CONCLUSION

   The first time i heard about a product by Antec which belonged in their brand new then Signature Series it was a 850W PSU which i also got to review and left me with the best possible impression not only because of its build quality and performance but also because of its nice black color which felt just right next to the yellow Antec logo. That however was many years ago (i reckon it was back in 2010-2011) and since then Antec hasn't really released anything aside a couple of power supply units in their Signature line so naturally i had high hopes/expectations for/from the S10 Premium Tower (besides employing a company like Astro Studios to help design the case played a huge role in that too). In terms of build quality Antec has outdone themselves since it sports even better quality than the Corsair Obsidian 900D which we've been using in our lab for over 3 years now while in terms of design again it's a lot prettier than most towers of its caliber (yes including the 900D). Interior space may not be quite as large as the one of the Obsidian 900D but you can still mount an E-ATX mainboard, 4 of the longest graphics cards (up to 317.5mm in length - 342mm if you remove the fans), tallest CPU coolers (up to 165mm in height), a total of 8 fans (7 already installed) and or 3 radiators and up to 14 2.5/3.5" drives. Unfortunately however the S10 is far from perfect so although one can install a nice 360mm radiator at the front it only supports 280mm radiators at the top and ontop of that these are the two radiators one can mount in it so those two things although certainly not crucial deduct quite a few points from the end result (especially since the 900D has room for a 480mm top radiator and a total of 4 mounts – excluding the rear 120mm mount which pretty much all towers have). What really "bugged" us however were the anodized, brushed finish aluminum doors since while moving the tower around they would all open on their own and although you can always use the supplied cover to keep them closed still i can't figure out why Antec didn't use stronger magnets to keep them in place. Initially we also thought bad of the ten-fan hub located on the other side of the mainboard tray since 7 fans at full speed should be quite loud but after testing them we see why Antec didn’t think it was necessary to add a controller. The lack of any 5.25" optical drive bays will certainly disappoint some people but judging from what we've seen by other manufacturers that's probably how things will be from this point forward (on the other hand having a 5.25" bay for a sound card I/O or a fan controller was a good surprise and certainly not something we see with similar models).

   When launched roughly half a year ago the Signature S10 Premium Tower came at a hefty price tag which rivaled that of the Obsidian 900D by Corsair and the Cosmos II by Cooler Master. Fast forward to today however and things have changed for the best (at least for consumers) since currently the Signature S10 retails for USD238 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 325Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Unfortunately once again we see a huge price gap between these two markets so although I’d say easily say that in the USA the S10 is price extremely well I really can’t say the same about the EU (although certainly cheaper compared to when launched). Could Antec have made a better job with the Signature S10? Sure they could have just like Corsair could had done a far better job with the Obsidian 900D, SilverStone with the Temjin, Thermaltake with the Level 10 and Cooler Master with the Cosmos II (the truth is we’ve never seen a 100% perfect PC case and chances are we never will). Overall if you’re in the market for a grade-A quality tower with plenty of interior space, excellent airflow, plenty of features and don’t have need for a radiator mount over 360mm and a 5.25” optical drive bay then you can go wrong with the Signature S10 and that’s why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Design
- Large Interior Space (XL-ATX Compatible)
- 3Three Chamber Design (3 Thermal Zones)
- Removable Primary Side Doors
- Excellent Airflow Levels
- Room For Up To 8 Fans
- Room For Up To 3 Radiators
- Space For Up To 14 2.5"/3.5" Drives
- 10 PCI Expansion Slots
- Tool-Free Design
- Removable & Washable Air-Filters For All Fan Spots
- 7 Pre-Installed Fans
- Low Noise Levels
- Ten-Fan Hub
- Price (USA)

CONS

- Price (EU)
- Top Radiator Mount (280mm Max)
- Side Doors Open Very Easily
- No 5.25” Optical Drive Bays