Antec has expanded its line of Gaming Series enclosures with the launch of a chassis dubbed, quite simply, the One.
Not to be confused with the Performance One, or the One Hundred - this other One is geared toward "mainstream gamers, new PC builders and seasoned system integrators" who are seeking "user-friendly cooling and convenient features at an affordable price."
Just what the doctor ordered in these cash-strapped times? Perhaps, as the chassis is currently available in the States priced at $54.99 and should soon arrive at UK retailers carrying a sub-£45 price tag inclusive of VAT.
For under 50 quid, the One (it's never going to get easy referring to this as the one, is it?) provides a pair of 120mm fans configured as top and rear exhausts. Beyond that, there's room to add three additional fans; a 120mm fan up front, a 120/140mm fan at the bottom, and a 120mm fan attached to one of the two bulging side panels.
The front of the chassis is styled to look like a long column of 5.25in bays, but only the top three function as such, and on the inside you'll find five 3.5in hard-disk bays and a further two 2.5in SSD slots.
There aren't many frills, but seven expansion slots, a good selection of cable-routing holes and a filtered PSU mount in the bottom corner should satisfy the needs of most builders.
However, there are a few potential obstacles to be wary of. Antec quotes a maximum graphics card size of 266mm - which isn't quite enough for top-end cards such as the Radeon HD 7970 - and, if you are eyeing up a gaming rig, the similarly-priced One Hundred might be a better fit.
No harm in having a choice, though, and if the inclusion of USB 3.0 has you leaning toward the One, you'll find the chassis appearing at stores later this week. In the meantime, here's Antec's complete specification:
- 10 drive bays:
- 3 x 5.25in tool-less drive bays
- 2 x 2.5in drive bays (dedicated)
- 5 x 3.5in tool-less drive bays
- Motherboards: Standard ATX, microATX, Mini-ITX
- 7 expansion slots
- Maximum graphics card size: 10.5in (266 mm)
- Maximum CPU cooler height: 6.1in (155 mm)
- Cooling System:
- 1 x 120 mm top exhaust fan
- 1 x 120 mm rear exhaust fan
- 1 x 120 mm side intake fan (optional)
- 1 x 120 mm front intake fan (optional)
- 1 x 120 mm / 140 mm bottom fan (optional)
- Perforated front bezel for maximum air intake
- Water cooling support: rear water cooling grommets (support ½-inch tubes)
- Maximum-sized CPU cutout
- Bottom-mounted power supply with intake filter
- Front I/O ports:
- 2 x USB 3.0 with included USB 2.0 adapter
- Audio In/Out
- No power supply included
- Unit Dimensions:
- 17.2in (H) x 8.2in (W) x 19.2in (D)
- [438 mm (H) x 208 mm (W) x 488 mm (D)]
- Package Dimensions:
- 18.2in (H) x 9.5in (W) x 20.9in (D)
- [463 mm (H) x 241 mm (W) x 530 mm (D)]
- Net Weight: 12.5 lbs (5.6 kg)
