Antec Skeleton PC Case

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In the world of building cases, Antec has a special place, thanks to its best-selling models such as P180 and following long-standing reference. Boxes after all classics that have nothing to do with the UFO appeared at CES 2008, there is just one year as very evocative of Skeleton. Finally offered to the public last October, this atypical case (but is this really a box?) Raises at first sight, many questions we will try to answer.

A particular design

Digital fondue, barbecue or object from space, we have all heard about this Skeleton from colleagues Scoffers somewhat. It is difficult to speak of a turn or even housing for this product, although its function is obviously to welcome our equipment. Indeed, the design of the Skeleton is most original, and, for some, lead to smile. However, Antec is probably not designed in this case a beauty, but certainly in the interest of a montage or a quick replacement of components that make up your configuration. We will see if the bet is successful.In the meantime, let us for a moment on the description of this "box" off-standard, beginning with its technical specifications:

The Antec Skeleton outside the usual realm of cases by an initial observation, shocking to some people: it has no wall, the elements being left uncovered. This raises three important issues, the flow of air and noise that we look further, and the dust that will inevitably be deposited on the elements of your configuration, the big fan of 250 mm above the box being aspiration (from outside to inside the box, so to speak).

This big fan is the top of a building rather surrealist whose main pillars are made of two steel arcs. The metal parts that form the backbone of this case are at maximum so that the assembly is easier? We will see later. Nevertheless, those who appreciate the plexiglass plate to see the inside of turn will not be disappointed by the Skeleton, leaving completely bare your configuration, particularly graphic cards and mother, placed on the top shelf, while food, hard drives and optical drives will be placed in the bottom of the case. Let's take a closer look.

The 250 mm fan blows air into the bowels of the Skeleton

The upper Parts

To accommodate the motherboard and all its components, the upper part of the Skeleton's special to be able to get out of the box, and this in two ways. First, you can simply unscrew manually (ie without screwdriver) the two screws present prominently on the side, the back of the device (the front is characterized by the ignition button ). Then, just draw on the support of the motherboard to see slide off the tray of the case. Alternatively, unscrew the top shelf (only three screws that hold the structure) to install your motherboard.

The installation of the motherboard and components is greatly facilitated by the ability to extract the top shelf outside the box


The two screws that hold the plate in the structure very easily, without screwdriver

The lower Parts

If the top shelf houses the motherboard and its components (processor, graphics card ...), other elements are arranged below. This is the first case of Power Supply, which is located at the back of the case, on a trolley also Extractable. Antec has also planned several tracks for the trolley in order to adjust its position depending on the size of your diet.

On the other side of the Skeleton, on the front, there are places for two hard drives 3 1/2 (right) and two for optical drives. If two locations seem sufficient in this case, the presence only two hard disks can be penalized. We will see another solution has been provided by Antec.

Pitches 3 1/2 and 5 1/4, in front of the Skeleton

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The test, assembly

We have just seen, the Antec Skeleton seems designed to facilitate the installation and other connections. The removable trays, frames largely adjacent, everything seems to have been made to make these operations more simple. Let us see what is happening in practice.

The lower Power Supply, hard drives and optical drives

Power Supply is the most important element (in size) of our configuration. It was through it that we begin our assembly. At the rear of the Skeleton, we extract the compartment which is designed to accommodate. This is, simply bring together the two elements via 4 screws provided. It must then place the compartment track and it's done. However, the picture is not so idyllic as that. Indeed, we have fun making this test with a large supply. Even using the most extreme of the two sets of rails provided by Antec, it was impossible to keep the cables inside the enclosure. Moreover, to feed the truck's compartment between slides and much less easily on track.

The compartment for the power supply is completely out of the structure

With less Power, space for the cables is more reasonable but still insufficient for our taste, while the small gap between the optical drive and block can make delicate electrical connections.

The optical drive in talking, as it is on our agenda now. For recessed skeleton, just a small set screw in the slot on the drive (the one at the top) and plug in the structure until you hear a click significant.

A single screw on the right allows the player to stabilize its position in

This is substantially the same for hard drives that are positioned to the right of the structure. Using the screw provided (and clearly identifiable in the package, Antec thank you!), The storage place is quite simply in the structure. So far, no worries.

Place the screw properly on the left side of the disk

The breakdown of hard drives is important. The latter being placed under the motherboard and therefore out of reach of the monster on top of the case, Antec has provided a small 92 mm fan to cool storage. It sets no screws on the structure through plastic legs which we have only partially convinced.

Finally, if two slots for hard drives is not enough for you, it is possible to use the sides of Skeleton vertically to other storage units. Installation is as simple again, and 4 slots are available in this regard. However, if your diet is its cables exceed the box, one of the two carriers will be unavailable and the number of external sites will be limited to two.

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The upper part: motherboard, daughter board and ventilator

As noted in previous page, the upper sliding can easily install the motherboard. It should first screwing the spacers supplied with the Skeleton. Before installing the motherboard on the board, of course you can insert strips of RAM, processor, and even the PCI or PCI-E small. As for the radiator and fan, you can install them in advance, but it all depends on their size. Indeed, we are fun to experiment with a particularly imposing ventirad (the Asus Silent Knight to be precise) and we realized that it could not be installed.

Do not install a large ventilator like this in the Skeleton

Regarding the graphics card, the AMD Radeon HD 3870 X2 good size moved without too much concern. However, a CrossFire (or SLI) card of this size is impossible. Note however that this must be done as sliding in its final position. Indeed, the daughter cards are maintained by the plastic on the back of the case. Once the card set, it becomes impossible to move the board.

The plastic bar at the back of the Skeleton of individual daughter cards

Connections, where the trouble begins

So far, the only notable that we note on the power cables that exceeded blithely housing. Returning to these cables when finalizing our installation connections. While some do not pose a problem (one thinks of the 24 pins on the motherboard or the CPU fan), almost all the others we have put in a quandary. The graphics card to drive through the optical drive, we had to retrieve the box for connecting to the outside of it. And certainly our diet does not bulky at all these difficulties, cables from outside the Skeleton. Not clear in these circumstances to make a mount. One example is that in our case, the thing of the power adapter are inadvertently come into contact with the fan housing ... Unfortunate.

Some choices were also disturbed: why molex taken for both fans? The two components in question are becoming quite distant from each other. Knowing that one or more hard drives, even the optical drive can be connected through this kind of prize and are not necessarily the legion on recent power supply, we come quickly to a mishmash little to our taste.

Finally, we set aside a part of this case which we use was previously unknown. But the lighting of the PC, we finally had our answer: next to the gear shift, which regulates the rotation of the fan was a push button also charge very little. Its function is very important, as it can vary the color of LEDs surrounding the fan ... No comment.

The cables which exceed the housing while the diodes turn from green to red ...

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Measuring noise

The time to turn on this little machine has come. If the question of the accumulation of dust can be no doubt, on the effectiveness of the airflow created by the fan and 250 mm around noise have not yet been answered. Start with the latter. The noise will be a machine based on a Skeleton is certainly the elements that make up each will have guessed. However, there is no need to buy specially designed to be silent if the case itself is not. To assess the capacity of the Skeleton in the field, we used a very quiet power placed far enough from the case and have cut any other source of noise as possible. We prepared a sound-level meter to a meter box to measure the noise they emit. The results are the bottom ambient, measured at 38.0 dBA.

In lowest position, the fan 250 mm is almost no noise at 1 meter. Suddenly, the addition of a small fan here a discernible impact, but so small that one could almost be included in experimental errors. On average, the dedicated fan for hard drives is noise in the still very low generated by the main fan. Finally, we do not distinguish at all in the noise produced by the position of the fan, which is clearly audible here.

An effective airflow?

Speaking of airflow for Skeleton may seem fanciful. Indeed, the case is completely open, it is difficult to know in advance the efficiency of the fan is 250 mm. For the test, we conducted two different measures, rest and support and for the three speed TriCool. The measures are reported in the following table.

How does our Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 is it cool? Upon reading the table and given the small differences in temperature between the slowest mode and faster, we might think that the fan housing has little influence and whatever the load processor. To ensure this, we simply shut down the 250 mm fan to check its usefulness. The facts are harsh: the CPU fan was distraught from 1 400 revolutions per minute at 2 250 revolutions per minute, controlling the rise in temperature of the processor that has still reached 66 ° C, 4 more when the two fans operate at a minimum. If we doubt the effectiveness of the airflow caused by the Big Fan Boy Case, it is clear that it is indeed useful. Moreover, the way the slowest (and also the quietest) appears to be an excellent temperature and noise.

Conclusion

Antec states on its website that its Skeleton is a box like no other. We can not give it wrong. Indeed, it looks gross and it looks bad with table tests will not leave anyone indifferent. But outside of this design is eccentric pose two questions: why and for whom?

First of all why this choice? The carcass of Skeleton is probably not an aesthetic choice, but most certainly been designed to facilitate and mounting configuration. Bet succeeded? Not really, because if the elements are rather easily in the Skeleton, when turnout is a real ordeal. In addition, some items are prohibited, such as food or non-modular ventirads too impressive.

Who then? At first glance, the Skeleton like a test bench and is therefore available to journalists and testers of all kinds. However, the design problems mentioned above virtually exclude such use. The Skeleton is it for the general public? Small LED fan and the opportunity to close out his valuable configuration can they convince some passionate geeks? If the Skeleton is a "box" rather quiet and efficient in terms of cooling, it also has the annoying habit of bringing the dust directly into your PC. Finally, its relatively high price of € 131.91 will be an obstacle for even the most enthusiastic.