Antec 900 or Raidmax Smilodon Extreme

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andro21

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Antec 900:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Raidmax:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078

i cant decide... i have problems with both cases.

with the antec, i dont like how the psu is at the bottom (itll be pullin air directly from the sound card), how loud it gets (even on the low setting its pretty easy to hear), and the fact that its not a toolless job.
i do love the look of the case and the fact that so many people love using it.

the raidmax has that-- although cool looking-- annoying as hell front door. how am i gonna use the usb and audio jacks without keeping the door open? cant do it. and the feet of the tower are plastic nubs, not rubber nubs or even adjustable feet.
i do love that its a toolless job AND it basically comes apart from all sides.

cost will be the same, so thats not a point. ill be running an 8800gts g92 so its gonna be cramped regardless since theyre both mid-tower. what should i do?
 
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trevorblain

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I looked at both those cases as well, and ultimately went with the Antec. The lack of a front door was a huge factor for me, as my computer doubles as my entertainment center (TV, DVDs, etc) and therefore frequently need to access my optical drives.

So here are my thoughts, and bear in mind I have very little hands on experience with the raidmax.

#1 how often are you going to be working on your hardware that having to use tools will be a hassle? If you're building the system and letting it be aside from the occassional mod or upgrade, will having to use tools really put you out?

#2 The fans in the Antec really aren't that loud, especially on the low setting. I have mine all on high because I am OCed to the hilt. But even on high, I don't consider the noise to be excessive considering what I am benefitting.

#3 I wasn't sure about the PSU being on the bottom at first. One benefit of it I have found is that it lowers the center of gravity of the system as a whole, which seems to make it feel more stable when moving it. A drawback about it, though, is that routing cables is a bit tricky and in some instances outright stupid.

#4 I don't like "flip down" side doors such as the raidmax has. I like being able to slide the door off and just get it out of my way without having to scoot other equipment away.

just my two cents.
 
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gb123

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I have a 900 and I love it. Having the powersupply on the bottom really didn't bother me at all setting it up. Just make sure your cables are long enough. As far as the fans I have them on medium and can hear them but it doesn't bother me. When I orded the case I thought about getting some silent high CFM fans also but decided to try out the stock ones first. They aren't that bad.

I would hate having a door on the front of my case.
 
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rquinn19

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I had a smilodon and went and got the 900 about a year later. the door will piss you off after so long. both are great cases though. some days i consider throwing everything back in the smilodon just for fun
 
pip_seeker

pip_seeker

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I definately would not buy a case with front door on it. The designer who thought that one up, was smoking crack and it's a stupid design for someone who never uses their computer. lol.

The antec looks pretty stylish and I really like the fact that it has the USB / firewire ports on top that would be much handier than at the base or the back of the unit.

As far as the doors go... that kinda would be a pain, but you can take the doors completely off as shown in the 5th pic from the last.

The PSU in the bottom really shouldn't be that big of a deal, having it in the top can pose the same problem with cables not long enough so that is a toss up.

With all the fans the antec has could be on the noisy side, but on the flip side of this it should keep the case really cool inside. You could cut down the noise by getting some slower fans... make sure the back and top fans blow outward.

If it's too noisy you might be able to shut the front fans off, just be sure to monitor temps inside if you do that.

I've only owned screw mounted drives, and to me that's not that big of a deal because I use drive caddies anyway and you just slip and slide them in and out. You just screw the caddies into place and thats it, I can swap drives out in the time it takes to shut down and reboot.

And if that is a big deal, there are hot swappable caddies out there too.
 
mimart7

mimart7

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I have had the Antec 900 for several months, and I am quite happy with it. My rig is quite cool. Dust is a factor, but nothing that a little canned air cannot take care of. Cable management can be a problem. I had to cut a hole near the psu to route my cables. But it is a great case.
 
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andro21

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well, the airflow would be about the same, actually... the smilodon has a 120mm fan in front and back (although it says 80 in back, its been replaced with a 120), its got 2 80's on the left side and an optional 80 on the right side, plus vents. is there a dust filter on the 900? something i can remove, wash, and replace? it does get annoying opening up a case and seeing dust everywhere.
 
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andro21

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with the smilodon, can u remove the door? i mean just completely take the front door off its hinges? i have the thermaltake armor 8000 series tower right now and i removed those stupid "armor" flaps they had... i took em right off the hinges... is that possible with the smilodon? is the door held onto the tower with screws and a hinge that comes off?
 
mimart7

mimart7

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The Antec 900 does not come with air filters. Some people will mod the the gill by using some sort of mesh, dryer sheets etc. Hth
 
wirelessfender

wirelessfender

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I was a bit concerned about the power supply on the bottom as well. But its fine, there really isn’t anything to say about it. The antec 900 moves allot of air and is very convenient. They have pre cut holes for cable routing.

DSC02876.jpg


DSC02863.jpg


As you can see I replaced the front fans with RED ones. I used the BLUE fans for the Heatsink.
 
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andro21

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i thought there was only one precut hole in there, and ive yet to see any mod pics of people using that hole... maybe theres an updated version of the tower or something with more precut holes?
i heard the disk drives, without a magnetic screwdriver, are extremely difficult to install. is there anyway to mod the case to be a toolless design? i think itd be my perfect case if it had a toolless design, the psu at the top, and another external 3.5" drive bay.
edit: how the hell did u get the blue LED lights at the bottom like that?
 
rwayne

rwayne

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The Antec 900 is a superior case in so many different ways. I don't see how you could even consider the Raidmax case. There should be no debate.

BTW...wirelessfender that is a kick a$$ rig you got!
 
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andro21

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oh... well, im not good at the modding thing... never tried and dont have any tools for the job... id love to switch out those drive bays for toolless ones and also possibly mod the case to clean up the wires... but yeah, no tools for it...
 
rwayne

rwayne

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Did you take any pictures of it? Can you post them on this thread?
 
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andro21

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it seems like no one is really choosing the raidmax smilodon extreme... i guess that front door really is a big deal for people... especially when the antec also has great cooling and is made for the modder
 
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Silverion77

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The 690 and 900 are almost exactly the same
If you debate between those you will have no clear winner.

I personally have an Antec 900 and love it. I'm considering water cooling it though, but besides amazing air cooling, this thing just cool. Some don't like it others do

Edit: The Antec 900 is basically tool less. Installing drives does require a screwdriver, but if putting in 8 measly screws are going to deter you then dont bother. Otherwise its a great case
 
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