Antec LANBOY Mini Tower Case - Articles / Reviews

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Antec LANBOY Mini Tower Case

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Richard Poelling
Kurtis
Atacom
Feb. 25, 2004

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Quality Inspection

The styling and looks of this case is pure Antec. The LANBOY has similar design characteristics as many of their other cases, mainly the front grill and door. The finish is top notch and the grey paintjob is beautiful. All of the seams were properly aligned as you would expect. In term of flexibility and rigidity, there was some flex if you sat on it, but moving the case around didn't feel flimsy at all.

The whole idea behind this case is the LAN Party. Most LAN parties I know of don't come to you, so you have to go to them (duh!). Moving the computer now becomes a major hassle, since most systems aren't exactly light or easy to carry. Since we know this case is light, how do you carry it? Well, Antec thought of this too. They have included a nice nylon strap that wraps around the case and basically provides a usable handle. To my surprise, the carrying strap was actually well designed and is easy to use. Once the strap was fitted and secured, I had no problems carrying the case around like a small bag. You will need to make sure that the straps are on the inside of the legs to ensure they don't slip off. The hardest part about using the strap was trying not to ding the case when transporting it.

As usual, this Antec case comes with an Antec power supply, specifically a SmartBlue 350 W. It puts off a nice eerie blue glow that isn't overly bright. Upon further inspection (i.e. voiding the warranty and opening the power supply up), I discovered that the fans aren't lit with light, but are only clear. There are four separate blue LED lights within the power supply. Obviously, using separate lighted fans would have been brighter, but I think the effect of having indirect light visible through the fans is a nicer effect.

Conclusion

The Antec LANBOY is a case built for a niche market. The entire idea behind the case is portability. With that in mind, I think Antec has done an excellent job with the execution. The case is VERY light, yet not flimsy. The included strap worked well, and I had total faith that it would not give out and send the case flying. Unfortunately, not everyone makes light components. Hard drives, CD-ROM's, DVD drives all are on the heavy side. Therefore, once the system is fully built, there is some heft to it, but it's overall size and weight make it a good choice for a more portable computer. In terms of overall eye catching ability, you can't expect this case to wow unless you do some serious modding yourself. If you are looking for a small, well built case, and you don't need anything too flashy, then you might want to give this one a look.

Pros

Very light Design
Nice finish
Carrying strap included (and it works too)
Handy compartment in the rear for screws
PCI screws easy to access
Thumbscrews

Cons

Needs better drive rails
Can get real cramped, real fast
Not going to turn too many heads
The 5.25" bay covers were ugly (good thing there is a door)

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Page 3 of 3

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Page 1: First Impressions
Page 2: Opening the Case & Inside the LANBOY
Page 3: Quality Inspection & Conclusion

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6 User Comments

1 - Posted by A Person on February 25, 2004 - 4:10 pm

I like how the carrying straps come with it. Considering that they probably cost a dime to make I dont see why more compaines don't include them with their cases. Thats definitely something that would catch my eye when shopping for a new case.

2 - Posted by handrail on February 26, 2004 - 9:57 am

i bought a carrying strap for mine and it makes it very easy to transport. i got the thermaltake badboy seen here (http://www.thermaltake.com/accessories/xaserbag.ht...). although, if i had known, i would have gone for a case that offered the strap or the DFI lanparty mobo that also comes with a strap. of course neither of the free ones look as cool as the thermaltake one.

3 - Posted by Guest on February 26, 2004 - 3:46 pm

Awesome Case, very much recommended!

4 - Posted by EmoMakesMeCry on February 26, 2004 - 5:38 pm

i dont really want to pay that much for just a bunch of straps to carry my case. i'd rather just build my own.

5 - Posted by handrail on February 27, 2004 - 8:56 am

i considered making my own, but after looking at the higher quality nylon, straps, buckles and considering i would need a heavy duty industrial sewing machine to lash it all together, the price of the thermaltake one was pretty much the same as the cost of building my own, since it was made with very high quality parts.

i had some free nylon strapping that would have worked well, but it was so tough that i would have had to hand stitch it and i'm not much of a tailor.

6 - Posted by EmoMakesMeCry on February 27, 2004 - 8:17 pm

i made mine out of the climbing webbing at REI. i just sewed and melted them together at the right spots and attached buckles and pull-ties. made the whole thing for only about $15 and it works just as well.

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