Antec Skeleton Open Air PC Case Review

The Antec Skeleton PC Chassis

An Antec case could be considered the gold standard for a case that can take a beating. When an enthusiast hears the Antec name they tend to think heavy and built like a tank. Well, the newest offering from Antec, the Skeleton, is not your normal Antec case. In fact it is nothing like what we are used to seeing from Antec; it more closely resembles a test bench with a little flair than a traditional case. With the open air design the Skeleton is a complete 180 degree turn from what one would consider to be a case for a daily driver system. We first saw the Antec Skeleton in person at NVISION 08, so if you have seen it on the site in the past you are not going crazy. Before I get too far let’s take a look at the specifications and features for the Skeleton.

Specifications

• 4 Drive Bays

• External 2 x 5.25
• Internal 2 x 3.5
• Optional 4 x 3.5 side panel mounted drive trays
• Layered tray design for greater system integration flexibility
• 8 Expansion Slots with room for 11 graphics cards and multiple graphic card solutions, including NVIDIA 3-way SLI
• Cooling System:

• 1 top 250mm TriCool 3-speed multi color customizable LED Fan
• 1 front 92mm HD cooling fan
• Motherboard: Supports StandardATX, MicroATX and Mini-ITX motherboards
• Front ports: 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x FireWire (IEEE1394), 1 x eSATA, Audio (AC97 and HDA compatible) In and Out
• Rack mount quality side rails for greater durability
• 0.8mm cold rolled steel component tray and high density ABS frame reinforced with 0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability
• No Power Supply included: To optimize performance of your Skeleton, your choice of power supply is crucial. Antec strongly recommends choosing from Signature or TruePower series.
• Unit Dimensions:

• 13(H) x 14.8(W) x 16.5(D)
• 33 cm(H) x 37.6 cm(W) x 41.9 cm(D)
• Packaging Dimensions:

• 15.74″(H) x 18.11″(W) x 18.89″(D)
• 40 cm(H) x 46 cm(W) x 48 cm(D)
• Net Weight: 15.5 lb / 7.02 kg
• Gross Weight: 21.4 lb / 9.7 kg

Packing

The Skeleton comes packed in normal Antec style: heavy duty cardboard box with an image of the case with dramatic lighting on the sides.

Inside the box we can see the Skeleton is packed quite nicely in foam and wrapped in plastic.