Antec NSK2400 HTPC Case

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by Rory Buszka on March 30, 2007 in Cases & PSUs

Antecs NSK2400 is worthy of your attention if you are looking for a solid HTPC case. It has an innovative thermal design and great attention to detail. This is one HTPC case that covers all the bases.

Page 2 – Out of the Box; Specifications


The NSK2400 case arrived safely, packed in an outer protective cardboard box. Like the rest of Antec’s current product line, the NSK2400 comes in an attractive, sturdy retail carton, with photos of the case and a listing of its features. The packaging is bright and glossy, and reflects substantial attention to detail.

Inside the carton, the NSK2400 is held securely and gently in place by a pair of multi-layer foam endcaps, and wrapped in a clear bag. The instruction manual is also packed loosely inside the box. This case isn’t heavy, but it’s no featherweight; my initial impression as I lifted the case out of the box was of solid construction and beefy structural design.

The NSK’s side, top, and bottom panels are all painted in a black matte finish, with a slight texture. The finish nicely complements the front panel, which sports a silver plastic bezel. The more recent Antec Fusion shares the NSK2400’s internal design, but replaces this front panel with a real, brushed-finish aluminum plate, and adds a vacuum-fluorescent display and large volume control knob; those preferring a minimalist HTPC may prefer the less-expensive NSK2400 design, however. In my opinion, either case would be at home in almost any home theater system.

Inside the NSK2400, there is a packet of included accessories. These include a power cable for the power supply, a complete set of screws and other hardware, a dummy panel to block one of the side fan locations, and a set of interlocking plastic pieces that we’re not quite sure what to do with at this point.

Specification
Comment
Model NSK2400 NSK stands for New Solutions Series – a series of cases that aim to build on the success of the original Solutions Series cases (SLK designation).
Case Type MicroATX Media Center/Desktop This case features a horizontal orientation, designed for placement in the equipment rack of a home theater system.
Exterior Dimensions (H x W x D) 5.5" x 17.5" x 16.3" The width of this case matches that of most home entertainment components (receivers, CD changers, etc.)
Cooling Provisions 2x120mm Tri-Cool (Side Exhaust) Twin 120mm exhaust fans give this case undeniable cooling potential. There’s plenty of air intake area on this case as well.
Drive Bays 4 Total
2x 5.25" External
2x 3.5" Internal		 This case can accommodate dual DVD drives, if direct dubbing is desired. Its rich, spoiled cousin, the Fusion, only has one external 5.25" bay, giving the other one up for a 2-line VFD.
Material SECC Steel This case appears to use 0.8mm-thick steel for its side panels, which adds ruggedness and noise reduction properties. The front bezel of the case is plastic, with a silver plastic cosmetic piece.
Expansion Slots 4 Being a MicroATX system, this case won’t support a huge amount of expansion. This isn’t much of a problem, since most MicroATX boards already integrate decently powerful graphics, sound, and network connectivity.
Power Supply Antec SU380 – 380W ATX12V v2.0 The included power supply looks like an older Seasonic model, re-branded as Antec. It’s nice to know that the PSU is a quality component.
Weight 7.78kg This case has a reassuring heft and a solid feel to it, for which it pays a bit of a weight penalty, but not an inordinate one. I’m not sure if this figure includes the weight of the PSU.
Motherboard Support Micro ATX
 The internal design of this case limits the motherboard to a Micro ATX form factor. Not that this poses a problem in most media center applications – modern MicroATX boards are designed with HTPCs in mind.

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