you have to remove it. You also should clean-off and reapply the TIM. You'll probably need to remove the motherboard in order to realign the back plate. You can do yourself a favor and stick spacers to the underside of the backplate, so in the future you can remove the HSF and the backup will stay in postition.

[FilluX]

I would have to remove it completly if i wanted to turn it, will do it next time o work isinde the case. But thanx for the idea!

[FilluX]

If you're using the scissor bracket, (or the old one for that matter), you have to remove it. You also should clean-off and reapply the TIM. You'll probably need to remove the motherboard in order to realign the back plate. You can do yourself a favor and stick spacers to the underside of the backplate, so in the future you can remove the HSF and the backup will stay in postition.

Which one is the "TIM" ? could you explain that post a little bit :> Thanx

[=>WiLL<=]

@FilluX

He's referring to the thermal compound being re-applied.

[FilluX]

Now i understand! Cheers man

Yeah i still have got some thermal compund left, should be enough.

Will do it next time i have to open the case, because it is not a big problem, because i am getting good temps.

[deees]

You also may want to consider moving the middle fan bay to the top. My best temperatures with the TRUE were with the HSF in the verticle postition with the front/HSF/rear case fans all lined up. I also cut out the rear fan grill and replaced it with a wire one.