| Antec Twelve Hundred Gaming Case |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases | |
| Written by Tim White - Edited by Olin Coles | |
| Wednesday, 01 October 2008 | |
Antec Twelve HundredAntec has had great success in the computer enclosure market with several great designs ranging from mild to wild. Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere you should be familiar with one of their latter, the Antec 900, labeled as the Ultimate Gaming Case. In this article Benchmark Reviews will examine the anticipated successor; the Antec Twelve Hundred... The Unbeatable Gaming Case. With six bright LED fans and enough size to park a small hybrid car inside, could the Antec 1200 be unbeatable? When I began to write this review of the Antec Twelve Hundred I couldn't help but think back to when I first started down the path of performance computing. Very few names came to mind automatically; Antec is one of those very few. Antec seemed to be the name to buy if you wanted a solid, powerful power supply unit; and the same could be said about their computer cases. Back in those days all I could really do was dream of being able to afford such items and they were viewed as a luxury. Now, as an adult the luxuries of the past have come full circle. I cannot afford to go with anything less than high quality computing products and now consider them a necessity.
We invest a lot into our computer systems, both time and money. Our hardware works very hard for us, yet a lot of times people over-look the importance of a well-designed and well-built computer case. I've seen many people skimp on the case and pay dearly with high system temperatures, cuts and scrapes from the build and overall bad experiences building computers due mainly to the enclosure they chose. The Antec Twelve Hundred aims to cure all these ailments. With today's video cards and high power CPUs, the name of the game is cooling. The Twelve Hundred appears to be a computer cooling dream. The Antec Twelve Hundred is hailed by Antec to be the "Unbeatable Gaming Case". Let's see how well the Twelve Hundred lives up to these very big claims. Features and Specifications
12 Drive Bays
Perforated front bezel for maximum air intake
Washable air filters reduce dust build up in your system
Advanced Cooling System:
Water cooling platform for reservoir or pump
7 expansion slots
Top mounted I/O ports for easy access
HD Audio In and Out
Convenient top accessory tray for a personal media player
Motherboard: Mini ITX, Micro ATX, or Standard ATX
No Power Supply included
Dimensions:
Weight:
About the company: Antec, Inc.
Antec, Inc., is the leading global brand of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in these industries and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of efficient, quiet, and reliable products. Antec has also achieved great success in the distribution channel, meeting the demands of quality-conscious system builders, VARs and integrators.
Antec's offering of enclosures includes a large range of cases, such as its technically advanced Performance One Series, cost-effective New Solution Series and server grade cases designed for the needs of all workstation and server markets. Antec's products also include front line power supplies such as its TruePower Trio series, Quattro series, and EarthWatts, the most environmentally friendly power supplies available. PC gamers are an increasingly significant consumer of performance components, and many Antec products are geared toward the gaming demographic, like the Nine Hundred, the premier gamer enclosure. Antec also offers a computing accessories line comprised of many original products, including its patented LED Fans and Notebook Cooling solutions. Closer Look: ExteriorThe 1200 arrived to me with a smart remark from the delivery man; "Your refrigerator has arrived!" Once I saw the package I knew why he said that. This box was massive. The retail box was packaged in an even bigger shipping box! The UPS label said it weighed 42+ pounds! I was a bit surprised by the size of this box. I expected it would be bigger than a typical mid-sized case but wow.
Once I got over my initial shock I opened the shipping case and found a very well done retail package. The box has high quality full color print and pictures. Also clearly stated on the box (in several languages) are the enclosure features listed above. Ok I marveled at the retail packaging long enough and had to open it. Upon opening I first noticed the huge 200mm fan behind a steel honeycomb mesh! I couldn't help but imagine I was somehow shipped some part from a stealth bomber by mistake. Wanting to take my time and try to notice the details I couldn't help but notice the case was packed in closed cell polyethylene foam. This to me seemed like a step above and beyond the normal Styrofoam packaging found in most other cases.
This choice of packaging materials to me says a lot. I'm sure they could have gone the typical Styrofoam route without raising a single eyebrow, but they went the high road anyway, nice work. Removing the case from the box reveals plastic and steel construction. The top and front are molded plastic with the rest of the case a heavy gauge steel. The finish is all done matte black with the plastic parts being very smooth and the exterior steel parts having a more textured feel. On the left side is a steel door with a two piece acrylic window. There is also a mount for a 120mm fan behind more of the steel honeycomb mesh. This thing is huge!
The acrylic window comes protected by a plastic sheet. This sheet is more of a static cling on type rather than an adhesive so it leaves absolutely no residue when it is removed. This sheet does its job well as the acrylic window was flawless when I removed the protective plastic. Coming around the top you can see a good shot of the massive 200mm top exhaust fan. Again, this is protected by the steel honeycomb mesh that you find throughout the 1200's design. Moving towards the front you can see the top tray. This will hold your mp3 player, CD/DVDs, keys, USB flash drives, and basically anything else your typical gamer has laying around.
The top tray is a great design; it's actually sunk down into the top of the case. This will ensure that whatever you place on top of your case stays there. You can also see the top input panel. We'll get into that in the detail section. Moving along to the right side of the 1200 you'll find a solid steel door, no vents, no handles, nothing much of interest. Now I've said this before but I feel I have to say it again. Exterior ContinuedThe addition of a vent under the CPU or under the motherboard in general would allow the installation of a fan and would go a long way to lower your CPU, northbridge/southbridge chipsets and overall internal temperatures.
The bottom of the 1200 follows the rest of the design with its matte black finish. You can see the "Antec DESIGN" stamped into the case. This is readable from the inside just in front of the PSU. Not really sure why they added this but it adds a little detail to an otherwise ignored area of most cases. The bottom is finished off with four soft rubber feet. These feet are glued to the case and are very soft and pliable. This ensures the case stays where you set it and also absorbs a lot of vibration. With six fans in the case alone that's a lot of potential vibration that could be noticeable had they included hard plastic feet like so many manufacturers do.
The rear of the case shows the bottom mounted PSU bracket, seven slotted expansion covers, a vented area in the rear of your video card area that has two rubber grommets for liquid cooling hoses. Going up, there is a standard I/O shield, not so standard dual 120mm exhaust fans and to round out the rear of the enclosures features; fan controls for the rear and top exhaust fans.
Moving to the front, let's start at the top and go down. At the very top you have your external inputs. To the left of the external inputs is the reset button, to the right the power button. Down the front Antec has made the 1200 with 12 external drive bays. This is broken down to four sections of three bays in each section. One section at the top allows you to mount three CD/DVD ROMS or two CD/DVD ROMS and one tray for the addition of a water cooling reservoir etc. Three sections contain one 120mm blue LED fan each with their own individual speed control knob.
The entire front face is made up of the same steel honeycomb mesh found on the top fan and side panel. The mesh is painted a satin or semi gloss black and adds some nice contrast to the matte finish of the rest of the case. The honeycomb design is a nice choice over the standard mesh. It offers superior airflow and a fresh look over the typical small mesh found on many of their competitors cases. Did I mention this thing is BIG! Detailed Exterior FeaturesOn the left side panel there are actually two acrylic windows. One is the front most and it is totally clear with an unobstructed view to the Twelve Hundred interior. The second is a small rear window in the shape of a triangle. This window is behind the honeycomb mesh. The mesh on this part of the window is strictly for looks as the only place air can actually enter the case is through the optional fan mount. This mount is for another 120mm fan, complete with filter. The fan snaps into place with clips that are a molded part of the window itself.
The top tray is approximately 6.25 inches wide at the front and tapers back to approximately 5 inches in the rear by approximately 8.5 inches long. A typical CD case fits inside it with ease. Along the edges appears to be strengthening braces, strictly for style although smaller parts such as screws would fit inside them but not much else. They do add to the hi-tech look and in my mind remind me of the jagged edges found in stealth aircraft.
The front input panel is along the top of the front bezel and angled back about 45 degrees. Left to right is the reset button two USB 2.0 inputs, one external SATA or eSATA connection, the blue power LED, standard 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks, and finally the power button. Gone from the input panel is the typical IEEE1394 or Firewire connection. The buttons both feel solid and sturdy. The blue power LED which is so small it's barely noticeable in the pictures, but it is a very deep blue color and very visible when powered on. I'm not completely sold on the external inputs at the extreme top or bottom of enclosures. The top inputs can be a pain for people that put their case on their desk; the bottom is trouble for those users that put the case on the floor. Speaking strictly on aethstetics, they look fine where they are but I think a more practical solution would be mid way up the front bezel.
Here is a close-up shot of the individual fan speed controls found down the front of the 1200's bezel. There are three of these in total and each one controls a blue LED 120mm intake fan. The knobs have approximately 180 degrees of rotation. I'm not sure of exactly how many steps these potentiometers have, but I can say fan speed is very adjustable with many very smooth and minute steps. The LEDs in the front fans are on by default with no option to turn them off.
Coming down the backside we find the controls for the top and rear fans. The top fan can run in low, medium or high speed. You may also turn the top fan LED on or off. Unlike the front 120mm fans with the smooth variable adjustments, the rear fans have only three speeds and like the front there is no option to turn the LED lights off.
The slotted expansion slot covers are a fairly new trend but a welcome one. This should help a lot with single slot VGA cards that do not exit the hot air out the back through a two slot header by design. The vented area to the right of the expansion slots would also help a great deal to allow the hot air from most single slot video cards to quickly exit the rear of the case instead of being recycled and pulled up and out the top.
The two round ports to the right of the expansion slots hint at the water cooling potential of the Twelve Hundred straight out of the box. All this should add up to some pretty decent cooling. Closer Look: InteriorThe all black finish continues on the interior. The interior finish is every bit a quality paint job as is the exterior. They did a fine job here and I love the blacked out interior. Inside you can see the two rear 120mm fans. The fans use standard Molex plugs. This is fine because they have external speed controls already; there is no need to plug them into the motherboard for control. Also visible is the wiring harness from the top front inputs. This wiring harness is well done, with the USB and front audio each put together in single header plugs. This is such a small but wonderful detail to include. I don't want to know how much of my life has been spent on trying to get the USB pins and front audio plugged into the motherboard correctly with individual wires! There is no removable motherboard tray. A nice feature you can see is the holes in the motherboard tray that allow you to easily route your wiring to the back side of the motherboard and back to the front side at strategic locations.
As you can see in the picture above there is a white box in the lowest hard drive bracket. The box contains the accessory pack that is included with the 1200. Inside you'll find some wire ties, a 5.25" to 3.5" external bay adapter a 5.25" to 3.5" bay cover adapter and your typical bag of screws.
The twelve internal/external drive bays, is where the Twelve Hundred gets it's name. The top three bays can each hold one CD/DVD ROM or any 5.25" accessory panel; with an included optional mounting tray/bracket for water cooling devices. Each of the other 9 bays will hold one hard drive each. These bays are designed into removable caddies. Three caddies holding 3 hard drives each and one 120mm fan each. With one caddy having an optional mount for one additional internal fan; notice the round section on the back side of bays 4 through 6.
The right side of the 1200 interior clearly shows the wire routing holes in the motherboard. As you can see all cutout and edges are rolled edges. No cuts here, just smooth metal. The three wire ties shown are in addition to the four included in the accessory pack. Antec was nice enough to include slots in the motherboard tray to accommodate these wire ties. I wish this case was even 1/4" wider with that 1/4' on the backside of the motherboard to give just a bit more room for cable routing. With a heavy PSU cable and all the fan plugs it can be hard to get the back door on.
The interior is very spacious and very clean looking. Overall the matte black finish adds that custom touch to the case and helps the LEDs and colors of your internal components really stand out. Detailed Interior FeaturesAntec has come up with a nice method of mounting the hard drives using removable hard drive caddies. Each drive caddy slides into the Twelve Hundred from the front. They are held in place with 8 thumbscrews, 4 on each side. I think 8 thumbscrews could be a bit excessive. I can understand wanting to make sure the hard drives can't fall out if moving the case, but this case is not one that you want to move very often anyway. Trust me; you won't see many of these at LAN events. I feel two on each side into the middle drive slot would be plenty.
A close-up of the caddy shows the combination steel/plastic construction. The main caddy chassis is steel with plastic inserts being attachable on either end. The front bay covers are steel and screwed into place. These caddies act like 5.25" to 3.5" adapters and as such you cannot mount the hard drive with your typical screw. Antec supplies longer screws that go through plastic inserts which helps with vibration. This is a great feature but it also requires you to keep track of those non standard screws that you aren't using initially. Worth mentioning is the fact that All twelve bays are usable as external 5.25" bays. You can simply remove the caddies entirely and insert any standard external 5.25" device. All of the steel bay covers are removable from the caddy and are designed to be attached directly to the enclosure with one screw on each side.
Each drive caddy comes with one 120mm blue LED fan. The fans are all black with three blue LEDs, a nice variation from the clear LED fans. There is also a fan filter that is removable. You must first remove those overkill 8 thumbscrews to get the caddy and filter out though! This caddy has the optional internal 120mm fan mount. These caddies are very well designed and constructed and slide in and out of the Twelve Hundred with ease. This type of system definitely adds value but I still think it needs tweaking to make removal of filters and the caddies themselves just a bit more convenient.
This is the optional mount that sits in the third drive bay. Antec markets this as a water-cooling platform to mount a reservoir or pump. Obviously this is a very general mounting system which would need the user to find a way to mount their hardware. It is not predrilled in any way and leaves the specifics to the individual.
The power supply mounts to the bottom rear of the case and sits on these nice rubber feet. Again, like the enclosures main feet, these are made from a very soft and pliable rubber. A very nice addition designed to eliminate any vibrations or noises stemming from the power supply by holding it up off the case bottom to limit the metal to metal contact. With the Twelve Hundred enclosures, the only option for bottom fan PSUs is to mount them upside down. Personal I would have liked to see somewhat taller enclosure feet and the bottom of the 1200 PSU mount to be vented which would allow your bottom fan PSUs to be mounted right side up with the fan at the bottom drawing in cold are from outside the case. With the Twelve Hundred the PSU is not needed to cool the case and in fact I feel an upside down bottom fan PSU can be counterproductive to the cooling capabilities of this case. It's disruptive to the "up and out" airflow designed into this and most other tower cases.
Ahh, the top 200mm fan. This monster is all but silent on the lowest setting and would probably be enough to draw cooling air through the case all by itself in any other normal sized enclosure. Most computer enclosure exhaust fans do not have filters, this fan is no exception. Typically exhaust fans do not need filters as they are blowing air out of the case. Being on top I think Antec could have made an exception and included a filter. True when the computer is running dust will not settle inside the case from this fan but what happens when your computer is not turned on, dust aside small objects could fall through the top fan as well. This is not so far fetched especially for those users that have this case on the floor.
Setting my filter concerns aside the top fan is the blow hole of blow holes! Overall I love it and I hope Antec continues to tweak this design. Gamer Case Final ThoughtsThe Antec "Gamer Cases" seems to be a stab at a market share that has in the past been dominated by cases claiming to be gaming cases with glowing alien eyes on the external bay door covering the DVD drives,with blinking lights and dragons but with a different approach. They aren't taking a normal average case, slapping a molded plastic alien on the front and calling it a "Gaming Case" they are methodically implementing technology that actually works and wrapping it in body that really appears to have been designed by one of many true case mod artists. The Twelve Hundred seems to be the pinnacle of out of the box pre-modded gaming cases.
Twelve Hundred ConclusionWhen I received the case it didn't take me long, I had to remove it from its shipping container. The box art for the Twelve Hundred simply blew me away. I love Antec's approach to retail box art, the smart companies know there is a psychological aspect to buying and they hit the nail on the head. You simply cannot walk past this package without looking at it. The all black box with just enough light cast on the 1200 screams "Look at me!" You could know nothing about computers but if you looked at this box, you'd assume there was something very important inside. Along with the great packaging looks is the great packaging inside. The Twelve Hundred made it to me with not a single scratch, as I mentioned earlier this in a large part comes from their choice of packing materials, great job. If looks could kill this case would be in trouble. I'm usually not a big fan of lights and flash but Antec seems to understand the word subtle. The blue lights in the enclosure are not obnoxious at all and even in a dark room do not disturb or take away from your gaming experience. If Darth Vader gamed, this would be his case of choice. It's very big and it's all black with just the right amount of accent from the fans. The case makes a statement, power with control. The twelve hundred is absolutely the heaviest case I've ever worked with. The main chassis feels very strong, made from fairly heavy gauge steel and put together well. The Twelve Hundred's construction is no masterpiece of engineering, no work of art but built with proven methods to get the job done. All but the biggest critic will be happy with the construction of the Twelve Hundred. Form follows function or is it function follows form? This case looks the part and it performs the part as well. Although I did not scrutinize this case to any formal set of tests I did compare idle temps and load temps for the CPU and GPU to those temps reached in my current case. For the CPU I used a few hours of Orthos and the GPU I used a day of folding. From my previous case to this case I saw an average temp drop of about 6 degrees C. Fan speed had little effect. The noise generated for fans on high made the minuscule temp drops not worth it. Available at the time of the writing for $174.99 from Newegg.com, one might not think this case has value but I disagree. With a hefty list of features including five 120mm fans and the ability to handle all the heat any multiple GPU/quad core CPU setups can throw at it out of the box with nothing more to buy says a lot for value. Additionally, NewEgg ships this item free via 3-day ground delivery; and there's also a 20% discount available for a limited time. For any average user a lesser case would do, but for a serious gamer the value is apparent. Pros:
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