Antec 1100 review

Antec’s cases are usually popular with PC builders who want great cooling and build quality without having to pay a wallet-busting amount of cash, and the 1100 seems to fit this market quite well. With its steel construction and over-sized fans, this midi tower should be able to fit even the most powerful of systems.

Its black chassis and transparent side panel window certainly make it look the part, but the blue LEDs can thankfully be switched off if you prefer. A relatively simple I/O panel that has two 3.5mm audio jacks, two USB ports and two faster USB3 ports are within easy reach at the front of the case, along with three 5.25in drive bays and room for two 120mm intake fans.

Inside, the 1100 is sensibly laid out with six side-mounted 3.5in drive bays, plus a further two for 2.5in disks. There’s ample room to move around and there are lots of cable management holes, including a large motherboard cut-out to ease the fitting of a CPU cooler backing plate. Unfortunately, the somewhat short I/O panel cables can’t reach the motherboard headers when they’re routed around the back of the case.

With seven 120mm fan mounts, there’s plenty of room to cool a high-end PC, although only one is included with the case. The other fan is a huge 200mm fan mounted in the roof, which was very quiet yet effective at cooling our reference kit.

The 1100’s a great case that has plenty of expansion options and cooling potential. However, the Corsair Carbide 500R has just as much room inside, as well as a more versatile cooling system. It also costs almost £20 less.