Page 3: Interior, Testing:, Conclusion
Interior
In addition to the previously mentioned change in color, the interior adds a few motherboard cutouts that was missing from the old motherboard tray, making cable management a breeze in the Nine Hundred Two.
We thought this here was pretty sweet. Antec includes the accessories in a cardboard box that is actually secured to the mobo tray using a screw. This is a nice touch, as it prevent accessories from moving around during shipping.
We want to go on a little rant here. We hoped that Antec would change the system from the Nine Hundred to mount drives, but boy, were we wrong. Installation of any drive requires removal of both side panels. Want to install a hard drive? Have to take out 8 thumbscrews. Oh hold on, you just got the cage out. You need to screw the hard drive in still. Get the point? As the industry moves to screwless, Antec kicks it old school in a not-so-welcome travel in time by requiring screws for everything. We honestly couldn't remember the last time a $100+ case required four screws to mount a DVD drive.
Antec includes a mount for another 120mm fan in the middle drive bay cage, placed perfectly to blow over today's sweltering video cards. However, for a modest setup, the included four fans should suffice. Additionally, the placement for the front two fans is perfect, as it blows directly over the hard drives. Antec clearly put lots of research and development into the design of this case.
The rear of the case features another 120mm fan, which also boasts blue-LEDs. Additionally, the rear features PCI-slot covers that have grille to exhume exhaust and the previously mentioned water tubing grommets. If you couldn't figure it out, the PCI slots require screws as well.
Testing:
As we noted on the Nine Hundred, the bottom placement of the PSU allows extra cables to rest in the bottom of the case instead of hanging around in the case restricting airflow. Make sure your PSU's cables are lengthy enough, as this can be an issue for some.
Even with the fans on high, the case can be very quiet, When switched to the low setting, the fans are virtually inaudible, yet still delivers reasonable and relatively cool ambient temperatures within the case. One thing to note is that the filters on the front fans become essentially coated in dust after a while. Of course, this is nothing a quick spray of canned air can't cure, but if ate your Wheaties, you can remove the built-in filters and wash them.
Conclusion
Listed on Newegg for $130, the »Nine Hundred Two is great for those looking to improve overall airflow while proudly flaunting their gear in an completely matte black (and did we mention sexy?) enclosure. We liked the new external fan controllers and the addition of some nice enthusiast touches, like the water tubing grommets and the hard drive tray to mount a 2.5" drive.
On the contrary, we expected a more up-to-date method to mount drives in the case. The amount of screws used in this case is absolutely ridiculous. While we like the security of screws holding down our products, the competition offers easy to use drive bay rails to mount drive quickly, which is much more appealing to the consumer.
Offering only a few slight improvements, the »Antec Nine Hundred Two is more evolutionary than revolutionary. Nevertheless, despite its few flaws, the Nine Hundred Two is a solid enclosure to recommend to anyone looking to build a PC that looks sexy yet offers remarkable cooling at nearly inaudible speeds.
ASE Labs would like to thank Antec for making this review possible.
In addition to the previously mentioned change in color, the interior adds a few motherboard cutouts that was missing from the old motherboard tray, making cable management a breeze in the Nine Hundred Two.
We thought this here was pretty sweet. Antec includes the accessories in a cardboard box that is actually secured to the mobo tray using a screw. This is a nice touch, as it prevent accessories from moving around during shipping.
We want to go on a little rant here. We hoped that Antec would change the system from the Nine Hundred to mount drives, but boy, were we wrong. Installation of any drive requires removal of both side panels. Want to install a hard drive? Have to take out 8 thumbscrews. Oh hold on, you just got the cage out. You need to screw the hard drive in still. Get the point? As the industry moves to screwless, Antec kicks it old school in a not-so-welcome travel in time by requiring screws for everything. We honestly couldn't remember the last time a $100+ case required four screws to mount a DVD drive.
Antec includes a mount for another 120mm fan in the middle drive bay cage, placed perfectly to blow over today's sweltering video cards. However, for a modest setup, the included four fans should suffice. Additionally, the placement for the front two fans is perfect, as it blows directly over the hard drives. Antec clearly put lots of research and development into the design of this case.
The rear of the case features another 120mm fan, which also boasts blue-LEDs. Additionally, the rear features PCI-slot covers that have grille to exhume exhaust and the previously mentioned water tubing grommets. If you couldn't figure it out, the PCI slots require screws as well.
Testing:
As we noted on the Nine Hundred, the bottom placement of the PSU allows extra cables to rest in the bottom of the case instead of hanging around in the case restricting airflow. Make sure your PSU's cables are lengthy enough, as this can be an issue for some.
Even with the fans on high, the case can be very quiet, When switched to the low setting, the fans are virtually inaudible, yet still delivers reasonable and relatively cool ambient temperatures within the case. One thing to note is that the filters on the front fans become essentially coated in dust after a while. Of course, this is nothing a quick spray of canned air can't cure, but if ate your Wheaties, you can remove the built-in filters and wash them.
Conclusion
Listed on Newegg for $130, the »Nine Hundred Two is great for those looking to improve overall airflow while proudly flaunting their gear in an completely matte black (and did we mention sexy?) enclosure. We liked the new external fan controllers and the addition of some nice enthusiast touches, like the water tubing grommets and the hard drive tray to mount a 2.5" drive.
On the contrary, we expected a more up-to-date method to mount drives in the case. The amount of screws used in this case is absolutely ridiculous. While we like the security of screws holding down our products, the competition offers easy to use drive bay rails to mount drive quickly, which is much more appealing to the consumer.
Offering only a few slight improvements, the »Antec Nine Hundred Two is more evolutionary than revolutionary. Nevertheless, despite its few flaws, the Nine Hundred Two is a solid enclosure to recommend to anyone looking to build a PC that looks sexy yet offers remarkable cooling at nearly inaudible speeds.
ASE Labs would like to thank Antec for making this review possible.