Customer Reviews

Antec Mini ITX Case ISK300-65

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've built many of my own computers systems over the years so I was excited to assemble my first Mini-ITX based system. The whole point of Mini-ITX is size so the Antec ISK-300 case caught my eye right away. After comparing a few others (Apex, Lian Li & Cooler Master) the Antec case was my choice.

The case arrived before I ordered any of my other components so there was plenty of time to inspect it. First, this thing is heavy duty with a slightly thicker metal than most of the cases I've purchased in the past. Heavy is fine with me, how often do you tote your computer around anyway? The finish is very well done and it came with everything required to do a quality build, right down to zip ties and the tiny securement screw for a slim CD/DVD. Including all of the right components ranks high in my book.

The interior layout is my only complaint. Antec could have done a better job when they designed the power distribution board. The layout and placement of that single board is responsible for the extended length of the case. Antec chose to place this board flat on the bottom of the case meaning your Mini-ITX is essentially extended in length to accommodate two circuit boards. Kinda dumb in my opinion. The CD/DVD door design is the only 'cheap-out' on this case, like other reviewers I think it could have been done better.

The only other complaint is that the I/O section of my Zotac board didn't fit against the trim plate very tight. This may be a Zotac problem, but either way it's a perturbing little gap that looks like an amateur build. I did plenty of head-scratching with this problem and there's no way to adjust it better. Gaps like this equal air/dust infiltration and improper air flow and it just annoys me to no end. It's a very small gap but it just shouldn't be there.

After completion, the case seems to cool well. The three speed case fan does a good job but I might need to find a better fan if I try to overclock the board. It's refreshingly quiet, small and made for a nice build. I'd rank it an 8.5 out of 10.

Summary: The Antec ISK300 is solid, simple and well supplied with a rich black finish, a little better interior layout could improve the design but this is a great 'little' case for the price.

I was super excited about this case when I ordered it: cold-rolled heavy steel, gorgeous front panel, useful design features. The frame's construction quality is top notch and it doesn't have any parts like those annoying plastic tool-less hard drive holders that one finds so often in drive bays. The power button has a wonderful heavy feel to it with solid recoil. Although I didn't get a chance to test it, the reviews that I had read indicated that the 65W power supply did its job well.

Here's the main problem with the case. The external brick power supply runs to a BNC connector plug in the back of the case, and from there the plug is connected with a 4-pin Molex to a rectangular horizontally mounted internal circuit board regulator at the front that has an extremely short (5 inches?) ATX power supply cable running from its right edge. If your motherboard's ATX power input is in front of your CPU's heatsink, then there's no problem, but if the CPU is in front (like in the popular Intel D510MO mini-ITX board, which I was installing) then the power cable will be touching or even inside the prongs of the heatsink. Given how hot heatsinks can get, this could end up with a call to 911, and even if the power cable's plastic doesn't melt then a single frayed wire will probably fry your entire board. The circuit board is mounted with screws, so I tried turning it 180 degrees so that the power cable ran out from the left edge to give me more slack (the D510MO's power connector is in the lower left), but then the 4-pin power cable running from the back was hovering dangerously close to the heatsink, albeit it wasn't in the heatsink. Even if that were acceptable for you, remounting the circuit board brought the thick power cables flush against the left side of the case's cover. To say that it made closing the case really annoying is to point at the best case scenario. Over the years, the strain could also loosen the connector from the cables.

The other major problem for me was the really flimsy CD drive cover door that they implemented, which broke as soon as I took it out of the box. Really a let down considering how sturdy the rest of the case is, and even if I hadn't had such bad luck other reviews online agree that the door's quality is poor. There were a few other issues:

-Closing the case didn't feel firm and left me wondering whether I had closed it properly.
-When I mounted my drives on the dual 2.5" drive tray I pushed down on each side of the drives to make sure that they were mounted securely, and I could feel that they wobbled ever so slightly. They didn't move nearly enough that it would rattle during operation, but it was annoying and Antec should do better.
-Lots of wasted space inside the case. This doesn't affect its performance, but from a purely technical appreciation perspective I was left wondering who in their right mind would have designed a case in such a way.

One "undocumented" plus (at least, I don't recall reading about it) was that the case has dedicated holes in the back for the Antec TriCool's speed switches. This could also be a negative, however, if like me you were planning on replacing the fan with something else. It only comes with one fan, but it has space for another (actually, props to Antec for their really cool fan mounting solution. There's a slot on the left side where you just slide them in and a removable cover to block the unused space next to the first fan.) TriCool's aren't bad from what I've read, but I prefer single speeds.

I'm giving the case two stars instead of one because it's sexy and the frame's build quality is top notch except for the CD tray cover, and also I recognize that I just happened to have bad luck with that part. On the other hand, I can't give it anything above two stars because the short power cables are a serious defect. Be sure to check that your board's ATX connector is at the front (i.e., opposite from the rear panel connectors) before you purchase this case. Specifically, make sure that it's in front of any heatsinks or fans. If it's within the first three or four inches of the front of the board, you shouldn't have any hesitations despite my nasty review. If you're looking for the smallest possible footprint, this case isn't for you. However, if your power connector is fortuitously located and if you don't mind the chintzy front CD flap and if you don't mind the form factor, this beautiful and sturdy case will probably make your day. It almost made mine.

I bought this to replace another mini-ITX that I had that used a standard power supply. However, getting a good mini-ITX power supply was proving to be more costly (the fan kept going out them). I decided to just buy this case that had a power supply that was higher efficiency with less noise. I didn't need the extra power because the board I was running was an Atom board using a WD Caviar Green drive. Essentially here are the pros and cons.

Pros:
Small form factor
Quiet
Sleek
Solid metal case

Cons:
no 3.5" drive space (though if you DON'T use an optical drive you can fit the 3.5" hard drive with some double sided tape in the area where the optical drive would be... It works.. but beware of standing the unit on its side.)

I use this case with an Intel D510MO. It works, but I had to unscrew the PSU and flip it around. The cables are still a stretch, but it works fine. There are two fan mount areas, but the one fan can't be moved between them, which would be nice since the D510MO has the heatsink closer to the alternate fan location. Neither issue is that relevant, especially the fan since the D510MO doesn't dissipate much power.

I really appreciate the efficiency (80%+) of the power supply in this case, and even with the minor problems I'd use this case again. There is lots of extra wiring mount hardware to help with routing.

Bought this case for an Asus Atom/Ion board and love it. The form factor is great and and assembly was wonderful. In fact, many of the Atom based mini-ITX boards come with their own power supply and thus you can remove the Antec PDU inside this case and make more room for ventilation.

One of the few mini-ITX's I found that had spots for a fan, much less two. I upgraded to two 80mm super quiet fans and with a passive heatsink on the Atom CPU, the entire setup is near silent. Case draws air in the side and vents out the top, so it's very directed and very efficient. Under full load the system rarely touches 48w and the 60w power brick that came with my motherboard is more than enough.

Overall...

Pro's - Sleek design and footprint. Classic sturdy Antec build quality. Has a cage for 2 fan's and space for a slimline CD/DVD/BR drive. Nice port options on the front, including eSATA.

Con's - Front drive bezel is somewhat flimsy and is opened by pushing in one corner in a toggle fashion. Even though the front bezel surround looks like it's perforated for good ventilation, it is all aesthetic and solid (actually better given the forced airflow out the intended slots but I didn't realize this when I bought it) Would have preferred an eSATA out the back but that is as much a mobo issue as a case issue. Solved that with a low-profile SATA to eSATA slot adapter from Star-Tech. No mounting options for a 3.5 drive...only 2.5.

Great case that I highly recommend and was one of the few in this category that is worth looking at. I've had several Antec cases and products and have very much enjoyed (and still have) all of them.

I write this review after owning the Antec ISK 300-65 for about three months. I like this case. It allowed me to cut the cord and it serves as my HTPC, 2TB DVR and has two media center extenders (DMA2200) attached wireless N. WAF is high. This is the smallest case I could find and still barely fit all of the components that I wanted. I researched my components for months before buying anything, and I appreciate all the reviewers who reviewed components which allowed me to make informed purchases. This review is an attempt to give back a little.

Before I built this HTPC I looked hard at the Dell Zino HD 410, but I figured out a custom built HTPC gave more bang for the buck. This was my third home built PC over the past ten years or so. I also looked closely at the Antec ISK 300-165 which was my second choice, and the APEX MI-008, APEX MI-100 and Rosewill RS-MI-01 cases, which are similar in size. As you can see my budget for cases was in the $50-70ish range. But I chose the 300-65 in the end for the no-fan external power brick setup.

Although another reviewer indicated that the case does not come with the slim SATA power adapter necessary for a slim internal DVD, it DOES. Also it came with the tiny screws you need to attach the slim DVD. There a few of these screws in the bag, and a few more that are attached to the case where the DVD mounts which may be used as well. All the hardware needed came with the case, even a bag of zip ties + more.

I love having an external 65W laptop-style power brick and knowing that there is no PSU fan whirring away that I can't slow down. I don't have to worry about the cost of electricity as I leave this low power HTPC media center DVR on 24/7. It also allows me to run phone tray, a caller ID application since the HTPC is on all the time.

The most important thing for me was, I was able to install a regular size 3.5 inch 2TB HDD in addition to the slim DVD and a 2.5 inch SSD. I did this without cutting or any other physical alteration to the case. I simply tied a few pieces of kite string (regular white string) and "hung" the 3.5 HDD just below where the DVD mounts. I suspended the drive in mid-air as close as I could get it to the DVD mount. It's probably ¼ inches below the DVD tray. I used two strings along the length and one string on the width. The HDD hangs just above the power circuit board. I also fit two sticks of gskill ram, which made for a very tight fit as they are right next to the suspended HDD on the ASRock mobo I got. I have read nowhere else of someone doing this without cutting their case or removing something. I guess this might be called a soft mod.

I am using the stock case fan dialed down to 1/3 speed through my BIOS and the stock intel CPU HSF is on automatic (not max). The exhaust air is room temperature and the HTPC is silent from a distance. I can only barely hear a whir when I put my ear a few inches away from it on purpose just to make sure it's still spinning.

ISK 300-65 wishes:
* An additional two front USB ports (there are only two). My motherboard supports two more front USB headers, but the case doesn't.
* The internal DVD flip down door is pretty cheap plastic and will probably fall off or break someday. Luckily I don't use it much.
* Little bit longer power/reset/switch/etc case LED headers because the header pins on my motherboard were on the far side.

Inside my ISK 300-65 are:
Intel Pentium G620 2.60 CPU with stock HSF (HD audio and video built in)
Gskill 2x4GB F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL RAM
ASRock H67M-ITX Motherboard
SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB 3.5" Internal HDD
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC SSD
Samsung Slim 8x internal DVD Writer
Windows 7 x64

Outside the case I'm running:
2 Silicon Dust HD Homerun network tuners (4 total tv tuners)
Harmony 300 remote control (with the IR receiver from a $19 Rosewill RRC-126 media center remote)
Superior Loftek Rii Touch N7 Mini Wireless Keyboard
Antennas Direct ClearStream 2 HDTV roof mounted antenna
Winegard ANWI8700 antenna preamplifier
External USB modem Hiro H50113 used with Phone tray free for Caller ID notifications

To set up the antenna, I just removed my existing dish satellite and connected the antenna to the still standing J mount and hooked up the existing coax cable which was already grounded. How simple is that? Thanks dish! And a big shout out to assassin for his HTPC guide on AVS forums. Thanks Assassin!

This case looks decent and install was easy enough. I immediately ran into two cosmetic problems though.
1) There's a blank piece of plastic where a second case fan could go. It bumped up against the motherboard's power connector. I had to take it out in order to get the motherboard screwed in.
2) The power LED wires were about 1-2 inches too short to reach the motherboard's pins. I imagine I could have soldered a work around for this.

I ended up having to return this. The reason is that it wouldn't power on reliably. It worked the first time. For a few hours after that it would only work if I jiggled things around. Finally it stopped working altogether.

I just purchased this case and put together my new HTPC, but wanted to share my experience with future purchasers.

The build went together quite nicely until I went to install my cable card. I have a ceton pcie cable card host and planned to use it in this pc. When I went to insert my cable card into the host it did not fit. In order to make it fit I was required the mod the case a little. I had to trim away part of the expansion card retainer. Thankfully my trusty dremmel saved the day but thought others should know.

Very quiet little box. Using as media server and would highly recommend the ISK300-65. Wish there were more choices of slimline DVD players and their prices are a little high but still worth the price.

Absolutely love this case except for one flaw. The size is excellent. It fits a Mini-ITX board, Intel Pentium Dual-Core CPU and a hard drive snugly. With the particular board I purchased, however, one of the lower brackets located to the right of the case's fan obstructed the SATA ports on the ASUS board I installed in this case. The only solution was for me to gently saw off the bracket with a knife. Not necessarily the case's fault -- just carefully examine the board you want to install to ensure that the case's brackets won't get in the way. Other than that, it's quiet, small and perfect for my home office. Well done.