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_Korruption_
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2002
- Messages
- 4,572
(copied from my thread over at SilentPCReview)
Like many, I was interested in the new SOLO case that Antec was releasing. My reasons?
- I liked the way it looked
- It seemed like a good platform for the future (low-noise, good breathability, etc.)
- It is relatively cheap
- A PSU is not included
Anyway, I wanted to replace my aging Coolermaster Centurion. It wasn't a bad choice for low-noise operation, but I quickly got tired of the way it looked, and in it's stock configuration, the lower-front intake was horribly restricted. My oversized OCZ Powerstream sagged as it only had two mount points.
I held off on the SOLO purchase mainly because I didn't really like such a small case - I appreciate some extra room when working in and around components. The NSK6500 was introduced a little later on, and the only real differences that I could see were the extra inch or two in height, the lack of HDD suspension, sound insulation, and the included PSU. The lack of HDD suspension didn't bother me too much as the NSK6500 still featured the silicone HDD grommets (similar to the P180). I was sure they would do a good job.
I didn't use the included PSU as my OCZ 420W is more suited to powering +5V-heavy setups like mine (my motherboard doesn't have the 4-pin ATX12V connection).
The machine in question:
Asus A7N8X Deluxe Rev2 + Zalman NB47J
AMD AthlonXP 2500+M (overclocked from 1.83GHz to 2.2GHz @ 1.7V)
Thermalright SP-97 + 92mm Panaflo Medium @ 7V
2x 512MB Corsair XMS3200XL (2-2-2-5 @ 2.8V)
Sapphire Radeon 9700 + Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer (@ low)
Chaintech AV-710 soundcard
120GB Seagate 7200.7 PATA
250GB Seagate 7200.8 PATA
OCZ Powerstream 420W
Enough said, let's get onto the pics.
The box + environmentally friendly packing materials.
Less environmentally-friendly plastic.
Unwrapped.
Inside.
The included SU-430 PSU -- It is a Seasonic. SPCR reviewed a similar model.
The HDD cage, it is removable.
All the necessary connections.
Bag of screws taped down.
Front panel connectors.
A storage space underneath the HDD cage, it may come in handy.
The rear 120mm Tricool, mine in particular buzzes a bit.
The front bezel off. It is quite difficult to remove, unlike the SLK3x00 cases.
My old Coolermaster case beside.
Poor filtering in the Coolermaster caused this.
After cleaning.
My oversized OCZ Powerstream 420W in. Extra long cables are a pain.
2x 92mm Nexus fans.
My optical drive + floppy drive. The colours don't match 100%.
Motherboard in.
Some sloppy wire management.
HDD trays.
Everything back in.
Closed up. It matches my LCD very well.
The front LEDs are quite bright, even though they are diffused.
So yeah, please excuse my sloppy wire management. Things are placed well enough so that air has an almost direct path through the case. It is significantly quieter than my old Coolermaster... even though that setup utilized some drive suspension (seen here). It was well worth the $100 or so, in my opinion. Thanks for reading, hopefully I haven't killed your connections with the excessive images!
Like many, I was interested in the new SOLO case that Antec was releasing. My reasons?
- I liked the way it looked
- It seemed like a good platform for the future (low-noise, good breathability, etc.)
- It is relatively cheap
- A PSU is not included
Anyway, I wanted to replace my aging Coolermaster Centurion. It wasn't a bad choice for low-noise operation, but I quickly got tired of the way it looked, and in it's stock configuration, the lower-front intake was horribly restricted. My oversized OCZ Powerstream sagged as it only had two mount points.
I held off on the SOLO purchase mainly because I didn't really like such a small case - I appreciate some extra room when working in and around components. The NSK6500 was introduced a little later on, and the only real differences that I could see were the extra inch or two in height, the lack of HDD suspension, sound insulation, and the included PSU. The lack of HDD suspension didn't bother me too much as the NSK6500 still featured the silicone HDD grommets (similar to the P180). I was sure they would do a good job.
I didn't use the included PSU as my OCZ 420W is more suited to powering +5V-heavy setups like mine (my motherboard doesn't have the 4-pin ATX12V connection).
The machine in question:
Asus A7N8X Deluxe Rev2 + Zalman NB47J
AMD AthlonXP 2500+M (overclocked from 1.83GHz to 2.2GHz @ 1.7V)
Thermalright SP-97 + 92mm Panaflo Medium @ 7V
2x 512MB Corsair XMS3200XL (2-2-2-5 @ 2.8V)
Sapphire Radeon 9700 + Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer (@ low)
Chaintech AV-710 soundcard
120GB Seagate 7200.7 PATA
250GB Seagate 7200.8 PATA
OCZ Powerstream 420W
Enough said, let's get onto the pics.
The box + environmentally friendly packing materials.
Less environmentally-friendly plastic.
Unwrapped.
Inside.
The included SU-430 PSU -- It is a Seasonic. SPCR reviewed a similar model.
The HDD cage, it is removable.
All the necessary connections.
Bag of screws taped down.
Front panel connectors.
A storage space underneath the HDD cage, it may come in handy.
The rear 120mm Tricool, mine in particular buzzes a bit.
The front bezel off. It is quite difficult to remove, unlike the SLK3x00 cases.
My old Coolermaster case beside.
Poor filtering in the Coolermaster caused this.
After cleaning.
My oversized OCZ Powerstream 420W in. Extra long cables are a pain.
2x 92mm Nexus fans.
My optical drive + floppy drive. The colours don't match 100%.
Motherboard in.
Some sloppy wire management.
HDD trays.
Everything back in.
Closed up. It matches my LCD very well.
The front LEDs are quite bright, even though they are diffused.
So yeah, please excuse my sloppy wire management. Things are placed well enough so that air has an almost direct path through the case. It is significantly quieter than my old Coolermaster... even though that setup utilized some drive suspension (seen here). It was well worth the $100 or so, in my opinion. Thanks for reading, hopefully I haven't killed your connections with the excessive images!
