Antec Overture II
Antec is no stranger to case design, and with the Overture II, it shows. More reminiscent of an actual computer, this case also has a good feel to it in regards to its dimensions, but unlike the Mstation, it doesn’t look like it’d fit quite as well with other electronic equipment in one’s livingroom.
Click to enlarge.
The majority of the case is finished in piano-black, glossy coated steel, but the front panel is primarily in shades of silver and chrome. Sporting two of each size of external drive, the Overture II has a lot more potential for a full-fledged system than the Mstation, but the 3R case did come with built-in flash memory card readers, while this case does not.
Click to enlarge.
Something that we couldn’t be happier about though is the fact that Antec chose to space out the USB and Firewire ports enough for larger devices to be plugged in simultaneously. This is a common mistake in the case world, so it’s nice to see someone finally getting it right.
Click to enlarge.
A large portion of the case’s intake air can come right in through the front panel, through the holes along the top and bottom edges of the front bezel. In this close-up shot here, we can see not only these holes in great detail, but also the embossed Antec logo.
Click to enlarge.
Extra venting holes in the top cover are visible in this angled shot of the back of the case, as well as vents for the main exhaust fans on the back and left sides of the case. Notice that, overall, the Overture is just a little slimmer than the Mstation.
Click to enlarge.
Taking a look at the underside of the Antec case, we get an idea of why this case has its own custom power supply included. The large 120mm fan should definitely help the beefy 450 watt power supply stay nice and cool without making too much noise if running at lower speeds.
Click to enlarge.
Our last look around the external of the Overture II takes us to the left side again where we see one more feature of some sort.
The removable plastic cap on the side here directly corresponds to the power supply’s main exhaust, but we haven’t exactly figured out the use of this being removable, short of simply being able to keep it a little cleaner without opening up the entire case.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
26 Comments
View All Comments
BigandSlimey - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - link
These guys http://www.atechfabrication.com/products/HTPC_case...">http://www.atechfabrication.com/products/HTPC_case... have been designing their cases in conjunction with the HTPC guru's at avsforum. I'd suggest anyone planning to build a HTPC to go to http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=...">http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=... and do some reading, there's a lot to consider.I'm also surprised at your omission of the Ahanix cases http://www.ahanix.com/ahanix_product_list.asp?cid=...">http://www.ahanix.com/ahanix_product_list.asp?cid=... which IMO look a lot better than any of the options on your article.
See also: http://www.origenae.com/products_htpc.htm">http://www.origenae.com/products_htpc.htm
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product-case.htm">http://www.silverstonetek.com/product-case.htm
ceefka - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - link
Those Origenae look very nice. I meant the X15 in my earlier comment. This one will cost around 500 bucks. Expensive, but very pretty.lukecon - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - link
All well and good on the review love AnandTech's review but I think you guys forgot something - The TV tuner in your system - I mean it is a Home Theater PC.Tamale - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - link
The tuner shouldn't really pose any additional problems with a particular case, and the 6600GT we use gets as hot or even hotter than most video cards with built-in tuners.Perhaps the cooling in an HTPC would be changed dramatically though if another expansion card is also in the system.. hmm.. I'll have to think about that one. Thanks for the comment.
BigLan - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - link
Actually, tuners can get pretty toasty, maybe not as hot as a video card, but they don't have active cooling on them. An MCE-500 dual tuner stuck in the last slot with no airflow could be a problem.If you are adding a soundcard as well, it can also impede airflow which exacerbates the problem.
tkr2099 - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - link
Very nice review! I'm planning on building a HTPC this holiday season, so this review could not have come at a better time. Thank you, Anandtech, for another extremely well written and helpful review!tayhimself - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - link
IMO Silverstone especially and less so Ahanix are specialized HTPC vendors. Either you didnt know this, didnt bother to do research, or didnt get a free sample from them. None of which is a terribly good thing.AFAIK no 3R systems cases have been available in North America since about 3 years ago when newegg carried a few. Theyre a Korean manufacturer of quality cases that are quite popular in Australia (I'm in Canada FYI).
Also, why the POS power supply along with the lousy thermaltake heatsink with a hot P4 system? Not too many people are building HTPCs with P4s, and they tend to use better components than Mad Dog and ThermalTake (no offense to the *bling* obsessed).
The measurements dont jive with the subjective measurements as a 9 dB difference between the loudest and quietest is almost twice as loud.
A poor review, that doesnt belong on AT. I could probably write a better review and I've never done one before.
MPE - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - link
I could probably write a better review and I've never done one before.Cop out - not to mention inconsequential, immature, ad hominem, and probably false.
tayhimself - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - link
ad hominem? Go to http://dictionary.com">dictionary.comceefka - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - link
Isn't that just perfect? If you can get these temperature numbers with P4, you know that a 90nm s939 is going to do just fine.There are so many cases to chose from. Even with built in LCD screens (not cheap btw). Maybe AT can inlcude HTPC's in their entry/mid-range/high-end reviews and builds. On the other hand, this could be a totally different category by itself. You'd also have the opportunity to chose platform.
This brings forth the next question: How long before Apple makes a Home-Pod, HTPC based on Mac ingrediënts. They should be able to make/develop one by now.