Antec NSK4400

Case Month continues at Atomic. Give your hardware emperor hot new clothes.

The NSK4400 is physically shorter then the likes of the Silverstone TJ01 and Lian Li PC-7S. They’re very similar in width though. This leads to the internal layout of the NSK4400 feeling neither cramped nor spacious. With an extra 20-25mm in length, the case would also be capable of housing a long graphics card.

For ventilation, the NSK4400 comes with holes between the fascia and the face of the case structure, while front and side 80mm fan mounts, sans fans, are also available. For exhausting waste heat, there is a 120mm case fan at the rear that comes with a 120mm Antec TriCool 3-speed fan.

The NSK4400 has drive space in ample supply for a budget case. Featuring three external 5.25" bays, two external 3.5" bays and three internal 3.5" bays, this allows for plenty of future growth. However, the case is incapable of housing a monstrous graphics card such as an 8800 GTX.

The weight of the unit was to be expected as it is a midi-tower constructed completely of SECC steel. It a very solid unit thanks to this, but this prevents it from being the best choice for a LAN gaming-oriented PC.

A PSU is included with the case and is rated at 380W output. In today’s market, even for a budget system, this is below acceptable. On top of this, the PSU makes use of an 80mm rather than a 120mm fan and is loudish as a consequence.

The overall design of Antec’s NSK4400 is pretty decent, however it would be good to have seen an intake fan included. This oversight, combined with a rather difficult to remove hard disk drive caddy and the diminutive length, makes the NSK4400 case interesting conceptually, but a rather average product in reality.