The Eleven Hundred Case from Antec

We have already taken a look at the new Antec P280, but what does the Eleven Hundred do differently? Check out our review!

Antec has been making a fairly strong push back into the enthusiast market as of late by sponsoring specific gaming events like Blizzcon and by preparing and releasing new products in the company’s very popular lines of chassis.  We have already taken a look at the Antec P280 case and in truth the Eleven Hundred we are looking at today is VERY similar to it.  It is constructed on the same base chassis but has some interesting changes on the doors, the front panel and cooling options.

Even more than just new products, Antec as a company is moving in the right direction internally, addressing customer complaints and re-focusing the company to its core demographics.  Company representative Jessie Lawrence actually sat down with me for an interview (our first edition of The Inside Perspective) last month where talked about new products and how Antec could improve its product line to gain the attention of the enthusiast crowd again.  Based on that discussion it would seem that Antec is aiming to be one of the leaders in cases again.

Today we are looking the beginnings of this promise, the Antec Eleven Hundred.  While the P280 was built towards a user that wants a particularly quiet computing experience, the Eleven Hundred finds itself targeted at performance users; those of us that want more fans, more cooling.  With a retail price of about $120, the Eleven Hundred should find its way into quite a few gaming PCs. 

Look below for our video review of the new case and keep reading for a collection of photos and more input on the design!!

I think the new Antec Eleven Hundred will be exactly the case that a lot of our readers want to see.  While not officially a full tower case, with support for 13-in graphics cards and XL-ATX motherboards, there won’t be many people that don’t find enough room in this design.  The inclusion of the grommetted routing openings and the HUGE CPU back plane hole are definitely great features to find their way to the Antec lineup.  Things like USB 3.0 front panel connections, dedicated 2.5-in drive bays and the eight (8!!) available 120mm fan location really round out the Eleven Hundred.  

Personally, I still find the mix of performance and quiet design features on the P280 more appealing, though that will depend on your system goals and individual preferences. 

Continue reading our review of the Antec Eleven Hundred gaming case!!

Even though the Eleven Hundred is built on the same basic frame as the P280, Antec has made quite a few changes along the way.  The first thing you notice is that instead of a swinging door, the front is mostly mesh to improve airflow.

The door has room for two 120mm fans pointing right in on your components.

The front panel connections are the same with two USB 2.0, two USB 3.0 and headphone/microphone jacks.

You can install two 120mm fans here and Antec has included a removable filter.

The back side of the case shows its unique 120mm fan placement pointed at the CPU backplane opening.

Antec has included 9 expansion slots for XL-ATX motherboards as well as plenty of room BEHIND the motherboard for cable routing.

There are plenty of cable routing holes along the outside of the motherboard installation area, four of them with rubber grommets. 

Even though the Eleven Hundred has rails rather than trays, Antec did keep the permanently mounted 2.5-in bays for SSDs.

Still awesome – the PSU intake filter that can be removed even without turning the case around.

Rather than a spot for two more 120mm fans up top, the Eleven Hundred sports a 200mm fan with a blue LED that can be disabled.