Antec 900/1200 Popularity

[Syndacate]

Hey,

I did my build 2 Summer's ago, so it's about 2 years old right now (it's in my sig).

Ironic how with how fast paced the tech industry moves, my computer is still a tank by what's on the market today - so I'm happy...except for one part.

The case.

My friend had the Antec 900-II and said it was a bit too small, I took his word and got the Antec 1200. This is possibly one of the worst decisions I have ever made. Can anybody explain to me why this case is "so good"

Like, every review rates the Antec 900/1200 as epic cases, one of my college's SE labs switched to 900 cases, everybody thinks it's so damn amazing, I HATE IT.

It's the worst case, EVER.
- You need to undo BOTH panels to gain access to the HDDs
- Each HDD bay is held in by EIGHT screws
- You can only clean a HDD bay filter if you slide the bay out - so cleaning the filters blows.
- Then inside the case, it's just TALL, it's not necessarily any deeper, so I still have 0 room between my HDDs and my GFX card or my power supply - since some genius put it on the bottom

I mean the list just goes on and on.

If you want to to install a HDD, this is what you have to do:
- Remove the 4 screws holding both side panels on
- Remove the 8 screws holding the cage in
- Undo your wiring tie on the backside of the case so you can unplug the HDD bay fan
- feed the plug through the side of the case - it's an extremely tight fit
- slide the bay out
- Then do the same in reverse

So you have:
- No room on the inside front-back
- Have to remove TWENTY-EIGHT (28) screws to clean the filters or add/remove a HDD.
- Practically no room in the bottom bay because all the wires for the PSU are there.
- Absolutely no way to hold the (35 lbs on the box when it was shipped, so say 30) 30lb case in the front
- Fan controls with absolutely no marks - just got to guestimate where middle is

WHY is it so popular, I just don't get it. What am I missing? This heavy monstrosity took up soooooooo much room in my back seat in my trip out to Cali. I dread having to move it or clean it.

Anybody? TIA!

 

[Rossi~]

I've had the original 900 for almost 3 years now, and whilst i agree with you on pretty much all the points you've made here are my thoughts:

- I've only had to deal with hard drives once since the first installation, so not bothered about the difficulty regarding them.
- I use a custom fan filter that covers the entire front of the case (3 fans) on the outside
- I have more than enough room for my build, though if i went SLi and had a couple more hard drives and an optical drive i can imagine it will be cramped as hell
- I have no fan controls apart from the top fan that has low-med-high visible and easy to select, always on med
- I have opened the case only about 3 maybe 4 times since building the rig, next to no maintenance required for mine.

I will be moving to the NZXT H2 in a month or two, mainly for it's looks and it'll be a lot quieter, the 900 i find has a lot of vibration issues.

My main problem with the 900 i had was the earthing problem of the front panel audio sockets, i had a quick look to see if i could sort it out but in the end i thought it'll be far too much hassle than what it's worth so run from the rear of my STX instead.


As for it's popularity, it looks pretty neat externally, especially with 3 fans and it's cheap.

 

[ianc]

I also had the original 900 for about 2 years and recently changed it out for a hafx. My major gripes with the 900 were lack of space behind the mobo tray ( and everywhere else) to do some decent wire management. Yes, it's still do-able, but not quick and easy like in the hafx. Also, a general lack of space within the case to make changes. For example, the first change I made was to put in a gtx260. I had to remove and reinstall my two hdd's in different bays so the gtx260 would fit between them.

Why the criticism for bottom mounted psu's? It makes the case bottom heavy which is less awkward if you have to move the case a lot and the wiring (for me) seems easier. Just curious.

 

[schizrade]

My 1200 has made an exceptional server at home. Use less screws. I only drop in 2 thumb screws for each cage.
It is a pain to wire though.

 

[zero2dash]

WHY is it so popular, I just don't get it. What am I missing? This heavy monstrosity took up soooooooo much room in my back seat in my trip out to Cali.

You just answered your own question.
It's heavy = ie thick steel, good construction, takes abuse like a tank
Plenty of airflow but there are dust filters.
Price isn't too bad I suppose.

I don't think Antec's cases are as great as other people think they are; I think they're vastly overrated (except for the 300). 300 could use some internal re-configuration; sideways mounted HD's, a hole or two for cable management and some extra room behind the MB tray would work wonders, but eh....it's a $50 case and a drill or dremel gets the "needs holes" job done. Doing all the recent case shopping I've done has made me realize that the sub-$100 market is cutthroat, and there really isn't a PERFECT case in that range IMHO. Pretty much all of them have a few great features but are missing things that other cases have. If the 300 innards were more like the NZXT Gamma's innards (including the paint job), then it would definitely be the perfect case sub-$100.

Still, the best case I've found to this day for easily cleanable air filters is undoubtedly still the 300. Having to pry off a side panel (2 thumbscrews) and pushing 3 plastic latches is nothing when the whole dust filter is 1 piece and rinses off, with no other hardware moving or removal necessary. It's a shame other case manufacturers don't get this and have this crazy idea that splitting up dust filters on each 5.25" bay is a good idea making removing and cleaning them a giant PITA exercise in futility. Takes 2 minutes to clean a 300 dust filter.

A few other cases have fairly easily removable dust filters (like the 600T), I'm hoping my R3 doesn't end up being too much of a PITA itself (doesn't look like it will be, other than having to unscrew the plastic filters as opposed to them popping off with tabs or something which would be more ideal to me).

 

[mastrdrver]

It may have to do with this question: How many people run multiple video cards in their systems?

Even if you combine SLI and Crossfire users, the overall percentage is pretty small. Add in that the price point for video cards is around $200. I have a Antec 200 V2 and while I love the design from the outside, if I were to switch my X58 setup in to the case, it would be a royal pain in the ass. Though with a 5770 sized card and a couple hard drives and one optical drive, like I once did with a MSI 890GX board and my 955BE, it is really a simple and easy case to work with. Not to mention that I got the case for ~$25 after rebates and shipping was free. If I was running something more common (like that AMD setup) I could see the love for any of the 200/300/900/1200 cases. Start adding multiple video cards and hard drives and I would be amazed to hear anyone talk about how great the case is.

 

[DOOMHAMMA]

As an owner of the Antec 300 and 1200, and with experience in the 902 (brother and cousin both own it), and a former owner of the Antec Sonata III, I'll tell you why people like the cases.
For one thing, they were probably the best cases a few years ago. This is no longer the case, they are antiquated feature wise. But Antec is milking the goodwill these cases created, hence the USB3 upgrades they added to them recently, extending the lifespan of the series. And it also explains the risks Antec took with their last batch of new cases, the incredibly ugly Dark Fleet. Which sadly, still had some weird, antiquated choices in their designs.
I am mostly addressing the 1200 here, a few thoughts considering some points though, not everyone minds the lack of toolless equipment, I actually kind of like it. Regarding the HDD cases and having to take both panels off, I admit, that is truly annoying, but easily solved if you just put the screws in one side Also, with the eight screws holding the bays in, I can't remember if they are thumbscrews from the start or if that was something I did, but it is not a big deal considering that it keeps the bays stable. Again, it is about preference.
Also, PSU's being on the bottom is something most enthusiasts prefer, rather than hate. I am one of the people who prefer it that way.
I haven't had any issues fitting any of these cards within my case, so the fact that you find it cramped makes me wonder what kind of wiring job you did:
GeForce 8800 GTS 320mb, Radeon 4850 512mb, Radeon 4890, GeForce 280, Radeon 5850, Radeon 5870, and two Radeon 5870's. I know that currently my brother runs two GeForce 460's in his 902, and my cousin runs a GeForce 285 in his. Space hasn't been an issue for them, or me. And we even have the internal HDD fan hooked up.
As for the lack of room regarding PSU cables, buy modular, or you will whine about this issue regardless of the case you own. It's that simple. In my Antec 300, the cable wiring is much more complicated as wire management is nearly nonexistent (I did cut my own holes in certain places to help relieve this problem). But I still manage to find places that do not restrict airflow or make a mess, I eventually did replace the PSU in that case with another modular as well. The wire management in the 300/902/1200 series by today's standards is incredibly inferior to other options on the market though.
For gripping the 300/902/1200 you hold it by the edge where the front meets the bottom and then wherever else on the back that gives stability/comfort. It's not much of an issue really. When you hold a plastic bag, you hold it by the handles, there are only so many reasonable, functional ways that make sense to hold a plastic bag, same goes for computer cases.
Now, did you make a mistake in buying an Antec 1200 in this day and age? I would say that, if you paid more than $100 for it, yeah, you did. Antec isn't on top of the game right now, and there are far superior choices for the money at the moment. It's not something I am happy about, I am obviously someone who enjoy their products, but I don't like the direction they have gone in recent time. I am sorry you learned that the hard way

 

[Z06]

Antec 900 worse case ever. I bought one for $50 or so on sale. And I felt ripped off.

 

[THUMPer]

i agree. 900 is crap. cable management is a joke.

 

[Nihsnek]

Most Antec cases (300, 900, 1200) aren't the best for cable management. But they can be found cheap (got my 300 brand new for $30 shipped) and are generally big enough for standard use. Def. not a luxury brand though.

 

[BusyBeaverHP]

Former 1200 owner, and I have to agree with most of the complaints here. I hated having to remove dozens of screws to clean the dust filters (which still permitted a substantial amount of dust to pass). The interior was cramped and cable management was painful.

Having switched to the HAF-X with DEMCiflex Filters, the ease of installation and maintenance is night and day.

Below shows before and after of switching from the 1200 to HAF-X. Almost the same hardwares (PSU, CPU, GPU, Mobo, etc.) were reused in both setups.

1200 Interior

HAF-X Interior

 

[Patonb]

They have great airrflow. Yes they suck for cable management, but once you get it set its fantastic.

Theres now plenty of cases that beat it in useability, but the airflow is still hard to match.

I did my own cable management cutting to improve it, but it was still lacking.

Bottom line is I've never regretted it, but I wouldnt buy it today.

 

[krameriffic]

To be honest, they aren't that popular anymore. I bought my 1200 over 4 years ago, and back then they were relatively new and popular as a "gaming case" with good airflow, cable management and size. But these days, there are FAR better options.

 

[scatology]

They don't have a spacing behind the motherboard tray for cable management????

 

[blitzkommando]

I had one of the first generation 900s, one with the problems attaching display cables if your graphics card used the top slot. Overall I was pleased with the case. It was a fantastic upgrade over the Antec P180 (also first generation). I still have that 900 and am currently using it as a server. I, rather foolishly, replaced it with a Cooler Master Cosmos (also first generation). The Cosmos was far easier to work with but the doors never stayed on and it was definitely a hot case. Since then I've been quite pleased with my HAF 932. I even got the additional HDD front bay and that has worked out great and I would have no problem recommending it over the 1200.

I tend not to see the Antec 900/1200 recommended much anymore. They were great when they were released, with fabulous airflow and (for many) appealing looks. But, yes, they can be a pain to work with and in comparison to the latest cases with sideways mounted drives, SSD bays, and such they certainly feel their age as well. Back when the 900 came out it was one of the best midtowers you could buy. Today there are plenty of better options.

A note about weight. Steel cases are going to be terribly heavy but also incredibly sturdy. I know mine is nearly 20kg but I know a fair portion of that are the drives and the massive heatsink.

 

[Gorilla]

I don't know. I mean, there are a lot of things that I hate about my 900, basically all of the stuff that the OP mentioned. I ended up modding it for better cable management using a dremel tool. I was able to install the HDDs backwards and hide a lot of cables that way. Ultimately it looked pretty clean. Of course, every time I need to move something it is a huge pain in the ass. I only paid $60 for it new, and it is really solidly built for the price. The air flow is nice as well.

Not that it really matters since my Xigmatek Elysium is being delivered today.

 

[DOOMHAMMA]

Wanted to post a (older) photo of my 1200 case, since the above photo imo looks like a rats' nest. I've since raised the H50 radiator, put the internal fan to the middle bay, put my HDD's on the bottom bay, added one of NZXT's LED strips, and moved the gpu back to the top slot. My wiring is a little cleaner now too, but what I did back when this photo was taken is half decent at least.

My point is, if you take the the time, it's not a bad case. *BUT* it is definitely not a case you should be buying anymore. The HAF cases are good choices, or Corsair's new cases, NZXT has recently put out some admirable cases. There are just much better options that exist now.

 

[Rogue71]

for airflow the 1200 is awesome. that being said i ditched mine months ago because im too damned lazy to keep undoing all the panels and screws just to clean the filters. imo it is pretty stupid the way they designed the cages. it wouldnt have been all that hard to make them user freindly and have pop out filters. i hope they wake up, as most people ( like me) went to a Coolermaster Haf-x for the ease of use. plus u get a bit more room to work in and the case just looks badass....

 

[scatology]

I think he is not enough long.

 

[bonnev659]

when I was first researching into building my first rig. my friends who I trust with pcs, pointed me to the 900. as it is not a bad case for the price and good air flow. 3 solid fans for that case

the reason why i selected Haf X is for down the road, I am going to keep the case. and also easy of removing stuff as mention above with all the screws.

 

[Syndacate]

I've had the original 900 for almost 3 years now, and whilst i agree with you on pretty much all the points you've made here are my thoughts:

- I've only had to deal with hard drives once since the first installation, so not bothered about the difficulty regarding them.
- Unfortunately I started buying seagate barracuda 1TB's, and they die like every 6mo...and obviously if I'm buying multiple TB's the number keeps increasing, so I want to add these drives to my case (but of course there's absolutely no room). It's WD for all my additional TB's, but the ones that keep dying keep getting replaced for free and dying in 6mo-1yr...
- I use a custom fan filter that covers the entire front of the case (3 fans) on the outside
- Ah, smart, pics? Does it get in the way?
- I have more than enough room for my build, though if i went SLi and had a couple more hard drives and an optical drive i can imagine it will be cramped as hell
- Yeaa, I have a EVGA GTX-280 and it's pretty cramped in there, only 4 3.5" drives, and a CD/DVD drive, too, lol
- I have no fan controls apart from the top fan that has low-med-high visible and easy to select, always on med
- Maybe it's part of the Antec 900-2 or the 1200, but there's a dial on the front of each of the front fans...with obviously no tick marks or anything useful, just a start and stop feel to it :'(
- I have opened the case only about 3 maybe 4 times since building the rig, next to no maintenance required for mine.
- Because I don't have your bad-ass fan rig, I open mine like once a month to clean it (it gets pretty dusty, quick), and I cry inside each time

I will be moving to the NZXT H2 in a month or two, mainly for it's looks and it'll be a lot quieter, the 900 i find has a lot of vibration issues.
- I'll take a look at it. My roommate got some coolermaster (forgot which one) and I was helping her set it up, and it's all like - click in/plastic - I was too jealous, everything was a breeze, lol. Though after being with it for 2 years I feel it would be a complete waste (maybe except for my sanity) to get a new one at this point in the game

My main problem with the 900 i had was the earthing problem of the front panel audio sockets, i had a quick look to see if i could sort it out but in the end i thought it'll be far too much hassle than what it's worth so run from the rear of my STX instead.
What problem? It may have been modified in the 900-2, sounds like you have the first gen.

As for it's popularity, it looks pretty neat externally, especially with 3 fans and it's cheap.
- It's more than that, people swear by this damn case, and FFS, one of the entire Soft Eng labs (30?) at my school switched to 900-2's, it made me die inside

One more complaint: After about 1-1.5 years of ownage, the side fan started to get loose and rattle, I had to put a piece of duct tape folded like 30x to buffer it so it was quiet

I also had the original 900 for about 2 years and recently changed it out for a hafx. My major gripes with the 900 were lack of space behind the mobo tray ( and everywhere else) to do some decent wire management. Yes, it's still do-able, but not quick and easy like in the hafx. Also, a general lack of space within the case to make changes. For example, the first change I made was to put in a gtx260. I had to remove and reinstall my two hdd's in different bays so the gtx260 would fit between them.
- Yup. Now I have 4 drives, and want to add a 5th, so I'm completely fuck outta room, especially when you take into account that the gfx card has to rape 2nd from bottom, the PSU wires rape the space in bottom...and 4 is > 3, so they have to go in more than one slot. Also, this isn't the original, this is the 1200, which was built off of the 900-2 - doesn't matter, though, they didn't increase the dimensions to my knowledge.

Why the criticism for bottom mounted psu's? It makes the case bottom heavy which is less awkward if you have to move the case a lot and the wiring (for me) seems easier. Just curious.
- Because it consumes the space for the SATA/Power wires for the bottom bay, maybe it is jointly because the XION 1000 has thick ass cables and they can't make tight turns: PIX OF IT && HUGE CABLES

My 1200 has made an exceptional server at home. Use less screws. I only drop in 2 thumb screws for each cage.
It is a pain to wire though.
- It is indeed a pain to wire, and I already cut it in half, by not putting the right side panel screws in...but I'm still doing 4 / cage (you know, HALF (wtf?)) - 8 Screws is pretty rediculous - I should probably take your example and cut it back to 2

You just answered your own question.
It's heavy = ie thick steel, good construction, takes abuse like a tank
- Really? I don't know about that. The front is all plastic, sure as shit can't pick it up by the lip under the power buttons, I don't see it being any better in terms of endurance than those cheap $40 white cases that are metal - much heavier, too. I'm pretty sure I can punch through the grates on the front or top if I just pimp slap them decently hard - not like a ruggedized tank, IMO.
Plenty of airflow but there are dust filters.
Yeah, the airflow is nice, and the dust filters are only good until they get clogged - then everything floats on in - my fault, I know, but still, annoying.
Price isn't too bad I suppose.
- I don't recall the price point, but back when I bought it everybody was jumping up and down talking about how this was the best thing since sliced bread.

I don't think Antec's cases are as great as other people think they are; I think they're vastly overrated (except for the 300). 300 could use some internal re-configuration; sideways mounted HD's, a hole or two for cable management and some extra room behind the MB tray would work wonders, but eh....it's a $50 case and a drill or dremel gets the "needs holes" job done. Doing all the recent case shopping I've done has made me realize that the sub-$100 market is cutthroat, and there really isn't a PERFECT case in that range IMHO. Pretty much all of them have a few great features but are missing things that other cases have. If the 300 innards were more like the NZXT Gamma's innards (including the paint job), then it would definitely be the perfect case sub-$100.
- I haven't looked at the 300, I'll have to check it out. You just gave me an idea of sawzall'ing the "back" side all the way down the three wire channels or whatever to make one big trench going from top to bottom - should make wiring a shit-ton easier...but it'll be sharp as hell and probably cut into wires

Still, the best case I've found to this day for easily cleanable air filters is undoubtedly still the 300. Having to pry off a side panel (2 thumbscrews) and pushing 3 plastic latches is nothing when the whole dust filter is 1 piece and rinses off, with no other hardware moving or removal necessary. It's a shame other case manufacturers don't get this and have this crazy idea that splitting up dust filters on each 5.25" bay is a good idea making removing and cleaning them a giant PITA exercise in futility. Takes 2 minutes to clean a 300 dust filter.
- Yeah, I personally think they were taking too many hits while designing this thing.

A few other cases have fairly easily removable dust filters (like the 600T), I'm hoping my R3 doesn't end up being too much of a PITA itself (doesn't look like it will be, other than having to unscrew the plastic filters as opposed to them popping off with tabs or something which would be more ideal to me).
- IMO you shouldn't have to remove screws (tops, or 2) to clean air filters, they should be very easily accessible for frequent cleaning.

It may have to do with this question: How many people run multiple video cards in their systems?
- Quite a few, a lot of people want to run more than 2 monitors, so they buy a cheap 8 or 9000 to "hold" the extra monitor(s). But for SLI or Crossfire? Not many.

Even if you combine SLI and Crossfire users, the overall percentage is pretty small. Add in that the price point for video cards is around $200. I have a Antec 200 V2 and while I love the design from the outside, if I were to switch my X58 setup in to the case, it would be a royal pain in the ass (oh it is). Though with a 5770 sized card and a couple hard drives and one optical drive, like I once did with a MSI 890GX board and my 955BE, it is really a simple and easy case to work with. Not to mention that I got the case for ~$25 after rebates and shipping was free. If I was running something more common (like that AMD setup) I could see the love for any of the 200/300/900/1200 cases. Start adding multiple video cards and hard drives and I would be amazed to hear anyone talk about how great the case is.
- I'm amazed to hear people talk about how great it is with ONE card, lol. I just feel SLI would be cheaper than trying to sell a 280 with factory OC used and putting that $$ towards a 500 series, for less graphics, sure, but not THAT much less :-\. It's hard to sell computer components, I'd have to find somebody to buy my 280

As an owner of the Antec 300 and 1200, and with experience in the 902 (brother and cousin both own it), and a former owner of the Antec Sonata III, I'll tell you why people like the cases.
For one thing, they were probably the best cases a few years ago. This is no longer the case, they are antiquated feature wise. But Antec is milking the goodwill these cases created, hence the USB3 upgrades they added to them recently, extending the lifespan of the series. That makes sense, but on the flip side, I bought this a few years ago..when everybody thought it was the shit And it also explains the risks Antec took with their last batch of new cases, the incredibly ugly Dark Fleet. Which sadly, still had some weird, antiquated choices in their designs.
I am mostly addressing the 1200 here, a few thoughts considering some points though, not everyone minds the lack of toolless equipment, I actually kind of like it. If it was easily accessible toolless equipment I'd enjoy it, but it's not, it's 28 screws for an HDD. My roommate's case has 2 clips in the back, then squeeze the thing and the whole tray for the drive comes out (side mounts - the way to go) - then you can undo the 4 regular screws for the rails at your own leisure if it's one of those.. Regarding the HDD cases and having to take both panels off, I admit, that is truly annoying, but easily solved if you just put the screws in one side Already done, 14 screws for an air filter change still blows Also, with the eight screws holding the bays in, I can't remember if they are thumbscrews from the start or if that was something I did They're thumb screws, so it's not HORRIBLE - but it still sucks big dick., but it is not a big deal considering that it keeps the bays stable. They're held on to the chassis better than the engine is held into my motorcycle. Again, it is about preference.(and designers choosing aesthetics over practicality)
Also, PSU's being on the bottom is something most enthusiasts prefer, rather than hate. I am one of the people who prefer it that way. Care to elaborate on the reasoning? I really don't care where it is, as long as it's not in my way. It's in my way.
I haven't had any issues fitting any of these cards within my case, so the fact that you find it cramped makes me wonder what kind of wiring job you did: Tucked, all along the back side, I did it right, man... WIRING PIC1 - PIC 2 - PIC3
GeForce 8800 GTS 320mb, Radeon 4850 512mb, Radeon 4890, GeForce 280, Radeon 5850, Radeon 5870, and two Radeon 5870's. I know that currently my brother runs two GeForce 460's in his 902, and my cousin runs a GeForce 285 in his. Space hasn't been an issue for them, or me. And we even have the internal HDD fan hooked up. - Not sure what the internal HDD fan is, but if it's the sidefan, I have that hooked up as well. No idea how you squeezed all that in there w/o issue
As for the lack of room regarding PSU cables, buy modular, - Have it or you will whine about this issue regardless of the case you own. It's that simple - See build in sig - it is modular. In my Antec 300, the cable wiring is much more complicated as wire management is nearly nonexistent (I did cut my own holes in certain places to help relieve this problem). But I still manage to find places that do not restrict airflow or make a mess, I eventually did replace the PSU in that case with another modular as well. The wire management in the 300/902/1200 series by today's standards is incredibly inferior to other options on the market though. - I feel by 2 years ago standards it was incredibly inferior
For gripping the 300/902/1200 you hold it by the edge where the front meets the bottom and then wherever else on the back that gives stability/comfort. It's not much of an issue really. When you hold a plastic bag, you hold it by the handles, there are only so many reasonable, functional ways that make sense to hold a plastic bag, same goes for computer cases. - Due to its height (the 1200) it's rather ackward, especially on steps. You have to hold it where the front meets the bottom - there is NO other place to hold it. "Same goes for computer cases?" - no, some have handles, others just have easy gripping points. When the case doesn't weigh 40lbs loaded (I'll weigh it in 2mo when I get back home) and isn't 6ft tall it's not as much of an issue.
Now, did you make a mistake in buying an Antec 1200 in this day and age? I would say that, if you paid more than $100 for it, yeah, you did. Antec isn't on top of the game right now, and there are far superior choices for the money at the moment. It's not something I am happy about, I am obviously someone who enjoy their products, but I don't like the direction they have gone in recent time. I am sorry you learned that the hard way - Go back 2 years, that's when I bought it - on newegg, whatever the price was then, I have no idea what it was

Antec 900 worse case ever. I bought one for $50 or so on sale. And I felt ripped off.
- lol,

i agree. 900 is crap. cable management is a joke.
- I'm so relieved to find out I'm not crazy. With everybody else jizzing (this was 2 years ago when I bought it) over how awesome this case was, and me hating it, I was starting to think I was losing it

Former 1200 owner, and I have to agree with most of the complaints here. I hated having to remove dozens of screws to clean the dust filters (which still permitted a substantial amount of dust to pass). The interior was cramped and cable management was painful. - Yeah, for so much space on the outside I don't get why everything inside is cramped

Having switched to the HAF-X with DEMCiflex Filters, the ease of installation and maintenance is night and day. - While your graphics cards aren't as large, you have a shit ton of room in there

Below shows before and after of switching from the 1200 to HAF-X. Almost the same hardwares (PSU, CPU, GPU, Mobo, etc.) were reused in both setups.

1200 Interior

HAF-X Interior

- COMPLETE night and day - JEALOUS. My next case is going to have sideways HDD's, NO contest. It's not worth trying to route the HDD cables around the graphics, SATA headers, and whatever else is there.

They have great airrflow. Yes they suck for cable management, but once you get it set its fantastic. - Until you need to clean the fans, in which case everything short of the mobo needs to come out.

Theres now plenty of cases that beat it in useability, but the airflow is still hard to match. - I just don't see it, anything with a big fan or few in the front and an exhaust in the rear will pull air similarly...I'm starting to think I'll let my components suffer in the heat for a few deg + if it means I don't have to kill myself to clean the filters

I did my own cable management cutting to improve it, but it was still lacking. - Yeah, I should have done that, but now it's too late for me to give a crap

Bottom line is I've never regretted it, but I wouldnt buy it today. - I regretted it and won't buy it today, lol. Though at the time, who knew? Especially with everybody jacking off over how fuck-awesome it was. (shrug?)

They don't have a spacing behind the motherboard tray for cable management???? - oh, yeah, they do, that's not the case at all - if you take off the back panel you have a good solid 1.5cm to route ALL your cables through the TWO (or three?) 1"x2" slots they have. Then just lay the wire cluster back and jump on the side to set it into place while somebody else puts the screws in

I had one of the first generation 900s, one with the problems attaching display cables if your graphics card used the top slot. Overall I was pleased with the case. It was a fantastic upgrade over the Antec P180 (also first generation). I still have that 900 and am currently using it as a server. I, rather foolishly, replaced it with a Cooler Master Cosmos (also first generation). The Cosmos was far easier to work with but the doors never stayed on and it was definitely a hot case. Since then I've been quite pleased with my HAF 932. I even got the additional HDD front bay and that has worked out great and I would have no problem recommending it over the 1200. - Fair enough.

I tend not to see the Antec 900/1200 recommended much anymore. They were great when they were released, with fabulous airflow and (for many) appealing looks. But, yes, they can be a pain to work with and in comparison to the latest cases with sideways mounted drives, SSD bays, and such they certainly feel their age as well. Back when the 900 came out it was one of the best midtowers you could buy. Today there are plenty of better options. - I don't get how the cases "change with age - they're not old people. Sideways mounted drives have been around in my old thermaltake and that's 7+ years old. Sideways HDD's are not a new idea. I don't get how they were good when they came out, but not good anymore. There's no ground breaking concepts on "today's" cases :-\

A note about weight. Steel cases are going to be terribly heavy but also incredibly sturdy. I know mine is nearly 20kg but I know a fair portion of that are the drives and the massive heatsink. - I only have 4 HDD's, and while my heatsink is large (zalman cooler), it's copper. The large portion of mine is the case for sure. I remember picking it up empty - the shipping weight was like 35 or 37lbs - wasn't much in the box short of Styrofoam.

I don't know. I mean, there are a lot of things that I hate about my 900, basically all of the stuff that the OP mentioned. I ended up modding it for better cable management using a dremel tool. I was able to install the HDDs backwards and hide a lot of cables that way. Ultimately it looked pretty clean. Of course, every time I need to move something it is a huge pain in the ass. I only paid $60 for it new, and it is really solidly built for the price. The air flow is nice as well.

Not that it really matters since my Xigmatek Elysium is being delivered today. -I'm really not a big aesthetics guy, I tucked it, yes, but probably wouldn't have if my friend didn't convince me to. I was just looking at it from an airflow point of view

Wanted to post a (older) photo of my 1200 case, since the above photo imo looks like a rats' nest. I've since raised the H50 radiator, put the internal fan to the middle bay, put my HDD's on the bottom bay, added one of NZXT's LED strips, and moved the gpu back to the top slot. My wiring is a little cleaner now too, but what I did back when this photo was taken is half decent at least.

My point is, if you take the the time, it's not a bad case. *BUT* it is definitely not a case you should be buying anymore. The HAF cases are good choices, or Corsair's new cases, NZXT has recently put out some admirable cases. There are just much better options that exist now. - Well I bought this 2 years ago - it's just that this post is 2 years late, lmao. I have no idea how you have so much room in yours..:-\

for airflow the 1200 is awesome. that being said i ditched mine months ago because im too damned lazy to keep undoing all the panels and screws just to clean the filters. imo it is pretty stupid the way they designed the cages. it wouldnt have been all that hard to make them user freindly and have pop out filters. i hope they wake up, as most people ( like me) went to a Coolermaster Haf-x for the ease of use. plus u get a bit more room to work in and the case just looks badass....- That's exactly what I said - Airflow...great...design? Did they even think about it?

I think he is not enough long. Hrm? I'm plenty long, man .

when I was first researching into building my first rig. my friends who I trust with pcs, pointed me to the 900. as it is not a bad case for the price and good air flow. 3 solid fans for that case

the reason why i selected Haf X is for down the road, I am going to keep the case. and also easy of removing stuff as mention above with all the screws. - This isn't my first rig, but I decided to listen to my friend since he knows more than I, lol. I will never let him forget that shit. He's happy with his 900-2, he feels the slavery-esqe labor involved with cleaning the filters is a price to pay for the air flow - I don't, lol. I tell him all the time this is the only time he's steered me wrong, lmao.

All in all it's not the end of the world, but dammit this case is going to be the death of me. I'll find a way to jam an extra (5th) drive in there. It just pissed me off about how people were jerking off over this case so hard (2 years ago, when I bought it), and I was always like "this thing SUCKS to get into" - and everybody's like "yeaaaa w000000t aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir floooooooooow" - and I'm like "you are all retarded." It finally got to me (2 years in the making), and I posted my complaints here.

I have plenty of $$ (I'm not rich or anything) that I could just drop 100 bux on a case, that's not a big deal, but at this point it's like, why bother? I guess over 2 years I've just gotten to the "I don't give a flying fuck" point. Although my Zalman cooler is a bitch to clean, I've been thinking about getting a small vac for that (infinite compressed air via electricity O.O), but who knows, that's another thing I got to get off my lazy ass and do.

So I"m happy to see people are done fapping and that people actually agree with me now, because 2 years ago, NOBODY agreed with me .

Thx for the posts, guys, appreciate your input. I'll post some pix up for reference, I forgot to upload them, so 160 photos...still uploading since I started this reply, I'll be back tomorrow or something for pix.

 

[atarione]

happily the only antec case i have ever bought was on hella clearance sale @ office depot

i don't know the model number straight off but it similar to the NSK 4482


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129071



and it is with out a doubt the biggest pos i have ever owned cable management is poor two holes for standoffs are misdrilled

just a massive pain to put the side panels back on..

having worked on friends computers with antec cases i have no idea how they are as popular as they are?? I guess because they are easy to find locally usually?

 

[DOOMHAMMA]

In regard to the repeated 2 years ago comment, there wasn't many other options at the time that were reasonably priced or better. It's that simple