Date: January 12th 2003
Article by: Peer van Empelen (Hardware Reviewer)
Product was donated by: Antec Inc.
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Antec Inc. Corporate profile
Antec, Incorporated is a leading manufacturer of computer hardware. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Fremont, California, Antec has led the way, first in our best-selling Enclosure Technology products and now in our innovative Consumer Technology products.
Our enclosures and power supplies have been the best sellers in the North American retail and distribution channels for more than three years running. And with products like our stylish new Performance Series, heavy-duty Rackmount enclosures and cost effective Solution Series, we will maintain our lead by providing the quality and innovation that the market demands. Antec's Enclosure Technology line up is completed with a wide variety of cooling fans, DataTank external drive enclosures and DataSwap removable drive bays, all designed to give you the maximum in system reliability and flexibility. That's why Antec is the High Performance Upgrade Company.
Product Introduction
This review will be a quickie as I already had the chance to review the Antec Performance Plus 1080 AMG and this model differs little. The difference however is interesting as it pays attention to a new trend and popular one as well. Modding your case has become a trend with computer owners and many manufacturers are adjusting their product-line to meet those needs. So did Antec. With their Performance Plus line they introduced a full-tower to accommodate any configuration you might have and now they added some features to it.
A window -kit which can be purchased separately or can be bought with the case as a whole. Have a look …
Product Specifications
Before I continue with the product specifications I must emphasis that I received the window kit only but that the Plusview 1000AMG is a complete casing. The difference between the 1080 and the 1000 is the fact that no powersupply is delivered and offcourse that beautiful window.
Specifications taken from the Antec website :
| Performance PLUSVIEW 1000AMG Specsheet |
| Case Type |
SOHO File Server |
| Case Dimensions |
20.6" x 8.1" x 18.6"
(H) x (W) x (D) |
|
Drive Bays
- Front Accessible
- Internal
|
10
4 x 5.25", 2 x 3.5"
4 x 3.5" |
| Expansion Slots |
7 |
| Cooling System |
Up to 5 x 80mm fans
- 1 front (Optional)
- 2 rear (Standard)
- 1 HDD (Optional)
- 1 Side Panel (Optional) |
| Material |
1.0mm SECC |
| Net Weight
Gross Weight |
27 lbs.
31.5 lbs. |
| Motherboards |
Fits standard ATX (12"x9.6") |
| Special Features |
2 front USB ports, 1 front IEEE1394 (Firewire) port |
| Swing-out side panel with handle |
| Quick-release drive bays with release lever |
| Snap-in fan mounts |
| Large front panel vent with washable air filter |
|
| Package Includes |
1 Tower Case |
| High clarity windowed Side Panel |
| 2 case fans |
| 1 set of screws and motherboard standoffs |
| 1 complete set of drive rails ( 6 rails ) |
| 1 Installation manual |
|
Product Special Features
I will show you some pictures of how the window kit looks when I put it on my case.
Looks pretty good eh ? It a whole lot better then my old gray side show. I did put my case on my desk again after I got the side window. Finally had something special to show.
The side blowhole has room for a 80 mm Fan which I put in immediately and now I keep begging my girlfriend to buy me another Blue led fan.
I was glad that Antec included 2 Blue led fan's as it really made a difference. Although I haven't got a Blue led fan in the side it still looks great.
Doesn't this look great ?! Even my girlfriend likes the computer now.
This is all the eye-candy I can share right now. So I'll go straight to the conclusion
Conclusion
With this product Antec has responded to the demand of the market. And they did a great job with it. The casing can still be modified to your own needs but has a superb basic design to please the less handy among us. The simple addition of a window can make a huge difference.
The pro's and cons are somewhat limited , but if you want a more extensive review of this case you can always take a look at the Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG review.
Pro's
- The foundation of this case is a good design and with the simple addition of the window it can impress anybody.
- Lack of a powersupply : why spend big bucks on a PSU when you are gonna swap it anyway ?
Con's
- The case is still very heavy
- It's a dust-magnet ! The side window attracts dust so you need to clean it every week (and don't you dare scratch it !)
