INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   A few weeks back we promised to bring you several reviews of mITX/mATX PC Cases and today we have yet another one for you from our friends at Antec. My first encounter with an mITX case by Antec was back in 2009 when i managed to get their brand new then ISK 300-65 in my hands and started building a small HTPC with equipment from ASRock, OCZ and other manufacturers. It was a great little case but it lacked space for anything more than just the smallest hardware components one could find around something which in the end forced me to change my plans and search for something larger. Fast forward almost 5 years in the future and Antec has finally upped their game quite a bit so they've finally released something that i only wish i could have back then the quite affordable yet gamer oriented ISK 600.

 

  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’s offering of enclosures includes a large range of cases, such as its technically advanced Performance One Series, cost-effective New Solution Series and server grade cases designed for the needs of all workstation and server markets. Antec’s products also include front line power supplies such as its TruePower Quattro Series and EarthWatts, the most environmentally friendly power supplies available. PC gamers are an increasingly significant consumer of performance components, and many Antec products are geared toward the gaming demographic, like the Nine Hundred, the premier gamer enclosure. Antec also offers a computing accessories line comprised of many original products, including its patented LED Fans and Notebook Cooling solutions. 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 ISK 600 is much more popular compared to the previous ISK models for 5 very important reasons, you can use up to two single slot graphics cards or a dual slot graphics card up to 317.5mm long, there's enough space for CPU Coolers up to 170mm in height, the rear 120mm fan mount can also accommodate an 120mm AIO liquid cooling solution, you can mount up to 5 drives (2x2.5"/3x3.5") inside and there's also enough room for a normal sized ATX power supply unit. Quality-wise the aluminum plates used to make up the ISK 600 may not be the thickest ones around but the same applies for most mITX cases in the market and in the end it matters not when it packs such features. Time however to take a close look and see just what the ISK 600 by Antec is all about.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A large product picture is placed at the front of the box along with the Antec logo, USB 3.0 line and the Designed by Antec in California statement.

 

 

The product features are showcased on the left side with the help of several images.

 

 

Another product picture is placed at the rear of the box while at the top we see the specifications list printed in 9 languages.

 

 

For protection Antec has wrapped the case inside a plastic bag and placed it between two foam spacers.

 

 

Aside the ISK 600 in the box you will also find 4 cable ties, warranty paper, product overview paper and two small plastic bags with all the necessary screws needed to install your hardware inside the case.

 

 

THE ISK 600 EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The aluminum/steel ISK-600 is available in black and measures 369mm in length, 195mm in height and 260mm in width.

 

 

A large perforated section is placed on both sides of the case.

 

 

The front fascia is perforated on both sides to allow for air to enter the case.

 

 

The very simple front fascia has a long LED stripe and space for a single thin optical drive.

 

 

Antec has placed their logo on the upper right corner of the fascia.

 

 

On the lower end we see the I/O which includes one USB 3.0 port, the usual microphone and headphones 3.5" ports, one USB 2.0 port and the reset and on/off buttons.

 

 

At the rear of the ISK 600 we find a 120mm fan, two PCI expansion slots and the PSU port.

 

 

The case sits on 4 round rubber feet and as you can see it has two perforated sections.

 

 

THE ISK 600 INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Removing the cover is not hard and as you can see even from the side the ISK 600 has plenty of room inside, for an mITX case that is.

 

 

At the top we see the 3.5" drive caddy (you can mount one 3.5" drive up and one down) and right next to it the caddy used for either the thin optical drive bay or two 2.5" drives.

 

 

Here we see how the caddies look with 3 drives installed.

 

 

In order to install the mainboard you obviously need to remove the caddies.

 

 

Antec gives you the chance to mount a 3.5" drive vertically on the left side of the case if you decide not to use the caddy.

 

 

The PSU area is at the front and as you will later on Antec has used a power cable to reach the power port at the rear.

 

 

 

You can replace the 120mm fluid dynamic bearing fan and its fan controller with a 120mm AIO liquid cooling solution if you want the best cooling for your CPU.

 

 

The PCI shields are reusable and are locked in place via regular screws (to release them you first need to remove the external cover).

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

For this review i used our typical ASRock A330ION mainboard which as you can see leaves plenty of room around it inside the case.

 

 

The 9800GT Green Edition by Gainward can't come even close to the 317.5mm the ISK 600 leaves for graphics cards.

 

 

Here we see how the system looks when there are also 3 HDDs installed at the top caddies.

 

 

 

As you can see although the PSU area is at the front you only need to plug this cable into your PSU to connect it with the rear power port.

 

 

Of course i do recommend using an modular PSU (fully modular if possible) since as expected the ISK 600 doesn't have room for cable management.

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically ontop of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one we use our own).

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The old ISK 300-65 was a tiny mITX case which didn't even have sufficient room for a normal length graphics card so the ISK 600 is really many steps above its predecessors at the price of a slight increase in size. That slight increase in size however has more than doubled the interior space allowing you to use up to two very long graphics cards (317.5mm), one very tall CPU Cooler (170mm), 5 drives (3x3.5"/2x2.5"), a full sized power supply unit and an 120mm AIO liquid cooler. Design-wise the ISK 600 is very simple but i think that is to be expected from small PC cases that may end up beneath or right next to your living room TV set. Airflow is the only issue we could find with the ISK 600 mainly because the PSU is placed at the front and thus the best solution for your CPU is indeed an rear 120mm AIO liquid cooler.

 

   As we speak you can find the Antec ISK 600 Mini ITX Case for just USD50.99 plus shipping inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 60Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a very tempting price tag that puts it amongst the cheapest mITX cases in the market today. It really goes without saying that if you're willing to spend more you can always find something better with better build quality, room for more cards and drives and more features. However currently the ISK 600 is probably your best choice at around that price range and because of that it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Size
- Spacious Interior
- Room For Two 317.5mm Long GPUs And 170mm Tall CPU Coolers
- Space For A Rear 120mm AIO Liquid Cooler
- Removable Drive Caddies (3x3.5"/2x2.5")
- Price (For Some)

 

CONS

- Just One Fan Included