Viewing page 2 of 3 pages.
Previous 1 2 3 Next
ANTEC (CONTINUED)
Twelve Hundred
Just when you think that it can’t get any bigger, it does. For those gamers
for whom the Nine Hundred’s 9 drive bays just weren’t enough, Antec
brings the super-sized 12-bay Twelve Hundred. The design is nearly identical
to the Nine Hundred, with a few improvements. First, the 120mm fan on the windowed
side panel now has a slide-out, removable dust filter to keep your expansion
cards dust-free. Secondly, Antec has done away with the top mounted FireWire
port and replaced it with an eSATA port, continuing a trend with other recent
Antec product releases. Next, the hard drive cages have been upgraded in that
they now have dust filters as well as built in fan controller knobs for the
three 120mm fans mounted behind the mesh front. Behind the motherboard tray
we find the usual fare of cable ties and pass through holes. Just like the Nine
Hundred, there are fan control switches in the back for the rear and top fans,
but now you can also independently control the fans’ LEDs as well.
Mini P180
Finally, we have the Mini P180, another case that debuted at Computex; it is
now nearing retail availability. Again we have the eSATA front port instead
of a FireWire port, and a few stylish vents implemented into the front panel.
Everything about the Mini is nearly identical to the original P180, from the
double removable HDD cages to the large 200mm top TriCool fan. What’s new
is the mATX size. Because of the smaller size, Antec has decided to move the
vertical HDD mounted rack upwards, leaving the space in front of the PSU for
two 5.25” bays. That leaves one 5.25” bay at the top. Also, the Mini
P180 is available not only in the classic Black color, but now White.
Signature
Outside of cases, we got to see was Antec’s new Signature series of premium
power supplies. Planned as the new top-tier of Antec PSUs, the Signature series
are 80-Plus certified, modular PSU’s
that represent a couple of firsts for Antec PSU’s (and perhaps consumer-level
PSU’s on general): The Signature Series will utilize a dual PCB layout
that holds motherboard-esque DC to DC conversions in place of the conventional
PSU step-down transformers, for improved stability during transient loading.
Another first is the use of PWM control for the 80mm fan, as opposed to voltage
ramping. Antec says that this will allow for lower fan speeds without fan stalling
at idle than is possible with current designs.
| Help support this site, buy from one of our affiliate retailers! |
|
