INTRODUCTION
The moment many of us have been waiting for the past decade is finally here and so Diablo III by Blizzard is has arrived in its retail form (the beta was good but not quite tweaked). In any case because this was an event unlike most (we did wait for almost a decade) i was hoping i could review something related with it today as i did yesterday with the SteelSeries Diablo III headset but unfortunately since there aren't that many Diablo III branded peripherals out there yet this just wasn't possible. Instead today we will be taking a look at one of the latest midi towers to hit the market by Antec, the GAME ONE.
Antec, Inc., is the leading global brand of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in these industries and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of efficient, quiet, and reliable products. Antec has also achieved great success in the distribution channel, meeting the demands of quality-conscious system builders, VARs and integrators. Antec is headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, as well as in Germany, China and Taiwan. The company’s products are sold in more than 40 countries throughout the world. Please visit www.antec.com for more information.
The Antec GAME ONE is a cost-effective midi tower with a good range of features including 2 USB 3.0 ports, mainboard USB 3.0 connector, tool-less drive bays, spacious interior and good airflow but that's just about all, no fancy stuff and so if you are looking for something to rival their Dark Fleet or X Hundred series then this is clearly not the one. The only real question is whether or not the available features coupled with the usual high build quality by Antec and the very aggressive price tag (mentioned later) will be enough to attract people who are not willing to spend much on a PC case. Well that's what we're here to find out so let's take a close look at the Antec GAME ONE midi tower.
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS
The GAME ONE arrived packed inside a plain cardboard box with a rather large product drawing, the Antec logo and the SS USB 3.0 logo at the front.
Two drawings of the GAME ONE are present at both sides.
The features of the tower are highlighted with a single large drawing at the rear of the box right above its specifications list written in 8 languages.
Two Styrofoam spacers and a plastic bag protect the case during shipping.
The GAME ONE comes bundled with an quick installation guide, USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 mainboard adapter, 2 cable ties, 10 bay clips and a plastic bag with all the necessary installation screws.
THE GAME ONE EXTERIOR
The GAME ONE features clean lines, comes in black matte color and measures 463mm in height, 241mm in width and 530mm in depth while weighing 4.9kg.
Both side panels extend outwards but the left side panel also features space for an extra fan.
Here you can mount an 120mm intake fan to improve the airflow levels of the case (recommended if you don't have clearance issues with your CPU Cooler).
Most of the front fascia is meshed for even better airflow levels.
The I/O panel is placed at the top and includes the on/off power button, reset button, 2x USB 3.0 ports, activity/power LED’s and the typical headphones/microphone audio mini-jacks.
There are three 5.25" drive bays available on the GAME ONE.
Beneath the bay covers there's room for yet another 120mm fan (recommended for optimal HDD cooling).
The Antec logo is engraved beneath the lower front meshed area.
At the far end of the top we find a 120mm exhaust fan. Usually manufacturers place larger fans here for better airflow (faster exit of hot air) but some towers don't feature one at all.
The rear of the tower also features the same black matte color.
A preinstalled 120mm exhaust fan is placed at the rear. However that specific fan spot also has mounting spots for 92mm and 80mm fans.
Moving at the rear center we find the usual 7 PCI expansion slots and two holes for use with water cooling tubings.
The PSU area is as usual present at the base of the case.
At the bottom of the GAME ONE we see 4 round feet, an air filter right beneath the PSU space and a large perforated area.
Both panels are held in place with rubber coated thumbscrews.
THE GAME ONE INTERIOR
As expected the side panels don't feature any kind of noise absorbing coating.
Much like most new PC Cases the GAME ONE comes with a mainboard USB 3.0 plug.
The interior seems quite spacious and comes with the same matte black finish as the rest of the case.
All three 5.25" drive bays feature a tool-less mechanism (the top one is taken by the front I/O).
You can install a total of five 3.5" and two 2.5" disk drives inside the GAME ONE (need to insert them from the opposite side).
The mainboard tray features 3 cable management holes and a very large cutout right beneath the CPU area for easy swapping of backplates.
The rear 120mm exhaust fan is quite plain just like the top one.
Normal screws are used on all 7 PCI expansion slots.
The PSU space features 4 small round rubber feet which keep the unit slightly higher than the bottom of the case.
You can install yet another 120/140mm intake fan at the bottom to further improve airflow.
From this angle you can see the top 120mm fan which is not as large as the perforated area above it so you could mount one of the latest 140mm fans that come with 120mm holes.
BUILDING THE SYSTEM
The goal of this section is not to build a working system and test it to see what kind of temperatures you can expect from it (too many variables and empty fan spots) but to showcase what you can expect in terms of interior space.
It may be a long shot but you should be able to mount an E-ATX factor mainboard inside the GAME ONE.
There's also plenty of space for large CPU Coolers such as the Zalman CNPS9900 MAX (check for clearance issues if you plan to mount a side fan as well).
The Gainward 9800GT Green is no match for the GAME ONE since you can install cards up to 266mm long.
It's good to see that you can mount even the longest PSU on the bottom without covering the lowest cable management hole.
CONCLUSION
With the GAME ONE midi tower Antec is aiming at entry level, casual users and gamers who purchase most things based solely on a price/performance (in this case price/features) ratio and i have to say that it seems they're walking on the right path (not surprisingly since they've been around for over 25 years already). Certainly as already mentioned the GAME ONE can't be compared to the mid/high end Dark fleet and X hundred series again designed and manufactured by Antec so for demanding users this may not do. Some people may obviously not like the rather plain design of the tower and i agree that it offers nothing special in that area, however we are still talking about a quality, feature rich midi tower which should cover the needs of most people out there and that's almost all that matters.
Price is also a significant factor when looking around for a cost-effective midi tower (thus the almost all that matters part) and with a current price tag set at around USD60 inside the USA and 55Euros inside the EU the Antec GAME ONE is really a catch. Granted it may not have the same spacious interior some other midi towers have (still quite spacious) and it may also lack some features and a more attractive design but it has a near perfect price/performance (quality/features) ratio which is really what counts most and that's why we are awarding it with our Golden Award.
PROS
- Build Quality
- Features
- Spacious Interior
- Up to Five 120mm Fans
- Price (For Some)
CONS
- Design (For Some)