Introduction

Almost everybody is very familiar with Antec and the products they sell. They are very well known for their cases, modding products, and as of recently their line of power supplies. With their new case, the LANBOY, Antec was looking to integrate all of their products into one low-priced and light-weight case designed with the avid LAN party attendant in mind. Keep in mind, the LANBOY isn’t just a LAN party case; it combines features that almost any pc user will consider very useful. From my impressions with this case, it looks like Antec succeeded.

As LAN parties become more popular, people want to be able to attend without having to carry a large and heavy computer case. This is one of the reasons we have seen so many people migrating to small light weight cases and small form factor computer systems. In the LANBOY, Antec chose to target the small light weight case segment. They want to create an attractive and mobile case that fuses form, functionality and aesthetics into a package that the average person can afford. As we know not everybody can afford Lian-Li or Coolermaster cases, which is why the LANYBOY was priced at a level that the average modder/hobbyist can afford.

Specifications

First let’s look at what they advertise in the case:

• Aluminum mini tower case
• Windowed side panel
• SmartBlue 350, 350Watt ATX12V power supply with internal illumination
• 2 Front mounted USB ports
• 8 Drive Bays: - External: 4 x 5.25", 2x 3.5" - Internal: 2 x 3.5"
• Cooling capacity: up to 2 x 80mm fans - 1 rear (optional) - 1 front (optional)
• Motherboards up to Standard ATX
• Free case-carrying strap

Contents

The case was packaged very well. The foam padded was more than enough to keep the case safe and in good condition. When I first picked up the case I was very surprised by how light it was. Even in the box, the case was one of the lightest I have ever picked up. The case was wrapped in plastic and the window had a protective plastic cover on it. Overall, the packing and presentation was excellent.

I received the case and opened it up to find:
• Power cord
• Instruction manual
• Bag of screws
• Nylon carrying strap
• Antec case badge
• Antec LANBOY Case

The bag of screws was in an unusual place as you can see in the picture below. Having a screw compartment in the back of the case is a very unique feature that gives the case some extra functionality. It came in handy when I was at a LAN party last week and a friend needed some extra screws. The instruction manual although adequate, was kind of skimpy. It had the required information but I think it could have been a little more thorough and maybe included some diagrams. Also included in the package was a cool carrying strap. With it you can carry the case just about anywhere.

The Case

The LANBOY is a very good looking case, and it is very well designed. First, it is an aluminum mini tower case. The case overall is very light. Even after all the pc components were in, the case was still very light. The left side of the case has a plexi-glass window. The construction and design of the window is very sturdy and has a quasi handle that is actually very useful when you want to take the side panel off. It’s a feature that is almost standard on Antec cases.

The front of the LANBOY was very attractive. Hidden behind the retractable cover at four 5¼ Bays, two 3½ bays, fours status LED’s, reset button and a power button. As you can see in the picture below, 5 ¼ bays come with purple attachment rails that make installing peripherals very easy. I’ll explain more later on. A nice feature that Antec took into account is that the status LED’s are still visible even when the front cover is closed. The front cover also has a spot for case badges. Accessible on the front are 2 USB ports. As you will notice, they aren’t hidden by the front cover. Front mounted USB ports are almost a standard feature on most cases these days and overall they can be very useful. For example I currently use one of them for my digital camera and the other one for my portable mp3 player.

Also on the lower front of the case are air intake slits. On the inside of the case is an 80mm fan bracket which takes advantage of the slits. The included 350 Watt dual fan illuminated PSU is visible on the back of the case. An 80mm fan aperture, motherboard bracket, pci/agp slots and the screw compartment I described previously are visible on the back of the case. It should be noted that the screw compartment detaches which is required when you want to install pic/agp cards. I’ll explain more in the installation section.

As you will notice, the LANBOY includes an Antec 350W PSU. This specific power supply is very high quality. Just look at the specs:

• SmartPower: runs cooler and quieter
• ATX12Vcompliant for compatibility with AMD™ and Intel® systems
• Internally blue illuminated power supply
• +5V and +3.3V combined 230 Watt Max

Antec did not skimp when it came to providing a solid PSU with the case. If you have a stability problem it most likely won’t be this power supply. Plus the PSU is illuminated and quiet which makes it even better.