Closer Look: Exterior

One thing that I really like about Antec is their ability to project a clean, crisp appearance. Their marketing, their products, everything just looks sharp. I'm not one to be swayed much by outward appearances, but I have to admit that a having something that looks nice can feel that much better when you know the inside is just as good or better.

The Eleven Hundred certainly fits the crisp, clean appearance. It loosely maintains the form seen on both the Nine hundred and Twelve Hundred which is a smart move to capitalize on the success of these products. IO ports are high in the front, full mesh face, large top-fan and perforated panels for side induction.

But there are some differences in style and functionality. The Eleven hundred has dedicated vents on the front panel for air flow, a more squared profile, and the funky mesh / plexi window gets replaced by a cleaner all-plexi window. The top-fan is flusher with the case, and the case sizes closer to the Nine Hundred only much wider.

A profile view of the Antec Eleven Hundred shows a more squared, basic shape compared to the previous versions. This square profile is evidence of the extended depth of the Eleven Hundred. At 21.5" it's deeper than both the Nine Hundred and Twelve Hundred. I think it looks better even though I'm not a fan of perfectly square cases. The full-plastic window is much easier to see through and provides mounting locations for two 120 mm fans.

Despite being shorter than the Twelve hundred, the Eleven Hundred squeezes in two more expansion slots for a total of nine. The rest is basically standard with a bottom-mounted PSU, two water-cooling ports and a single fan towards the top.

While the right side of most cases has nothing to provide, Antec bumped out the panel and added perforations and mounting points for a 120mm fan behind the motherboard. This is an unusual move that can actually be functional if done correctly. Both the left and right panels are mounted with thumb-screws for easy access. This comes in quite handy during the initial build.

Like its predecessors, the Antec Eleven Hundred has a top-mounted 200 mm exhaust fan. It is recessed further into the case than the previous versions, but enough is left sticking out to add a touch of style. The top of the case is also home for the power and reset switches. This seems like an unusual spot, but I REALLY like it. Perhaps you are not as clumsy as me, but I have this horrible habit of bumping the power or reset buttons while trying to plug in or remove devices. I also accidentally push buttons on the front when removing and replacing my case in my computer desk. Having these buttons isolated from the rest of the IO keeps me much safer.

The bottom of the case has no functional parts or much to mention. There is a recess in the front panel which allows for easier removal. It's also worth mentioning that the feet are made of a hard plastic. I've griped about this before, but hard feet transfer case noise to the desk. While cosmetic, it can magnify something previously unnoticed into a real nuisance.

Now for a closer look at some exterior features.

<< Previous Page - Next Page >>