Yesterday, Noctua and Antec released the Flux Pro Noctua-Edition, a case that has technically been on the market for some time. But this latest version has a few nice Noctua sprinkles added to it, including a full cadre of Noctua fans.

The release of this case marks quite a special milestone for Noctua: For each major component category that comes with a fan pre-installed from the factory, Noctua either sells one itself, or has partnered up with someone to make a “Noctua-Edition” variant of an existing product. That goes not only for this case, but also for graphics cards, a power supply, and more to come.

Noctua is the undebated industry king when it comes to quiet and effective cooling (the brand tops the list of the best PC fans we’ve tested). And now that we can build a PC packed with Noctua products (not including the motherboard, SSD, CPU, or memory, of course), we had to try out this hardware combination to see how it all works out.

For all intents and purposes, this is a ‘reference’ build, and I expect that we’ll be seeing quite a significant number of almost identical builds the coming while, albeit with slightly different component selections when it comes to the CPU and motherboard platform, memory, and storage.

Grab yourself a coffee, because there’s a lot to talk about here. This will be a longer build story than we usually feature, because let’s face it, this is essentially the endgame halo Noctua PC.

In this market, why are we building this PC at all?

As configured, this is a PC that will cost $6400 to build. It’s an outrageous amount of money for any PC, and it makes it so that very few people will be able to put together a system like this. For this reason, I want to preface this build story with a disclaimer: this is not buying advice.

This here, today, is a story, and the story I’d like to tell is what it’s like to build the Noctua-Endgame PC of 2026. This is peak PC-building luxury, and as awesome as it is, I truly cannot recommend you do this due to the cost. But what I can do, is showcase the building process, explore all the little details and easter eggs, with the best photos I can muster, so that you can live vicariously.

The Hardware Selection

For this system, I had a few options for what I could build in it. However, in the current state of the PC hardware crisis, I feel that running a monthly build with all new hardware each time at Tom’s could come across a bit gluttonous (as if this hardware selection isn’t that already).

Therefore, we decided to scale the builds back to a frequency that’s less than monthly, and thereby reduce the amount of hardware we sample for builds. We also want to re-use parts that we already have available, provided they fit the story. Of course, a few new parts would have to be used here and there – otherwise I’d just be doing the same build over and over.

Consequently, I was presented with a painful decision – not that I really had much of a choice. Now that we have a Noctua-Edition case, the final piece of the puzzle, the point is that you install as many Noctua(-Edition) components as possible, right?

The Donor PC

Recently, I built a PC I called “The Stout Owl.” This was an immense undertaking, as it involved learning a new craft, months of meticulously hand-crafting a wooden case, and housing a Noctua-themed build, which suited the wood well. To me, personally, that was absolute endgame, but not everyone is willing to spend three months building a wooden PC.

At this point, I’m quite attached to The Stout Owl. I really didn’t want to, but I took this PC apart to use its components in this current build. The job comes first, and this meant that other than the Flux Pro Noctua-Edition case, no new hardware had to be acquired for this build story.

Motherboard: Asus ProArt Z890-Creator WiFi

I decided to stick with the ProArt Z890-Creator from Asus. I’d go into tech specs, but let’s be real: Asus’ ProArt boards, with their classy black-and-gold design pair beautifully with Noctua’s colorway, so the specs aren’t the main priority here.

The whole reason Noctua exists is because the founders were growing tired of the bold and flashy ‘Gamer’ aesthetic with all the lights, and wanted something classier. This motherboard, and its AM5 counterpart, are properly-kitted high-end boards, and come with chique looks to match. (The Dutch spelling of chic is chic-er than the accepted English spelling, and I’m Dutch, so I’m using it).

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K gets a lot of flack for not being the best gaming CPU, but I actually think it’s a fantastic chip despite not offering chart-topping gaming performance.

With 8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores, the chip certainly is no slouch. Although it can run seriously hot and hungry when heavily burdened, it also runs incredibly cool and efficient when just idling. If you’re not a gamer, but you need a workhorse chip, the Intel Core Ultra chips are seriously worth considering, especially if you live in a place with high electricity costs and run the PC idling or just browsing for many hours. Though, at its price, the Core Ultra 7 265K or about-to-launch 270K promises very similar performance for a fraction of the cost. But Intel’s new chip isn’t quite available yet, so we’re using the 285K.

Again, this is not buying advice.

CPU Cooler: NH-D15 G2

The NH-D15 G2 is Noctua’s flagship CPU cooler, so naturally, it had to be installed in this system. Noctua doesn’t make a liquid cooler yet, and although one is slated for release later this year, this is the reference Noctua PC build, so I didn’t feel it was right to use another brand’s AIO and swap the fans.

The NH-D15 G2 comes with two round-frame NF-A15x25r fans with the Sx2-PPO speed offset, to ensure the fans never harmonize. With 8 heatpipes, the cooler is good for dissipating heat from even the hottest chips.

PSU: Seasonic x Noctua TX-1600 Prime

The Seasonic x Noctua Prime TX-1600 is currently the only Noctua-Edition power supply you can buy.

Usually, this power supply comes with a first-generation NF-A12x25 fan. However, for the aforementioned wooden PC build, I had modded the PSU to use a G2 fan. I decided to keep it this way for this build.

I do have to note, that this power supply, with its 1600-watt envelope, is grossly oversized for this build. Later this year, Seasonic aims to release the Prime PX Noctua-Edition series power supplies, which will come in 850-to-1200-watt envelopes. These would be much more suitable for most builds.

But they aren’t out yet, so we’re using this modded TX-1600.

Graphics Card: Asus x Noctua RTX 5080

For The Stout Owl (the wooden PC), Noctua loaned us the RTX 5080 Noctua-Edition, which also went to our GPU analyst for a full review. If you want to know all about the tech specs and specifics about performance, it’s a great read.

But after the review sample left my bench, I realized I had fallen in love with Noctua RTX 5080, especially in the wooden home I had crafted for it. So, knowing the review sample was a loaner destined tour media outlets in Europe before heading back to Noctua HQ, I went out and purchased my own RTX 5080 Noctua-Edition.

I put my money where my mouth is

I was doubtful whether I should share this part of story, but I feel it’s the ultimate form of praise for a product. The Asus x Noctua RTX 5080 is so horrendously expensive, especially in today’s market (I’m glad I purchased mine a few months ago) that unless you care for its looks, thermals, and acoustics, is almost certainly not worth it.

But in my case, it’s the only GPU I would want in my personal system, running long, quiet hours on my desk next to me. My entire room is padded in acoustic material, which was necessary for fan reviews, and I’ve recently come to learn why it is that I value silence in my workspace as much as I do.

I don’t game much at all. But rather, I use the GPU for photography (a hobby of mine that’s also a useful skill in work). My editing software of choice is DXO Photolab, and its AI denoising is quite something to behold. However, running the DeepPrime3 AI denoising on the CPU, even on a workhorse CPU such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, is dreadfully slow. It takes 15-20 seconds per image export, depending on the crop factor. And the CPU runs hot and loud even with a D15 G2, and a zoom-snippet live preview? Forget about it.

That’s where the GPU comes in. I can edit smoothly, and during export (DXO only applies the full-image denoising during export), you can quite literally hear when a photo in the queue gets handed from the CPU to the GPU – the GPU has some coil whine for a split second while it handles the denoising, and then it’s done. It then waits for the CPU to hand it the next shot, and so on. Exports are much quicker, as you’ll see later in testing.

Of course, a 5080 is total overkill for this application, but I like this graphics card. So here we are.

Memory: Team Group T-Create 48 GB (2x 24 GB) 7200-MHz CUDIMM DDR5

When building this system, the black and gold of the Team Group T-Create memory is makes it almost the de-facto choice for an all-Noctua system. I say ‘almost,’ however, because currently, this memory kit is priced at $749, which is outrageously expensive. Of course, the high price here isn’t limited just to this kit.

Storage: Two 2 TB SSDs, one from Kingston, one from Team-Group

For storage, I used a 2 TB Kingston Renegade G5 PCIe 5.0 SSD as the main system drive, with the Team Group T-Create C47 series Classic 2TB PCIe 4.0 drive for additional capacity.

Parts list

*Case not included. MSRP is $399. Grand Total then comes to $6,400.

Inspecting the ‘old’ donor hardware

After disassembling the PC, I decided to have a look at the motherboard and the installed components. The Team-Group SSD was having some performance issues, and with the GPU out of the way, I could open up the slot and see that the entire surface wasn’t quite mating properly with the thermal pad.

As such, I moved one of the thermal pads from the empty slots and added it, which resolved the performance issues I was having.

I left the CPU happily in its socket, along with the mounting bracket, but did remove the CPU cooler’s heatsink to give it a fresh dab of thermal paste later. This wasn’t really necessary, but any time spent doing this was more time saved throughout the build now that the massive NH-D15 G2 wasn’t in the way.

I also removed one of the T-Create 48 GB memory kits. 96 GB of DDR5-7200 is complete overkill for most use cases, and the last thing I wanted to do at this point was have to list a total system cost of over $7,000.

Then, I installed the motherboard in the case. Because the central standoff has a small nub at its tip, you can actually support the full weight of the motherboard, unsecured, without having to flip the case on its side.

I’m glad this is a feature included with most cases nowadays, as especially with a large case like this – it’s tiresome to flip it on its side if it can be avoided. What’s even more impressive is that this still works with this motherboard – the ProArt Z890-Creator is built with a lot of very heavy heatsinks, and it is without a doubt the heaviest ATX motherboard I’ve ever handled.

Installing the modded TX-1600 Prime Noctua-Edition

Next, I decided to install the PSU and do the cable management before installing the fans. Generally speaking, I lean more towards small cases as personal preference. But with a case this big, I suddenly had tons of freedom of movement – it really doesn’t matter what you do first, or last with the Antec Flux Pro Noctua-Edition– you can pretty much get to anything at any point. I like smaller cases, but this is nice!

The PSU we’re using is the Seasonic Prime TX-1600 Noctua-Edition, and being a unit from the wooden PC mentioned earlier, this one is modded to feature an NF-A12x25 G2 fan, instead of the stock G1 fan that comes installed from the factory.

For the PSU install, I did run into a few issues. Naturally, the TX-1600 Noctua Edition doesn’t fit sideways, as one of the mounting options this case presents. It’s too long for that, and even if it could, the 1600-watt power envelope means it comes with a rarely-used, beefier connector to deal with the amperage – and the Flux Pro Noctua-Edition does not have a matching rerouting cable.

However, what did surprise me is that it’s also not possible to mount the PSU upside-down, with the fan facing upwards. Of course, most of us won’t do that, but the TX-1600’s manual specifically states that the semi-passive fan-mode on the PSU should only be used when the fan is facing up, so that any heat generated can leave passively by means of convection.

Normally, this isn’t something I’d complain about. In fact, I’m not really complaining. But for a Noctua power supply, in a Noctua case, this is a little bit puzzling. The only reason I can think of, other than it being a core part of the Flux Pro design and not really being up to Noctua to change, is that if the fan were to face upwards, paired with having fans installed that blow air towards the GPU – they would fight each other when the PSU is under load and cause cooling issues in the power supply – so Antec may have intentionally locked us out from such a mounting option as a precautionary measure.

However, I don’t think that this Noctua-Edition case is meant to be used in combination with this Noctua-Edition power supply, but more on that later.

First Round of Cable Management

Generally, cable management is something I take care of at the end of a build. Despite the oceans of space, I figured the fans, CPU cooler, and GPU would just get in the way, so I took the opportunity to get a large chunk of it done early.

With easy access to everything, cable management was a dream. Antec has really done wonders behind the motherboard tray, with tons of space, cable guides, Velcro straps, and a few complimentary zipties.

The cable lengths of the Prime TX-1600 Noctua-Edition are also a perfect match, and boy, is the braiding lovely.

Installing the fans

For the fans, Noctua has done something quite special: They do not come pre-installed. Instead, they arrive in their own ‘Fan Kit’ box. The primary reason for this is that the rubber fan mounts are not suitable for holding the fans in the case during transport. But it does feel quite special to open the box and witness all six fans neatly laid out.

Installing the fans is also fun. This is like that expensive Lego kit you’ve always wanted – sure, they could assemble it in the factory, but it’s more fun to do it yourself.

What’s more, even though the spec sheet says the case comes with 6 fans, there’s actually a little seventh easter egg fan hidden somewhere. I’m not going to spoil this one in writing, but can you spot it in the photos somewhere?

I installed the rubber fasteners first as per the instructions, and then popped the fans into place.

The fan kit consists solely of Sx2-PP fans, and Noctua clearly states which fan has to be placed where, and in which direction you should route the connector cable.

Do so, and the cables end up in exactly the correct location to hook up to the pre-installed cable extensions that lead to the fan hub.

The fan hub has a magnetic backing, so it’s easy to move around, not that it was necessary.

Calling it a night, for now

I work in a studio with studio lights and accent lighting, but the build was looking fabulous at this point. I wrapped up the night by cutting the ends off the rubber fan fasteners, installed the heatsink, set the scene a little, and took my last photo of the day.

I had finished working for now, but kept walking back to look at the workpiece. It was at this moment that I started to understand the appeal of this method of an ‘all-Noctua’ build.

Mounting the CPU Cooler

The day prior, I had already mounted the CPU cooler, simply because I wanted to see what the heatsink would look like in the system before calling it a night. Especially without the fans installed on it, it really looks like a work of art, even if it’s ‘just’ a heatsink.

For installation, we note which direction is longer – the cooler is asymmetrical, and whereas the bottom side leaves clearance for the GPU, a big chunk of its mass extends to the same height as the very top edge of an ATX motherboard. The rear fin stack is also thicker than the front stack.

With the tower in place, I installed the two NF-A15x25r fans, placing the faster spinning of the two at the front.

It’s a known phenomenon in the world of PC cooling (and fans in general) that an impeller becomes notably louder when installed behind an object, so the slower fan gets installed in the middle for a quieter sound profile.

Installing the Asus x Noctua RTX 5080

The Asus x Noctua RTX 5080 is a behemoth of a graphics card, yet it fits in this case just fine. It even has room to spare.

Installation of the GPU is as simple as can be: remove two expansion slot covers, install the GPU, pop the anti-sag riser in place, and connect the power cable.

Do be sure to insert the power cable fully though – these cables can be finicky, and if not inserted properly, increase the chance of melting. So, we pay extra attention and make sure the clip is in its fastened position.

Strangely, this power supply doesn’t come with cable combs for the GPU power cable, but it does come with all others. I still had some laying around though. I’m allowed to use those, right?

Final Cable Management

With the build near completion, it was time for a final round of cable management. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I really like the cable management in this case.

Build complete

With that, I popped the side panels on, and the build was complete.

A personal disclaimer

It may come as no surprise if you’ve read this far, but I really quite like Noctua. I know they say “keep yourself unbiased” in the world of journalism, but the truth is, Noctua just makes great stuff.

I also adore the Noctua colorway. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it falls precisely in my tastes – my wooden floor at home is nearly the same shade beige as the fan frames, and most of my furniture is a similar shade of brown, many with the same slight reddish hue.

Top that with the ultimate silence, refined (zero) motor noise, no shouty ‘Gamer’ looks, outstanding warranty, support, and free bracket updates for legacy coolers – I wouldn’t want to live in a world without Noctua.

With that confession out of the way, let’s carry on.

Naturally, the memory runs on the XMP-II profile so that it reaches the full 7200 MHz. Additionally, we cranked the power target of the RTX 5080 all the way up to the maximum permitted 125%, and raised the Boost Clock setting from 2700 MHz default to 3000 MHz. We could squeeze more out, but this is just fine.

The Fan Curve

For the fan curve, Noctua offers a JSON file you can import into Fan Control, available for download here with a full explanation. We decided to download this fan curve and use the quietest of the three presets, but we did make a couple changes.

By default, the curve sets up a virtual sensor that combines data from the CPU and GPU, and links this to the fan curve. However, this meant that we couldn’t quite apply the fan curve to all devices.

For the case fans, it works very well. But I also wanted to use the exact same curve on the CPU cooler and the GPU. So, I duplicated the quiet profile twice, and linked one of them to the GPU’s core temperature, and another to the CPU’s package temperature reading.

The curve has a hysteresis of 5% / 5 seconds, which ensures the fans don’t ramp up or down in speed too quickly upon brief temperature spikes. This keeps the system running calm and consistent.

It’s worth noting that when using Fan Control, you do have to disable other software that may control the fans. Because the Flux Pro has a little display for the CPU and GPU temperatures, you also need to have Antec’s iUnity installed, but it’s important to remember to turn its fan control feature off. I didn’t at first, and kept wondering why Fan Control wasn’t behaving right.

Test Results

Under light browsing, the system barely consumes more than 100 watts. In fact, when not doing anything at all, it hovers around 97, but for a fair test I measure over the course of 5 minutes doing basic desktop things like web browsing, chatting, and writing this document.

Exporting photos loads up the CPU nicely, and gives the GPU some work too. All remains incredibly quiet, barely increasing in noise level over the noise floor of the room.

3DMark Speedway and Cyberpunk 2077 are much more real-life loads that balance a burden on both the CPU and GPU. Power consumption for these two tests hovers around 500 watts, and noise levels remain whisper quiet. The fans do come in a little bit, and there is a smidgeon of coil whine from the GPU, but it’s not nearly as audible as in the open-air PC I borrowed the GPU from.

For the synthetic workload, I’ve changed to using Furmark together with its built-in CPU burner, as I found that Prime95 sometimes lead to inconsistencies when running at the same time as Furmark – it would hog too many resources, and Furmark’s built-in CPU burner seems to ensure the GPU’s workload remains unaffected.

With that tool, power consumption raises to a staggering 827 watts, which is significantly more than any real-world workload would ever place on the system. The PC was also no longer quiet at this point.

Lastly, with all the fans on full speed, the GPU runs almost 10 degrees cooler, but the noise penalty simply isn’t worth it.

I Forget I’m heating the Room

Now, what I’m about to say is going to sound ridiculous, but bear with me. When I’m writing, I can end up sitting still at my desk for hours. Gaming, in that respect, is far more active, but when writing, I get cold.

When I’m in the type of flow that has me walking around the house, I’ll just turn on the central heating that runs on gas. But gas has become quite expensive in the Netherlands, so what I’ll sometimes do is simply run Furmark to heat up only the room to save money.

With past systems, this would be a bit intrusive, but with this Noctua system, especially in the Flux Pro where I can barely hear the coil whine anymore, something quite funny has been happening: I forget Furmark is running in the background.

I’m not kidding – I’ve once had Furmark run for 17 hours straight, when I only wanted a bit of heat in the morning. I was at my desk most of the day, and at some point, late in the evening, it was getting too warm in the room. I looked at my taskbar to close all my apps for the night, and that’s when I realized, I’d left Furmark going all day, minimized – and I hadn’t noticed.

The Reference Noctua-Edition PC Building Experience

Building a PC using Noctua parts wherever possible, down to things like the case, graphics card, and power supply, is an experience to remember.

This is about the “purest” Noctua PC you can build. With Noctua’s own flagship CPU cooler, the only Noctua-Edition case that currently exists, the most recent Noctua-Edition graphics card, the only Noctua-Edition PSU currently on the market, and a matching motherboard and memory kit – this is pretty much “The Reference Noctua-Edition PC,” and you can now buy all parts off the shelf and complete the build within a day. Sure, it took me two days, but I was writing and staging photos.

No Stone Left Unturned

These were all top-notch components to begin with, and the Antec Flux Pro Noctua-Edition’s touches truly elevate the building experience to a new level. Noctua paid attention to everything, down to things like the soft-grip torx screwdriver that comes with the D15 G2, the neatly arranged fans that you get to install yourself, the all metal Noctua badge, the easter-egg seventh fan, the braided cables that come with the PSU, the beautiful walnut on the Flux Pro… I could go on.

Even the manuals are beautifully made, clear, and printed on thick, high-quality semi-gloss paper – and they’re the same kind of paper for all Noctua and Noctua-Edition products, including those from different partners. It’s an attention to detail that, while few might notice it, makes for a more cohesive, enjoyable experience.

The anti-sag pillar for the GPU too – even that little thing has a fantastic, fine-particle anodized finish, and it just so happens that its height, in the shortest setting, precisely matches up when leaning on the rubber corner of an A12x25 G2 fan in this specific case. Coincidence? I think not.

If that’s not enough, Noctua has even made a fan curve specifically for use with this system that you can download and install into Fan Control, which we used for this build.

The attention to detail in every aspect is staggering, and it’s in a moment like this that I can finally understand why Noctua has taken so long to release all these products: micro-details included in products released quite some time ago match up perfectly with releases from these new partnerships.

All that said, as noted earlier, the TX-1600 installation issues fly in the face of all this talk of detail and synergy. But that’s likely why Noctua picked Seasonic’s PX series to build the next series of Noctua-Edition power supplies.

Not all is perfect: What’s the deal with the cheap metal panels?

I’m someone that remembers Antec from the P180 series cases. These ran from 2005 to 2010 or so, and they had some fantastic acoustic features, such as triple-layer side panels with brushed aluminum outsides, airflow labyrinths for noise-reduction, and very squishy mounting mechanisms for hard drives.

Flash forward to 2026 and this thin sheet-metal panel on the Flux Pro Noctua Edition: Is that really the best Antec has to offer?

That’s not a cherry on top of the cake, but more like pouring hot tarmac over a patisserie’s red velvet.

Admittedly, because of this I had some mixed feelings about the Flux Pro Noctua-Edition when I started. Despite being a special-edition of Antec’s flagship case, it still fell for a trap that I feel should be banished from flagship, high-end cases: undampened, thin sheet metal panels.

Yes, there’s a beautiful glass panel with a light, tasteful tint. The case also has a touch of truly well-cut, tidily-lasered, sanded, and lacquered piece of fine American walnut.

But, that only makes me more upset that the other panels and meshes are made of the same thin, tinny-sounding sheet metal as we find on $60 cases. This is like making the interior of a car as luxurious as a BMW, and then giving it the body panels of a Yaris, and putting the BMW badge on it.

You’re not sneaky, Antec. I can see exactly what you’re doing.

At least slap two strips of Butyl rubber on the inside. It’s what car makers do. Sure, it won’t make it look any better, but it will feel a lot more luxurious to handle. Seriously, self-adhesive butyl rubber costs effectively nothing, adds almost zero production complexity, and fundamentally changes the way sheet metal feels. Maybe not for the standard version of the Flux Pro, but for a Noctua-Edition case, it’s the least I would expect.

Of course, anodized aluminum would take my absolute preference, but in a case this big, it would certainly double (if not triple) the price to recoup the production costs, so I do understand that this was not an option.

Once the panels come off, the magic happens

Despite this criticism on the panels, I do understand why Noctua went with Antec for the Flux Pro as the collaboration for their first-ever Noctua-Edition case.

It has been quite a long time since I built a PC in a large E-ATX case, and the inner workings of this case are incredibly well thought-out.

I’ve also never really liked the NH-D15 much. Its technical prowess is undebatable. But the way it looks – it’s too big, and the unmatching round-frame fans leave it with unclear boundaries. For how cohesive everything Noctua looks, the D15 never really made sense to me. I’ve been begging Noctua to release the mythical NH-D12 G2, but alas.

Yet, installed in the Flux Pro, and I suddenly understand its appeal. Behind the glass panel, above the Noctua graphics card, the NH-D15 G2 sits there, looking right at home. Even the big waft of empty space above it where you could mount a radiator doesn’t bother me – in fact, it makes sense: It’s breathing space.

So, Should you build this PC?

Leaving the Intel versus AMD debate out of the equation, now that Antec’s Flux Pro Noctua-Edition is on the market, this is the obvious selection of components for a top-end Noctua-themed build. However, it’s about as un-creative as you could get when picking out a PC.

I started this build series at Tom’s Hardware with the aim of “inspiring creativity.” This build is arguably the least-creative assembly I’ve done in a very long time. Possibly ever.

This build is the equivalent of buying the Lego Bugatti kit. It’s premium; all the parts come organized in tidy little bags; the manual is beautiful and tells you precisely what to do; and as long as you follow the instructions, you’ll end up with a beautiful end product. Just like that other guy who got it before you, and the next guy in line will too.

It’s classy. It’s brown, beige, and has walnut wood. It’s quiet. This case paired with the component selection make for an ocean of high quality. The system is also fast, and it’s a sublime experience to build and live with.

But creative? That, it is not. Noctua and its partners have taken care of that part for you, which makes things feel a bit generic.

Yet, at the same time, this is one of the most enjoyable builds I’ve done in a long time. The way that Noctua has cherry-picked its partners for Noctua-Edition gear has clearly been incredibly strategic, and it shows in the entire building process. The parts all came out at different times, and ship in separate boxes, but they may as well have all come together in one big box named “The Noctua PC (2026, intel)” as a DIY kit.

This is the most cohesive PC build I’ve ever put together, refined in almost every way imaginable.

If you’ve got the money to throw at this and it fits your tastes and decor, I can safely say that you’ll enjoy the build process and end product. But it’s a lot of money, and if I was presented with the decision to build either this, or something else with $6,400 to spend… well, you know my answer.

Parts list

*Case not included. MSRP is $399. Grand Total then comes to $6,400.

Austrian PC cooling expert Noctua has just shared a teaser for its upcoming PC case. While there are no concrete details, the teaser image shared on X gives a glimpse of the front I/O positioned at the top of the case. Looking at the layout, it is safe to assume that this could be the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition case first showcased at Computex 2025.

Based on the Antec Flux Pro chassis, the special edition case comes in Noctua’s traditional brown color scheme with a wood trim at the front. It also comes with four Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 and two NF-A12x25 G2 fans, along with the NA-FH1 fan hub for controlling fan speeds. According to the company the case has gone through extensive laboratory testing to optimize cooling performance and reduce noise levels compared to the case's standard fan setup.

The rest of the features should be identical to the standard Antec Flux Pro full tower case offering a multi-directional vent design allowing for vertical and horizontal airflow. There is a dedicated compartment for the power supply unit at the bottom with proper mesh ventilation and support for up to 180mm PSUs in length. The iSHIFT PSU mount allows you to install the power supply facing the side of the case giving easier access to the cables.

In terms of fan support, it can accommodate up to 12 fans with three 120mm or 140mm fans at the front, top, and above the power supply shroud along with additional mounting options for two 120mm or 140mm fans at the bottom and one in the rear. There’s even enough room to accommodate radiators of up to 420mm in length. For dust filtration the front and bottom panels come with a 1.2mm fine mesh and there’s even a small LED display to showcase CPU and GPU temperatures. Apart from the power and reset buttons, the front I/O comes with two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a USB Type-C 10Gbps port, a headphone/mic combo jack and a dedicated button to toggle the temperature LED display.

The Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition was expected to launch late last year but seems that the two companies are finally ready to launch the case. Considering the original Antec Flux Pro is selling for about $180, we expect the Noctua edition to be priced at least $250 or above.

Antec has previously announced its new Vortex View AIO cooler, which comes with three fans and a 360mm radiator. But what makes it bonkers is that it comes with a 5-inch display that rotates 360 degrees. The company said that it will display this innovative take on the AIO at Computex 2025, and the Tom’s Hardware team dropped by the booth to check it out.

At the booth, we saw how Antec mounted the IPS panel — attached to a short rod connected directly to the water block via a ball joint. This allows you to place the screen right-side-up, no matter how you mount it on your CPU and how you place it on your desk.

It even gives you the option to place it either horizontally or vertically, catering to every preference. The screen’s mounting method also gives you some limited swivel, meaning you can make the screen face towards you, even if you place your PC case to the side of your monitor, above your head, or even under your desk.

You can use the built-in 5-inch IPS panel to display your PC’s stats and performance metrics, but the demo in the Antec booth also shows it being used as a tiny monitor playing a YouTube video. The screen itself is powered via USB 3.0, with a power and data cable connected directly to the water block, so this will be an additional cable management challenge.

Nevertheless, the flexibility of this relatively massive screen will be more than worth the effort, especially as it’s about as large as some old smartphone screens. The IPS display also features LED lights at the back, lighting up the rest of your motherboard components.

Antec recently launched its next version of a computer case, bringing the elegance of wood to the DIY computer market. The latest additions to its Flux mid-size tower case lineup offer transparent sides and wood-trimmed front panel frames. The case supports rear-mounted motherboards and various ways to keep your PC running cool.

The Flux case offers ventilation holes on all five panels except the rear. Air intakes at the bottom, within the power supply compartment, and on the lower sides help bring in cool air. The case has five preinstalled fans, including three P12 fans at the front, one P14 fan at the rear, and a P12 reverse-blade fan just above the bottom power supply compartment.

These and any additional fans you install work together to offer an optimal airflow pattern to remove heat from your hardware. The case also includes a built-in ARGB and PWM fan control hub to work with your motherboard to control lighting effects and fan speeds.

Those who prefer water-cooling their PCs can install top and front 360mm radiators. For more extreme cooling, you can install a front 420mm push-pull radiator along with a top 280mm radiator. The top cooling bracket detaches easily, allowing you to mount the fans and radiator first, then reinstall the cooling bracket into the case.

The case supports mini-ITX, micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX, and rear-inserted motherboards. To help with cable management, the case provides cable tie anchor points and hook-and-loop closure straps. It also supports vertical-mount GPUs with an included bracket, and fully open PCI slot covers that can be removed to install your graphics card vertically.

The case also has a top I/O panel that supports one USB-C port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a headphone and microphone combo jack. It comes with dust plugs that can be inserted into any unused ports.

Antec offers the Flux case in two color options. The first is a black case with walnut trim. A second option, featuring white colors with birch trim, was not included in the announcement but showcased on Antec’s website.

While Antec has not announced U.S. pricing, the case is selling in China for 399 yuan ($55.17). Other options in Antec’s Flux lineup, which don’t include wood trim, sell on Amazon for $69.95 to $79.99.

Antec has entered a partnership with handheld console maker Ayaneo, and is nearly ready to launch its first product under the name 'Core HS.' In short, it's the Ayaneo Slide under a different name, a design that features a sliding screen with up to 30-degree tilt, an integrated keyboard with RGB backlighting, and the eight-core, sixteen-thread AMD Ryzen 7 7840U that's been featured in many handhelds since December of last year. 

Antec's first handheld console with a keyboard and floating screen should be available in the European and North American markets in June and July, according to the source. These units will be priced between $600 and $900 USD, and ship with Windows 11. Antec didn't reveal the configuration it's offering, but the Ayaneo Slide lists the official pricing for its base configuration at $899 USD and the highest-spec version at $1,599 USD. Perhaps Antec will be selling two or maybe three configurations Ayaneo offers. 

The Ayaneo Slide raised $327,149 from 347 backers via Indegogo earlier this year. The website shows it is still in the 'concept' stages. It's likely the Antec Core HS would have some (if not all accessories) such as the storage bag. Ayaneo is known to release a plethora of mini PCs and handhelds, including the newly announced Air 1S, which will use the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U CPU.

With the recognition of both brands and the help of Antec's global distribution and retail presence, Ayaneo handhelds should be more accessible for purchase all over the world. Currently, the Slide and other Ayaneo models can only be purchased from its website and via crowdfunding websites it conducts for certain models. The partnership should also make it easier to claim warranty support and not incur customs charges once it's made available locally.

Will this handheld console be a profitable venture for Antec?

Business-wise, this should help Antec's revenue, as the company had a quarter revenue decline of 6.25% and a 3.71% loss annually. In the global PC market, it is only in the past quarter that we get to see companies slowly returning to pre-COVID level revenues. Entering a handheld market in many regions with a manufacturer like Ayaneo might help Antec venture towards new business models while achieving a certain degree of financial success. That said, recovering from the quarter and annual loss will likely require more than a single partner product offering.

Despite competing in the handheld market against Asus ROG Ally X, MSI Claw, Steam Deck and a few others, Ayaneo does bring something new to the table with its designs and configuration options.

If this venture is profitable, it may encourage Antec and Ayaneo to introduce more models. It would be interesting to see if Antec or any other player would like to sell Ayaneo's nostalgia-infused mini PC lineups to a larger market, giving potential competition to mini PCs like Asus NUC and a few others that sell globally.

International IT solution provider Advantech has revealed AMD's unannounced Ryzen 5000 Embedded processors. The Zen 3 chips, which carry the "E" suffix, come in an embedded form factor and are an offshoot of the main Ryzen 5000 (Vermeer) family.

AMD launched the Ryzen Embedded V2000 lineup two years ago. The chipmaker recently expanded its offering with the Ryzen Embedded R2000 series in June. However, the Ryzen 9 5950E, Ryzen 9 5900E, Ryzen 7 5800E, and Ryzen 5 5600E are different breeds. The quartet of Ryzen chips is embedded variants of their desktop counterparts, wielding the mighty Zen 3 cores. So first, AMD had to surgically tweak the Ryzen 5000 Embedded lineup, probably to adapt the Zen 3 chips to embedded applications.

AMD's compromises included disabling cores on some models and lowering the base clock speeds in others. It's uncertain if AMD also hobbled the boost clocks on the Ryzen 5000 Embedded parts, though. Unfortunately, Advantech's specification sheet for its AIM-522 motherboard (via HXL) doesn't expose the boost clock speeds. However, the document does confirm that the embedded SKUs retain the same cache configuration and TDP ratings of the vanilla Ryzen 5000 chips.

AMD Ryzen 5000 Embedded Specifications

The Ryzen 9 5950E loses four Zen 3 cores compared to the mainstream Ryzen 9 5950X. However, the clock speed remains intact at 3.4 GHz. On the other hand, the Ryzen 9 5900E didn't suffer a huge loss. The processor sticks to a 10-core, 20-thread configuration, only two cores less than the Ryzen 9 5900X. However, the Ryzen 9 5900E preserves the 3.7 GHz base clock.

On the contrary, the Ryzen 7 5800E and Ryzen 5 5600E came out almost unharmed. The processors got to keep their eight-core, 16-thread and hexa-core, 12-thread configurations as the Ryzen 7 5800X and Ryzen 5 5600X, respectively. From the available information, the only sacrifice seems to be the 100 MHz lower base clock. In the case of the Ryzen 7 5800E, the chip eve flaunts a 5W lower TDP compared to the Ryzen 7 5800X.

AMD is about to introduce the company's latest Zen 4 processors on the new AM5 socket to the market. Nonetheless, the chipmaker's commitment to the AM4 socket isn't over yet. Although the AM4 socket is a bit long in the tooth, AMD CEO and President Dr. Lisa Su has stated that "Lisa said that "AM4 is a great platform that will continue for many years to come." Therefore, it's not shocking to see new Ryzen chips flood the different markets, such as the Ryzen 5000 Embedded processors we've seen today.

Antec used to be one of the world’s great PC case makers, but in 2021 they’re no longer on the forefront of the chassis industry. They’re still a presence, but rather than focusing on premium, silence-focused cases, the company seems to have somewhat lost track of what it’s trying to accomplish.

But not with the P82 Silent – this new chassis might not be a premium offering, but it is a case that focuses on acoustics, paired with a pleasantly simple design. Is it good enough for our Best PC Cases list? Read on for the full details, but if you’re after a quiet, non-flashy build and don’t want to spend more than $60, the P82 is tough to beat.

Specifications

Features

Touring around the outside of the chassis, there’s really nothing exciting going on. The case is clad in painted steel panels, with no tempered glass to be found anywhere. Nor is there RGB, or any other fancy design elements.

The most aggressive element is at the top of the chassis, where you can spot the intake grille for air, which stretches down the right side of the front panel and the bottom. Also, notice that there is no top exhaust, as this would be a noise leak. The front panel is also shut on the left, again, shielding the user from noise.

Front IO is placed on the left of the front panel, along a piano black trim piece, featuring two USB 3.0 ports and discrete headphone and mic jacks. There’s no USB Type-C here, but that’s alright, given the case sells for less than $70. Below the IO you’ll spot controls for a three-speed fan controller, though it has to be said, its action is quite sludgy – heavy, and very cheap feeling.

Internal Layout

Turn to the interior of the case and you’ll again find very little worth calling otu. There’s room for an ATX board, big graphics cards, and along the reverse side a big power supply and a handful of drives.

There’s not a ton of space for cable management, nor a lots of cutouts for cable tie points – but this is clearly a case meant for simpler systems so chances are you won’t care.

What is nice to see here is the acoustic padding on the side panels. It’s not the thickest or heaviest, but should be adequate enough to absorb some high-frequency noises if the damping performance of the P10 Flux is anything to go by. Again, the days of tank-heavy Antec ‘Performance’ series cases with triple-layer side panels are over.

Cooling

For cooling, Antec provides three 120mm fans – two in the front and one as exhaust. A magnetic air filter is also provided, though it looks restrictive so I’m curious what cooling performance will be like. especially with the closed front panel. You won’t be able to mount a radiator at the top of this case, but up to a thin 360mm unit will fit at the front.

We are using the following system for our case test bed:

Motherboard Installation

To start the build, I first tossed the motherboard in with all its components, including the CPU, memory, and SSD pre-installed.

As a spacious ATX case, this went swiftly and without issue, though the three rightmost standoffs were not pre-installed, nor was there an anchoring standoff, so I did have to install those and lay the case on its side to get the motherboard in safely. The case does come with these extra standoffs in its screw baggy, but it doesn’t include a standoff installation tool – a small point of improvement for Antec: either give us the tool, or pre-install all the standoffs for us.

Of course, you can just twist them in by hand, but in my experience they don’t end up tight enough and when time to remove the motherboard comes, they come out with the screw and you’ll annoyingly have to use pliers and a screwdriver to get the screw-standoff off the motherboard post-de-installation.

GPU Installation

Installing the GPU also went easily, though I wasn’t a fan of the cover plate next to the IO. It slides off to the side, but it needs to be removed to get the GPU installed, as its top thumbscrew blocks access to the IO fastener. Not a major complaint, but an unnecessary complication.

After this, our large Corsair HX750i power supply slipped right into place, and we proceeded to do up all the cabling.

Cable management

Cable management is fine in the Antec P82 Silent. It’s not stunning, but it’s not terrible either. There’s enough space for simple systems. There’s no lavish amounts of space, no fancy Velcro… all you get are five zip ties thrown in the box and the odd tie-wrap in the chassis, but in all honesty, it doesn’t really matter.

The types of systems that will be built in this case won’t call for cable management excellence – there won’t be many cables, which makes it easy to just whack the side panel on without really giving it much care. So that’s what I did, and it worked.

Fun Little Extras

The P82 Silent comes with rubber front IO covers and two extra expansion slot covers in its accessory box. Who will use these, especially the expansion slot covers, is beyond me, but they’re there, in case you find the 8th and 9th expansion slots somewhere.

Build Complete

With that, the build was complete, and it was time for a snack.

For thermal and acoustic testing, we are using the following software & settings:

Test Results

The three included fans might not be PWM models, but they offer an interesting RPM range: roughly 300 to 1000 RPM. That’s surprisingly low on the low-end for a DC fan, and 1000 RPM at the top end offers enough performance with pleasant acoustics.

Acoustic Results

For our acoustic tests, we run three scenarios: CPU full load, CPU and GPU full load, and an optimized idle. The CPU Full Load test runs the CPU and case fans at their maximum speed. For the CPU and GPU full load acoustic test we add the Nvidia RTX 2070 Super FE at 75% fan speed, because in practice it never runs at 100 percent and is far too loud when it does.

For the optimized idle, we run the GPU fan speed at 40 percent (the 2070 Super FE GPU does not have a Zero-RPM mode), and run the CPU and included case fans at the lowest speed they will spin at.

The acoustics of this case, which are surprising. Of course, this case does have ‘Silent’ slapped into its name, but I didn’t expect a chassis that offered performance that’s this much quieter than the competition. Of course, the majority of cases tested were mesh cases, so it’s not exactly a valid comparison, but even battling against be quiet!’s Silent Base 802 with its silent panel on, the Antec P82 Silent puts down a significantly better acoustic performance. The 1000 RPM fans help of course, but if you look at the damping qualities, Antec also gets something right with its foam as it’s able to keep the noise from the loud Founder’s Edition RTX 2070 at bay quite well. The foam is also in the P10 Flux, though that case came with much worse fans, placing it near the bottom of our chart, despite offering good damping qualities.

All that said, idle noise levels leave a bit to be desired. Even at 300 RPM, the fans do emit a bit of bearing noise, so for a silence-focused case, I was a little saddened not to be able to push it to inaudible levels under normal desktop use.

Thermal Results

For the thermal tests, all case and CPU fan speeds are set to 100 percent. The i9-9900K is pegged at a 4.6GHz clock at 1.1v on all cores to ensure consistent power consumption across test scenarios, and letting the GPU run at 75 percent fan speed enables it to maintain its power target while maintaining one set reasonable fan speed, so that the temperature is the only variable.

Of course, with acoustics like these, we had expected thermals to suffer, but they didn’t. Results had the P82 Silent pegged right around the middle of our charts, not offering the best performance, but I’ve tested many cases that performed significantly worse.

Of course, normally with a case like this I’d say something like ‘most people don’t throw a 9900K and hot GPU at a case like this,’ in an effort to justify warmer thermals – but not this time – go ahead, throw that high-TDP GPU in here. It’ll be fine.

Conclusion

All things considered, I actually quite like the Antec P82 Silent. It’s a simple chassis, stepping back to the barebones necessities, and I appreciate that about it. It performs beyond expectations, is pleasant enough to build in, doesn’t cost much at about $60, and doesn’t draw unnecessary attention to itself.

I only have two real complaints: at idle, the fans still make a bit more bearing noise than I’d like, and there’s a bit of fiddling necessary with the fasteners – a third of the standoffs don’t come pre-installed, which would be fine if Antec provided the tool to do it properly, but alas it doesn’t. The side panel thumbscrews aren’t held in when undone. And the sliding expansion slot cover plate? Its thumbscrew gets in the way of a fastener required to fix the GPU in place. Of course, these are minor complaints in the grand scheme of things, but I have to complain about something, right? Besides, these things interrupt a build flow, which is a bummer when so many other case makers, including Antec itself, get these kinds of basics right, at least most of the time.

But don’t let that stop you from considering the P82 Silent. It’s a great simple chassis for understated systems, offering extremely good acoustics paired with surprisingly decent thermals. The P82 Silent is literally just a case, about as unexciting as they get, but sometimes that’s exactly what you’re after.

If you’ve been following the PC space for a decade or more, you probably remember Antec for making a few boring, but high-quality silence-focused cases like the P180 series with their triple-layered side panels for extremely quiet acoustics. But the truth is, that Antec doesn’t exist anymore. The company hasn’t made a case like that in a long time, and while I understand that there just isn’t a big market for it anymore, especially with the abundance of quiet components to begin with, part of me is still sentimental for the old Antec.

But Antec is still kicking, and its new P10 Flux shows that the company still has what it takes to keep up, even if it does so somewhat unconventionally by today’s standards. This is a chassis that offers simplicity, a lovely fridge aesthetic and great performance, all at a better value than before. The P10 Flux has an MSRP of $80, but we’ve regularly seen it selling for as low as $65.

So, without further ado, let's find out of the Antec P10 Flux performs well, and whether it’s suitable for a spot on our Best PC Cases list.

Specifications

Features

Indeed, the P10 Flux is a silence-focused case, and as such it comes with five fans and tons of damping material. Opening up the top for a radiator would just create a big hole for noise to leak out – so the top is closed and lined with damping material. And not just the top -- the side panels and the inside of the front door are closed as well.

Touring around the outside of the Antec P10 Flux, you’ll spot that there’s very little going on here. There are no tempered glass side panels, nor is there a radiator exhaust at the top of the case. Of course, this is all for good reason – silence – but the end result is a system that does look a bit like a household appliance.

In fact, the front door doesn’t really serve much of a purpose other than noise damping. There’s plenty of clearance on the sides for air to flow through, and yeah it hides the optical drive bay (whoa). But as we’ll see later in testing, it makes a significant difference to noise levels thanks to its layer of acoustic foam. It doesn’t have a fancy double hinge to flip all the way across to the side of the case, but you can reverse it to the other side if your case placement requires.

Top IO consists of two USB 3.0 ports, dedicated microphone and headphone jacks, along with power and fan control switches. We appreciate that this IO is placed at the top, as this is not a case you’ll keep on your desk – this is a case for a floor PC.

Internal Layout

Internally, the P10 Flux offers a basic but modern design – this case isn’t the kind of hard drive colony’s home Antec’s cases used to be. Instead, you’re offered room for an ATX motherboard, plenty of expansion cards, and room for a big radiator up front, up to 360mm. At the top you’ll also spot a 5.25” drive bay – a rarity nowadays, but this is a case that prioritizes function over form.

Flip the case around and you’ll find its cable management and PSU area. Here, there is room for big ATX PSUs, two hard drives under the PSU shroud (one inside the caddy and one on top), three SSDs, and you can mount a third 3.5-inch drive at the top shroud near the top IO.

You’ll also spot a fan controller. 

Is a ‘Reverse’ Fan, Useful?

When it comes to cooling and noise, the P10 Flux does a few things differently than many cases we’ve been seeing. For one, it comes with five fans, but it also comes with tons of damping materials spread throughout the case’s door, ceiling and side panels.

With this much damping, noise levels should be much less intrusive than other cases, even if you use somewhat louder components. Don’t expect miracles, but this case should perform better than most mesh intake cases we’ve been seeing lately when it comes to acoustics.

The case comes with a fan controller that connects to all five fans, giving you two speed modes: low and high.

The case also comes with a reverse-flow fan – a spinner that has its blades pointing the ‘other’ way, meant for guiding air from the PSU area to the intake of your GPU for better temperatures. Of course, this exercise in creating a reverse-flow fan for improved looks is pointless in practice, as you might as well use a normal fan flipped over given that there’s no glass panel to see it through. But I still appreciate the detail – I’ve not seen a fan like this in a long, long time.

I’m curious to see how this setup will perform when we get to the testing phase.

We are using the following system for our case test bed:

Installing a system into the Antec P10 Flux is an absolute breeze. The chassis is big and has tons of space for hands and cable management. It won’t result in the prettiest build, but that’s not what this chassis is about anyway, given that it doesn’t have a glass panel.

The motherboard drops right into place, and though I installed the reverse-flow fan earlier, I removed it again so that I could get to the motherboard fastening screws and cable headers.

I then installed the GPU without any difficulties

And our large Corsair HX750i power supply installed swiftly too, conveniently with all the cables pre-attached.

Then, I took care of cable management, which went swiftly and easily thanks to plenty of space and included Velcro straps. Antec includes a few extra straps for more complicated builds, and you can also spot plenty of tie-down points across the back panel.

Lastly, I secured re-secured the reverse-flow fan by using a bendy iFixit screwdriver, though you can also just remove the GPU for easy access. With that, the build was complete and ready for thermal and acoustic testing.

For thermal and acoustic testing, we are using the following software & settings:

Fan Characteristics

As previously mentioned, the included fan controller only has two speed settings: high, and low. My guess is that it borrows 12V and 5V from the PSU rails through the SATA connector powering it, but being unable to connect to the motherboard, I have no quick way of accurately telling you the RPM ranges.

I did connect a fan up to the motherboard for testing, and they’ll spin at speeds between 550 to 1550 RPM, which are both slightly high figures, with the high low-end being due to only having DC control.

Acoustic Results

For our acoustic tests, we run three scenarios: CPU full load, CPU and GPU full load, and an optimized idle. The CPU Full Load test runs the CPU and case fans at their maximum speed. For the CPU and GPU full load acoustic test we add the Nvidia RTX 2070 Super FE at 75% fan speed, because in practice it never runs at 100 percent and is far too loud when it does.

For the optimized idle, we run the GPU fan speed at 40 percent (the 2070 Super FE GPU does not have a Zero-RPM mode), and run the CPU and included case fans at the lowest speed they will spin at – except in this case, where we have the fans on the ‘low’ setting of the fan controller for the optimized idle profile.

As far as acoustics go, the P10 Flux is a bit of a double-edged sword. Its second-to-last position on the chart is a bit misleading as I think that as a case, it’s actually better. If you look, the optimized idle sound level and the noise levels of the CPU and case fans at maximum speed are quite high, giving the case the disadvantage, as I sort by the latter for a fair comparison – sorting by the maximum noise level of the GPU creates confusing results as it pulls almost all mesh cases into the same noise level, when really they perform very differently until the GPU gets involved – so I leave the GPUs addition to the noise level out for sorting the table.

But, if you look carefully, you’ll spot that if you account for the noise level of the GPU, the P10 Flux would jump all the way to the top of the chart as the most silent chassis – and I can confirm, the case does a fantastic job of damping the GPU’s noise, especially the annoying, high-pitched fan whine from the obtrusively loud 2070 Super Founder’s Edition.

It’s just a shame that the included fans are quite loud, and that they aren’t optimized effectively by the fan controller for quiet idle operation.

That being said, I also dropped the fan controller into the ‘low’ setting for some tests, which raised temperatures by about 6 °C on both the CPU and GPU. This isn’t bad, and telling that you can just be lazy and leave the case in the ‘low’ setting permanently. But if it were me, I’d skip the fan controller altogether and create a custom fan curve for the case fans to optimize performance. But unfortunately, you cannot connect the controller up to the motherboard, so you’ll have to come up with your own method to connect all five case fans.

Thermal Results

For the thermal tests, all case and CPU fan speeds are set to 100 percent. The Core i9-9900K is pegged at a 4.6GHz clock at 1.1v on all cores to ensure consistent power consumption across test scenarios, and letting the GPU run at 75 percent fan speed enables it to maintain its power target while maintaining one set reasonable fan speed, so that the temperature is the only variable.

All that being said, thermally, the P10 Flux does put down an impressive show. Sure, it’s a bit loud, but running as cool as some mesh cases, it does show that the thermal headroom is there to optimize for silence, as the case’s design intends – provided you find a way to hook the five fans up to your motherboard.

Conclusion

The P10 Flux, in a way, clearly shows Antec’s roots and quiet case design experience. Compared to the old Performance series, similar design elements show, albeit at a lower cost. The chassis is excellent to work in, well thought-out, practical in use and maintenance, and provides an overall pleasant user experience.

Where things go south a little is in the cooling setup. I genuinely appreciate the inclusion of five fans, especially at this price point, and they cool quite decently in the standard setup. But they’re not great acoustic performers, don’t have PWM support, and the fan controller stands in the way of proper speed optimization. As a result, this case won’t appeal to the enthusiast who seeks that added control – and it absolutely defeats the point of all the noise damping material inside the case.

That being said, if you’re someone who just wants to get a PC running without putting too much thought into it, chuck it under your desk and not look back, the P10 Flux can be a great option – the damping material does mean that you can shove loud components in this case and expect good noise suppression. The lack of a side panel means no focus on expensive RGB components, and again, it’s easy for maintenance.

In conclusion, the Antec P10 Flux is a good choice for a lazy builder who just wants a system that works without getting obtrusive. It’s a great case, but with disappointing fans. As such, the performance enthusiast, especially those seeking silent systems, are better served with an open mesh case and spending the time looking for quiet internal components instead – or if you’re feeling wasteful, opting for this case but replacing all five fans and skipping the fan controller. But with its MSRP of $80, and especially its street price of $65, it’s very hard to fault the P10 Flux, and it does meet expectations.

In an article by TechPowerUp, Advantech intros a gaming system called the DPX-E145, designed for slot-machines in the Casino and amusement with prizes (AWP) gaming markets. The new system is powered by 11th Gen Core CPUs with Intel's Iris Xe integrated graphics.

CPU choices include Core i3, i5 or i7 models all with either dual-core or quad-core configurations. If you want the Iris XE integrated graphics, you'll need either the core i5 or i7 models. The Core i3 will have Intel's traditional UHD graphics. The units support up to 4 monitors at 4k 60hz, and includes dedicated AWP gaming ports like CCTALK, SAS, GPIO, I2C, meter connect, ID003, RS485, and 5.1 surround sound. The I/O is designated as "cabinet-ready" meaning it's all centered in one area, making it easier to route cables during the installation process. The DPX-E145 also supports a variety of storage protocols including SATA DOM, C-Fast, M.2, and USB, plus a built-in service tray for installing 2.5" SSDs.

For the workloads this system is designed for, the integrated Iris graphics and dual/quad core CPU options should be plenty fast. The director of Advantech says in the product announcement that the Iris graphics will be fast enough to the point where a discrete graphics card will not be necessary. Due to its OEM design, you'll have to contact Advantech themselves if you want to order one.

There are not many choices if you are after a high-capacity power supply, since the mining era is long gone, thankfully, so the need for powerful PSUs is diminished. Still, there are cases where more than 1000W of power is required (e.g., for video or other special purposes workstations), and in this category, Antec has a strong presence now with the Signature 1300 Platinum, which is also certified by Cybenetics. Notable opponents of this unit are the mighty and super-expensive Corsair AX1600i and EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 T2, which dominate the above 1000W category in our best power supplies article. In the same wattage, the Cooler Master V1300 Platinum is also an excellent choice, featuring a notably quieter operation compared to Antec's offering. 

We have already evaluated the Antec Signature Titanium 1000, which scored very high in our tests and earned an editor's choice award. The strongest member of the Signature line is based on the same platform with the model above, offering notably higher capacity, which doesn't allow for 80 PLUS Titanium and Cybenetics ETA-A+ efficiency ratings, though. Still, the Signature 1300 achieves Platinum and ETA-A ratings, which are pretty tough to acquire, especially by PSUs with more than 1.2kW max power. 

The dimensions of the PSU are small, given the high capacity so that you won't have issues with any standard ATX chassis. A few years ago, it would be impossible to find such a strong power supply with less than 200mm depth, but thanks to the PSU downsizing trend, this is possible nowadays. The essential rest specifications include the fluid dynamic bearing fan, which measures 135mm across, and the ten-year warranty. Finally, this PSU also features the OC Link technology that we have seen in the Signature 1000 Titanium, allowing you to connect two PSUs which will work in tandem to power systems demanding more than 2.5kW of power! We don't believe that any user will need so much power; still, it is nice to have this option.

Specifications

Power Specifications

Cables & Connectors

It is natural to find so many cables and connectors in such a high capacity power supply. So besides two EPS connectors, you will also get twelve PCIe, allowing you to install up to six high-end graphics cards. The number of peripheral connectors is increased, as well.

It is strange to see 18AWG gauges instead of thicker (16AWG) in a 1300W power supply. This would help in achieving lower voltage drops, and a bit higher efficiency levels, especially at increased loads, but on the other hand, the cables would be less flexible. The presence of in-cable caps is something that will let down several users because cable routing becomes tough. Finally, the ATX and EPS cables should be longer, given that this PSU is destined for huge chassis, but the AWG18 gauges set the limits in their length. 

Component Analysis

We strongly encourage you to have a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, allowing you to better understand the components we're about to discuss.

This Antec unit uses the Seasonic Prime Platinum 1300W platform. The build quality is good, and the small PCB is overpopulated with components since this is a small power factory. The design is clean since no cables are used for power transfer purposes, and the heat sinks are compact, something that looks weird given the max power that this PSU can deliver.  

The transient filter uses all necessary parts to deal with power spikes and incoming/outcoming EMI noise. The NTC thermistor has 5 Ohms (+-20%) max resistance, so it does an excellent job in suppressing the inrush currents that the large bulk caps can produce. 

The pair of bridge rectifiers can handle up to 50A of current. This is overkill, even for a 1.3kW PSU. 

The APFC converter uses two Infineon FETs and a single boost diode (STPSC10H065D). On Semiconductor provides the APFC controller, and its model number is NPC1654. Finally, the hold-up caps are two Rybycons, with 1290uF combined capacity, which is enough to allow for a longer than 17ms hold-up time. 

The main switching FETs are four Infineon IPP50R199CP configured in a full-bridge topology. There is also an LLC resonant converter for increased efficiency. The resonant controller is the typical Champion CM6901T6X, which is used by the majority of high-end PSUs nowadays. 

Eight FETs, installed on the solder side of the main PCB, handle the +12V rail. A pair of VRMs generate the minor rails. 

There aren't many electrolytic caps; Chemi-Con and Rubycon provide the ones that Seasonic used. The number of polymer caps is vast, and their suppliers are FPCAP, NIC, and Chemi-Con

The modular board uses bus bars, to transfer power to the sockets. 

The supervisor IC, a Weltrend WT7527V, is installed on this board. On the left side, the small IC is an operational amplifier, and four optocouplers bridge the two separate parts of this PCB. 

The primary rectifier of the 5VSB rail is an STF6N65K3 FET, while Leadtrend provides the PWM controller. 

As expected, in such an expensive PSU, the soldering quality is good. 

The cooling fan is by Hong Hua, and it uses a fluid dynamic bearing. It measures 135mm across, and it can draw up to 0.5A of current, so it is quite strong. 

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To learn more about our PSU tests and methodology, please check out How We Test Power Supply Units. 

Primary Rails And 5VSB Load Regulation

The following charts show the main rails' voltage values recorded between a range of 40W up to the PSU's maximum specified load, along with the deviation (in percent). Tight regulation is an important consideration every time we review a power supply because it facilitates constant voltage levels despite varying loads. Tight load regulation also, among other factors, improves the system’s stability, especially under overclocked conditions and, at the same time, it applies less stress to the DC-DC converters that many system components utilize.

The load regulation is tight on all rails but 5VSB, where it doesn't play a significant role, from the moment the voltage in this rail is within spec. 

Hold-Up Time

Put simply; hold-up time is the amount of time that the system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption.

The hold-up reaches 21ms and the power ok signal is accurate.

Inrush Current

Inrush current, or switch-on surge, refers to the maximum, instantaneous input current drawn by an electrical device when it is first turned on. A large enough inrush current can cause circuit breakers and fuses to trip. It can also damage switches, relays, and bridge rectifiers. As a result, the lower the inrush current of a PSU right as it is turned on, the better.

The inrush current is low, with both voltage inputs. The NTC thermistor-relay combo does a fantastic job. 

10-110% Load Tests

These tests reveal the SP1300's load regulation and efficiency levels under high ambient temperatures. They also show how the fan speed profile behaves under increased operating temperatures.

The SP1300 doesn't have a problem under high operating temperatures, but most likely, you won't be able to tolerate the increased noise output, with its fan spinning at 2300RPM. The compact PCB doesn't allow for optimal airflow since it is overloaded with the parts required for >1300W output, so the fan has to work over hours. Still, given the platform's high efficiency, the fan speed profile could be more relaxed.

20-80W Load Tests

In the following tests, we measure the SP1300's efficiency at loads significantly lower than 10% of its maximum capacity (the lowest load the 80 PLUS standard measures). This is important for representing when a PC is idle with power-saving features turned on.

Even at light loads, but with more than 35 degrees Celsius ambient, the fan's noise is increased. 

2% or 10W Load Test

Intel plans on raising the ante at efficiency levels under ultra-light loads. So from July 2020, the ATX spec requires 70% and higher efficiency with 115V input. The applied load is only 10W for PSUs with 500W and lower capacities, while for stronger units we dial 2% of their max-rated-capacity.

Although it cannot reach the 70% threshold that the newest ATX spec (2.52) requires, it is still impressive to see a 1300W PSU achieving so high efficiency with 2% of its max-rated-capacity load.

Efficiency

Next, we plotted a chart showing the SP1300's efficiency at low loads, and loads from 10 to 110% of its maximum-rated capacity. The higher a PSU’s efficiency, the less energy goes wasted, leading to a reduced carbon footprint and lower electricity bills.

The efficiency levels are satisfactory in all load ranges. 

5VSB Efficiency

It is nice to see an efficient 5VSB rail.

Power Consumption In Idle And Standby

The phantom power levels are low, with both voltage inputs. 

Fan RPM, Delta Temperature, And Output Noise

All results are obtained between an ambient temperature of 37 to 47 degrees Celsius (98.6 to 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The fan profile is aggressive. This is expected, to a degree, at least, given the compact dimensions and the high power levels that this platform can deliver. 

The following results were obtained at 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) ambient temperature.       

Up to 450W, the PSU's noise is kept low, but with higher loads (especially >820W) things change, dramatically. 

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Protection Features

Check out our PSUs 101 article to learn more about PSU protection features.

This is a highly capable and powerful platform. Still, we would like to see within 130% OCP at +12V and OPP. There are no-load regulation or ripple issues at such high loads, but at high operating temperatures, things might change under the same load conditions. Moreover, there is no need, in such a high capacity PSU, to provide such a large overpower window. 

DC Power Sequencing

According to Intel’s most recent Power Supply Design Guide (revision 1.4), the +12V and 5V outputs must be equal to or greater than the 3.3V rail at all times. Unfortunately, Intel doesn't mention why it is so important to always keep the 3.3V rail's voltage lower than the levels of the other two outputs.

The 3.3V rail is lower than the other two in all cases, so there are no issues here. 

Cross Load Tests

To generate the following charts, we set our loaders to auto mode through custom-made software before trying more than 25,000 possible load combinations with the +12V, 5V, and 3.3V rails. The deviations in each of the charts below are calculated by taking the nominal values of the rails (12V, 5V, and 3.3V) as point zero. The ambient temperature during testing was between 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

Load Regulation Charts

Efficiency Chart

Ripple Charts

The lower the power supply's ripple, the more stable the system will be and less stress will also be applied to its components.

Infrared Images

We apply a half-load for 10 minutes with the PSU's top cover and cooling fan removed before taking photos with a modified FLIR E4 camera able to deliver an IR resolution of 320x240 (76,800 pixels).

We didn't notice increased temperatures, despite the 650W load with the fan disconnected. The hottest part during these tests was the main transformer. 

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Advanced Transient Response Tests

For details about our transient response testing, please click here.

In the real world, power supplies are always working with loads that change. It's of immense importance, then, for the PSU to keep its rails within the ATX specification's defined ranges. The smaller the deviations, the more stable your PC will be with less stress applied to its components. 

We should note that the ATX spec requires capacitive loading during the transient rests, but in our methodology, we also choose to apply a worst case scenario with no additional capacitance on the rails. 

Advanced Transient Response at 20% – 20ms

Advanced Transient Response at 20% – 10ms

Advanced Transient Response at 20% – 1ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50% – 20ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50% – 10ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50% – 1ms

The SP1300 has an excellent transient response at +12V. The performance remains high at 5V and 5VSB, and the 3.3V rail manages to keep its voltage above 3.2V, in all tests. 

Turn-On Transient Tests

In the next set of tests, we measure the PSU's response in simpler transient load scenarios—during its power-on phase. Ideally, we don't want to see any voltage overshoots or spikes since those put a lot of stress on the DC-DC converters of installed components.

The rise time at 5VSB exceeds 20ms, and this is an issue according to the ATX spec, which requires the rise time to be within the 0.2-20ms range. 

Power Supply Timing Tests

There are several signals generated by the power supply, which need to be within specified, by the ATX spec, ranges. If they are not, there can be compatibility issues with other system parts, especially mainboards. From year 2020, the PSU's Power-on time (T1) has to be lower than 150ms and the PWR_OK delay (T3) from 100 to 150ms, to be compatible with the Alternative Sleep Mode.

The PWR_OK delay is out of the 100-150ms region, so the PSU does not support the alternative sleep mode, which is recommended by the newest ATX spec (v2.52). Moreover, the power-on time is notably increased in the second test. 

Ripple Measurements

Ripple represent the AC fluctuations (periodic) and noise (random) found in the PSU's DC rails. This phenomenon significantly decreases the capacitors' lifespan because it causes them to run hotter. A 10-degree Celsius increase can cut into a cap's useful life by 50%. Ripple also plays an important role in overall system stability, especially when overclocking is involved.

The ripple limits, according to the ATX specification, are 120mV (+12V) and 50mV (5V, 3.3V, and 5VSB).

The ripple suppression is very good, especially if we take into account the PSU's max power. 

Ripple At Full Load

Ripple At 110% Load

Ripple At Cross-Load 1

Ripple At Cross-Load 2

EMC Pre-Compliance Testing – Average & Quasi-Peak EMI Detector Results

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) is the ability of a device to operate properly in its environment without disrupting the proper operation of other nearby devices.

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) stands for the electromagnetic energy a device emits, and it can cause problems in other nearby devices if too high. For example, it can be the cause of increased static noise in your headphones or/and speakers.

Three spurs are exceeding the limits with the AVG EMI detector, but everything is fine with the QP EMI detector, which is more accurate. 

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Performance Rating

The overall performance is high, but the Seasonic Prime Platinum 1200 scores notably higher. 

Noise Rating

The graph below depicts the cooling fan's average noise over the PSU's operating range, with an ambient temperature between 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The overall noise output exceeds 45 dBA, because of the super-aggressive fan speed profile. 

Efficiency Rating

The following graph shows the PSU's average efficiency throughout its operating range with an ambient temperature close to 30 degrees Celsius.

This is a highly efficient platform, with almost 90% overall efficiency throughout its entire operating range.

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Usually, the Signature 1300 Platinum has a ten-dollar lower price tag than its 1000 Titanium sibling, and its MSRP is notably below the $300 mark. Nonetheless, because of the Covid-19 outbreak, the prices in all IT products have increased, so if you manage to find a Signature 1300, you will pay way more now. There are not many high-capacity PSUs offering this kind of wattage nowadays, mostly because there is no need for more than 1kW power in the majority of PC systems. Only if you want to build a special purpose workstation, might you need so much power.

As we expected, the Signature 1000 Titanium performs better than the Signature 1300 Platinum, thanks to the notably lower max power. The lower the power levels, the easier it is to keep ripple low and achieve tight load regulation. Moreover, the thermal loads are lower, so you don't have to push the fan speed profile. Still, 300W more are a lot, especially if you plan to install several energy-hungry GPUs into your system and the 1803W that the SP1300 delivered before the triggering of the over power protection look impressive. 

In terms of pure performance, the Seasonic Prime Platinum 1200 scores notably better, and the same goes for the Corsair HX1200. The SP1300's performance is on par with the Thermaltake Toughpower PF1 ARGB 1200W and the Asus ROG Thor 1200, and has the advantage of the OC Link technology, which allows two SP1300 units to operate in tandem, for systems requiring crazy amounts of power. The primary issue with the SP1300 is the high noise under increased loads and ambient temperatures. If you care about noise output besides wattage and you need more than 1.2kW of power, you should take a look at the Cooler Master V1300 Platinum, which is also a solid choice. 

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Disclaimer: Aris Mpitziopoulos is Tom's Hardware's PSU reviewer. He is also the Chief Testing Engineer of Cybenetics and developed the Cybenetics certification methodologies apart from his role on Tom's Hardware. Neither Tom's Hardware nor its parent company, Future PLC, are financially involved with Cybenetics. Aris does not perform the actual certifications for Cybenetics.

Single-board computer (SBC) fanatics are in for a real treat. Aaeon, Advantech and Kontron (via @momomo_us) are readying their new offerings that are powered by Intel's approaching 11th Generation Tiger Lake 10nm++ processors.

The Aaeon GENE-TGU6 and Kontron 3.5″-SBC-TGL conform to the 3.5-inch form factor, while the Advantech MIO-2375 sticks to the smaller 2.5-inch standard. The SBCs will be available with different Tiger Lake options, spanning from the Celeron SKUs up to the Core i7 models. Kontron specifically confirms the usage of the U-series and the Celeron 6000-series, which operate inside thermal envelopes of 28W and 15W, respectively.

The GENE-TGU6 and 3.5″-SBC-TGL each come with two DDR4 SO-DIMM memory slots. The first can house up to 64GB of memory and the latter tops out at 32GB. The MIO-2375, however, doesn't come with the luxury of SO-DIMM slots. The SBC incorporates onboard LPDDR4X-4266 memory instead with capacities up to 32GB.

Kontron's 3.5″-SBC-TGL will land with a single SATA III interface, one M.2 Key-B, one M.2 Key-M and one M.2 Key-E slot. The GENE-TGU6 and the MIO-2375 both feature M.2 2280 Key-M and M.2 2230 Key-E slots with the exception that the first also supplies one SATA III port and a full-size mSATA/mPCIe slot.

Intel's Gen12 Xe Graphics will drive the chipmaker's Tiger Lake chips. Some preliminary benchmarks have revealed that the graphics unit's performance is reportedly in the same ballpark as the Vega that's inside AMD's latest Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) APUs. Gen12 will certainly bring some serious graphical firepower to devices like SBCs, while also allowing for support for multiple displays simultaneously.

The 3.5″-SBC-TGL provides three DisplayPort outputs, one embedded DisplayPort (eDP) output and one LVDS connector. The GENE-TGU6, on the other hand, checks in with two HDMI 2.0 ports, two DisplayPort 1.4 outputs, and one LVDS/eDP port. The smaller MIO-2375 comes in last place with just one eDP/MIPI-DSI interface and one DisplayPort out.

All three SBCs put two Gigabit Ethernet ports at your disposal at all times. The 3.5″-SBC-TGL employs the Intel I219-LM and I210-IT controllers and the GENE-TGU6 utilizes the Intel I219 and I225 controllers. Advantech didn't specify the model of the Ethernet controllers on the MIO-2375.

SBCs might be tiny devices, but their connectivity shouldn't be underestimated. The 3.5″-SBC-TGL delivers two USB 3.1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports on the rear and has enough headers to provide another four USB 2.0 ports and two RS-232/422/485 ports. The GENE-TGU6 doesn't fall behind either, offering up to four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports and four RS-232/422/485 ports. Lastly, the MIO-2375 also arrives with USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports and RS-232/422/485, but Advantech hasn't stated how much of each.

For the time being, the pricing for the trio of SBCs is unknown. Once Intel formally launches Tiger Lake, which could be on September 2, we expect Aaeon, Advantech and Kontron to release more details on the new devices.

Squeezing a 9th Gen Intel Xeon/Core based computer into a package 5.78i by 4.01in (146 by 102 mm) is no small feat but Advantech who are a provider of IoT (Internet of Things) and embedded platforms have done just that and released the 3.5” SBC MIO-5393. 

To cut to the chase, this is not a “Raspberry Pi killer” the two boards are focused on different users and markets. The MIO-5393 is offered as a micro server / kiosk platform for industrial use or scenarios involving demanding environments, but this board could be easily used in the home if that were your wish.

The MIO-5393 comes in four configurations, each with a CPU ranging from an Intel 8th Gen Core i5 8400H to a Xeon E-2276ME. Each configuration can use up to 64GB of DDR4-2400 (ECC for the Xeon model) and thankfully RAM is easily upgraded by the user.

Storage comes in the form of one PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive slot and two SATA III ports. Four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports offer just enough ports for basic use. It is possible to connect up to three displays to the board, two via DisplayPort and HDMI and a third via a LVDS connector.  The Intel Gen 9 onboard graphics support up to 4096x2160 @ 30 Hz (HDMI), 4096x2304 @ 60Hz (DP) and 1920 x 1200 at 60Hz (LVDS).

As standard there is no wireless connectivity but there are two M.2 expansion slots which can be used with WiFi and 4G / LTE modules. Wired network connectivity is provided by two Gigabit Ethernet ports. An RS232/422/485 port is on hand in case an external serial connection is required. Audio is supplied via a Realtek ALC888S chipset, and instead of built in audio ports an audio cable is used to break out the connections from the board.

This is a lot of power for such a small board, and this is reflected in the price, which is available on request from Advantech.

Antec has had a reputation for making some of the best PC cases over the years. And while the vendor still makes chassis, as well as power supplies and cooling products, it's having a go at making the best RAM too. This week, Antec introduced the 7-Series Katana DDR4 modules, as spotted by TechPowerUp.

The new RAM sticks have black PCBs covered with black aluminum heatsinks, which have the word Katana subtly written on them. Antec's product page for the Katana kits nods at Japanese samurai swords and says the 7-series was inspired by the weapon's silhouette. The vendor uses CNC machining to give the RAM its blade-like look. 

Samurais never rocked RGB though. Antec tops its 7-Series Katana RAM off with smooth RGB. The lighting is compatible with Asus Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light Sync and ASRock Polychome Sync, so you can sync up RGB with your motherboard. 

"With our Katana memory modules, Antec aims at enthusiasts buying their stylish gaming cases and looking to add stylish designed components by the same brand," Eric Chen, Antec's VP, said in a statement. 

Antec Katana DDR4 RAM Specs 

As of writing, Antec has only announced two kits with the Katana modules. They both come with two 8GB sticks for 16GB of total memory and have 3,200 MHz and 3,600 MHz speeds with 16-18-18-38 and 18-20-20-44 timings, respectively. 

Antec hasn't revealed pricing for the RAM kits yet. 

Antec has released a very uniquely designed PC case in the Striker Mini-Watercool. The new open-air, mini-tower chassis was created with custom water-cooling enthusiasts in mind and is also the first open case to feature a front-placed GPU location.

The Striker sports an irregular shape with unique paneling and form in a open-air frame. It measures 16.5 x 9.1 x 14.1 inches (420 x 230 x 410mm) with a glass panel covering the front. The addition of a white PSU chassis on the bottom amplifies the Striker's striking appearance.

The chassis itself is made from CNC machined aluminum and SPCC steel with 4mm-thick glass panels on the front (where the GPU is mounted) and both sides. Outside of the frame and glass and enclosing the chassis is a PSU cover at the bottom that hides the power supply and its wires. This panel can also be painted to match your PC build theme. The front panel I/O is on the right side when looking at it from the side and includes a USB 3.1 Type-C port, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, dual 3.5mm jacks for microphone and headphones, along with a power button.

Internally, the case is dived into sections with space for the motherboard and SSDs, a radiator installation area, GPU mounting in front, and a space for an AIO water cooler or custom water cooler and fans. The chassis' most unique feature, outside of the overall appearance, has to be the front mount GPU location, which is very rare and provides a truly one-of-a-kind look for this small form factor case (note the PCIe riser cable is included). For those who like to keep things tidy, there's also space for cable management.

The Striker supports two 2.5-inch drives on the backside of the motherboard baffle and ITX motherboards only. Micro-ATX and greater need not apply here. The GPU mount is able to move up and down to meet different graphics cards' height requirements -- in this case, up to 12.9-inches (330mm), which should fit most GPUs (as always, be sure to check for compatibility).

With the Striker designed with water cooling in mind, support for radiators is up to 240mm on the rear and 240mm on the side. In such a small chassis, being able to support two 240mm radiators should allow for cooling some high-end parts.

The Striker is listed at $249.99 (ouch!) and is available now.

Image Credits: Antec

Antec has released a new Gaming case from the NX line, the NX400. This mid-tower chassis includes RGB lighting up front, a tempered glass side panel and 360mm radiator support for an entry level price of $64.99 (pre-order on Newegg). The new case is said to have an easy building experience and able to support high-end components without breaking the bank. 

The exterior of the NX400 case is all black with a design element on the front panel designed for air intake. In addition to the intake, the front panel houses the frosted RGB LED element as well. The top of the case sports a mesh top as well as the IO bits. Antec gives you power and reset buttons, 3.5mm microphone and microphone ports, along with two USB 3.0 ports and a single USB 2.0 port. In addition to the standard fare, there is also a button to control the front panel's aRGB LEDs. That chassis itself measures in at 16.7 x 9 x 18.3-inches (425 x 230 x 465 mm) and is made of SPCC steel and plastic along with the smoke-tinted tempered glass side panel. 

Internally, the case supports Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, and ATX size motherboards. There are seven expansion slots total along with room for four 2.5-inch drives. There is also space for two 3.5-inch and one 2.5-inch drives - the spaces are convertible. The NX400 will support up to 12.9-inch (330mm) video cards, CPU heat sinks up to 6.7-inches, along with power supplies up to 6.7-inches as well. These dimensions will be able to support quite an array of GPUs, heat sinks, and power supplies. 

Fan and radiator support inside the mid-tower case is plentiful supporting up to six 120mm fans or five 140mm fans in various locations. One 120mm aRGB fan is included. Radiator support is good here as well the ability to fit up to a 360mm in the front, 240mm up top, and 140mm on the rear. For this size chassis, that's a lot of cooling capacity. 

The NX series of cases consists of nine total models with LED lighting and new designs. The NX100, NX210, NX300, NX400, NX500, NX600, and NX1000 are the most recent models to hit the market offering users a large range of chassis in different shapes and sizes. The NX400 is available now for pre-order at $64.99 on Newegg. Availability is listed as August 30th, 2019. 

Features and Specifications

Antec claims the P101 Silent is the perfect case for those in the market for a minimalist, yet elegant design and a concealed external bay for an optical drive or front-panel devices. Those who also prefer whisper-quiet operation over flashy RGB lighting and tempered glass panels may agree. I just wish it had a USB-C port and an easier-to-remove intake filter on its undercarriage. 

Specifications

The Antec P101 Silent is available in black with white accents only, so you're out of luck if you were hoping for other color choices. The case measures 527 x 232 x 506mm and weighs just over 26lbs. The $110 / £84 asking price is extremely competitive compared to other cases in its class, and Antec ships the case with a two-year limited warranty.

The top panel is smooth and featureless. Embedded in the leading edge of the top panel you'll find two USB 3.1 (Gen 1) and two USB 2.0 ports, a fan speed switch, a power button, HDD activity LED, and headphone and microphone jacks.

The front of the case is a large plastic door with three white, filtered vents down one side. The inside of the door is lined with a thick layer of sound-damping material. Behind the door you'll find a feature many readers still ask for, but most case makers don't often deliver in models: a single 5.25-inch drive bay for an optical drive or a bay device. Also here is a large removable plastic mesh filter covering mounting locations for three 120mm or two 140mm fans.

Both side panels on the P101 Silent are constructed of metal and held in place by thumbscrews. Each panel is lined with the same thick sound dampening material seen behind the front panel.

In the rear of the chassis you'll find an opening for a bottom-mounted PSU, eight expansion card slots, a standard motherboard I/O area and an exhaust fan mounting location that supports both 120mm and 140mm fans. This mounting location has slotted screw holes that let you adjust the position of the fan to fine-tune airflow or make room for bulky system components.

The bottom of the chassis is covered by a large plastic mesh filter that spans almost the entire length of the case. Unfortunately, it's removable from the rear, meaning your entire system has to be moved to pull out the filter for cleaning and maintenance. The filter covers the metal mesh area under the hard drive cage and the power supply fan opening. The four large, rectangular, rubber-coated feet elevate the case approximately three quarters of an inch to improve airflow.

The fan-filtration system on the P101 Silent is good in terms of keeping dust and debris from entering your system. Unfortunately, only the front filter is easily accessible. You'll probably have to unplug all your power and peripheral cables from the back of the system and turn the chassis sideways to remove the bottom filter. It's 16-inches long and, again, slides out from the rear of the case.

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Hardware Installation and Test Configuration

A small white box containing a variety of screws and zip ties comes packed into one of the open 3.5" drive bays. The case manual can be found on top of the PSU tunnel.

Test Configuration

Drivers and Settings

Interior

The interior of the Antec P101 Silent is painted white, with components such as hard drive racks and the PSU shroud painted black to match the exterior. This adds some visual style to the interior of an otherwise boxy black case. But without a case window, you're not going to be seeing the inside of the case after building unless you're upgrading or troubleshooting.

Seven cable pass-through holes with rolled-metal edges perforate the motherboard tray, along with two more holes in the top of the PSU tunnel, both with rolled-metal edges. The holes in the upper edge of the motherboard tray are specifically designed for routing the ATX12V/EPS12V power cable and fan cables to the fan hub.

Given that this case is equipped with solid side panels, we found it a bit odd that the motherboard tray and PCI-E slot covers are painted white. Although the contrasting color scheme is a nice touch, no one will see these color accents. Antec could have put more of the color contrasts on the outside of the case, but that probably wouldn't appeal to everyone.

The eight expansion slots will accommodate graphics cards, even in multi-GPU configurations, up to 450mm (17.71 inches) with the hard drive racks removed and 270mm (10.62 inches) with hard drive racks in place. You can use CPU air coolers up to 180mm (7.08 inches) tall in this case.

As far as storage options are concerned, the P101 Silent can accommodate up to eight 3.5-inch hard drives and a total of ten 2.5-inch SSDs (two dedicated, 8 convertible from 3.5-inch bays). The SSD drive rack is located on the back of the motherboard tray. All 3.5-inch hard drive racks are located in the main component compartment, directly in front of the intake fan mounting locations. The hard drive rack consists of four parts, each containing drive caddies for two hard drives. The racks can be removed separately to to accommodate various build configurations. 

Cooling

In total, there are mounting locations for up to four 120mm fans: three in the front, and one in the rear. The P101 Silent can alternatively accommodate up to three 140mm fans, two in the front, and one in the rear.

The chassis ships by default with three 120mm intake fans in the front. The rear exhaust fan location is outfitted with a 140mm fan by default.

Radiators and AIO coolers can be mounted in the top, front, and rear of this chassis. The mounting locations in the front of the chassis support 120, 140, 240, 280 and 360mm radiators. Radiators and AIO coolers up to 140mm can also be installed in the exhaust-fan mounting location. The mounting location in the front of the chassis can easily support radiators up to 360mm, sandwiched between fans in a push-pull configuration if you remove the modular drive racks.

We fitted the P101 Silent with power supplies up to 225mm in length without any issues.

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Benchmark Results and Conclusion

All comparison cases were tested using our new Intel Core i9-7900X test platform. We brought in the Corsair Carbide 678C, be Quiet! Silent Base 601, Cooler Master SL600M and the Lian Li Lancool One Digital to give you a good idea where this case stands against others that are of similar size and feature sets.

With fan speeds manually set at 1,000 RPM, our processor temps maxed out at 59 degrees C over the ambient temperature of 25 degrees C. These results best all other case in our comparison group with the exception of Cooler Master's SL600M. Overall, we were a bit surprised that, even though there are three 120mm intake fans, the small vents in the front of the chassis did not impeded performance as much as we had expected.

Our GPU results mirrored our CPU results, although the gap between the comparison cases was much narrower. Still, these results are impressive given the fact that this is a chassis lined with a thick layer of sound-damping material and with small intake vents in the front of the chassis.

As always, we took sound level readings with two off-the-shelf dB meters from two different angles. With the fan speed manually set on high, our test system was barely audible 27.4dBA at idle. Under load, the sound increased to just 30.8dBA, lower than that of all the other comparison cases.

Cooling efficiency and noise levels are both ways to measure performance. Determining acoustic efficiency, also referred to as cooling-to-noise ratio, is a matter of averaging all five of our tests to determine a base value.

Bottom Line

Minor quibbles aside, the Antec P101 Silent is a fantastic chassis at a very reasonable price. If silent computing is high on your priority list, and you're on a tight build budget, this is the chassis for you. Sure, it lacks a USB 3.1 Type-C and the rear filter is really long, but at $110 (£84.64), you just can't beat the features and performance of the P101 Silent. 

Image Credits: Tom's Hardware

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Features and Specifications

If you're looking for a no-frills open-air chassis that is easy to build in, with stylish laser cut aluminum construction and tempered-glass sides, the Raidmax X08 might be for you. But know that you'll have to deal with the dirt, dust and debris, plus the relatively high price that accompanies this case--and similar models from the likes of Cougar and Antec.

Specifications

Exterior

The Raidmax X08 bears a striking resemblance to the Cougar Conquer Essence and, to a lesser extent, Antec's much more elaborate Torque chassis.

This chassis is constructed of an aluminum alloy with silver top and front panels over black structural panels that are powder coated inside and out. The trapezoid-shaped chassis measures 525 x 255 x 610 mm HxWxD (20.6 x 10 x 24 inches ) and weighs in at just over 16 pounds. The frame of the X08 is made of laser-cut aluminum panels held together by large threaded cross bars.

The top of the chassis is an aluminum panel and is devoid of any major features with the exception of three open 120mm fan holes. The top panel is slanted from the front to the rear and the area between the top panel and the front panel is slanted at a 45-degree angle. This space is home to two USB 3.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks and reset and power buttons.

The removable front panel consists of a solid piece of aluminum that, oddly enough, has unfiltered ventilation holes lining both sides and large openings located at the top and bottom. I say "oddly enough" because the front of the frame is a solid piece of aluminum. There are no mounting locations for fans or radiators in the front of this chassis. The aluminum front panel is purely cosmetic.

Much the same as the side panels on the Cougar Conquer Essence and the Antec Torque chassis, the full-coverage tinted tempered glass side panels are held in place by large aluminum-alloy thumbscrews that thread directly into metal rods.

Keep in mind that, because of the design, we highly recommend laying this case on its side when removing the tempered glass panels. Although rubber grommets line the holes in the tempered glass, there is nothing to hold the panel in place and protect the glass against accidental drops.

The bottom of the chassis is a solid slab of aluminum alloy with four thin strips of rubber that act as feet.

In the rear, you'll find an opening for a bottom-mounted PSU and a bracket with seven expansion card slots.

Oddly, one section of the frame at the back is pink in color. Given the fact that it is only on one side, it throws the symmetry / look of the chassis off. The good news for those so inclined: It's easy to remove that section and paint it to match the frame or the top and front of the case.

Given the fact that this is an open-air chassis, there is no filtration system in place. Not that it would really matter anyway as there is nothing at all preventing dust and debris from falling into your system or spilling directly onto your exposed hardware.

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Hardware Installation and Test Configuration

Included accessories for the Raidmax X08 are plastic tie-downs, various screws and a printed manual in a clear zip-style bag.

Test Configuration

Drivers & Settings

Interior

There are nine cable pass-through holes in the motherboard tray for cable management: six large rectangular openings and three smaller holes in the bottom of the motherboard tray. Additionally, there's a large notch in the top of the motherboard tray, designed specifically to route fan cables and the 12v motherboard power cable.

You'll also find a large hole in the motherboard mounting plate behind the CPU socket area to facilitate heatsink changes without removing the motherboard.

The seven expansion slots will accommodate graphics cards up to 400mm (15.8 inches), even in multi-GPU configurations. There are no expansion slot covers included with this case, which perhaps isn't surprising given its open-air nature. CPU air coolers are limited to just 150mm (5.9 inches) but, in defense of Raidmax, it's obvious this chassis is specifically designed for water cooling.

As demonstrated in the photos above, PSUs over 180mm can run into clearance issues. The problem is the aluminum alloy support bar blocking larger PSUs. This could have been easily avoided by moving the bar a few millimeters up and out of the way. Due to the lack of a ventilation hole in the bottom of the X08 (a strange omission in a case literally full of holes) the PSU must be mounted with the fan facing up.

The Raidmax X08 features three mounting locations for 2.5-inch and three 3.5-inch drives. If you plan on mounting more than three drives, we recommend installing your SSDs inside the main compartment and your 3.5 -inch storage drives behind the motherboard tray. This gives you more space inside the component compartment. Also, due to the layout of the screw holes in the motherboard tray, 3.5 -inch drives block the screw holes for your SSDs. This means you must mount the 2.5 -inch drives first before your larger storage drives.

Also, because of the open nature of this case, there isn't really anywhere to hide cables, making cable management vastly more difficult than usual. Even if a modular power supply is used, careful planning and routing is still a must unless you want your build to look like a ball of wires under glass.

As previously mentioned, there are no fan mounting locations in the front of this case, although there are slots for mounting reservoirs, pumps and other accessories in that location.

We're always disappointed when we come across a chassis that doesn't ship with any fans from the factory. Of course, this can easily be remedied by the end user at an additional cost, and enthusiasts often prefer to install fans of their choosing anyway. But it would have been nice to see at least a couple fans included with a case that costs $240 (£182.28). In total, this chassis can be equipped with up to three 120mm fans.

Radiators and all-in-one coolers up to 360mm can be mounted in the top of this case. The mounting location in the top can easily support radiators up to 360mm sandwiched between fans in a push-pull configuration.

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Benchmark Results and Conclusion

We tested the Raidmax X08 with our new Intel Core i9-7900X test platform. For comparison, we tested against the Cougar Conquer Essence, the Cougar Conquer and the Antec Torque to give you a good idea of where this case stands against other options that are of similar size, feature sets and price. Because all the chassis tested here are open-air cases, we expect the performance to be very close.

Due to lack of fans, there is literally no active airflow into this chassis. Normally this is done as a cost-cutting measure--and enthusiasts prefer to add their own fans--but at this price we still think Raidmax should have included one or more intake fans to provide some airflow into the chassis.

With the exception of the hard drives mounted behind the motherboard tray, system temperatures were good, all things considered. Our Intel i9-7900X processor running at 4 GHz peaked at 57 degrees Celsius over the ambient temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, putting the Raidmax X08 right in the middle of the cases we used for comparison. GPU temperatures leveled off at 48 degrees Celsius over the ambient room temperature, again putting this chassis in the middle of the pack. The addition of fans to this case would mean even better temperatures, but of course at the cost of increased noise levels.

When it comes to noise levels, we recorded sound level readings with two off-the-shelf dB meters from two different angles. One of the benefits of tempered glass side panels is its ability to reflect sound back into the chassis. This, combined with the side front and bottom panels, helped the X08 to beat out the competition. Test results at idle generated 28.7dBA. And our test results with the X08 under load were lower than the rest test group, at 36.5dBA.

In general, we don't have a problem with expensive chassis, but we feel that the features need to reflect the price. At $240 (£182.28), this chassis is lacking far too many features such as RGB lighting, a USB 3.1 Type-C port, fans, or a fan hub. Even if you reuse fans from a previous build, this chassis is still a poor value. Normally we like to suggest alternative options for our readers, but it seems like a trend for these open-air chassis to be priced above the $240 mark. The Cougar Conquer and Conquer Essence both offer similar features at about the same price.

Bottom Line

The Raidmax X08 is open-air chassis that does nothing to set itself apart from the crowd. In fact, Raidmax's strange design decisions (no front fan mounts, odd pink frame, and cosmetic front panel) could actually help make the argument for choosing a competitor's open-air cases. In the end, the Raidmax X08, much like its competitors, amounts to overpriced style over substance. As with almost all open-air cases of this type, we seriously recommend waiting for a price drop or sale before spending your hard-earned money. 

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Photo Credit: Tom's Hardware

Features and Specifications

If "normal" isn't your thing, the Antec Torque might be just what you are looking for. With its open-air design, aluminum alloy construction and superbike styling, it's is safe to say this chassis will stand out, wherever you put it. It could be the foundation for an impressive high-performance system build, but you'll need to look past several shortcomings, plus a price that's much higher than similarly designed alternatives.

Specifications

Exterior

With the exception of its tempered glass side panels, the Antec Torque is constructed entirely out of laser-cut aluminum alloy panels. Powder-coated red with gunmetal grey accent panels, the trapezoid-shaped case measures 621 x 285 x 644 mm (HxWxD) and weighs just shy of 21 pounds. Unlike other similarly styled cases (like the Cougar Conquer) , the Torque's frame is made up of several aluminum panels fastened together with screws.

The top of the chassis is bare except for a dark-grey aluminum panel that covers three open 120mm fan holes. The area between the top panel and the front panel is slanted at a 45-degree angle. This space is home to two USB 3.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, a power button, and a single USB 3.1 Type-C port.

As with the top of the case, the front of the chassis is covered by a dark grey aluminum panel that covers three open 120mm fan holes. The upper portion of the top panel is fitted with a led-lit logo.

The removable front panel consists of a solid piece of aluminum that has large unfiltered slots lining both sides for ventilation. Large openings located at the top and bottom of the front panel provide an unrestricted path for fresh air to be drawn into the chassis. Directly behind the front face are mounts for three 120mm fans, though none are included in the box. The front panel is held in place by four Philips head screws.

The tinted tempered-glass side panels are held in place by large aluminum-alloy thumbscrews. We highly recommend laying this case on its side when removing the tempered glass panels. This is due to the fact that, although rubber grommets line the holes in the tempered glass, there is nothing to hold the panel in place and prevent the glass against accidental drops.

Directly below the expansion card bracket is the power supply mount. Since this is an open-air chassis, there is no filtration system in place here, either. This means that there is nothing at all preventing dust, debris and pet hair from falling into your system or spilling directly onto your exposed hardware.

Want to comment on this story? Let us know what you think in the Tom's Hardware Forums.

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Hardware Installation and Test Configuration

Antec Includes various screws and a printed manual in a small white box with the Torque.

Test Configuration

Drivers & Settings

Interior

There is one large cable pass-through hole in the motherboard tray for cable management, and a few scattered smaller holes that can also be used for routing fans cables and other smaller wires like audio and USB cables. You'll also find a large hole in the motherboard mounting plate behind the CPU socket area to facilitate heatsink changes without removing the motherboard.

As previously noted, the open-air styling of the the interior of this chassis is very similar to that of the Cougar Conquer, Cougar Conquer Essence and comparable to the Thermaltake Core P3 and Core P5 cases.

The Torque's seven expansion slots will accommodate graphics cards up to 450mm, even in multi-GPU configurations. CPU air coolers up to 215 mm can be fitted in this case, making coolers such as the be quiet! Dark Rock 4 and Cooler Master MasterAir MA410M solid choices for this chassis.

We tested power supplies up to 220mm in length without any issues in the Torque. There is no power supply shroud / tunnel to conceal cable mess, so extra care must be taken when routing cables to maintain a clean, uncluttered look to your system build. 

The chassis supports only one 2.5-inch drive and a single 3.5-inch drive, and both are located behind the motherboard tray. And the motherboard covers the 2.5-inch screw holes, meaning you must remove it if you upgrade your SSD.

Again, due to the open nature of this case, there isn't really anywhere good to hide cables, making cable management much more difficult than usual. Even if a modular power supply is used, careful planning and routing is definitely a must.

Cooling

As with most open air cases we've tested in the past, we were disappointed that the Antec Torque doesn't ship with any fans from the factory. We are well aware that this can be remedied by the end user, and we also know that many enthusiasts prefer to install fans of their choosing anyway. But it would have been nice to see at least a couple fans included with a case that costs $350. In total, this chassis can be equipped with up to six 120mm fans. But of course that increases the overall cost significantly.

Both the top and front mounting locations can easily support radiators up to 360mm sandwiched between fans in a push-pull configuration. You can even install a 360mm radiator in the top and front simultaneously.

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Benchmark Results and Conclusion

We tested the Antec Torque with our new Intel Core i9-7900X test platform. For comparison, we tested against the Cougar Conquer Essence, the Cougar Conquer and the Deepcool Quadstellar to give you a good idea of where this case stands against other options that are of similar size, feature sets and price.

There is literally no active airflow into this chassis due to the fact that it ships with no fans. Although we are fully aware that this is done as a cost-cutting measure--and enthusiasts prefer to add their own fans--we still think Antec should have included one or more intake fans to provide some airflow into the chassis. That said, temperatures were surprisingly good given the fact that the Antec Torque is essentially an open-air case.

CPU core temperatures on our Intel i9-7900X processor running at 4 GHz leveled off at 56 degrees Celsius over the ambient temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. Our results put the Antec Torque ahead of all the cases we used for comparison. GPU temperatures were also impressive at 47 degrees Celsius over the ambient room temperature, putting the Torque in a tie with the Cougar Conquer. The addition of fans to this chassis would mean even better temperatures, but of course at the cost of increased noise levels.

On the subject of noise levels, we recorded sound level readings with two off-the-shelf dB meters from two different angles. Normally, one of the benefits of a side panel made of tempered glass is its ability to reflect sound back into the chassis. Unfortunately, as with most open air chassis, this case allows almost all the noise generated by your system's components to escape the case. At idle, the system registered 31.1dBA. And our test results with the Torque under load were the second highest of the test group. The combination of our GPU and all-in-one cooler resulted in obnoxiously high 38.8dBA.

Cooling efficiency and noise levels are both ways to measure performance. Determining acoustic efficiency, also referred to as cooling-to-noise ratio, is a matter of averaging all five of our tests to determine a base value.

In general, we do not have a problem with expensive chassis, but a premium cases such as the Antec Torque needs to offer features and styling that justify the asking price. Even if you reuse fans from a previous build, there is still the $350 asking price to contend with.

Bottom Line

Let's be honest, plenty of people considering this chassis won't care about the shortcomings we listed in this review. A case like this is all about style for most. That said, great looks aside, the $350 (£267.36) price tag puts the Antec Torque out of reach of mainstream enthusiasts. And even if you have the money to spend, there are more-appealing options. Those looking for a similar looks can save $100 by opting for the Cougar Conquer or the Cougar Conquer Essence, both of which sell for about $250. And while the Conquer Essence also ships without fans, it supports up to six 2.5-inch drives and two 3.5-inch hard drives while the Torque makes do with mounting holes for just one of each.  

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A lot of rigs are set up to garner as much attention as possible. That's why some companies use bold designs for their pre-built systems, incorporate unnecessary flourishes in their components and cover near everything imaginable with RGB lighting. Antec has designed its latest case, the P101 Silent, announced this week, for those who prefer it when the only evidence of their PC's existence is their ability to get things done with it.

The P101 Silent is a mid-tower ATX case that Antec has not-so-subtly dubbed "The Silent Guardian." What's it guarding? Eh, that doesn't matter. The important part is that Antec included sound dampening foam in the top, front and side panels to muffle any noise coming from the system inside. It also included three 120mm low-noise fans in the front and one 140mm low-noise fan in the back to make sure cooling the system is also fairly quiet.

The case itself measures 527 x 232 x 506mm (D x W x H) and can accommodate 450mm-long graphics cards, 180mm-tall CPUs and 290mm-long PSUs. Those PSUs can be installed from the back panel too, for easier assembly. Removable dust filters on the top and bottom panels are supposed to help those of us who have to contend with a lot of dust make sure our PCs stay clean-ish.

The case also has room for up to 11 storage drives with one 5.25-inch ODD bay, two dedicated 2.5-inch SSD slots and eight slots that can be used for 3.5-inch HDDs and 2.5-inch SSDs alike. An I/O panel on the top offers easy access to a power button, reset button, fan speed controller, HD audio out and mic in, as well as two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 slots (all four of which are lit with white LEDs to make it easier to connect your peripherals in the dark).

Rhe P101 Silent is currently available in the U.S. with an MSRP of $110; you can find it on Newegg. The company didn't reveal availability or pricing information for other parts of the world. Still, with so much focus these days going to manufacturers that want systems to be as ostentatious as possible, it's refreshing when a company releases a case that lends itself well to the idea that PCs don't have to be seen or heard.

Head to the Components Forum for your chance to win the Antec DF500 RGB Mid-Tower Gaming Case and the P5 Micro-ATX Case!

We teamed up with Antec to bring you a giveaway for two computer building starter bundles. Up for grabs is the DF500 RGB mid tower gaming case and HCG750 Bronze PSU. The first prize winner will receive the P5 micro-ATX case and the VP550 PLUS Power Supply. For your chance to win, head to our forums and follow the instructions on the giveaway widget in the forums.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Giveaway is only open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States, and the District of Columbia, 18 or older. For a complete list of rules please see the Terms and Conditions on the Gleam Giveaway Widget. This giveaway is open until October 15th, 2018.

Features & Specifications

Antec's 1000W High Current Gamer Extreme power supply is a feast for the eyes. Its gold and glossy finish are unlike anything we've seen before. Under the hood, Antec utilizes a Seasonic Focus Plus Gold platform, so we already know that this PSU serves up high performance and long-term reliability. We hoped that an Extreme descriptor would indicate Seasonic's higher-end Prime platform. But we're also glad to see such a capable model selling for $150, and a Prime-based version would have cost a lot more.

As it stands, the HCG1000 Extreme is about $10 cheaper than Seasonic's own Focus Plus Gold (SSR-1000FX). It sports a much more attractive exterior, a larger 135mm fan, and more connectors. Inside, the two PSUs are identical, and their warranties are the same. So, if you have to pick between them, Antec's offering is the obvious choice. Corsair's RM1000x and EVGA's SuperNOVA 1000 G3 are interesting alternatives with similar capacities and 80 PLUS Gold efficiency certifications. Both are more expensive, though.

The HCG Extreme family currently consists of 850W and 1000W members. While we like that Antec hit a $149 price point with its 1000W model, the 850W version is too expensive at $139. The HCG850 Extreme should sell for $120 or $125 to effectively compete with Seasonic's Focus Plus Gold 850 and Corsair's RM850x, or even Antec's own HCG850 Gold, which is available for less than $110. 

Specifications

The HCG1000 Extreme earns 80 PLUS Gold and ETA-A efficiency certifications, plus a LAMBDA-A- noise rating on Cybenetics' scale. That's pretty good for a 1000W power supply crammed into such compact dimensions.

All of the protection features we expect from a desktop PSU are accounted for, and Antec's FDB-based fan promises enhanced reliability and lower noise output compared to a double ball bearing fan. Antec does claim there's a semi-passive mode able to stop the fan from spinning under light loads, but the feature wasn't working properly on the sample we tested.

A 10-year warranty matches the coverage you'd get from Corsair or EVGA in this price range.

Power Specifications

The +12V rail is powerful; it can deliver up to 83A of current. Moreover, the combined power of the minor rails is sufficient for any modern PC. Finally, the 5VSB rail has 3A of maximum current output.

Cables & Connectors

There are two EPS and eight PCIe connectors, which are plenty for a 1000W power supply. The number of SATA connectors is increased as well, while a sextet of four-pin Molex connectors should cover most densely-packed PCs. Antec also includes a FDD adapter in its cable bundle.

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Unboxing Video

The following video shows us unboxing the HCG1000 Extreme.

Some photos of the HCG1000 Extreme and its accessories are shown above.

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Teardown & Component Analysis

Before proceeding with this page we strongly encourage you to a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, allowing you to better understand the components we're about to discuss.

As mentioned, the Antec HCG1000 Extreme is based on Seasonic's famous Focus Plus Gold platform in its strongest form. It's able to deliver 1kW of power from an impressively small PCB, even under oppressive ambient conditions.

There's an LLC resonant converter and full bridge topology on the primary side, while the secondary side hosts a synchronous design and a couple of DC-DC converters for generating the minor rails. The electrolytic caps are provided by Chemi-Con and Nichicon, while the polymer caps come from Chemi-Con and FPCAP.

Antec's cooling fan of choice is provided by Hong Hua. It utilizes a fluid dynamic bearing with a long lifetime at normal operating temperatures, offering quiet operation. Although the fan has a high maximum speed, we never saw it hit 100% duty cycle, even in a 49°C environment under full load.

The album above includes photos showing the HCG1000 Extreme's major parts, while the following video illustrates the HCG1000 Extreme’s internals.

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Load Regulation, Hold-Up Time & Inrush Current

To learn more about our PSU tests and methodology, please check out How We Test Power Supply Units. 

Primary Rails And 5VSB Load Regulation

Load Regulation testing is detailed here.

Hold-Up Time

Our hold-up time tests are described in detail here.

The hold-up time we measured was over 17ms. However, the power-good signal's hold-up time didn't exceed 16ms, as the ATX spec dictates.

Inrush Current

For details on our inrush current testing, please click here.

Registered inrush current landed where we expected for a 1000W PSU with 115V input. With 230V it was a little higher.

Load Regulation And Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests reveals the stability of the voltage rails and the HCG1000 Extreme’s efficiency. The applied load equals (approximately) 10 to 110 percent of the PSU's maximum load in increments of 10 percentage points.

We conducted two additional tests. During the first, we stressed the two minor rails (5V and 3.3V) with a high load, while the load at +12V was only 0.1A. This test reveals whether a PSU is compatible with Intel's C6/C7 sleep states or not. In the second test, we determined the maximum load the +12V rail could handle with minimal load on the minor rails.

The fan profile appears to be conservative, even under extremely tough conditions. Although the fan can spin as fast as 2300 RPM, it doesn't even hit half of that number in a 47°C ambient environment.

As for efficiency, the HCG1000 Extreme easily satisfies the 80 PLUS Gold requirements. This is a highly capable platform, to be sure.

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Efficiency, Temperature & Noise

Efficiency

Our efficiency testing procedure is detailed here.

Using results from the previous page, we plotted a chart showing the HCG1000 Extreme’s efficiency at low loads, and loads from 10 to 110 percent of its maximum-rated capacity.

The PSU fares well under light and moderate loads.

Efficiency At Low Loads

In the following tests, we measure the HCG1000 Extreme's efficiency at loads significantly lower than 10 percent of its maximum capacity (the lowest load the 80 PLUS standard measures). The loads we dial are 20, 40, 60, and 80W. This is important for representing when a PC is idle, with power-saving features turned on.

In two of four tests, Antec's HCG1000 Extreme exceeded the 80% efficiency mark. Its fan spun slowly, even though we had the semi-passive feature enabled. At least on our sample, this capability only worked at very low operating temperatures. We weren't bothered, though. It's more important to us that heat is removed quietly under light loads.

5VSB Efficiency

The ATX specification (revision 1.4), along with CEC, ErP Lot 3 2014 and ErP Lot 6 2010/2013, states that 5VSB standby supply efficiency should be as high as possible, recommending 75 percent or higher with 550mA, 1A, and 1.5A of load. The PSU should also achieve higher than 75% efficiency at 5VSB under full load, or with 3A if its max current output on this rail is higher than 3A.

We take six measurements: one each at 100, 250, 550, 1000, and 1500mA, and one with the full load the 5VSB rail can handle.   

The 5VSB rail isn't as efficient as we'd like from a high-end power supply. Seasonic's Focus platform needs an updated 5VSB regulator able to facilitate higher efficiency levels.

Power Consumption In Idle And Standby

In the table below, you'll find the power consumption and voltage values of all rails (except -12V) when the PSU is idle (powered on, but without any load on its rails), and the power consumption when the PSU is in standby mode (without any load, at 5VSB).

Measured vampire power was very low with both voltage inputs.

Fan RPM, Delta Temperature, And Output Noise

Our mixed noise testing is described in detail here.

The first chart below illustrates the cooling fan's speed (in RPM), and the delta between input and output temperature. The results were obtained at 37°C (98.6°F) to 47°C (116.6°F) ambient temperature.   

The next chart shows the cooling fan's speed (again, in RPM) and output noise. We measure acoustics from one meter away, inside a hemi-anechoic chamber. Background noise inside the chamber is below 6 dB(A) during testing (it's actually much lower, but our sound meter’s microphone hits its floor), and the results are obtained with the PSU operating at 37°C (98.6°F) to 47°C (116.6°F) ambient temperature. 

The following graph illustrates the fan's output noise over the PSU's operating range. The same conditions of the above graph apply to our measurements, though the ambient temperature is between 30°C (86°F) to 32°C (89.6°F).  

Antec's HCG1000 Extreme features a conservative fan profile that keeps the cooling fan at low speeds. For reasons unknown to us, the semi-passive mode wasn't active on our sample, even after specifically enabling it for this test.

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Protection Features & DC Power Sequencing

Protection Features

Check out our PSUs 101 article to learn more about PSU protection features. Our protection features evaluation methodology is described in detail here.

According to our testing, all protection features are active and working properly. Under real-world conditions, the +12V rail can deliver more than 100A of current output, so the HCG1000 Extreme won't have a problem with power spikes on this rail.

DC Power Sequencing

According to Intel’s most recent Power Supply Design Guide (revision 1.4), the +12V and 5V voltages must be equal to or greater than the 3.3V rail’s output during power-up and normal operation.

For our first measurement, we turn the power supply off and switch it back on without any load on its rails. In the second test, we set the PSU to standby mode, dial in a full load, and start the PSU. In the last test, while the PSU is switched off, we dial in a full load before restoring power to it.

We never saw the 3.3V rail's voltage exceed the +12V or 5V rail during the PSU's start-up phase, so everything checks out in this test.

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Cross-Load Tests & Infrared Images

Our cross-load tests are described in detail here.

To generate the following charts, we set our loaders to auto mode through our custom-made software before trying more than 25,000 possible load combinations with the +12V, 5V, and 3.3V rails. The load regulation deviations in each of the charts below are calculated by taking the nominal values of the rails (12V, 5V, and 3.3V) as point zero. The ambient temperature is between at 30°C (86°F) to 32°C (89.6°F).

Load Regulation Charts

Efficiency Chart

There was a small region where efficiency landed between 92 and 94%. You typically don't see that from 80 PLUS Gold-rated PSUs. It's more common in Platinum-rated models.

Ripple Charts

Infrared Images

We apply half-load for 10 minutes with the PSU's top cover and cooling fan removed before taking photos with our modified FLIR E4 camera that delivers 320x240 IR resolution (76,800 pixels).

Temperatures inside of the PSU remained under 90°C during our 10-minute half-load test session.

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Transient Response Tests

Advanced Transient Response Tests

For details on our transient response testing, please click here.

Ιn these tests, we monitor the HCG1000 Extreme's response in several scenarios. First, a transient load (10A at +12V, 5A at 5V, 5A at 3.3V, and 0.5A at 5VSB) is applied for 200ms as the PSU works at 20 percent load. In the second scenario, it's hit by the same transient load while operating at 50 percent load.

In the next sets of tests, we increase the transient load on the major rails with a new configuration: 15A at +12V, 6A at 5V, 6A at 3.3V, and 0.5A at 5VSB. We also increase the load-changing repetition rate from 5 Hz (200ms) to 50 Hz (20ms). Again, this runs with the PSU operating at 20 and 50 percent load.

The last tests are even tougher. Although we keep the same loads, the load-changing repetition rate rises to 1 kHz (1ms).

In all of the tests, we use an oscilloscope to measure the voltage drops caused by the transient load. The voltages should remain within the ATX specification's regulation limits.

These tests are crucial because they simulate the transient loads a PSU is likely to handle (such as booting a RAID array or an instant 100 percent load of CPU/GPUs). We call these "Advanced Transient Response Tests," and they are designed to be very tough to master, especially for a PSU with a capacity of less than 500W.  

Advanced Transient Response at 20 Percent – 200ms

Advanced Transient Response at 20 Percent – 20ms

Advanced Transient Response at 20 Percent – 1ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50 Percent – 200ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50 Percent – 20ms

Advanced Transient Response at 50 Percent – 1ms

#ALBUM_ 34965#

Voltage drops on the +12V and 5V rails were controlled well.

On the 5V rail, deviations were larger than we like to see. Meanwhile, the 3.3V rail was this PSU's worst performer. In most test scenarios, the 3.3V rail's voltage dropped below 3.2V.

Here are the oscilloscope screenshots we took during Advanced Transient Response Testing:

Transient Response At 20 Percent Load – 200ms

Transient Response At 20 Percent Load – 20ms

Transient Response At 20 Percent Load – 1ms

Transient Response At 50 Percent Load – 200ms

Transient Response At 50 Percent Load – 20ms

Transient Response At 50 Percent Load – 1ms

Turn-On Transient Tests

In the next set of tests, we measure the HCG1000 Extreme’s response in simpler transient load scenarios—during its power-on phase.

For our first measurement, we turn the power supply off, dial in the maximum current the 5VSB rail can handle, and switch the PSU back on. In the second test, we dial the maximum load the +12V rail can handle and start the PSU while it is in standby mode. In the last test, while the PSU is switched off, we dial in the +12V rail's maximum load before restoring power. The ATX specification states that recorded spikes on all rails should not exceed 10 percent of their nominal values (+10 percent for 12V is 13.2V, and 5.5 V for 5V).    

There were no significant spikes or voltage overshoots to report. Still, the curves we recorded weren't the smoothest we've seen.

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Ripple Measurements

To learn how we measure ripple, please click here.

The following table includes the ripple levels we measured on the HCG1000 Extreme’s rails. The limits, according to the ATX specification, are 120mV (+12V) and 50mV (5V, 3.3V, and 5VSB).

Ripple suppression is excellent on every rail, even under the tough operating conditions that we apply.

Ripple Oscilloscope Screenshots

The following oscilloscope screenshots illustrate the AC ripple and noise registered on the main rails (+12V, 5V, 3.3V, and 5VSB). The bigger the fluctuations, the bigger the ripple/noise. We set 0.01 V/Div (each vertical division/box equals 0.01V) as the standard for all measurements.  

Ripple At Full Load

Ripple At 110-Percent Load

Ripple At Cross-Load 1

Ripple At Cross-Load 2

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EMC Pre-Compliance Testing

To learn more about our EMI testing equipment, please check out How We Test Power Supply Units.

EMI Results - Average Detector

The PSU's EMI filter failed in this test, as evidenced by the increased noise at lower frequencies.

EMI Results - Peak Detector

There are a notable number of spikes in the Peak Detector test, though none of them exceed its limits.

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Performance, Value, Noise & Efficiency

Performance Rating

The following graph shows the HCG1000 Extreme’s total performance rating, comparing it to other units we have tested. To be more specific, the tested unit is shown as 100 percent, and every other unit's performance is shown relative to it.

The HCG1000 Extreme achieves a high overall performance score, easily besting Corsair's celebrated RM1000x.

Performance Per Dollar

The following chart may be the most interesting to many of you because it depicts the product’s performance-per-dollar score. We looked up the current price of each PSU on popular online shops and used those prices and all relative performance numbers to calculate the index. Note that all of the numbers in the following graph are normalized by the rated power of each PSU.  

Given a $149 price tag, it's no surprise to see the HCG1000 Extreme's value score so high versus the competition.

Noise Rating

The graph below depicts the cooling fan's average noise over the PSU's operating range, with an ambient temperature between 30°C and 32°C (86°F to 89.6°F).

Thanks to a conservative fan profile, the HCG1000 is not noisy. If the semi-passive mode worked properly during our cross-load tests, this PSU would have probably been even quieter. We did reach out to Antec and Seasonic about the issue we observed, but couldn't get an answer as to why our sample's semi-passive mode had such a hard time activating. It might have been a sample-specific problem.

Efficiency Rating

The following graph shows the PSU's average efficiency throughout its operating range, with an ambient temperature close to 30°C.

The HCG1000 Extreme's overall efficiency is high, surpassing the majority of 1000W 80 PLUS Gold-certified models.

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Final Analysis

Antec took Seasonic's Focus Plus Gold platform and created a distinctive-looking power supply that sells at a compelling price here in the U.S. Anyone looking for high performance and unique aesthetics should add this model to their short list. The coloring might not be to everyone's taste, but at least it stands out from the sea of black-painted enclosures out there.

Besides its snazzy external design and compact dimensions, Antec's HCG1000 Extreme offered exceptional results throughout our benchmark suite. Its only shortcoming was the 3.3V rail's substandard transient response. While it didn't fail the ATX specification's minimum requirements, the data we collected didn't satisfy our expectations, either. In most of the tests we ran, its voltage levels dropped below 3.2V.

We don't know how long Antec intends to sell the HCG1000 Extreme for $149. But as long as you can buy this model for that price, its value score goes through the roof. We're incredibly excited to see the company offering an enhanced version of Seasonic's 1000W Focus Plus Gold PSU for less money. If you have to choose between them, Antec takes the crown.

Beyond its value-oriented victory, the HCG1000 Extreme comes armed with more connectors than Seasonic's implementation, including eight PCIe and 12 SATA connectors, plus a pair of EPS connectors. With 1kW of maximum power and tons of connectivity, this high-end Antec PSU easily supports capable workstations with lots of storage, multiple graphics cards, and advanced platforms.

Our test sample did exhibit one strange problem: its semi-passive mode refused to start sometimes, even as the HCG1000 Extreme idled. Consequently, we had to run all of our tests with the fan spinning normally. Despite reaching out to Antec and Seasonic for an explanation, and then completely dismantling the PSU in search of a culprit, we're at a loss as to why our sample behaved so strangely.

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Disclaimer: Aris Mpitziopoulos is Tom's Hardware's PSU reviewer. He is also the Chief Testing Engineer of Cybenetics, and developed the Cybenetics certification methodologies apart from his role on Tom's Hardware. Neither Tom's Hardware nor its parent company, Purch Media, are financially involved with Cybenetics. Aris does not perform the actual certifications for Cybenetics.

Features & Specifications

Thanks to a close working relationship with Seasonic, we're finally seeing new power supplies from the once-pervasive Antec. Besides its EarthWatts Gold Pro family (we covered the flagship model in our Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 750W PSU Review) the High Current Gamer line-up was also revamped recently. And fortunately for enthusiasts, the company is building these higher-end models using Seasonic's Focus Plus Gold platform as a foundation. Inherently, then, they serve up solid performance in a compact form factor. Only the chassis and labels are different.

But not all is perfect with Antec's take on this celebrated design. Our first two samples died as we tested their protection features. That's simply not acceptable at a $110 price point. Hopefully the company takes our findings and fixes whatever caused those untimely failures. To make matter worse, even though we measured high efficiency from this fully modular PSU, it still gets noisy under taxing loads.

The HCG850 Gold features fully modular cabling and impressive power density, meaning it packs a lot of capacity into small dimensions. Because the chassis only measures 14cm long, Seasonic built the platform with a 120mm fan. We would have preferred a 135mm model instead, similar to the lower-capacity Prime Ultra PSUs. However, that may have caused too much overlap with Seasonic's higher-end product families.

Again, the High Current Gamer's chassis differentiates it from Seasonic's Focus Plus Gold. And in our opinion, Antec has the better-looking and more distinctive enclosure. But the HCG850's fan grill is restrictive, and that will probably make the cooling fan's job harder.

Antec's solution might look like a 550W PSU thanks to its compact footprint; however, it packs a load of connectivity, including two EPS and six PCIe connectors. This makes it ideal for building a capable gaming system. Modern GPUs might not be as power-hungry as they were a generation ago, but they still use more power than any other component, Moreover, AMD's Radeon RX Vega family imposes some fairly brutal current spikes that can put a lot of stress on weaker PSUs, even shutting them down by triggering their over-current protection circuits.

Besides an 80 PLUS Gold certification, the HCG850 is also ETA-A- (for efficiency) and LAMBDA-S++-rated (for noise) by Cybenetics. This isn't a particularly quiet power supply; we measure close to 35 dB(A) due to the relatively small fan spinning at high speeds to keep enough air moving through Antec's diminutive chassis.

The list of protection features is comprehensive (at least on paper). Meanwhile, a 10-year warranty is undoubtedly reassuring to anyone concerned about reliability. We still find it strange to see PSUs covered by 10- and 12-year warranties. A few years ago, those guarantees would have sounded crazy, since a power supply's lifetime is highly dependent on power quality coming from the mains grid. If you don't use a conditioner of some sort with decent automatic voltage regulation (AVR), then your PSU gets punished during brownouts.

Power Specifications

The minor rails offer sufficient maximum power for any modern system, while the +12V rail delivers up to 70A of current. Lastly, the 5VSB rail has 15W capacity, which should be plenty for most usage scenarios. As a side note, OCP is set much higher on this rail.

Cables & Connectors

There are two EPS and six PCIe connectors, which should be plenty for an 850W PSU. There are also 10 SATA connectors, plus five Molex ones. Antec does provide a FDD adapter for anyone who needs one.

As you can see in the table above, there are capacitors in the ATX, EPS, and PCIe cables. We are not fond of these, since they make the cables bulky. On the other hand, they help improve ripple suppression and transient response.

Specifications

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Unboxing Video

The following video shows us unboxing the HCG850.

Some photos of the HCG850 and its accessories are shown in the photos above.

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Teardown & Component Analysis

Before proceeding with this page we strongly encourage you to a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, allowing you to better understand the components we're about to discuss.