Cooling, cases and power supply specialist Antec has launched a new case design it has dubbed the Striker Mini-Watercool. This open-air mini ITX case is described by its creator as "the first of its kind," and is certainly eye-catching in its design and construction choices. The case is a squat design which seems to fade upwards, with white SPCC panels on its lower third (PSU shroud area), transitioning to 4mm tempered glass, with large air gaps, and then there is no top panel at all to hinder air convection.
Stiker is said to be "designed for custom water-cooling enthusiasts", and there is choice of radiator location up to 240mm on either the side or rear, and up to 40mm thick. On the topic of cooling, fans can be placed in these rear or side locations as follows; 1 x 120mm / 2 x 120mm / 1 x 240mm (same options for rear or side).
While this is a mini-tower design and supports ITX motherboards only, the chassis is rather bulky, measuring 420 x 230 x 410 mm (DWH). It weighs 7.47kg unpopulated. So, what can you fit in this case, other than the cooler options mentioned above? GPUs up to 330mm long (and 150mm deep, and 60mm wide), and PSUs up to 160mm long are suitable. Storage space is a bit tight at just 2x 2.5-inch devices but many will use on-board M.2 drives for primary storage now. Conversely, cable management clearance is up to 45mm.
One of the highlights of the Striker Mini-Watercool designs is its front-placed VGA design. A PCIe Riser Cable is provided, as is a bracket which adjusts depending upon GPU length. Antec shows a colourful RGB LED Galax branded GPU with liquid cooling block in its promotional video / pictures, making the most of this showy opportunity.
On the front / left side edge Antec provides easy access to the following: 1x Type-C 3.1, 2 x USB 3.0 ports, HD Audio I/O and a power button.
Antec has made the Striker open-air mini-tower available at $249.99 at US retailers. We haven't been informed about availability in other regions.
