Review: Antec One (+ Giveaway!) - Winner Announced!

Introduction

Over the years as an IT enthusiast you’ve more than likely come across an Antec product or two. Their unique and durable products have got them to where they are today as one of the top hardware manufactures. Today I will be reviewing the Antec One case. The Antec One is built towards both budget and low profile gamers in mind.

With an MSRP of $59.95 the Antec One joins the ranks of the highly successful Antec One Hundred and Three Hundred Two models.

Packaging and Contents

Upon opening the box you will find the Antec One encased in some good quality foam, unlike most budget cases that ship with Styrofoam which tends to get damaged often.

Once the One is out of the packaging you will see the matt black case in its full glory.

Opening up the Antec One you will notice the entire inside is also coated in matte black paint. Inside the 5.25” optical drive area you will find a bag of accessories containing a small manual, a USB 3.0 to 2.0 motherboard adapter, a packet of screws and standoffs, zip ties and four sets of tool less hard drive brackets.

The External

The case and mesh on the front panel are made out of steel, while the front panel frame is made of plastic with a rubber coating. This coating gives it a soft smooth finish.

At the top of the front panel we can see a reset and power button, 2x USB 3.0 ports as well as audio in and out. Moving down the front casing there are 3x 5.25” mesh bays for optical drives and other devices. Only the mesh optical bays have dust filters, the rest of the mesh below does not have any dust filters. The bottom segment is space for an optional 120mm intake fan.

Not only does the mesh provide style, but it also encourages the airflow through the case which is important to maintain a healthy computer.

Along the right side of the case you will notice the panel is bowed out. This design idea was thought up to give you extra room to hide your cables such as the notoriously big chucky power cable behind the motherboard tray.

Moving to the back of the case, on the top left you will see the section cut out for the I/O shield. To the right of the I/O shield is a fan grill with an Antec case fan preinstalled, more holes have been drilled should you wish to replace the default with your own 60mm, 80mm or 120mm fan. Further down the back of the case we find 1 removable and 6 snap-off PCI expansion slots. On the right side there is a small air flow grill with two water cooling grommets underneath. At the bottom there is the standard ATX PSU cut out.

The left panel is also bowed; this is most likely to match the right panel. A grill for one 120mm intake fan in also cut out but not included.

At the bottom of the case, Antec have provided a washable dust filter for the PSU grill. The feet on the Antec One lack any rubber or grip. This could be an issue if you plan to put the case of a desk or a wooden surface as it could end in an expensive accident. If you were worried about this happening I guess a bit of Blu-Tack wouldn’t hurt.

As for the top of this case, it is largely plain apart from the Antec branded 120mm case fan included.

The Internals

Upon opening up the Antec one, there are several things to note out. Firstly, the motherboard tray has a large hole to provide extra space for fast heatsink installation.

The second thing to point out is that the honeycomb styled hard drive cage is only accessible from the other side panel. The advantage I can see with this design choice is that it will make cable tidying a bit easier to maintain with all the cables being routed through the extra space given behind the motherboard. The hard drive cage can hold up to five 3.5” hard drives with two dedicated spaces for 2.5” hard drives at the top and bottom.

Taking a look at the fastenings for the optical bays, Antec have decided to take the preferred tool-less route.

From the image above you can see Antec have included two 3 pin extractor fans placed at the top and the back of the chassis. This will help to provide much better airflow throughout the case.

The Antec One has drilled holes for ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX standard motherboards so you can be sure that pretty much all of the motherboards you can buy today will fit snug into the case.

On the motherboard tray there are cut outs to route your cables through. There are two to the right of the motherboard and one at the bottom for the power supply cables to be directed. You will notice there are no rubber seals around the holes. If you’re concerned about cutting cables, fear not! Antec has been kind enough to round the edges.

If you have a wide motherboard like me (pictured above) then you may struggle to get the cables through the holes. This may be something to contemplate when selecting your motherboard if you like a tidy case.

Although I didn’t get any pictures, everything seemed to fit in absolutely fine as you would expect. Antec have provided plenty of space for a top of the line graphics card with 10.5” (27cm) to play with.

Conclusion

For $59.95 MSRP the Antec One is a great buy and is probably the best choice for build quality and features while still on a budget. This case should appeal to budget PC builders and will be a fantastic choice for a first time buyer looking to quickly build a PC with high end features. These features include USB 3, two quiet fans included and not forgetting the tool-less drive bays. The style on the Antec One has a stealthy look to it. The bulges at the sides give it an industrial design feel to it which appeals to a lot of people.

The Antec One is priced at $59.95. Looking online you can find it for a lot cheaper. I’d say this is one of the best cases in its category price currently on the market.

Competition!

Now, to finish this review I'm going to give the Antec One case away to one lucky Neowin member! This competition will run from Friday and end Wednesday, May 2nd at 11:59PM GMT. There are three ways to enter this competition and you can enter once per day, per method:

1. Simply reply to this article by commenting below
2. Like (using Facebook button) and/or Re-Tweet this article; but you must use the hashtag #neoantec
3. Like us on Facebook and/or follow @neowinfeed if you already don't.

Remember, you can enter once per day, per method which means that you can opt to use any entry method per day. Good luck to all who enter but only one can walk away with the Antec One case!

This competition is open to all registered Neowin members, and will be shipped (if possible) to the selected winners country.

Congratulations to the member Shaun! The Antec One will be in the post soon!

Gallery: Antec One