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Antec's 1200 has been a long time in the making but HEXUS got its hands on the first pre-production sample. That's now been through our labs - and here's our world exclusive take!
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Read more.Quote:
Antec's 1200 has been a long time in the making but HEXUS got its hands on the first pre-production sample. That's now been through our labs - and here's our world exclusive take!
Would like to know what sort of price point they are looking at?
Is that many fans necessarry do you think?
And are there any after market solutions for the large 200mm fan at the moment?
The price point is around £120 as per the review (based on the 209$ USD price point)
As for replacement 200mm they are available although taking a while to come to market - there really isn't anything wrong with the one that is currently fitted, especially as there is three possible fan settings.
Matt.
Great review guys. :)
One thing bugs me though is that it isnt very deep for a case of its size.
Been waiting for this one to come out.
I have the 900 case and Antec appear to have listened to the customers and corrected some of the niggles with the 900 case.
1. Dust filters fited to the fans ( had to cut up a pair of tights to make some for my 900)
2. The ability to change the fan speed without opening the case or fitting a seperate fan controller)
3. Cable managment holes and water cooling holes predone.
Love my 900 have the fans set of medium and my overclocked Opteron 185 and 8800GTS run very cool
So this is going on my wish list for that watercooled multiterrabyte gaming monster rig .......:)
does this mean the price of 900s will drop?
You would think so but cases are one of the components that never seem to drop in price.
been waiting for this for a long time :D
Hopefully we can buy it this month like Scott Richards said. One problem I can see is that if it has 2 inches of clearance for a 2900XT what about a 9800GTX :(
I have the same thoughts as Azza as it's not been resized horizontally as it has been vertically.
Why thank you :)
It's as deep as it needs to be in all fairness - it can fit all the latest hardware we have currently in the labs without a problem and the airflow is such that a greater depth would only cause an airflow void.
It's a sensible upgrade from the 900, if anything this is better suited to the new hotter GPU's. Due to the shape of the 900 its better suited to less than totally high end GPU's in all honesty...
Matt.
Possible, but the margins in chassis are very small at the best of times and if the 900 is still selling in good numbers then it wouldn't make any sense at all to drop the price.
See above :)
The 9800GTX should fit - I am going to double check this for you.
Matt
My 900 is now suffering from 'case envy' :)
Damned nice case, you could easily squeeze a double rad in the front along with plenty of drives.
Im looking at the information and if I am reading it right the 2900XT is 22cm in length and the 9800GTX is approx 5cm longer than that - if that is the case it should fit without issues, although you would lose at least one of the HDD out of the 3 available in the drive module
oh well it's got 9 I won't be using all 9 hdd bays :)
thanks for checking that out, and nice review! :thumbsup:
Thanks guys - i really like the look of this case :)
AWesome... Its on my shopping list now :)
Is it a very loud case? It must be with all those fans!!!
900 was with all fans on full. yet i still had them on because i didn't mind the noise, it was bearable and I eventually got used to it because I wanted those cool temps. It's better now cos you can put the fans on med/low and still have good airflow. But the large one on high doesn't make much noise.
Great review. Do you think the dust filters will be able to be bought seperatley/fit onto a 900? Could really do with some tbh, that case is a bit big for me, I'm happy with my 900 atm but I can see some advantages with the 1200. I reckon Antec got the top of the 900 just right though, I much prefer the sunken set-back front panel and little storage tray compared to the top of the 1200.
I would have thought you could just fill it full of quieter 120mm fans running at low RPMs and still get great air flow.
Still would require spending even more money though.
any money shot pics with your kit installed?
i want to see how the cable management is.
Highly unlikely, the mounting for them is moulded into the drive caddies
Indeed, my personal recommendation would by my fan of choice, The golf ball eagle fans from sharkoon, the lower rpm models.
There you go then, a solution for the 900 filter issue...
Thanks all
While it was mentioned in the middle of the review, kind of on passing, it wasn't brought up again in the conclusion, and it bears remembering in order to prevent some assembly frustration.
Most motherboards are designed with a top mounted power supply in mind, and thus have the main MB power socket at the top of the board, or at the front near the top.
When I assembled my Antec 900 machine, the power cord just barely reached around the video card to the plug, and did not make for the best cord management stategy. With the extra height of the 1200, that problem might be worse.
System builders using this case should plan their MB/Power Supply combination with that in mind, or make sure they have an extension.
Bob
as written we had issues with our test rig on this - its the only accessory thats really missing from the overall package.
Matt
I have an odd question, what is the point of the removable PSU adapter plate? What Power supply is that big, and could that design possibly mean a Dual PSU design in the retail version? It seems to me, even if it is not actually supported, that you could easily take a dremel to that case, or actually a drill, and fit 2 PSUs in it. Seems odd that they would make it so easy to do, but would not advertise that ability.
Im really looking for that perfect case, I have been waiting for around a year for a case to come on to the market that really does it for me and at the moment im torn between this and the Zalman GT1000 guess i really going for looks more than anything else.
As per the review its designed for reducndant PSU solutions. Dual PSU's wouldn't be good even if you did dremel - Antec have the P192 for its dual PSU offering.
There is quite a difference between this and the GT1000 - they are also two very different chassis. The Zalman is desinged round quality and exclusivity - the Antec 1200 is still a quality chassis, but steel based and much more about mass storage - the Zalman is limited in its HDD capacity.
I must admit I have only just started to fully understand computers and I still have a lot to learn having only just completed my first self build without setting fire to anything. I guess this is where my vanity comes into it as Im going far more on looks rather than looking for a case thats going to serve me in my exploration of "i wonder if i plug this in there would it blow up". So I guess the question now becomes if I intend to invest my good some on money in a case rather than a low end £50 one will this case grow with me as my abilty and understanding grows, just how future proof is this case ?
This may sound like a funny question but I really prefer spending a decent amount of money on something that lasts rather than £50 every 6 - 10 months :stupid:
i was wondring, but seeing as the silverstoen kublai 03 is one of the few at around £120, how does this compare to it?
we haven't had one in - but I will ask Silverstone if they would be so kind as to send us one so we can have a look :)
As for the future proofing, its hard to say - we dont know exactly what is round the corner, but generall chassis are pretty fool proof to use. It comes down to what demands you will place on it as to how suitable it is as a unit for you to buy.
Matt
oooo i love you MD :mrgreen: :iloveyou:
i hope you do get it in. there are only two reviews i could find, both pointing to superb reviews, but they were a year old. :(
please silverstone, head our prayers :D
? didn't y'all do a review on this chassis not long ago?
when will this be released?
a 120.3 would fit nice in the front losing all but 2 drive bays and maybe a 120.2 attathced to 1 fan on the back or maybe a custom top for a pa 120.3 in the top
Great review, thats me sold when it comes out :)
There is also a version of this case due with a radiator covering the top fan for water cooling rigs... Good days....
No release date.... Bad days......
Doesn't look like it has dust filters!
Antec 1200 Twelve Hundred Full Tower Case - No PSU - Ebuyer
Definatley worth £110 imo
True but how many fans fo you really need in a case.
am i the only person that hates LED fans as well?
i like leds, but not blue.....i prefer red, as they hurt the eyes less.
i will be switching them for RED tricools.
I love it when im right :D
The Thermaltake Armour / Kandalf cases have dust filters over the actual drive bays, regardless if there are fans or items in them.
For this case to have filters over the front, you have to use the hard drive adaptor which includes a fan filter.
so what if you don't want to use the supplied hard drive bay adaptors. Like stated in the review, their are not the best design ever.
So I did read the review, just I understood it better than you!
Is this made most from plastic?
The front bay covers are filtered for the HDD's and the three at the top feature a foam backing.
The thing is you HAVE to use the HDD bays - the front bay covers attach to the drive bays, they do not clip into the front of the chassis frame itself.
Its completely steel with the exception of the top and twi strips down the edge of the front.
Matt.
God my antec 900 sucks up all the dust in my room that i dont have to hover it .Can imagine what this can do?:mrgreen:
so.....got any news on the kublai?
So is it possible to disable the LEDs on the 120mm fans? If I go with this case it's either that or buy new ones. I would just assume snip them somehow.
£100 :surprised:
Thats mighty tempting.
Can't wait for Scan to get them in, be too much temptation then :D
Awww the price has gone up to £109.83inc vat now. :(
Any news on when Scan will get them in stock?
bump, back to £99 and ordered! :)
And now its gone back up.
Whats the bloody hell?!?
I am confused about why the lack of dust filter on the 200mm fan is an issue?
From looking at the picture of the fan, it looks very much like it is an exhaust fan, so it cannot be dragging dust into the case. If anything it may help to get rid of it.
First of all, Great review ! :)
I have the Antec Nine Hundred, and i absolutely love it. So now I am considering to buy his bigger brother. The Antec Twelve Hundred. Anywayz I have some questions about the new case:
- In the Antec Nine Hundred I had some problems installing the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme cooler.
I was only able to install in horizontally, but not vertical because of the sidefan of the Nine Hundred.
Does this cooler fit in the Twelve Hundred ?, horizontally and verticall that is :rolleyes:
- How about the watercooling of the Twelve Hundred. What rads can I install into the Twelve Hundred?
Thanks ! :rockon2:
I wasn't able to install the sidefan with my ultra both ways. but I had the fan on bottom side rather than top side. I'm pretty sure you won't have this problem now as the 1200 is longer and most likely the cpu is much higher up than the side window. Not 100% sure but I have a good feeling I'll be able to use the side fan this time :)
Thanks for the comments.
Sorry I don't have one of those coolers to hand to check, but there is a fair bit more room inside round the CPU area than the 900 - was the side fan bracket the issue before?
Watercooling, its an unknown at this moment, but there was due to be a W/C version of the case with a top mounted 200mm rad, but as yet its all quiet on that front.
Matt.
Thanks for the reply's ! :mrgreen:
Hmmm.. Well maybe they will introduce it within a month or so. The Antec Twelve Hundred that is available now also has the holes for the rad underneath the 200mm right... :O_o1: ?
If its exactly the same as the w/c version of the Twelve Hundred, then I could always buy another 200mm rad :mrgreen:
#phreak
surely thats more to do with the location of the CPU socket in relation to the edge of the motherboard?
As long as your motherboard confirms to the standard then it should fit, but I cant tell you definitively as although I have 100's of coolers, this isn't one of them.
The space on the rear is as standard as i have seen, with a standard sized and profiled 120mm fan pre-fitted.
Matt
well the motherboards have the cpu sockets in a very general place don't they? Mine was an ASUS A8N32-Sli at the time and the cpu socket wasn't low it was quite high up the board. the side fan vent was in the middle of the sidepanel and thats what caused the problem. I hope they've left it lower on the 1200.
thats what I meant by side panel mount ;)
The side panel is now located over the GPU area moreso than the 900
Hi, I'm thinking about purchasing this case (when it's available here in Spain) and watercool it, but I've some questions to ask about it...
I'd like to put a triple rad in the front and a double rad in the rear. I know that I should make some work by there, like exchanging the hard drive cages by some kind of structure to support the rad and the front filters, bezels and so. There's no problem with that. But... Are the built in front fan speed controllers a part of the fan, or a part of the little cage which contains the fan? Are that cages metal or plastic? Are the speed controllers useful to any fan, only Antec Tricools, or only the Tricools that come with the case? How are they connected to the fans? It would be possible to keep the fans (stock or aftermarket ones) connected to those speed controllers but at a distance of 5-10cm (2-4") from the fan cages? (that's it, I want to know if I can put something like front/controllers-rad-shroud-fans keeping the fans connected to the speed controllers)
About the fans... they're rated at 1200/1600/2000 rpm, but reading a review of Tricool fans in other web, I've seen that the low speed is really 5v/~850rpm, and mid is ~1400rpm... what do you know about it?
Anyway, great review (as usual :rolleyes:), and excuse any mistake in my writing...
The fan controllers are part of the fan.
The cages are plastic and attach to the front of the cages NOT the chassis itself.
As above the controllers are part of the fan units themselves.
Would require custom fan cages if they were to be re-used.
As for the fan models, they are unmarked - pre-full production models so can't give you specifics at this time.
Matt.
Lots of thanks, Matt. That's greatly helpful to me :)
I'm trying to decide between this one and Cosmos S, and it seems that 1200 it's going to be a little harder to fit the watercooling (mainly because of the need of a custom structure to hold the front bezels/filters/etc to the rad/case), but I like more the airflow design in the 1200, and aesthetically too, I like the 80's cyber kind of look of this much better than the racing car theme of the Cosmos S. I supose I'm old enough to like the cyber aesthetic :embarrassed:
(And fortunately Antec has decided to change the 900's profile, too... triangular to my taste. Much better the 1200)
For those who are wondering, the Antec Twelve Hundred is now available at all major retailers, e-tailers, and distributors.
Any idea of an exact date on when you will get yours moogle?
What??? Normal inside/back color isn't black??? They're gonna be selling steel/grey 1200's once the first stock is out? :surprised:
I can't believe it... why? It's a great idea the all black color scheme and looks fantastic, it makes it look like a completely different and much better case...
Well, I suppose that I could take the trouble of looking for a decent spray paint and primer, learn how to use it, dismantle the case, paint all steel/grey colored pieces, wait til its dry, and mount again, instead of buying a directly black painted case... :wallbash:
You're joking, ah? Tell me you're joking...
well.. alot of their product images have steel/grey on them. I assume they've recieved 1 case to get their product pictures taken. The stock dates that I know of are 2/05/08, 14/05/08 and 15/05/08.
I'll be getting one between then. But hey if its not black inside, and the product image shows as black I will be quite annoyed and may return it for a black one.
Uffffff, so it's an assumption... then there's hope :rolleyes:
Yeah, I've seen all the other images of steel/grey interior as well, but I made a different assumption... they're older than the Hexus review ones, some of them even a year old now (first images of the first prototypes of this case and the Mini P180 for example, or with the integrated 20cm radiator at the top), and I assumed that previous versions had the same colour scheme of the 900 (and 99.99% pc cases) with the classical unfinished internals, but in the end they've decided to go with a completely black painted case... Other more recent images from the presentation of this case and Mini P180 and Antec 300 have the black painted internals too.
Either possibility could be right here, but I sincerely hope mine does :P
And speaking about this, that's something that I come saying for a long time now, I can't understand the cases with window and unfinished interior. Its annoying and ugly. And completely unacceptable when talking about cases of more than 100$/€...
PD: Appearently, there seems to be nothing at Hexus review that points to a any different final version from its preproduction sample, there are even several comments on colour scheme with the black internals and back, and AFAIK, the Mini P180 it's being sold with the same black painted internals and back, even when it hasn't got a window... so I believe we'll be satisfied to see that the cases we can buy are all black too... :rockon:
Guys let me check with Antec on this for you :)
We have a number of contacts at Antec, I wouldn't email Scott on this one - Ill email the people who helped us obtain the sample - Ill get back to you as soon as they get back to me :)
Thanks
Matt
I dont see why all of them wouldnt be done in black.
Is everything made of steel?
Antec have confirmed that all cases in the 1200 range WILL be totally black.
Hope that clears it all up for you.
Matt.
Awesome! :woowoo: :clapping: I think this one will be at 99% my next case...
Lots of thanks again, Matt.
no worries chaps - glad to be able to help :)
IMPORTANT NEWS!!!:
The Antec 1200 is now available at Newegg.com
That would be very helpful if I lived in America :)
On another note some might like to know that this website
Antec Twelve Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - No PSU - AWD-IT.CO.UK
Says it has it in stock. Whether it's true or not I don't know. As they haven't responded to any emails. How they have it and no other major e-tailers do I have no idea. Or they're telling us lies.
I'm curious, with the first production run of the Antec Twelve Hundreds now available at retailers. Are the front fan controllers a three-pin connector instead of being integrated with the fan like the pre-production model? And the rear fan controller having three-pin connectors as well? I am sure, that there are many builders and myself included that would replace those TriCool 120mm fans without hesitation.
got any news on the Kublai 03
From what I could see they were all completely inbuilt. The front cages wouldn't bee too easy to replace and the mouldings round the top fan may also cause an issue.
If it were me and I had to change the fans I would ook to keeping the fans but fitting my own controller and ripping apart the cables as appropriate.
Matt.
Delayed another 35 days........
look who stopped by today :)
http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/8/cardboardpcsm2.jpg
All I can say is....
Finally! About bloody time :D