Antec NSK2400 Home Theater PC case reviewed

Is the Antec NSK2400 the perfect case for your home theater PC?

On a mission to find the perfect case for my home theater PC, I purchased the Antec NSK2400 and am proud to report that this case is quiet, internally spacious, inexpensive, and relatively attractive. After first thinking the Antec Aria would work, then more recently the Lian Li PC-V300, I was disappointed that both suffered from either heat or noise problems. The Aria and the PC-V300 were too small; delivering on size and style, but failing with respect to noise and heat. So how did the Antec NSK2400 succeed where the others failed?

Antec shipping box

Size matters

When building a PC, especially when using aftermarket components or accessories, size matters. The Antec Aria case was the first small form factor (SFF) case I worked with, and nearly had to return it due to the fact that my large aftermarket heatsink-fan did not fit. After grinding a few millimeters off one side with a belt sander, I made it fit, but just barely. With a fast video card and hard drives generating heat, the case did not offer enough airflow to keep the processor cool. The AMD Athlon XP processor I was running at the time would overheat, causing the operating systems and applications to lock up, and the computer would need to be powered down. I was able to use the case with an entirely different hardware configuration, built around a motherboard with integrated video, sound, and stock cooling (a low power AMD Sempron processor).

Front of case is an attractive painted silver plastic

The other frustrating aspect of the Aria was that components would barely fit, if at all. Each component needed to be installed in a specific sequence. I had to start the build process over several times when working with the case. I encountered the problem of a “specific build order sequence” for the Lian Li case more recently. It appeared I could install the power supply in the PC-V300 after the motherboard and drives were locked in place, but this was not true. Instead I had to unscrew various components several times as I discovered the single sequence for assembling the components. This becomes frustrating, especially for some system builders that may be building several of these machines for customers.

By comparison, the Antec NSK2400 was very easy to work with, offering ample room to install components. Most components could be moved around without worrying about a specific order. This allowed me to assemble the components in whichever order made sense for me, instead of having the order dictated by the size of the case. In short, this case was easy to add components to.

Case is packed well in foam and plastic

Noisy box

Home theater PCs are generally positioned in quiet living rooms, making noisy 80mm (or smaller) case fans sound noisier. A true home theater PC should be nearly silent. The Antec Aria seemed promising with its single 120mm low revolution and noise exhaust fan, however this cooling solution was not adequate for a motherboard filled with components. The Lian Li seemed to offer more than adequate cooling with two front mounted 80mm case fans pushing air into the case and a side mounted 80mm exhaust fan, but was far too noisy to be a serious contender for the living room. The noise problem on the Lian Li was exacerbated by the stylish but thin aluminum side panels (instead of thicker steel) and the “grill” on the front of the case with many holes for noise (and air) to flow through. Antec opted for heavy and thick steel for the NSK2400, which significantly dampens noise and vibration (from spinning hard drives, optical drives, and case fans). While not completely silent, it is much quieter than the Lian Li PC-V300, while still offering sufficient cooling by means of side mounted 120mm case fan(s).

Removable drive bay has rubber pads to reduce noise from vibration

Style

Both cases offered svelte proportions and modern color schemes. I prefer solid black to blend in with the aesthetics of audio receivers, however each case was stylish enough for the living room (at least when compared with a beige tower). Cube cases however, while small, do not stack neatly with other components. The “desktop” form factor has been around almost as long as the “personal computer” has, however it still works best in my opinion, when positioned next to or underneath an audio receiver in the living room. The black and gray color scheme should help it blend in. If you are looking for even more style, consider the Antec Fusion case.

Black optical drives make the case look best

What the Antec NSK2400 did right

To recap the above grievances and contrast them with how the Antec NSK2400 improved upon these problems, I’ve prepared the following list.

• A single, 3-speed exhaust fan is all that is necessary to cool your motherboard (while a second fan offers even more cooling at the expense of additional noise)
• The “desktop” form factor works very well in the living room, neatly stacked above or below a receiver, or positioned to the side
• Stylish black case with painted silver plastic front bezel works well with black drives
• Thick steel makes case heavy but helps reduce noise. Antec upped the ante with rubber grommets, rubber trim, rubberized feet, and “thermal zones” to help partition hot components and control heat inside the case.
• The desktop form factor makes component installation easy. The side exhaust fans provided several millimeters of additional space to fit aftermarket heatsink-fans.
• Antec made one of the side mounted fans optional, and provided cable ties inside the case to keep cords organized (which maximizes cooling).
• Antec priced the NSK2400 competitively for any case, with an MSRP of US $99 (including 380 watt power supply). I purchased the NSK2400 from Page Computer for around US $75 shipped. Check latest prices on NSK2400 at Pricegrabber.

Read SilentPCReview.com writeup on Antec NSK2400