antec 300 quick review

[sjek]

A few people in the other thread wanted a run down of the case. I've just built a rig into one, a few days ago, so here's my thoughts.

System installed:

XFX 680i LT mobo

2x2gb OCZ gold

E7200 C2D

2x 3.5" HDD

DVD-ROM

XFX XXX 8800GT Alpha-Dog

Hiper 580w PSU

Freezer 7 Pro

2x120mm antex intakes

Build quality: steel with a plastic front bezel. The front bezel is really nice, comes off very easily, the mesh looks good and has a easily removeable filter.

Cooling: comes with a 140mm and a 120mm rear exhaust. Both have low/medium/high switch, which isnt great. They push a good bit of air esp. over CPU BUT they're not quiet on high, acceptable on medium, almost silent on low. The speed control is hanging down inside so best to tape it to the side - not handy, having to open the side to change speeds. Leave them on low/medium and you'll be fine.

A wonderful feature is 2 hinged, removebale 120mm fan bays in front of the HDD bays. Easy to install fans, looks great with LEDs, filter in front and little holes to route fan cables.

Space/cable management: Welll, it is a midi-tower. It's not huge. ATX mobo+8800GT fits in fine, though as with most cases that arent full tower the graphics card is pretty tight to the HDDs. The biggest problem here is the bottom mounted PSU. Yeh, it can be better for cooling but it makes cabling frustrating. 8pin mobo especially has to be zip-tied/taped along the back to get it out of the way. Even if your PSU has very long cables, theres not a huge amount of space to put them, theres a space beside the HDDs but its not really enough.

Installation: not tool-less per se, but it comes with a ton of thumbscrews, makes everything easy enough to do.

Watercooling: No. Even an external kit, the cabling would be a squeeze and theres no holes built in. Just no. If you're runnning a system that justifies watercooling, spend more money on a case. Just, no.

Overall: I found cabling a bit of an arse but the cooling is great. 2x120 intakes, 120+140 exhaust is more than enough for a mid-range build. ~30C CPU (with a freezer 7 pro) and 46C GPU.

It has a few niggles but for £35? Wow. When you factor in the price it's a fantastic case. Sleek, cool and cheap.

If anybody wants specific info, let me know and pictures can be added if anyone wants them and my camera cable shows up.

 

[Diablo]

Really nice review, I'll definitely be investing in one in any new budgetbuilds that happen. Nice and honest, but TBH sounds like you can't go wrong to £35. thanks a lot for doing this.

 

[Lynx]

Hi i have the same mobo sitting in a box next to me but i cant use it! (no windows disc to change mobos )

And what is the overclocking like on it?

 

[sjek]

I didnt have a windows disk either, grab your old HDD (I assume it has windows) stick in your new build, reactivate. Its a bit of an annoyance but it works even with some OEM copies, mines from a Dell.

Anyyyyyyyyyyway, the mobo is ok for overclocking. I like it as a mobo and the BIOS is ok, not perfect but again, great for the price. Easy enough to link/unlink clocks, up the FSB, up the voltages. I've got my E7200 @ 3.8Ghz pretty stable. The only critisism is the southbridge fan is a bit whiny, esp. if its stuck behind GFX. Not unmanagebale though.

Yeh, and pics coming soon, camera was run over (left my backpack in the driveway...idiot) but my new phone will be here soon, so you'll get pics from that.

 

[Lynx]

OKay thanks!

Oh and would it wipe my hdd?

 

[sjek]

It shouldnt do. Windows takes a note of all your hardware, so when you make a significant change, it screams at you 'MUST REACTIVATE'. As long as you have you licence key, you can reactivate with new hardware (like, e.g., your new mobo)

BUT!!!

It doesnt work with some OEM (that is, factory installed versions of windows, like you'd get when you buy a computer from Dell, HP etc). Google around and check. I had a XP HDD from Dell and it worked fine BUT I'm in the UK, so it might be different. Google is your friend and ask in the software/OS section of the forum.

Good luck.

Edit: Just noticed your in scotland, I've a weird preconception that everyone here is US based. A quick check shows I'm wrong. Anyway, it will differ by region, so anyone else reading, keep that in mind.

 

[Lynx]

Well i got a HP vista.

UK / UK Version!

Im in UK lol.

So if it says reactivate and i do? will it wipe it?

 

[Lynx]

Well im not sure if u saw my above post?

 

[sjek]

I didnt, I edited my post anyway. Havent worked with HP OEM installs before, you'd have to google around, or post in the OS section to check if it allows reactivation. I *think* it does but really, dont take my word for it. Get confirmation elsewhere. Sorry I can be more specific.

IF you can reactivate, no it doesnt wipe anything. Windows has a bit that looks at all your hardware and (basically) creates a hash (a code, kind of) of what hardware its installed on. When you move it to different hardware, the code doesnt match, so it needs reactivate. If you can and do reactivate, all that does is change the hardware code, it doesnt mess with any other data, all your stuff will still be there. For example, I built a new system, has no OS for it, so I just pulled my HDD out of my old Dell, stuck it in my new build and reactivated. No data loss.

tldr; I dont know if HP install can reactivate. Ask in OS section of the forum and google it.

IF you can reactivate, it wont wipe it.

P.S A quick google shows that usually the online activation doesnt work - it didnt for me. A quick phone call solved it for me (windows gives you the number when you try to reactivate) but cross that bridge once you get confirmation if you can reactivate.

 

[Lynx]

I did it and it worked, thanks fo the help.