Antec Nine Hundred Advanced Gaming Case

Heat as you all know is one of the main enemies of the PC and its many components.  Just visit any PC Hardware-related site out there today and you will find whole sections devoted to heatsinks, coolers, etc., the sole goal of which is to cool down the ever growing number of heat producing components in a typical PC.  Motherboard manufacturers have also jumped into the fray, providing their own customized cooling solutions, ranging from passive heatsinks linking the CPU, NorthBridge, and SouthBridge to the oversized Turbo coolers than we found on the Gigabyte G1-Turbo a few months back. 

However, all of these cooling tools are put to work within the chassis.  Airflow within the unit pretty much dictates how well the heat is dissipated; even the best heatsinks are rendered pretty much usless if there isn't adequate airflow within the system to cool them down.  And although modern cases typically have more options for installing fans and increasing ventilation, they are typically still steel and/or plastic contraptions of heat-trapping death.

So, what's the alternative?  How about a case that's almost completely open, providing better cooling by allowing air to freely enter and leave the system.  How about fans placed seemingly everywhere - front, back, side, and even on top?  That's what Antec has introduced with the Antec Nine Hundred Gaming Chassis. Although the naming convention might initially turn away anybody not interested in gaming (all 5 of you), they would be missing out, as this case offers premium cooling and looks, without the hefty price tag that one might associate with a unit like this.

SPECIFICATIONS: Model: Nine Hundred Case Dimensions: 19.4"(H) x 18.4"(D) x 8.1"(W) Drive Bays: 9 total Front accessible: 3x 5.25" Internal: 6x 3.5"/6x 5.25" or 3x 3.5"/9x 5.25" Cooling System: - 1 rear (standard) 120mm TriCool Fan with 3-speed switch control - 1 top (standard) 200mm TriCool Fan - 2 front (standard) 120mm Blue LED TriCool Fans - 1 (optional) 120mm case fan on the side panel Motherboard Class: Standard ATX Main Board Size: 12"(W) x 9.6"(L) Expansion slots: 7 slots Weight (net/gross): 31/36 lbs Top I/O: 2 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, Mic-In & Headphone out jacks, Power and Reset buttons Special Features: 200mm "Big Boy" Fan, windowed side panel, top USB/FireWire ports

The Antec Nine Hundres's box is all black, just like the chassis itself, and yet it only gives the buyer a glimpse at the upper most corner with the words "NINE HUNDRED" written in orange.  The side and back offer much better views of the entire unit, glowing blue behind the black mesh from LEDs integrated into the fans.  Inside, there is the Antec 900 itself and a small group of items, some of which initially it might be hard to decipher.  The manual and screws are self-explanatory.  The mesh opening is used in conjunction with the tray to convert a 5 1/4" opening to fit a 3 1/2" drive, such as a floppy drive, if one desires.  The last piece, a rubber mat, fits into the same-shaped indentation on top of the Nine Hundred.  That's all there is at this point; all the fans and other cables come pre-installed, so we'll move on to looking at the chassis itself.