Antec GX900 Review and Specifications

Antec recently bombarded my work table with its Antec GX900 Mid tower cabinet! Its green, its rugged and of-course its military theme, yeah I know just like me you even like that paint job. Not only is the GX900 impressive and catchy at first glace but is also a killer deal priced at just around Rs 4500/-. Aimed not only at budget users but also at those who have a knack for distinguished computer components. Its not only my first military themed cabinet but still I'm impressed by its over all appeal and would like to congratulate Antec for offering something like this in this price range.
So without any further a due lets take a quick look at the spec sheet and see what's the Antec GX900 actually has under its hood.

• Dimension: 450(H) x 210(W) x 435(L) mm
• Motherboard Support: ATX, micro ATX, mini-ITX
• Expansion Slots: 7
• Form Factor: Mid-tower
• Drive Bays: Toolless (x2) 5.25-inch, (x4)2.5-inch, (x3) 3.5-inch
• Cooling: Rear 1x120 mm (optional), Front: 1x120 mm + 1 optional, Top 2x120 mm (140 mm optional),  Bottom 1x120 mm optional
• Front I/O: (x2) USB 3.0, (x2) USB 2.0, Audio jacks
• Weight: 6 kg
• Warranty: 2 years

The specs already say a lot about the GX900, its loaded with features and not only is it a bit heavy for a mid-tower but also has a heavy side towards customizability catering to PC enthusiasts & modders alike.
Now lets start with our review and weight the Antec GX900 on the following criterion. Feel free to jump to any particular section if you feel like.

• The Packing
• Inside and Out the GX900
• Testing: Load tests and Noise Levels
• To Buy or not to buy?

The Packing

The Antec GX900 comes in a plain and simple cardboard box with key configurations and features printed on either sides. The cardboard is a bit thin but is wrapped in bubble wrap and is customary by Antec so that's a part of the packing and isn't postal service dependent.
Inside the cabinet rests in an upright face up alignment & this of-course reduces the overall packing cost to put the extra money in cabinet quality and hence is a welcome move by Antec.
Still in compensation the cabinet is secured firmly between two thick braces of Styrofoam blocks and in support two sheets on the sides to cushion the convex side panels from taking any damage during transit especially in India where 'fragile' stickers are solemnly payed attention to by the delivery guy.
The Styrofoam is thick, as this case is not very light so there is plenty of shock value to this packaging. The case is actually really lightweight for this amount of foam. Its big and very compacted Styrofoam that is really tough to break.

Mine came in ship shape condition and I was highly impressed by this packing scheme as there wasn't a single dent or scratch on the cabinet.

Also it includes a standard manual for the cabinet, three braces for HDD and two for SSD and two zip ties along with ample of screws for your radiators, fans, SSDs etc.

Inside and Out the GX900

Inside: One word Spacious

The Antec GX900 comes with an all military green interiors that not only sets it apart from the conventional black or white interior cases but also justifies the theme of the cabinet. I've got to give this to Antec as the side window is not transparent and the interiors could've been messed up with to cut down the cost but instead they have catered to the needs of modders who might cut out a windows on the side to peek into the interiors & wouldn't need an extra paint job.
The top houses 2x120mm fans which come pre-installed and are connected to the fan controller provided along. You can replace them with a 2x140mm fans set or even a radiator block of 120mm, 240mm, 140mm and 280mm. No dust filters on top are provided and the fans are from some Chinese manufacturer which surprisingly gives decent cooling!

There is no rear 120mm fan pre-installed so you need to get one for that. The front has a 120mm intake fan installed which is hidden right behind the HDD cage and the front dust filters. Another one can be installed as well if you deem necessary. The back has two outlets lined by rubber grommets for providing and exit to open loop liquid cooling solutions or in case you want to mount your closed loop radiator outside the cabinet.
At the bottom we have an option to add an extra 120mm fan alongside the PSU. Both these come with two individual dust filters that can removed easily even when the cabinet is upright.

Hard drive cage is not caddies based but instead comes with detachable braces both for 3.5' HDD or 2.5' SSD. I've added a photograph of how you can choose between the two types and mount the storage drive accordingly.

The upper 2.5' SSD cage can be extended to accommodate 3.5' HDD or completely removed to install even the longest graphic cards extending the 310mm limit that comes by default.
Ample of Cable routing options are available and we have over 2.5cm of clearance in the rear along with additional 1cm courtesy to the convex side panel to make cable routing a breeze.
Pros:

• Ample of space for installing big and heavy components
• Cable management is very easy 
• Long graphic cards can be easily installed.
• Comes with three 120mm fans pre-installed

Cons:

• The caddies for HDD/SSD is still a more convenient option over braces  
• No dust filters for the top vents

Outside: A military Motif!

Its an all green, black and yellow venture outside with robust and crude decorations that make it noting less than an enthusiast's delight!

The front panel is flat and smooth with a Jeep like grill to feed the intake fan at the near bottom. Along the sides two lines of perforated slits decorated with nuclear fallout stripes feed the second intake fan but doesn't have any dust filters unlike the former. Near the top we have provision for two tool less 5.25' drive bays and the cover plates are covered in foam at the back to provide noise damping. The front fascia is the only part in the cabinet that is plastic rest all is metal. It can be removed as a whole and wiped clean from any dust or grit.

On the top we have two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports followed by a fan controller in the middle that controls the top exhaust fans by default and can be set to low, medium and high. Next to these is the power button that looks like a bomb switch and a rest button. All of these buttons and switches rest on a plate screwed tight by thick screws just to gel in with the theme.
Exhaust fan vents on top are huge! And might be appealing to some and very ugly to others, leaving it to your own personal taste.
The side panels are a bit flimsy and are tightened by thumb screws at the back with cheap plastic handles to assist in removal.

Pros:

• Very appealing and impressive build quality
• The military theme is fully justified
• Sturdy build quality with flamboyant designs

Cons:

• Side panel is a bit flimsy
• Panel handles are cheap plastic 
• Dust filters are not removable 

Testing: Load tests and Noise Levels

To see the performance of the Antec GX900 I fitted it with the following key components:
AMD FX 8350 3.5 Ghz Octa Core
ASUS STRIX-GTX 750TI OC 2GB DDR5
Antec Kuhler H2O 650 Liquid Cooler
Antec VP400P 400W PSU

I installed one of the two pre-installed top 120mm fans at the back to make space for the radiator block & didn't left all the fans to run on maximum speed at 12V DC.

I tested the Anted GX900 for temperature and noise levels by keeping the setup at stock frequency running Prime95 64 bit for half and hour and then doing the same on an over clocked AMD FX 8350 at 4.7 Ghz.

The results were quite surprising for both the temperatures and noise levels. Not only were the temperatures well within the safe range and quite cool but also the noise from all the fans and cooler were decent because of the rubber legs at the bottom and the the thick metal frame avoiding any shaking or vibrational activity.

To Buy or not to buy?

The Antec GX900 is surprisingly a very versatile cabinet catering to both gamers & enthusiasts alike. Not only is its performance and customizability options  rich and easy to use but also the lucrative price tag of Rs 4500/- makes it a sweet deal.

Ample of pre-installed fans, dust filters and a three phase fan controller leaves very less to expect more of any cabinet in this price range.
I highly recommend the Antec GX900 to everyone who has a sweet tooth for military theme and doesn't want to compromise on performance for the sake of looks. Its wild, solid, stern and uninhibited with features to make your neighbors go green with envy!
I give it a 8.5/10

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