CougTek
Hairy Aussie
I received today the new budget Antec enclosure I told you about in a previous thread. The SLK2600AMB comes with a 300W power supply with only one fan (but with temp monitoring nonetheless) and unlike most other Antec cases, no included fans.
When I first lifted the case out of the box, I found it suprisingly light. Even though I recently restarted to train, it wasn't the reason why I felt it was ligher. The SLK2600AMB is part of Antec's Solution Series (*cough* low-cost *cough*) and the difference between the new Solution Series and the higher-priced Performance II and Performance Plus is striking. The metal is very thin compared to the standard 1.0mm Antec used us to. The SLK2600AMB's metal is barely thicker than the one found on no-name budget cases. My guess would be 0.6mm or maybe 0.7mm, but certainly not 0.8mm or above. However, there are several reinforcements here and there (folded metal bars and doubled thickness corners) so the overall solidity still is above-average (but sub-par compared to all other Antec enclosures). Most of the interior edges are bent, but again, to contrast with other Antec models, you can still find some places to cut your fingers. I didn't try to scratch the surface, but the bronze-colored paint seems reasonably resistant.
The front panel door is very thin compared to the one found on the SX1030 and PLUS1080. I felt I had to be rather careful when opening and closing it in order to not damage it. It folds easily and I am not very confident about its lifespan. Unlike most other case models, keeping the door on the SLK2600AMB is important for the aspect of the case as the bronze exterrior won't match for sure with your drives (although black drives wouldn't be so horrible on it). When closed, the door gives a very good look to the enclosure. In fact, I think the appearance of the SLK2600AMB is probably its strongest point...as long as you can keep the door closed.
The side panels are slide-in types and they don't have the nice handle others Antec cases have. No thumb screws there either, just plain common screws. The side panels are just as thin and flimsy as the rest of the case.
Now regarding the cooling features of the SLK2600AMB. The ventilation holes aren't quite as opened as those of the other series of Antec case. The rear hole for an optional 80mm fan allows a good air flow (better than 90% of other enclosures, but below Antec and friends' other chassis). However, the front hole is barely better than any cheapo no-name case. It's not that dramatic because apparently, the front fan doesn't help much to cool the interior of the case, especially for middle-sized towers (according to what I read on AMD's recommended chassis designs for their recommendation list). And the single 80mm snap-in fan holder for the front isn't placed in the drive cage, so it won't help to cool down your hard drive anyway. This isn't a case for hot SCSI drives, unless you put them inside a 5¼ drive cooler.
I added an 80mm Antec fan in the rear and I had a little quirk when I screwed it. Only two of the four screws would fit. The remaining two didn't align quite correctly and since the metal is kinda flimsy, the screws turned in the butter instead of penetrating in their holes. The fan was reasonably tight with two screws anyway, but I always prefer to secure it with four screws instead. The tigher it is, the least are the chances that it rattles and creates noise. In the current situation, the fan still was very silent and it didn't cause any problem. Still...
Another major disapointment is that I found no screw bag inside the enclosure. Just the power cord, manual and Antec square logo for the front panel. That's it, nothing else. Maybe (I hope so) it was only an error when they packed the case I received, but having to provide the golden motherboard holders (because there where only four already installed) and my own screws instead of those that should have come with the case doesn't please me much.
I have to mention the front USB ports. Not so much because I think they are practical (they are for short-time use USB peripherals, but I prefer to plug permanent devices like the keyboard/mouse and the printer on the rear), but because the internal connector for them is a pain to plug on the motherboard. Instead of putting all the wires on a single internal USB connector with the usual 9 holes, the internal connectors for the USB ports in the SLK2600AMB are all separated. 9 wires, 9 connectors. Guys with big fingers will learn to sware if they still haven't when they'll have to align all the connectors on the motherboard pins. There are also two connectors without a clear identification on them ( one is "|" and other is "||", go figure).
There's also a plastic protection cap for the PCI cards on the back of the case. It's somewhat useless IMO as the case could and should have been designed differently in a way to make the metal back plate to covert the PCI slots. I guess plastic is cheaper than metal and the plastic protection cap is the way they chose to cut the cost again.
The drive rails (only for the 5¼ bays) are also different from the one we are used on other Antec chassis. There's a single rail that snaps in the side holes of your drive. The other side only sits on short metal holders. Drives aren't supported as firmly this way and I guess high-spinning optical drives would rattle more when holded like this than when they are supported on both sides. I only put a 24X CD-ROM in the enclosure (it will serve for a long due upgrade) so I cannot be sure about it.
All in all, it isn't a bad case...for the price. Here I can get it for ~95$CDN (~60U$), cheaper than most known-brand enclosures. You get several features that aren't usually found in enclosures of this price like fan holders, relatively good cooling potential and an Antec PSU (with a single fan though). The look is also sure to draw more attention than a typical beige case. However, it isn't much more sturdy than any other cheapo chassis and it doesn't include fans. It isn't an enclosure for easy-to-service systems as there are few time-saving features on it. The interior, without being cramped, isn't spacious either. You need a screwdriver for opening the side panels and there's no motherboard tray or motherboard clip-retention mecanism.
I would like to point out that the SX630-II is barely more expensive than the SLK2600AMB when you include the nowadays essential rear fan to the latter's price (+8U$ here). The SX630-II comes with the same PSU, but the metal is a lot thicker (1.0mm) while the holes for the fans allow a better air flow. The SX630-II also has a snap-in fan holder in the 3½ drive cage, so it can host a hot hard drive without sacrifying a 5¼ bay. The SX630-II isn't as nice looking as the SLK2600AMB though. Depending on the use and the customer's priorities, it might or might not be a factor.
The SLK2600AMB is a decent enclosure, but I probably won't use it much outside my most budget-oriented configurations because I believe you can have much better for just a little more $$$.
[/review]
When I first lifted the case out of the box, I found it suprisingly light. Even though I recently restarted to train, it wasn't the reason why I felt it was ligher. The SLK2600AMB is part of Antec's Solution Series (*cough* low-cost *cough*) and the difference between the new Solution Series and the higher-priced Performance II and Performance Plus is striking. The metal is very thin compared to the standard 1.0mm Antec used us to. The SLK2600AMB's metal is barely thicker than the one found on no-name budget cases. My guess would be 0.6mm or maybe 0.7mm, but certainly not 0.8mm or above. However, there are several reinforcements here and there (folded metal bars and doubled thickness corners) so the overall solidity still is above-average (but sub-par compared to all other Antec enclosures). Most of the interior edges are bent, but again, to contrast with other Antec models, you can still find some places to cut your fingers. I didn't try to scratch the surface, but the bronze-colored paint seems reasonably resistant.
The front panel door is very thin compared to the one found on the SX1030 and PLUS1080. I felt I had to be rather careful when opening and closing it in order to not damage it. It folds easily and I am not very confident about its lifespan. Unlike most other case models, keeping the door on the SLK2600AMB is important for the aspect of the case as the bronze exterrior won't match for sure with your drives (although black drives wouldn't be so horrible on it). When closed, the door gives a very good look to the enclosure. In fact, I think the appearance of the SLK2600AMB is probably its strongest point...as long as you can keep the door closed.
The side panels are slide-in types and they don't have the nice handle others Antec cases have. No thumb screws there either, just plain common screws. The side panels are just as thin and flimsy as the rest of the case.
Now regarding the cooling features of the SLK2600AMB. The ventilation holes aren't quite as opened as those of the other series of Antec case. The rear hole for an optional 80mm fan allows a good air flow (better than 90% of other enclosures, but below Antec and friends' other chassis). However, the front hole is barely better than any cheapo no-name case. It's not that dramatic because apparently, the front fan doesn't help much to cool the interior of the case, especially for middle-sized towers (according to what I read on AMD's recommended chassis designs for their recommendation list). And the single 80mm snap-in fan holder for the front isn't placed in the drive cage, so it won't help to cool down your hard drive anyway. This isn't a case for hot SCSI drives, unless you put them inside a 5¼ drive cooler.
I added an 80mm Antec fan in the rear and I had a little quirk when I screwed it. Only two of the four screws would fit. The remaining two didn't align quite correctly and since the metal is kinda flimsy, the screws turned in the butter instead of penetrating in their holes. The fan was reasonably tight with two screws anyway, but I always prefer to secure it with four screws instead. The tigher it is, the least are the chances that it rattles and creates noise. In the current situation, the fan still was very silent and it didn't cause any problem. Still...
Another major disapointment is that I found no screw bag inside the enclosure. Just the power cord, manual and Antec square logo for the front panel. That's it, nothing else. Maybe (I hope so) it was only an error when they packed the case I received, but having to provide the golden motherboard holders (because there where only four already installed) and my own screws instead of those that should have come with the case doesn't please me much.
I have to mention the front USB ports. Not so much because I think they are practical (they are for short-time use USB peripherals, but I prefer to plug permanent devices like the keyboard/mouse and the printer on the rear), but because the internal connector for them is a pain to plug on the motherboard. Instead of putting all the wires on a single internal USB connector with the usual 9 holes, the internal connectors for the USB ports in the SLK2600AMB are all separated. 9 wires, 9 connectors. Guys with big fingers will learn to sware if they still haven't when they'll have to align all the connectors on the motherboard pins. There are also two connectors without a clear identification on them ( one is "|" and other is "||", go figure).
There's also a plastic protection cap for the PCI cards on the back of the case. It's somewhat useless IMO as the case could and should have been designed differently in a way to make the metal back plate to covert the PCI slots. I guess plastic is cheaper than metal and the plastic protection cap is the way they chose to cut the cost again.
The drive rails (only for the 5¼ bays) are also different from the one we are used on other Antec chassis. There's a single rail that snaps in the side holes of your drive. The other side only sits on short metal holders. Drives aren't supported as firmly this way and I guess high-spinning optical drives would rattle more when holded like this than when they are supported on both sides. I only put a 24X CD-ROM in the enclosure (it will serve for a long due upgrade) so I cannot be sure about it.
All in all, it isn't a bad case...for the price. Here I can get it for ~95$CDN (~60U$), cheaper than most known-brand enclosures. You get several features that aren't usually found in enclosures of this price like fan holders, relatively good cooling potential and an Antec PSU (with a single fan though). The look is also sure to draw more attention than a typical beige case. However, it isn't much more sturdy than any other cheapo chassis and it doesn't include fans. It isn't an enclosure for easy-to-service systems as there are few time-saving features on it. The interior, without being cramped, isn't spacious either. You need a screwdriver for opening the side panels and there's no motherboard tray or motherboard clip-retention mecanism.
I would like to point out that the SX630-II is barely more expensive than the SLK2600AMB when you include the nowadays essential rear fan to the latter's price (+8U$ here). The SX630-II comes with the same PSU, but the metal is a lot thicker (1.0mm) while the holes for the fans allow a better air flow. The SX630-II also has a snap-in fan holder in the 3½ drive cage, so it can host a hot hard drive without sacrifying a 5¼ bay. The SX630-II isn't as nice looking as the SLK2600AMB though. Depending on the use and the customer's priorities, it might or might not be a factor.
The SLK2600AMB is a decent enclosure, but I probably won't use it much outside my most budget-oriented configurations because I believe you can have much better for just a little more $$$.
[/review]
