The Antec 900 is a classic among gaming PC cases. Much beloved by hardware enthusiasts, the Antec 900 features a unique top mounted 200mm “Big Boy” TriCool exhaust fan for efficient cooling of even the highest powered systems, two HDD cages (front loaded) that allow up to six hard disk drives (HDD cages double as cooling ducts), a window side panel and two 120mm TriCool blue LED front fans to cool the hard disk drives and bathe the entire system in a distinctive blue light. Besides providing a wealth of opportunities for expansion and upgrades, the Antec 900 looks pretty damn cool as well. No wonder this remains one of the best-selling Antec PC cases on the market today.

But the popularity of the Antec 900 has spawned a number of imitators—and even a sequel. The Antec 900 Two is billed as a new and improved version of the Antec 900. But what’s different? And does it have the same attitude and performance? Read on to find out.

Price

Being an older model, you can get an Antec 900 for as little as $85. The Antec 900 Two, however, could set you back as much as $140. Both are excellent cases, however, so consider some of the other improvements before shelling out the extra cash.

Form Factor

The biggest difference you’ll notice in the Antec Nine Hundred Two PC tower is that it’s smaller by five inches in height. Interestingly, it ends up weighing a little bit more at 25.4 pounds, compared to the Antec Nine Hundred’s 21.5 pound heft. With the Antec Nine Hundred Two case, you also don’t get the top tray/MP3 player dock/camera holder. The
Antec Nine Hundred Two also has front-mounted I/O ports, rather than the Antec Nine Hundred’s top-mounted I/O ports.

Cooling

Both are still top of their class for cooling, but the Antec Nine Hundred Two adds built-in washable filters to prevent dust and other buildup from hindering air flow.

What’s the Same?

The hard drive bays are slightly rejiggered, but you still get nine slots total. Both have a maximum video card size of 16-inches/406mm, and both support Mini-ITx, microATX and Standard ATX. Both have speed switch controls for the fans on the front of the PC case. Both have a total of four fans—three 120 x 25 mm fans plus a 200 x 30mm “Big Boy” fan on top.

Bottom-line

The Antec Nine Hundred Two hasn’t lost much in its evolution, and may actually be worth the extra money. It’s smaller and cools more efficiently, which may be exactly what you’re looking for if you are determined to be on the cutting edge.