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Antec
Performance PLUS660AMG Mini Tower Case
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Author : Wayne
Date : 18th September 2002
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Internal Features :
At a quick glance you may think the inside of
this case is like the inside of just about every other case
out there but we really need to appreciate the thought that's
gone into the whole design. To the rear and front of the case
those blue/purple devices are quick fit 80mm fan cradle that
not only simplify the process of adding or removing fans but
also secure the fans only by the edges meaning no obstruction
to airflow. Set back from the front fan holder is a card steady
which serves to support the end of full length cards should
you use any. The bracing used is effective without cutting the
case in two which again keeps air moving freely.
Not even the floor of the case goes unused as
this is where the drive rails are stored. All your 5.25 inch
drives are fitted using these rails which vastly simplifies
removal for such things as jumper changes or cleaning. Obviously
if you're changing a drive you'll still need a screwdriver to
change over the rails from one to the other.
And a big feature in my book is the removable
3.5 inch drive bay. The number of times I've said a silent "thank
you" to Antec for this feature when swopping and changing
hard drives during reviews or fault finding makes the case worth
the money on this feature alone. The locking lever locates securely
and releases easily and is another feature that Antec, Antec
users and this reviewer saw no reason to alter from the previous
range.
In the drive bay is a third snap-in 80mm fan cradle
for keeping your hard drives cool. This can be removed should
you want to.
And at last Antec have incuded a washable dust
filter in front of that lower intake fan. The trouble with cases
that breath as well as the Antec range is that they tend to
inhale huge gulps of dust over time, dust that leaves a nasty,
heat retaining layer over most of your internal electronics.
Okay so you may need to wash the dust filter every few weeks
but it sure beats the alternative. My only criticism is that
I'd have liked it to be a touch longer so as to sit in front
of the HDD cooling fan too.
Also carried over from the previous range is the
floppy drive bay which releases easily using the two captive
thumb screws. This addition means that none of the drives you
may want to fit in this case will require the removal of the
opposite case side which is always good news.
The usual assortment of front control connectors
are supplied plus of course two additional two-wire connectors
for the extra LEDs.
And if the sight of the connectors for the front
USB and FireWire ports doesn't strike fear into the heart of
most new users nothing will. Fitting this multitude of connectors
is likely to be fiddly at best but I can't really knock the
decision to do it this way. A few motherboards feature different
USB and FireWire header configurations on the board and this
option means you can connect up to any of them. Fiddly but flexible!
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