Antec 300

nheather

nheather

nheather

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Joined
19 May 2004
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1,053
Location
Horsham, West Sussex
Need a second case. My current PC uses a Coolermaster 330 like this

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-155-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=29

and I am perfectly happy with it.

I'm upgrading a second PC and was thinking of either another Coolermaster 330 or the Antec 300.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-101-AN&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=160

Is it worth paying extra for the Antec?

I know the Coolermaster is 'out of stock' but I can get it elsewhere cheaper. I would need to add another fan to the Coolermaster to make them more 'equal' which would make the prices

£27 vs £42

So is the Antec worth the extra £15.

Also the Antec has some optional fan slots - 2 in the front and 1 on the side.

I know these are optional, but realistically are any of these essential - if so, which ones.

Target hardware would be

Athlon X4 955 BE
HD4890 graphics

Appreciate your thoughts and advice.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
If you got the antec and put two fans in the front it would have MUCH better cooling than the coolermaster, depends how cool you want your system to run, obviously if youre going to be clocking as well, bearing in mind the 4890 is quite a hot card, I'd personally spend the extra, but its your money/your call
 
I saw a thermals graph on a review site smowhere, they had utilised all the fan holes with their staple test fans, it showed that for the price range within £15 or so, the 300 has the best airflow of any major case brand.
The build is of a marginally lesser quality than the CM, or so I'm told.
But if its airflow you want, you will do no better than an A300 in a sub-£50 budget.
I'm seriously considering one myself.
That or a Xigmetek Midgard, they to have seen good reviews and come ready to house up to 8 fans if you use the one on the side panel, but cost slightly more than I'm guessing youre willing to spend.

But who needs 8 fans right?
Thats an argument Im slowly winning against myself :D
 
side fans are almost counter productive tbh, they interfere with the airflow of the rest of the case, youre better just having good airflow front to back, bottom to top
 
95thrifles said:
side fans are almost counter productive tbh, they interfere with the airflow of the rest of the case, youre better just having good airflow front to back, bottom to top
Click to expand...

True, Only use the 2X Intake and the 2X Exhaust.

Cooling in the 300 is exceptional.
 
the 300 is very good with a couple of hole cut into the mobo tray.

cooling is very good anyway.
 
nheather said:
Why the holes?

Cheers,

Nigel
Click to expand...

-CPU cooler clip access
-wire management behind the tray (big hole from PSU to behind mobo tray, and then various smaller holes around the board for all your plug-ins...
Instant improvement in airflow ;) )

Recomended for ANY case without mess-management.
 
Thanks, I think.

Still not visuallising what's needed and why. I was leaning towards the Antec but the thought of having to attack it with a hacksaw is putting me off.

Any guides or descriptions of what (and why) is needed.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
The Antecs are brilliant cases and the 300 is excellent value for money, cutting holes in the motherboard tray isnt necessary for cable management if your not planning on looking inside your case a lot, sure it would be neater if you did but I doubt it would affect it that much!
 
Okay, no intention on pimping my PC - LEDs, neon, windows etc.

But I do have a Corsair non-modular which has quite a lot of wiring and very long too. I don't use much of it because I just have a single hard disk and a single DVD.

So is this 'holes' business about tucking teh PSU wiring out the way- if so where does it go.

Also why do you need to get to the back of the CPU - the heatsink clip is on top of the motherboard on mine.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
having gone from the Coolermaster 330 to the Antec 300 in the past, i can say it is definitely worth it. The antec is a lot stronger, and well put together, also it has far better cooling performance than most.
 
Okay, these holes in the MoBo tray. Think I'm beginning to understand.

Am I on the right track here?

The idea is to put a big hole near the PSU and route most of the PSU cables behind the Mobo tray.

Ones that you don't need stay behind. And ones that you need to connect to the MoBo (and possibly other areas) you make smaller holes near where they are needed to bring individual cables up.

Is that right?

Is so, two more questions.

Q1 - Why do you need a hole behind the CPU. I don't understand about the HSF clip - all the ones I have seen clip on top of the MoBo, you don't have to do anything from behind the PCB?

Q2 - For mere mortals like me who don't have access to a small engineering works, how do you go about cutting fairing big holes in mild steel tray, easily and neatly?

Cheers,

Nigel
 
Yes thats the right idea
A lot of newer HSF do require a backplate, due to the large size of them, they need it for support, however how often are you going to be changing your HSF?
A dremel is the preferred option
 
I have a dremel but am struggling to imagine how you would cut neat circles with it. I can see how the cut-off wheels would be good for straight lines and how the sanding drums would be good for removing burrs but I can't think how you would cut a circle.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
nheather said:
I have a dremel but am struggling to imagine how you would cut neat circles with it. I can see how the cut-off wheels would be good for straight lines and how the sanding drums would be good for removing burrs but I can't think how you would cut a circle.

Cheers,

Nigel
Click to expand...

Hole saw in a hand drill my good man.
2 holes side by side, joined with straight lines from the dremel ;)
If you cut a fan size hole in the case base and put a filter on there, you can draw in cooler air to your PSU whilst moving your cables closer to your PSU's tuck hole.
Id recomend hiding your cables behind the mobo tray even if you never put a window on and your airflow will be unobstructed.

Theres plenty of guides online.
Try 'The Mod Bros'- google it.
Good luck
 
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