Antec - Lanboy, Continued
The Lanboy is a mini-tower case, which means it might be a tight squeeze for those with a lot of peripherals. This format does provide positives, mainly in the weight of the case and the design, which features a good amount of expansion potential for such a small case.
The Lanboy’s quality of construction lives up to the Antec reputation. The edges are smooth and all of the bays are square. The Lanboy does not have a lot of twist to the case for an aluminum model, which gives it an edge over many cheap aluminum cases.
The airflow is very good for such a small case, but a lot will depend on the choice of fans and wiring. One of the keys to note with the Lanboy is that you will want to wire the case very cleanly, and may wish to go as far as using rounded IDE cables to help improve the overall airflow within the case. Of course, since it has a window, you will also want it to look nice from the outside.
The included easy-tote straps make it easy to carry the Lanboy to your local LAN party. Of course, this is the target market for this case. Due to its lightweight construction, these carrying straps really work.
Easy-tote straps are included with the Lanboy to help you easily transport the case from place to place. We played with the easy-tote straps to get an idea of how well they work and how secure they are. We are happy to report that, if used properly, they function well, but the straps must be pulled tightly and securely around the case. We didn’t notice any scratching or marks on the case from using the straps. We have heard complaints from users about wear marks on their cases from continued use of carrying straps. However, with their secure, cross-case design, these Antec straps do not appear to be a cause for concern.
The Lanboy includes front-mounted USB ports only, and the lack of a front-mounted 1394 port could be a disadvantage.
The Lanboy is a silver color, which can make paint matching difficult. Antec doesn’t suggest how you might match the faceplates of your drives with the case, but the company does seem to promote the use of black faceplate drives with this case. This may or may not be an issue, depending on how much you like the look of a black/ silver combination. The good news is that the door that covers the front of the case covers this.
Antec has addressed a new market segment with its release of the Lanboy. It is refreshing to see a company that is paying close attention to the market trends and responding by manufacturing a product that people want. We expect that the Lanboy will become a popular choice for LAN party attendees, as it provides a good balance of features for the money.
