Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

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Lawrence Lee
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Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by Lawrence Lee » Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:57 pm


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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by Zenphic » Sun Jun 28, 2015 8:04 pm

I'm still reading the review, but dang that was quick to have it put up.

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by CA_Steve » Sun Jun 28, 2015 8:19 pm

Thanks for the review. Nice to see a different take on the ATX case. I am a little perplexed by the hard drive cooling. If the fan is meant to be an intake on the bottom, why is the filter on the top?

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by Xyvotha » Sun Jun 28, 2015 9:50 pm

The Antec fanboy in me rejoices! :mrgreen:

And for a case like this SPCR's review is the only one I need to read, thanks!

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by xan_user » Sun Jun 28, 2015 10:24 pm

CA_Steve wrote: I am a little perplexed by the hard drive cooling. If the fan is meant to be an intake on the bottom, why is the filter on the top?
pg 5. looks like the HDD chamber fan is an exhaust. still odd to have it fight convection...

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by MikeC » Mon Jun 29, 2015 6:03 am


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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Jun 29, 2015 9:28 am

Thanks :)

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by Das_Saunamies » Mon Jun 29, 2015 11:08 am

A very interesting read, what a monster! Reminds me of the coming of the P180. The quibbles seem like teething problems that can be solved through smarter evolutionary choices.

Case sections make sense, and I'm glad someone tried it out to this extent. I was very happy with the isolated HDDs in my P180 (sturdy lower compartment): could set-and-forget the fan, there was very little vibration, and the seek noise was gone. Cabling was doable with the little corner cutouts. I can't remember if it was the first ever case to have that compartment, but it sure was better than anything that I had built computers in before.

Aside from the HDD Condo, I very much like the look of the base/stand/foot: it's a shield for the grilles and filters down there, and the PSU isn't kissing the floor/carpet like in many bottom-PSU cases. Looks like a dust trap though, so maybe it's designed to be put on another pedestal for public attention and regular maintenance. :mrgreen:

Vertical cabling, especially for HDDs and power, has been a pain for too long already; it's nice that I can hide cabling behind the mobo tray and bay cages, but it would be nicer still if I could close the side panel without meticulously arranging each cable individually. We're better off than in 2005, but things could still use improvement. Ducts, anybody (automatic 100% fit, top closes on a hinge)? Or, for $499, backplanes? Cable hubs?

Cabling becomes an entirely different game when you shrink down to mini-ITX, of course. Would probably need that separate section just for the cables... or shorter cable options for fully modular PSUs.

A personal preference would be a solid top and no magnets. I haven't messed up my electronics with magnets to this day - knock on wood - but I have spilled a drink in an open-top case. Needless to say not even the PSU survived. It's nothing but a hazard and a structural weakness that needs to be planned around. Same goes for bare ports pointing up, they catch everything. A sliding cover would not go amiss if you don't want the ports pointing left, right, or forward.

For $499 I think I would use a NAS to relocate the HDDs (and I have), spend $150 on a case like Fractal Design's Define R5, and invest the rest in GPU power or four(?) meals at a nice restaurant.

Looking forward to the single-card mITX version!

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by Silent but deadly » Mon Jun 29, 2015 5:54 pm

I always find flagship cases to be a little odd. They're like concept cars... innovative, a glimpse into the future but almost always flawed.

There are definitely issues with the case, most notably the issues related to cable management (I'm looking at you oddly restrictive "ledge") but there's a lot to like (even if the aesthetic isn't for everyone). The separation of the HDD's is an interesting development that I hope to see carried forward to future cases but the cable management for the separate HDD section would have to be sorted and perhaps will be simply by a reduction in the size of subsequent cases. Speaking of HDD cable management, one thing that would have been nice to see is some kind of backplane compatibility. The Corsair 900D's rickety HDD cages make up for some of their flaws by being able to have their own SATA backplanes... which is something I'd love to see becoming more mainstream.

Overall I think the case will achieve what it, to my eyes at least, has set out to do... it's put Antec back on the radar.

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by nagi » Mon Jun 29, 2015 8:56 pm

As someone who still employs the original P180, good move. Due to the hinge and cabling problem, not great, but still, a step in the right direction. I do agree with all the conclusions. Maybe a 8 and a 24 pin PSU extender cable should have been included as well, and the back side clearance increased to 3-4cm due to the not strong enough magnetic closing. I mean, it is $499, it should come with a year long massage parlor pass at least :)

Also, while the P180 is still elegant, this looks like a hideous monstrosity. Sorry.

Thanks for the review.

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by MikeC » Tue Jun 30, 2015 9:48 am

Tony of Silverstone took issue with our description of the S10 as original. He begs to differ, saying the "gap" idea for improved airflow/cooling was used in a Silverstone case nearly a decade ago. On a brief scan of the links, he has a valid point, though for some reason, we've never reviewed any of the cases Tony mentions, afaik. The entirety of his message is pasted below.
Hi Mike, just saw you guys’ article on that new Antec case. I think you may have forgotten SilverStone when singing Antec’s praises! Our Temjin TJ09, which was released in 2006, was the first retail case to feature a gap bypassing hard drive cage for direct airflow:
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/chassis/7 ... is/?page=2

Our TJ10 that followed in 2008 and is still on sale today has the same layout:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=146

The TJ11 released in 2011 also has that gap, but with motherboard tray rotated:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=292

So saying the S10 “may inspire Antec’s competitors to copy,” I think you should instead said that Antec was inspired by SilverStone!

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by Das_Saunamies » Tue Jun 30, 2015 8:53 pm

Well what do you know. The basic idea of the "slot" (i.e. a ducted vent) is clearly there in 2006. The earliest case with separate sections and compartments that I can think of is the P180, introduced in CES 2005, according to the 2005 SPCR hands-on Visual Tour. However, a quick browse through SPCR reviews reveals that Lian Li had this in mind in 2004 with the PC-V2000 (Reader Report). There is even ducting, but only to point exhaust streams downwards (anyone with white wallpaper knows why).

Credit where credit is due, on the slot design Silverstone absolutely have Antec beat. The total separation of HDDs can arguably be first seen in the TJ09 as well, but compartments seem to predate the TJ09.

As an interesting side note, those graphics card supports on the TJ10 look well ahead of their time.

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by HammerSandwich » Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:17 am

Das_Saunamies wrote:Vertical cabling, especially for HDDs and power, has been a pain for too long already; it's nice that I can hide cabling behind the mobo tray and bay cages, but it would be nicer still if I could close the side panel without meticulously arranging each cable individually. We're better off than in 2005, but things could still use improvement. Ducts, anybody (automatic 100% fit, top closes on a hinge)? Or, for $499, backplanes? Cable hubs?

Cabling becomes an entirely different game when you shrink down to mini-ITX, of course. Would probably need that separate section just for the cables... or shorter cable options for fully modular PSUs.
IMO, the consumer PC business really dropped the ball with cabling. If it were part of the case instead of the PSU (as seen with many servers), I would have spent far less time arranging wires over the years. They could've standardized this reasonably when modular PSUs appeared...

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by Das_Saunamies » Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:37 am

HammerSandwich wrote:IMO, the consumer PC business really dropped the ball with cabling. If it were part of the case instead of the PSU (as seen with many servers), I would have spent far less time arranging wires over the years. They could've standardized this reasonably when modular PSUs appeared...
Yeah, it's all standard connectors and pretty much standard layouts. I knew servers had backplanes but I had no idea they had integrated cabling - that sounds pretty much perfect. :idea:

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by Pappnaas » Thu Jul 02, 2015 1:41 pm

Das_Saunamies wrote:Yeah, it's all standard connectors and pretty much standard layouts. I knew servers had backplanes but I had no idea they had integrated cabling - that sounds pretty much perfect. :idea:
It's a kind of integrated cabling as in the PCs you by from Lenovo, HP an Dell, they use preconfigured cables that have the excact length and are neatly tucked away inside the case. This kind of cabling can only be made if the manufacturer custom designs all interior modules and knows the exact locations of every cable header.

So this kind of standard cabling would imply standard cable header layout on all mobo and GPU Parts. not very likely to happen, imho.

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by NeilBlanchard » Mon Jul 06, 2015 5:27 am

Wow, that's different. And wowza - that is expensive.

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Re: Antec Signature S10: The Second Coming of Antec?

Post by Quinnbeast » Sun Jul 12, 2015 2:01 pm

I can't help it; all I'm seeing is a black version of the sand crawler from Star Wars. And for any case that's 19kg/39lbs empty, I think I'd fancy some castors or tank tracks on it by the time it's fully decked out. Ouch!

Nice to see Antec bringing out some new designs though. As much as things have moved on, my original Solo (which I've long-since sold to a friend) still has a certain something that my R4 does not.

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