Antec NSK1300 Review
by J. Doggett on Sep.22, 2007, under Reviews
Product: NSK1300
Reviewed by: J. Doggett
Provided by: Antec
www.antec.com
Positives:
· Quality asthetic design and layout.
· Quality construction and materials..
· Front panel LED’s
· Small dimensions (great for LAN parties).
· Easy set-up.
Negatives:
· Some larger add-in cards or coolers may not fit.
· Air flow is restricted.
Company Info:
The year was 1986. Starbucks had only a few stores. Don Johnson was actually cool. The
average PC had less memory than today’s cellphones. And in Fremont, California, a little
company named Antec was born. Antec’s first employees never imagined that their upstart
firm would rise to the very top of the high-performance computer components industry. But
rise it did. And rather swiftly, too.
So what can Antec do for you? That depends on who you are. If you’re a computer user,
and you’d like to upgrade your existing computer or build a new one yourself, we’ve got
the computer cases, power supplies, cooling fans, lighting components, and accessories
that you need.
As always Antec does a wonderful job of packaging. The NSK1300, as with the 900, came packed with the enclosure box inside another box. This is to ensure that case arrives intact and not damaged. Inside is the NSK1300, a slot cooler, rounded IDE cable, power cable and all the necessary hardware to mount HDD’s, etc.
The pictures really do not do this enclosure justice. The NSK1300 is extremely well made and Antec did a nice job on the design. It is a cross between form and functionality that make this an outstanding case. The NSK1300 would be perfect for the desk that needs all the space it can get.
Features:
• 4 Drive Bays
1 x 5.25″ External drive bay
Up to 3 x 3.5″ HDD drive bays
• Includes universal optical drive bay cover
• Flip-Up drive cage for easy drive installation
• Three-layer side panel (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) dampens system generated noise
• Thermal interface tape to dissipate heat out from HDD to the cage
• 300 Watt Power Supply with Universal Input and PFC
• Motherboard : Fits MicroATX Form Factor (9.6″ x 9.6″ or 24.5cm x 24.5cm)
• Four Expansion slots
• 2 x USB, 1x Audio In & Out
• Blue LED light on both sides of the front panel to indicate that the power is on
• Net Weight: 13.1 Ibx / 5,9 kg
• Gross Weight: 13.7 Ibs / 6,2 kg
• Dimension: 7.9″ (H) x 10.6″ (D) x 13.2″ (W)
• Box Dimension: 10″ (H) x 12.5″ (D) x 14.5″ (W)
1 x 5.25″ External drive bay
Up to 3 x 3.5″ HDD drive bays
• Includes universal optical drive bay cover
• Flip-Up drive cage for easy drive installation
• Three-layer side panel (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) dampens system generated noise
• Thermal interface tape to dissipate heat out from HDD to the cage
• 300 Watt Power Supply with Universal Input and PFC
• Motherboard : Fits MicroATX Form Factor (9.6″ x 9.6″ or 24.5cm x 24.5cm)
• Four Expansion slots
• 2 x USB, 1x Audio In & Out
• Blue LED light on both sides of the front panel to indicate that the power is on
• Net Weight: 13.1 Ibx / 5,9 kg
• Gross Weight: 13.7 Ibs / 6,2 kg
• Dimension: 7.9″ (H) x 10.6″ (D) x 13.2″ (W)
• Box Dimension: 10″ (H) x 12.5″ (D) x 14.5″ (W)
Quoted from Antec.com
Small on the outside, big on the inside
The small and compact cubic design of the NSK 1300 allows it to fit into virtually any workspace; at the same time, the inside is spacious enough for your MicroATX motherboard, up to 4 full height PCI expansion cards, and 4 drive bays. This case is so versatile that it can be used as a multimedia PC for your living room, a desktop PC for your office, or even a mobile gaming box for your next LAN party.
The small and compact cubic design of the NSK 1300 allows it to fit into virtually any workspace; at the same time, the inside is spacious enough for your MicroATX motherboard, up to 4 full height PCI expansion cards, and 4 drive bays. This case is so versatile that it can be used as a multimedia PC for your living room, a desktop PC for your office, or even a mobile gaming box for your next LAN party.
Conclusion:
First thoughts when I removed the NSK1300 from the box was, this thing is pretty heavy for its size. However when you take into account that the PSU is already installed, the weight is not bad at all. In fact this is the perfect size enclosure to throw a strap on and head to your LAN parties, or for the office area where space is critical. The NSK1300 is extremely well constructed and has an eye catching design. If you are looking for a small form enclosure (cube), with the NSK1300 being around $115 USD, you just can’t beat it.
The modding capabilities are endless, lights, windows, etching. You name it. Aside from some of the larger add-in cards or coolers not being able to fit, there is still an endless supply of aftermarket products that will fit right in. The PSU is not replaceable without a high difficulty of modding. Lets face it where there is a will, there is a way.
Even with the slot cooler in place, there may not be suitable airflow for hot CPU’s without adding some other sort of ventilation, such as a side fan. However for a standard HTPC or gaming system, the NSK1300 will work great. If you are looking to build a high end system, you will need to add some ventilation or modify to run liquid cooling.
In conclusion, the Antec NSK1300 is a great case, which is why we awarded it the Editor’s Choice. Thanks to Antec for supplying us with this review.
