Image courtesy of Antec
Paradigm. Merriam-Webster defines it as a typical example or archetype. Put simply, a paradigm is our predefined idea of what something is, and what it should be. Paradigms tend to be the enemy of any new idea. Imagine for a moment that someone asks you to build the better mousetrap: How would you begin? Even if you had a great idea, how would you sell it to your peers when the existing design has served the masses perfectly well for many years?
The engineers at Antec obviously set out to challenge the paradigm of conventional computer case design. Sure, we love our standard mini, mid and full towers, and we love a well-designed enclosure that guides the air through the intake and across our motherboards; these design elements are the archetype. In fact, Antec has been quite successful at manufacturing to the paradigm. Yes, you can add LED fans, add a giant exhaust port on the top, add an acrylic side window, and implement fancy cable management options, but at the end of the day, it’s still a rectangular metal box to hold our components.
Benchmarkers have used open-air stations for doing quick PC assemblies for years. These “cases” are fine for the job of quick hardware changes, but this design not very practical as someone’s primary system.
Enter Antec’s Skeleton, an open-air design with a twist; it’s an “enclosure” suitable for use as your primary PC system.
Design
The first thing to note about the Skeleton is its aggressive styling that may not be to everyone’s taste. The large fan, powder silver accents and black metals look sleek, but do draw the eye. Also, remember that this chassis is designed to accept a full ATX motherboard, so it may be larger than you’re expecting.
The Skeleton is not a subtle chassis.
The Skeleton’s design choices are a mixture of the familiar, the uncommon, and the innovative. Removable motherboard tray? Check. Quick-release rails for storage devices? Check. Quick-release power supply mount directly under the motherboard? Well, that’s a little bit different. While I enjoyed the challenge of assembling a new case that falls outside the norm, other users might be frustrated that installation isn’t as obvious as it appears at first blush.
The Skeleton takes more time to assemble than an average case, particularly if you appreciate tidy wiring. In that regard, I think Antec could have done a better job by offering some wire guides along the frame of the case to help builders create a tidy appearance.
Moving to the rear, a clear plastic retention bar has been designed to hold peripheral boards in place. The bar is flexible enough to avoid a struggle when aligning the cards, but it’s rigid enough to give them no wiggle once secured. Plain and simple, this is a well-designed part.
The clear plastic bar holds PCI cards in place.
Looking to the front of the case reveals that the wiring leading to the front panel is not long enough to reach the motherboard with the tray extended. This means you have to push the motherboard in and route the cables by fitting your fingers between the fan and the board; if you’re like me, your dexterity is less than stellar, and this will quickly become quite a chore. Worse yet, I had to fight to get the front audio jacks plugged into the far corner of my board as the cable is so short it forces me to block PCI slots. Antec should definitely fix this in a future design by making all of the front cables at least a foot longer.
Motherboard tray extended? Front I/O doesn't reach the motherboard!
Those gripes aside, the front panel is well designed overall. A big sturdy power button, a reset button that you can actually press without having to find a pen point (thanks Antec!), USB 2.0, audio jacks, and eSATA connectivity make for an accessible and convenient panel.
The Skeleton places storage bays below the front panel. On the left, the chassis offers two 5-1/4″ slots commonly for optical drives, and on the right, two slots for hard drives. All of the case’s drives are installed with an insanely simple quick-release mechanism that uses a single pushpin. It honestly could not be easier, yet I also feel there is room for improvement.
Installing an optical drive in the Skeleton.
It would be nice if the Skeleton’s drive bays took the design of a hot-swappable bay where data and power cables connect to a backplane, and the drives simply slide into the bay and connect to the plane. It’s somewhat inconvenient to detach and reattach cables for users doing drive swapping, as a benchmarker might to test different operating systems.
Installing a hard disk with the optional external fan on the left.
Last on the hard disk front, Antec also includes side-mounting brackets for multiple drive arrays. Unfortunately, the brackets feel like something of an insecure afterthought, and I feel a traditional case better serves customers using more than two hard drives. I strongly suggest that users stick with the internal bays and their quick-release rails.
The Skeleton mounts the power supply in a quick-release system beneath the motherboard, and like the hard drives, it’s incredibly easy. The main connectors and rear exhaust fan face sideways and, at the expense of a little pre-planning with cable routing, the whole design really promotes cooling efficiency.
Pages: 1 2
Articles RSS