Antec has long been a great manufacturer of high quality cases, their most popular style is probably the Performance Plus660AMG style of case. This case is called the LANBOY which is a mini tower case with a side window, it comes with a 350 True Blue ATX12V power supply and looks really nice. This case seems to have a lot to offer to someone who wants a case that will work well for LAN parties or just something a little smaller with the Antec touch.
The case comes packed in the nice glossy box with lots of pictures on it just like the last case I reviewed had from Antec. I really like that the box looks really nice because most case boxes are just plain white or brown which isn’t a big deal but it shows that Antec took the time to design a nice box and should have done the same with the case.
The front of the case is really nice looking and has the traditional Antec door which has a case badge spot right in the middle. You can also see from the pictures there is a power LED and 3 hard drive LEDs which is a really cool feature. right below the LEDs are two front USB ports which is really nice so you don’t have to reach around to the back of the case to plug your USB in. When you open the door there are four 5.25″ drive bays and 2 3.5″ bays which are exposed along with the power and reset button.
The back of the case has a place for one 80mm fan, which is good to take the hot air out of the case. Right above that exhaust cutout you can see the power supply which we will take a look at later. At the bottom of the case you can see that there is a little container, which holds the screws and hardware included with the case. I really like this feature especially with this case being designed to travel because you will always have extra hardware that you might need. One last thing about the back of the case that is nice is the fact that it comes with two thumbscrews which are always nice.
The side of the case has a preinstalled window which is pretty large and runs around most of the door. The window is attached to the case by some plastic rivets which hold it into place pretty well. Both the front and back of the window are protected by a piece of plastic which kept it from being scratched during shipping and setup. The side of the door also has a handle which is nice because it will help you remove the door panel very easily.
First off let me apologize for the poor quality of the first picture, I was unable to get a decent shot of the inside cause the flash wasn’t working the way it should. The inside of the case has a good amount of room, especially for a mini tower. I will look at the specific features of the case more in-depth as the review continues. The jumpers for the switches, LEDs, PC speaker, and front USB are all bound together. The jumpers aren’t fused together but they will work just fine.
The side panel comes with a preinstalled window which is really nice, especially since this is a LAN party case. Both the front and back side of the window are covered with plastic which is really nice because it will make sure that the window doesn’t get scratched during shipping or while you are getting your system all setup. I really like that Antec took such care with how they packaged this case, it just shows that they were paying attention to small details really well.
The 3.5″ drive bay cage is removable on this case which is really nice because it makes installing hard drives or other 3.5″ bays much easier. All you have to do to remove it is to push the clip back on the side of the cage and slide it out. After you install you drives all you have to do is slide it back in and push the clip back forward. Below the hard drive cage you can also see the fluorescent green 80mm fan holder which is for air intake.
I removed the front bezel of the case which was really easy to do because it used six clips rather than screws to hold it on which is really nice. Beneath the bezel were purple drive bay rails which are used on 5.25″ drives. These rails are nice because you screw them onto your drive and just slide it in, there is no need to dig around inside the case to get the drive installed. I really like this feature because it makes installation of your drives so much easier and faster.
The LANBOY comes with a True Blue 350w power supply which is very nice because the true blue means that there are blue LEDs within the case which light it up very nicely. The side of the power supply has a sticker on it which has the specifications of the unit. On the bottom of the power supply there is a clear bladed fan which will glow blue when powered up and look really cool. The back of the power supply also has a clear bladed fan which will also glow blue.
The power supply is AMD approved and Intel Pentium 4 ready, which means it has the 12v and AUX plug. Along with those special connections there are also the normal Molex, ATX power, and there is also a 3-pin monitoring plug so you can monitor the RPM of the fans within the power supply. I opened up the power supply to find some LEDs in there which make the unit glow when powered. There are no potentiometers to adjust the power to the 5v or 3.3v lines which the older Antec units did have.
Not only does this case have all these features, include a 350w true blue power supply, but it also comes with a carrying strap. Because this case is designed for LAN party usage Antec knew the case would be in transport a lot and have provided a really cool extra with the case. The strap is very simple but very useful, it has two straps with buckles on them and a handle attached to both straps. This carrying strap is really easy to install, just put the case onto the straps, center the handle, snap the clips, and off you go. Not only will these straps work for the LANBOY but it is adjustable so that it will work for other cases as well.
Conclusion
After reviewing my first Antec case a while back I knew that this LANBOY would not disappoint and I was right. I really like this case because of all that it has to offer and how little you have to pay for it all.
The case is a mini tower but isn’t so small that it makes it hard to get a system setup into. This case has a preinstalled window, hardware container, drive rails, thumbscrews, front USB, and a really cool carrying strap. Along with all of these features and extras the LANBOY also comes with a 350w true blue power supply which is really cool!
This case is really awesome and it can be had for under $100. Antec designed this case for gamers who wanted a case that would be small enough and effective for a LAN party and did a great job with it. The only negative aspect to this case that I can really see is that there is no removable motherboard tray and one side panel can’t be removed.
If you are looking for a great LAN case this is for you and if you just want a smaller case with tons of features that isn’t expensive you would love this case. Overall I am going to give this case a 9.5/10 and award it the OCmodshop Seal of Approval. I would like to thank Antec-Inc for sending me this case to review.
Pros
- Mini tower
- 350w true blue power supply included
- Preinstalled window
- hardware container
- Removable hard drive cage
- 5.25″ drive rails for easy installation
- Fan cutouts don’t restrict airflow
- Bezel easily removed
- Thumbscrews included
- Front USB
- 3 hard drive LEDs
- No sharp edges
- Case carrying strap included
Cons
- No removable motherboard tray
- Only one door panel is removable