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A close look at Antec's stunning S10 Signature casing

By Vijay Anand - 2 Jun 2015

A close look at Antec's stunning S10 Signature casing

There she is. The Antec S10 Signature casing. Take note of the internal segmented design which is core to the case. The long gap behind the storage bay area is part of the design ideology to provide the main components plenty of fresh air intake.

Large. Smart. Bold. Understated premium.

If we had to sum up Antec's new S10 Signature casing in a few words, those would fit it like a glove.

Antec has been releasing teasers of its new Signature series casing leading up to Computex 2015 and now that we've seen it in the flesh, we certainly understand the company's proud achievement in what it calls "a case designed to inspire".

The core structure of the case is what contributes to the signature of this chassis - a patent pending central air intake system with three exclusive chambers. Take note that unlike several other high-end casings that offer two or even three dedicated thermal zones, what makes the S10 Signature a standout is that each of its three thermal zones are self-contained with direct fresh air intake and offer effortless maintenance of the air filters.

Upfront, the casing looks clean and plain.

Air filter maintenance is a cinch with this case.

Inside, the case is cavernous.

The case is huge and with three dedicated zones, there's plenty of room to maneuver and accommodate plenty of gear too. The rear I/O of the case shows that it can accommodate 10 PCIe slots, but to better translate that to an actual use case, you can install four dual-slot graphics cards with ease. It will accommodate cards up to 12.5-inch in length, so the size of the card isn't an issue for the S10 Signature case. Of course, you're going to be needing a pretty powerful platform like an Intel X99 chipset based one to really pull off powering that many graphics cards. Fortunately, the casing is cavernous enough to accommodate ATX, XL-ATX and E-ATX sized boards - in short, any motherboard of any size.

With a dedicated storage column, the S10 Signature series can take in six 3.5-inch internal drives. These drive bays are also heavily padded to reduce vibration and have quick release tool-less insertion/removal mechanisms. Further to that, you also have up to eight 2.5-inch drive bays with similar features. That's a total of 14 drive bays. However, take note that none of them are external facing and that would be mean taking a more modern approach to ditch the ODD and also forgoing any other front-panel control/monitoring bays. We know that's a tad restrictive, but it helps you achieve a clean looking case and it allows Antec to project the intended design ethos for the Signature series.

Cooling options are aplenty and the case actually ships with seven pre-installed fans, leaving you with only one optional air-intake for the PSU chamber. Needless to say water cooling support is definitely available; the top can take in 240/280mm radiators, the central segment with the fresh air intake column can accommodate radiators up to 360mm across, and lastly the rear can accommodate a 120mm radiator.

The chassis panels are up to 4mm thick anodized, brushed metal aluminum doors on both sides allowing you unimpeded access to the guts of the system. At US$499, the casing does command a premium like no other, but it does feel the part. Antec will also offer the S10 Signature with glass doors as pictured in this article that will bring down the cost significantly. This version is ideal to show off a well appointed and decorated interior and it pulls it off with looking messy because the glass doors are heavily tinted.

Expect the casing to flow into the retail channels in within the next two months. Here's a parting shot:-

 

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