Antec Eleven Hundred: The P280's Gloves Come Off
by Dustin Sklavos on April 9, 2012 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Antec
- mid-tower
Introducing the Antec Eleven Hundred
Towards the end of last year, I took a visit out to Antec's campus in Fremont to see two new cases: the headlining P280, and the shortly-to-follow Eleven Hundred. The P280 we've already reviewed; it's as much a complement to the existing P180 series as it is a refresh, but our review of the Eleven Hundred has been conspicuously absent since its launch. That's due to a combination of bad timing and the fact that, superficially, the Eleven Hundred has an awful lot in common with the P280, pushing other cases to the front of the line.
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With the refreshed case testbed I decided it was time to take a look at the Eleven Hundred, if for no other reason than to at least get a comparison point that was similar to the P280 in our results. As it turns out, though the Eleven Hundred shares the same fundamental framework and chassis as the P280, the differences between the two are far more notable than they seem.
The chassis used as the foundation of the Eleven Hundred is identical to the one the P280 enjoys (including the fan power hub in the back), but the side, top, and front panels are all different, as is the stock cooling configuration. The result is an enclosure that looks similar in many ways, but has a few different strengths and weaknesses, and most definitely performs differently.
| Antec Eleven Hundred Specifications | ||
| Motherboard Form Factor | ATX, Micro ATX | |
| Drive Bays | External | 3x 5.25” |
| Internal | 2x 2.5"/6x 3.5" | |
| Cooling | Front | 4x 120mm intake (two in front of the drive cage and two internal) |
| Rear | 1x 120mm exhaust | |
| Top | 1x 200mm blue LED exhaust | |
| Side | 3x 120mm fan mounts (one behind the motherboard tray) | |
| Bottom | - | |
| Expansion Slots | 9 | |
| Front I/O Port | 2x USB 3.0 (via motherboard header), 2x USB 2.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic | |
| Power Supply Size | Standard ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 180mm |
| PSU | 300mm | |
| GPU | 13" / 330mm | |
| Weight |
15.3 lbs. 6.9 kg |
|
| Dimensions |
20.7" x 9.3" x 21.5" 527mm x 237mm x 546mm |
|
| Special Features |
Silicone grommets for side fans USB 3.0 via motherboard header Internal fan mounts Toolless SSD installation Fan mount behind motherboard tray Molex-powered internal fan hub |
|
| Price | $100 | |
If you go back and pore through our Antec P280 review, a lot of what you'll see with the Eleven Hundred will look very familiar. Specs are almost identical, but what's interesting is that the Eleven Hundred removes the option to mount a 240mm radiator to the top of the enclosure that the P280 has, instead replacing it with a massive 200mm exhaust fan. The fan control switches in the back are gone, too; the opening is still there since the Eleven Hundred uses the same basic chassis as the P280, but instead there's just a single switch to toggle the blue LED for the fan. The conclusion these elements (and more) lead up to is that though they share a chassis, the P280 was engineered for acoustics while the Eleven Hundred was engineered for performance.
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Sabresiberian - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
Uh, if you don't get why the side vents are there, YOU are the one that's stupid, not Antec.Iketh - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
no no no... if you are still using side vents, YOU are stupidJarredWalton - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
Yay for intelligent arguments!The reason some people like side vents is that if you have two GPUs, especially on a motherboard where they're only two slots apart (e.g. a "GPU sandwich"), putting a couple fans right above the GPUs can be very helpful for temperatures. From a noise and dust standpoint, though, it's not a good thing and aesthetically some will dislike panels as well.
Sabresiberian - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
It''s you, the case isn't ugly at all to me.Some people think their concept of beauty in a case should rule over every case a company makes, but, hey, there's a reason that Antec makes so many different types of cases (as well as other manufacturers).
;)
dtolios - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
What's the point of getting a large or mid-expensive range case to combo with mATX again? I don't understand why "enthusiast" oriented cases should be tested using an mATX mobo the first place....ofc it can do mATX and one GPU...big deal...can it do 2x large GPUs and full ATX good enough is always a WAY more valid question - both for an organizational and thermal performance standpoint.Guess it is just me...
ClockHound - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
Would it be too much to ask for proof reading before publishing?"If you'll let me beat this dead horse one last time, I'm keen to point out what the Antec Eleven Hundred is that the Antec P280 isn't: a cheaper P280."
I'm keen to understand what you meant. Does this mean that the P280 isn't a cheap P280 or did you mean that the Eleven Hundred isn't a cheap P280? And how did the Three Hundred get into the review text? It's in the text of the overclock page.
I do agree the delta is the better number to display....but it does beg the question with this new test system, why you can't test in a temperature-controlled environment? Why not test with different ambient temps, like room temperature and a 'hot' room temperature?
Thanks for the review.
JarredWalton - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
Reviews do get proofed most of the time (by me for Dustin's reviews), but I try to take a hands off approach and I thought initially he was trying to say something else. I've fixed that. Anyway, while you're happily flogging us for minor typos, you might want to research what it means to "beg the question". ;-)As for the temperature controlled testing environment, it would be awesome to have such equipment, but we don't. Environmentally regulated test environments don't come cheap, and they also pose a different problem: 70F ambient without a lot of airflow from the AC isn't the same as 70F with an AC moving quite a bit of air. The difference may not be that large, but I'd bet it would be measurable.
Sabresiberian - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
I get trying to keep the quality of Anandtech high, and I think that pointing out errors in communication is appropriate, but you would make a better point by making a post that is free of spelling, grammar and usage errors itself.;)
kevith - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
Why don't you ever bother to experiment a bit with different numbers and placement of fans? In this case, it would have been VERY interesting to know, what impact that fan behind the motherboard has on temps. AND noise, since it's tugged away far from the user. And there's a lot of other empty fan placements, that, filled up with fans might change the performance and accoustics. But I guess I'l have to buy the case to find out. (And what's the purpose of reading reviews then...?)You'l probably say, that writing a review takes a lot of time, even without digging deeper into fans, their numbers and placement. But why use all that time, and then in the end the review is only half? Who wants to do or read something, that's ALMOST great? The vast majority of people, that would consider buying this case - and other hi-end cases - will definitely want to experiment.
Aand then you spend a lot of time comparing the P280 and the 1100. Except for readings...!? Why don't you show the figures of the P280 in the graphs?
And I don't think you understood Stahn Aileron's question: We all know, why you changed to showing Delta over ambient, but please let us know what the ambient is, so we know how hot the thing is.
PhoenixEnigma - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
If you read the review, it's noted that the ambient temperature was about 23C for these tests. The 550D was apparently tested in a room about a degree cooler.Of course, it would make more sense for the reader to use their own ambient temperature - that's the advantege to having the delta and not the final number, it's easier to adjust for your conditions.