Antec Nine Hundred Two: Second Generation Gamer Case
by Christoph Katzer on February 13, 2009 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Test Setup
| Test Configuration | |
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 (Quad-core 3.0GHz, 2x6MB L2, 1333FSB) |
| Motherboard | Asus P5N-T Deluxe |
| Graphics Cards | Triple-SLI NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra |
| Memory | 4GB OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 Platinum Series |
| HDD | Western Digital WD4001ABYS (Fully equipped) |
| CPU Cooler | Zalman CNPS7700 |
| Power Supply | PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 860W (AnandTech Edition) |
For the temperature results we decided to attached temperature diodes to the CPU cooler, the GPU cooler (first GPU), the hard drives, and the inside of the chassis. This configuration may or may not end up being similar to what you run, but since we will use the same hardware in our case reviews we will be able to build a collection of results. The first graphics card in an SLI or triple-SLI setup always runs hotter than the others, which is why we will take measurements from this card.
For the time being, we installed the maximum supported number of hard drives (seven in this case). However, the temperature diode will also be connected to the first hard drive of our RAID setup. The fourth diode is in the middle of the case at the height of the DIMMs. This diode will allow us to measure ambient case temperature, and we will test optional configurations as necessary -- i.e., if a case offers a special air duct we will test both with and without this air duct.
Note: You will notice that we are testing with a very high-end setup for now, which is not representative of many computer systems. We will add a second more reasonable configuration in the future that will focus on reducing noise levels. For now, the temperature and noise readings should be considered something of a worst-case scenario.
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pepsimax2k - Friday, February 13, 2009 - link
forgot to say, this also allows you to clean the filters much more easily (ala p180). another bonus for me :)pepsimax2k - Friday, February 13, 2009 - link
ohhhh, antec antec antec! what have you done! ok, ignore the above, 900 two only has single circular holes, so looks like you can only mount any screws at the front in limited positions. the original has regular long sliding holes so you can screw front drives / bezels in at any position. i spose you could always drill some more...AstroGuardian - Friday, February 13, 2009 - link
This case is not as good as you say it is. The temperatures are the lowest during the first week of usage. After a week the case is filled with dust and fibers and it creates a risk of overheating of components especially hard drives.I think it's quite stupid that Antec do not put filters behind the front plates. If anyone enjoys opening the case and disassembling the PC just to clear out the tons of dust, than this case is just for you
pepsimax2k - Friday, February 13, 2009 - link
900 two has front filters behind the front fans (and side); only the original 900 lacked them. Although they're easy to add even on the original (see my post below).slashbinslashbash - Friday, February 13, 2009 - link
Why has nobody managed to improve upon the original gamer case, the Antec Dragon, aka Chieftec Dragon, aka Antec SX1040, etc? I bought mine like 8 years ago and I still haven't gotten a new case, because I look at the other cases and think "my Dragon has more room than this, and is better constructed!" I'm not an xxxtreme overclocker, so I really don't care about cooling that much. The 2 rear 80m fans in my Dragon work just fine.Things I love about my Dragon: A) Tons of room; B) Easy to customize front bezel LED's; C) removable HDD trays and nicely designed optical drive sleds; D) a huge window; E) nice color choices (I have mine in blue and it still looks better than 90% of cases out there); F) Sturdy as hell (I sit on it all the time); G) nice sturdy latch and nicely-opening side door (no stupid little slots that you have to line up). It still blows my mind that nobody offers a case with all these things, and more. It is big enough to fit all of the HDD's and a long video card, but I have do have to take out the video card to remove the HDD trays. In that respect, something with sideways-inserted HDD's would be better. I also with it had workable front USB, FW, and audio. (I know some later Dragons had these features, mine does not.) Other than those things, there is not much to improve on this design which has been around since roughly 2000. If Antec still sold the exact same case, I would buy it again now, no doubt.
JeBarr - Saturday, February 14, 2009 - link
Yep, the egg still sells chieftec dragon for 100 bucks and worth every penny IMO.Zak - Friday, February 13, 2009 - link
The same reason I'm sticking to my aging, slightly moded CM Stacker 810. With two overclocked 285s, overclocked i7 and 12 hard drives it's cool and nearly silent and still there is room to add more stuff. Except for looks I don't see any better cases out there now in the <$200 range. Heck, even among the expensive ones there isn't anything appealing. I like that behemoth ABS Canyon case but some strange design decisions were made and IMHO it has a few deal-breaking problems, in particular considering the price. The Raven is a nice attempt at innovation, but fails in many areas. We're still using cases that pretty much have the same layout and features as they had 10 years ago.Z.
direfox - Friday, February 13, 2009 - link
Awesome photography! Its hard to get good pictures of all black objects but you guys did a great job and I finally get to see what the case really looks like.cactusdog - Friday, February 13, 2009 - link
Do it got Emails?Its ok but not my style.
hob196 - Friday, February 13, 2009 - link
How come the Idle System temperatures get higher when the fan's running faster? Is this a chart snafu?