Antec ONE Case Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging & Bundle3. Antec ONE: Exterior4. Antec ONE: Interior5. System Installation6. Testing Methodology and Thermal Performance7. Acoustic Performance8. Closing Thoughts9. View All Pages

The Antec ONE targets a user base who demand a quality design, but with a limited budget. The chassis delivers a wealth of strong features at an alluring price point.

Angular styling of the chassis' exterior creates an attractive style when coupled with the sleek black colour. Continuing to the case's interior, the black finish allows a good-looking system to be easily created. The mesh front panel's subtle appearance should also satisfy a wide user base.

The pair of 120mm exhaust fans is able to extract heat produced by enthusiast-grade hardware such as an Intel Core i7 2600K and power-hungry graphics card.

A further 3 fan mounts give users the flexibility to improve cooling performance as they wish. Disappointingly, none of the fan mounts feature any type of dust-filtering mechanism. Cleaning your system is definitely going to become a regular chore.

Expansion is a strong point for the ONE. It is able to house 5x 3.5″ hard drives using the effective tool-less mechanism. A pair of 2.5″ drives can be mounted via the old, 4 screws method. 3x 5.25″ devices can be easily installed and held in place using an efficient tool-less technique.

Component clearance is a point where the Antec ONE excels. 266mm of graphics card clearance means that a powerful gaming system can be built within this case without a problem. The ability to house high-end, 160mm-tall CPU coolers creates the possibility for a heavily overclocked system to be based around the ONE.

Cable management is not a strong suite for Antec's ONE. A price-conscious case which includes cable management holes and numerous tie-down points is a positive factor for the model. On the other hand, an insufficient amount of clearance is provided behind the motherboard tray meaning that certain cables have to bypass their intended routes.

Priced at £40.74 and bottom of the line in Antec's prestigious gaming series, the ONE is able to offer sufficient cooling performance and good expansion options. If you are searching for a low-priced USB 3.0 case with the ability to house many storage drives, a pair of SSDs, large hardware and 5 fans, Antec's ONE is a very worthy choice.

Pros:

• Attractive style.
• USB 3.0 support.
• 5x fan mounts.
• 2x 120mm fans included.
• Good component clearance.
• Plenty of drive bays.
• Secure tool-less 5.25″ and 3.5″ installation methods.

Cons:

• Limited cable management.
• Fan mounts aren't dust-filtered.
• No installation guide included.

KitGuru says: A praiseworthy chassis which punches above its weight… or  price tag.

Become a Patron!