Antec ISK600 Review
Category : Cases
Published by Marc Büchel on 04.09.14
With the ISK600, Antec has a MiniITX case in their portfolio, which can either be used to build office PCs, HTPCs as well as small gaming systems. For this purpose there are for example two expansion slots to install discrete graphics cards and you can also mount ATX power supplies. Apart from that the case features a sleek design and overall we're rather curious to find out if this case is capable of convincing us.
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The ISK600 is a very compact case, which allows for assembling very compact, little PCs. On the following pages we will be walking you through the good and bad things about this case.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Preview
Specifications
| Model | ISK-600 |
| Case Type | Mini-tower |
| Dimensions | 369 x 195 x 260 mm |
| Material | Steel, plastic |
| Color | Black |
| 5.25'' drive bay | 0 |
| 3.5'' drive bay | 3 |
| Expansion slots | 2 |
| Form factors | Mini-ITX |
| Cooling | Rear: 1x 120mm (Included) |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Bundle
Overview |
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Antec ISK600 box is pretty simple and straight forward. It is made out of cardboard and features a scheme that shows the most important features of the case. Inside the box,
there is (apparently) the case itself, protected with a plastic cover. To ensure that nothing is going to break during shipping, Antec used two big pieces of plastic-sponge which is more than enough to
make the ISK600 arrive safely. Its bundle is simple but complete
as you get a user manual, zip-ties and screws. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Product overview
Overview |
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The ISK600
from Antec is a case with a simple and linear design, made of black metal and
featuing an aluminum shell. The dimensions of 369mm x 195mm x 260mm are
compact, which allows for an HTPC build for your living room. The front panel is characterized by a LED strip,
which is essentially cutting the front panel in two halfs. On top of the
LED bard, there is the manufacturers name engraved and you can also find
the I/O panel as well as power and reset button at this place. To be a
bit more precise on the matter you will find a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port and
a small audio panel with two jacks. Although the case has no full-size 5.25" slot,
you can install a slim-line optical disk drive that blends in with the
design of this case. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Installation
Overview |
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| Once we removed the top cover you have access to the interior of the ISK600. The components are well arranged in a way to use the available space efficiently. Especially with small cases like this one we recommend you to follow the instructions in the manual, since it's likely you overlook a feature, especially if you're not building systems on a regular basis. At the top there are slots for the storage devices. Other than that there are two more places to install 2.5" hard drives or SSDs in the front, while in the center part there is a removable carriage for a single 3.5" disk. We appreciate this choice of Antec because it allows you to install not only low profile or compact CPU-cooler. Once you remove that carriage, you can access to the space dedicated to the motherboard and power supply. Despite its compact size Antec ISK600 is compatible with ATX power supplies, however due to the nature of the product we recommend to use compact and modular models since the space available to make tidy wiring is very limited. Although the Antec ISK600 is a compact case you can install the latest graphics cards and in our case we were able to fit a Sapphire R9 280x Dual-X without issues. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Ventilation options
Overview |
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| Regarding the ventilation options you get with the ISK600 from Antec there is not much to say. Basically fresh air is coming though the side Panels and the front and at the rear there is an exhaust vent. There you actually see the only fan you get with this case and it's a 120 millimeter model. As we mentioned earlier, removing the HDD carriage allows you to install not only low profile coolers, but also more powerful and larger down draft models. Since on the back there is a common 120mm slot, it is still possible to install a watercooling AIO solution with 120mm radiator. | |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Conclusion
| General | + | - | |
| The ISK600 from Antec is a small and compact case, designed for small gaming systems or HTPC use. Despite its compact size you can install long graphics cards and PSU with ATX form factor. The design is simple and elegant and the materials used are of decent quality and we do appreciate, that also aluminum has been used to a certain extent. Althought the ISK600 features a rather low price tag the vendor includes good decent bundle that includes a 120 mm fan. |
-Price - Bundle |
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| Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics | + | - | |
| The build quality is overall on decent level and only the front panel could be reworked in order to blend in on the same level as the rest of the case. The chassis is made from SECC steel with 0.8 mm thickness, which is enough to provided rigidity to the case. The aluminum side and top panels give the case a certain touch of elegance. The internal and external painting is the average when compared to other product we've had for testing so far. The interior space is decent, but a few extra centimeters here and there would have been great in order to make things with the power supply and also with cooling a little bit easier. What we actually like is that the carriage for 3.5 inch drives is removable, which allows for the installation or larger CPU coolers. | - Aluminum - Long graphics card |
- PSU space - Front panel - CPU cooler space |
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| Design / Layout | + | - | |
| As far as design is concerned, we think that nobody could ever say something negative about the Antec ISK600, mainly because it features a simple look, it has no strange details nor aesthetic flaws. It is a simple case, with an elegant look that could fit in any kind of environment. Despite the size of the case, you can install large graphics cards and therefore the case is perfectly suitable for building a powerful HTPC or SteamOS system. | - Design |
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| Recommendation | + | - | |
| The Antec ISK600 leaves us with mixed of feelings. The thing with this product is, that it's not really clear what the target audience is. You can certainly use it for an HTPC build but also there is the possibility to install discrete graphics cards and therefore assemble a miniITX gaming rig. But in both scenarions the ISK600 doesn't really shine bright. Last but not least having a look at prices we find this case listed on Geizhals for 53 Euro, which is ok for what you get. |
- MiniiTX Gaming |
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| Rating | |||
| The Antec ISK600 gets good 3.5 out of 5 stars. | |||
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |