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Modding & Cooling
First Look

Antec Skeleton

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Antec Skeleton
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Verdict:
All we've done is unbox the thing, and we are already in love.
 
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By David Hollingworth, Justin Robinson
Sep 12, 2008 | 16 Comments
Tags: antec | skeleton | pc | case | testing | station

Antec's new PC testing station has found a place in our hearts... and desktops, labs, and anywhere else we can think of.

We've been wanting to see one of these in the flesh for a while now, and - at last - our wish has come true. And oh... the beauty!

We do a lot of testing here at Atomic, so we know that a good testing environment is paramount to good results. Sure, you can test on a sheet of foam resting on a mobo box, but, frankly sometimes you want something slicker, and the Skeleton is that very slickness we've been waiting for.

We've not even started using this puppy, but it's really love at first sight. It's build quality is top notch, it has every feature a tester or 'clocker might want (though serious overclockers will find the overhead fan and assembly gets in the way of dice pots and other paraphenalia) and then some.

Plus, with the huge 200mm fan there's no risk of dust building up on your precious bits.

Anyway, check out our gallery and feel the love!
 
Product Info
Specs:
4 Drive Bays (External: 2 x 5.25in) (Internal: 2 x 3.5in); Optional: 4 x 3.5in; side panel mounted drive trays; layered tray design for greater system integration flexibility; seven Expansion Slots including room for 11in video cards; cooling System: one top 250mm TriCool 3-speed multi color customisable LED Fan; one front 92mm HD cooling fan; motherboard: Standard ATX; 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x FireWire (IEEE1394), 1 x eSATA, Audio (AC97’ and HDA compatible) In and Out; 0.8mm cold rolled steel.
Supplier:
price check*
$123.00 Antec Mini Skeleton --Mini-ITX Open Air Case with 65W PSU
Maco Technology (NSW)
$124.00 AT-MINI-SKELETON Antec Mini Skeleton - Mini-ITX Open Air Case, 90 watt PSU,...
HB Outlet (NSW)
$125.00 Antec Mini Skeleton Case [Avail: Ships In 24Hrs]
PC Case Gear (VIC)
$125.90 Antec Mini Skeleton --Mini-ITX Open Air Case, 65 watt PSU, Front ports: 2 x...
Australian Online VIP (NSW)
$125.90 Antec Mini Skeleton - Mini-ITX Open Air Case, 90W PSU, A Miniature Revoluti...
StoneBridge Computing (NSW)
$125.90 NEW!! Antec Mini Skeleton - Mini-ITX Open Air Case
iiBuy (NSW)
*Products and prices sourced from staticICE and are in no way associated with Atomic MPC Powered by
 
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16 Comments
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
Nich...
Sep 12, 2008 5:37 PM
 I remember talking to Ihsan about this a few months ago, it really is the new hotness. The final production model looks suitable more polished than the earlier builds, thankfully.
battlefield_gir
Sep 12, 2008 7:39 PM
 The perfect fanless pc ( if you got rid of the fan)
I can imagine this will be a standard with the N2(L) users, though some modding will be required.
smadge1
Sep 12, 2008 9:18 PM
 i tented
fliptopia
Sep 12, 2008 11:44 PM
 Looks nice. HOw does the 200mm fan prevent dust build up though... it appears to have the power to draw dust in from every corner of the room.
shirin1
Sep 13, 2008 2:02 AM
 I liked the content on this site. Would like to visit again. http://www.chennaiflowerplaza.com
trev_trident
Sep 13, 2008 4:00 AM
 i don't get this at all, where's the love?
RunningTop
Sep 13, 2008 5:09 AM
 Frankly speaking it reminds me of the Los Angeles Airport but not in white colour.
While esthetically it is interesting to look at but in order for the system fan to work properly the casing itself needs to be enclosed. Even a 200mm fan is not going to help and it looks more like a toy to me than a functional computer case. We all know what heat and dust do to the CPU! Two stars out of five.
2SHY
Sep 13, 2008 10:49 AM
 I Love this case. Can see it being my next chassis.
SceptreCore
Sep 13, 2008 1:43 PM
 I bet when Ron Prouse saw this he said "Kill It", "Abomination".

Ahh much better!

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_738&products_id=8088
robzy
Sep 13, 2008 11:06 PM
 Anyone know how much it's worth? :P

Rob.
TheFrunj
Sep 14, 2008 12:23 AM
 Sure robzy, the price is on StaticICE.

Roughly $230, which is bloody good for the quality (that I can vouch for).

And fliptopia, the fan prevents dust buildup by blowing it all away :)
smadge1
Sep 14, 2008 9:41 AM
 Altech have them in stock
http://www.altech.com.au/productinfo.aspx?id=18442
colganaitor
Sep 14, 2008 10:13 AM
 hmmmm . . . .I think I prefer Prousey's test bench.
Hawkeye
Sep 15, 2008 10:28 AM
 Well, it is hard to argue with Ron...

(and I have to say, we've tested that HSPC rig and really didn't like it)

Truth be told, if we could, we'd have six of Ron's Lab station for all of our testing. But that is a) expensive, and b) Rob's wife would probably kill me. As a second option, I can't think of anything sexier than having six of these puppies as our testing stations in the Atomic Labs.

As to price, I think it's between $250 and $300.

Finally, the fan issue. Yes, an enclosed case is always a more thorough solution, but that's kind of hard for testing. We, like every hardware mag I've ever worked on, test in the open. In theory, any fan is going to draw in dust (my home PC and the vast amounts of cat-hair decorating the interior is certainly proof). But, to mine and Justin's mind, the airflow should keep the dust from building up.

But this is a first look, and we hope to using this a lot more.
merlin13
Sep 15, 2008 3:02 PM
 Exxy as it'd be, it does scream out to be a component for a system that sits up under the desk instead of beside or on top of, though...
emccat
Sep 17, 2008 7:41 PM
 lol turn it into a vacuum cleaner and use it as a HTPC. put it in the middle of your living room and put it on the floor or coffee table. o also add more fans everywere around it.

but seriously this thing is awsome
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Issue: 107 | December, 2009

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Every month we bring you the latest reviews of new technology and PC components, in depth features on everything from overclocking to console hacking, and gaming previews and interviews.
 
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