Dug around for a spare PCI-E video card and came across my Geforce 7600GT.  Removed my 8800GTX and replaced it with the 7600GT: everything came up with no video issues.  Put the 8800GTX back in but the rows of lines came back, this time with characters randomly appearing across the screen.  At this point it looked pretty cut and dry but I did some Google searches and found the general recommendation for this was to return the card for repair.

I’ve been a loyal eVGA customer for several years and try and buy their products that carry a lifetime warranty.  I have had to return three video cards in the past to eVGA but they are very easy to deal with and have excellent customer service.  I went online to open an RMA and at that point registered my Geforce 8800GTX; I bought it two years ago from Tiger Direct and had the receipt.

I received a response shortly from eVGA indicating my RMA was declined: I was past the one year warranty.  That didn’t make much sense since when I bought the card it indicated a lifetime warranty and it was clearly stated on the box.  I checked online and verified my part number came under the lifetime warranty.  So I emailed back to see what was going on: as with all correspondence I kept it polite and to the point.  I received a response back from a supervisor saying because I didn’t register my card within 30 days of purchase I was only entitled to a one year warranty.  Ouch.

Started digging online and found similar cases in the eVGA forums: I also was able to confirm this as part of eVGA’s warranty information.  I went back and searched the box and manual but couldn’t find anything.  I checked it again and found the information printed on the inside flap of the box: it’s the very small print in white with 30 days slightly larger.

Emailed the supervisor explaining my continued loyalty and that I missed this small printed and obscure notice on the inside flap of my box.  He extended a gracious hand and issued me an RMA: I had a replacement card and to my surprise it was a Geforce GTX 260, as they will replace your card with a better model if none of yours is available.

I installed the GTX 260 and everything booted up without issue.  Tried launching a game and the machine locked up.  Rebooting showed the same rows of lines on my screen.

Since it had to be something else I replaced my Antec Neo HE 550 power supply with an Antec TruePower 550 that hadn’t been used: it was pulled from an Antec Atlas case and put on a shelf.  I didn’t see how it could be the power supply since the system had been running for two years without issue and everything worked with another video card: of course the 7600GT required no additional power while both the 8800GTX and the GTX 260 sucked up the juice.

With the TruePower 550 in place (same 550 watts as the Neo HE unfortunately) the system booted and ran just fine.  I launched Empire Total War and the same old story.  Restarting the system showed the same lines.  I unplugged the video card and the system and left it for a few hours: when I hooked it back up there were no lines and I could boot into Windows, but running anything graphically intensive killed me.  This had to be a lack of power to the video card.  I waited until NCIX started their new weekly sale and ordered a Corsair TX850 since it received glowing reviews, had a five year warranty and had way more power than my system needed.

The TX850 arrived and I installed it: lots of cables and a tight fit, even in my Antec P182.  Powered on the system and no visual artifacts.  Once in Vista I started Empire Total War: for a brief second there were the same odd lines but they went away and the game played smoothly.  I restarted and repeated the process: same brief instant of horizontal lines but everything went well.

For some reason since installing the GTX 260 I get a loud buzz in my speakers: it’s there even if nothing is connected to the PC.  I tried taking the speakers off the surge protection the PC was on but no difference.  I don’t think it’s coil whine since the buzz is loud and constant.  One more mystery to figure out.

Seems things weren’t going so well.  Actually playing a game for a few moments caused visual tearing and the same old lines.  I removed the GTX 260 and tried it in a PC I borrowed from a friend: same issue.  Leaving the card out on my desk for three days and installing it in the borrowed system showed no lines and everything seemed good.  I downloaded 3dMark 06 and got to the second benchmark before the system locked.

I’ve been reading this week about Nvidia and their soldering issues so I’m hoping a replacement will fix this: a ticket is open with eVGA so we’ll see.  I’d like to believe this whole process hasn’t soured my opinion of Nvidia but I’d be lying.

Great rejoicing rang throughout the house as my Antec case finally arrived.  As well I received a Linksys KVM ( keyboard, video, mouse ) switch to hook up in my office, but you’ll have to wait until next week for that review.

I discussed last week my impatience regarding the arrival of the Antec SX1030  tower SO/HO server case.  I said tower case because it straddles the line between mid and full tower size, but does the job of a small server case.  I set it up and have it running my primary machine, so let’s take a look at what makes it so great.

I must say first of all that the appeal for such a case is limited, as I discussed last week. You’re only going to need the SX1030 if you’re a constant upgrader or building a server.  The exterior is nicely designed with a crisscross pattern on the front bottom that allows a lot of airflow, while the top front is a locking door with lights for power and hard drive.  The side panel has a lockable latch that once pressed releases it to swing free.  No sliding the panel the length of the case, no worrying about lining it up; just press and swing.

Once inside the beauty of the design becomes apparent.  Four case fans can be mounted, two at the front and two at the back at the CPU level. Purple plastic fan mounts are supplied so no worries about finding the right screws or straps.  Included with the SX1030 are two 80mm case fans pre-mounted in the rear brackets with four pin Molex power connectors.  Two 3.5” drive bays are mounted in the front of the case via a latch for oh so easy removal.  One fan is at the front bottom of the case and the other is on the top 3.5” drive cage, to provide extra cooling for those hot hard drives.  The four external 5.25” drive bays require drive rails, which are in a slick plastic holder stuck to the inside bottom of the case so you don’t lose them.  Mounting is straight forward and I added devices without incident.

There is no removable motherboard tray, but the case is wide enough that I had no troubles mounting my Gigabyte motherboard.  I did find that there aren’t enough screw holes for this motherboard; I needed three more holes on the right side of the board for a proper mount, so I had to use plastic tabs to shore it up.

The power supply is an Antec 300 watt PP303X model.  It has a variable speed fan to handle temperature changes.  I’ve read this is a quiet power supply, but my system is pretty noisy with the power supply and three case fans running.

Construction is solid, sturdy and reliable with no sharp edges or burrs.  I have to say I love this case and will buy more of them as need arises.  If you want to save a few dollars pick up the SX830 workstation case that lacks the front door and 2 drive bays. As well the SX1040 is available; same as the SX1030 except a 400 watt power supply. Below is a chart courtesy of Antec detailing the specs of both cases. Either way you can’t go wrong.

Package includes	1 Tower Case
	1 300 Watt ATX SmartPower – installed	1 400 Watt ATX SmartPower – installed
	1 Power cord
	2 Case fans
	1 Set of screws and motherboard standoffs
	1 Set of drive rails
	1 Installation manual

]]> http://tech.ebabble.net/antec-sx1030/feed 0 http://tech.ebabble.net/antec-slk3700amb http://tech.ebabble.net/antec-slk3700amb#comments Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:19:10 +0000 Scott VanderPloeg http://www.ebabble.net/?page_id=226 I’m a big fan of Antec cases, having two SX1000 series in use. I’ve been eyeing the new Performance Plus and Performance II series but found the price to be a little steep for my tastes. Recently I was perusing their site and found the Solution series, a low cost alternative. A quick Google search revealed no reviews, so I ordered the largest of the series, the SLK3700AMB. After a few weeks went by it arrived. Within minutes of opening the box I was thoroughly impressed.

I’ll do my usual case review of moving from the outside in. Let’s look at the model number first: SLK3700AMB. Antec likes long model numbers, and this is no exception. AMB stands for Antec Metallic Bronze, referring to their new metallic colour schemes. Opening the box revealed this stunning colour. The paint job is very sharp, even and a glossy automotive finish. I’m used to a mat finish and haven’t been impressed by aluminum cases that are all the rage these days. The front bezel is plastic, the top and sides are painted steel. That’s right, heavy non pliable steel. Hefting this unit makes you realize you’re not getting that fancy new aluminum the kids are talking about.

Following in the steps of the SX and Plus series, there is a front swinging door that covers the drive bays and buttons. This is the first area we see cost cutting, with no lock on the front or side panel. Not really needed anyway.

Swinging open the front door shows the power and reset buttons, plus four lights. One power, one hard drive and two generic for whatever you’d like. The hard drive and two generic lights are labeled “HDD LED” on their two pin connectors, so there’s a bit of playing around during set up to determine which is which. Below the front door are two USB connections. Very handy indeed.

Moving to the rear, we see the usual complement of ATX cutouts, colour coded and labeled via universal symbols. The second change for Antec shows in the rear fan: a single 120mm fan as opposed to dual 80mm fans. This is an Antec 120mm Fan, nothing special, that spins at 1200 rpm. I found it a little loud for that speed, but it moved a good deal of air. One rear fan comes standard with the case.

The side panel is removed by pressing the two levers, opening them to 90 degrees and pulling the panel towards the front. Once inside we see a lot of difference from other Antec cases. Instead of two removable 3.5″ drive cages with handles, a single two drive cage sits in the middle. Below that is a five drive removable cage. Two things about this are unique: it’s secured via a thumb screw and handle, and is removed by pulling it directly out of the case. This is a great feature, as the other Antec cages have to be pulled towards the back of the case, along the motherboard before coming free. The second great feature is the rubber washers that secure the drives into the case. To accommodate this special screws are provided, which is a two edged sword for those who tend to misplace small items. No more worries of vibrating drives and metallic rattling. Unfortunately the rubber washers are only used on the five drive cage, not on the 5.25″ drive rails or two drive 3.5″ cage.

The interior is clean and well designed, with labeled motherboard mount holes. differentiating ATX, AT and Extended ATX.  Another great new feature is a permanent mounting post in a hole used by all three motherboard types, on the right middle. This allows you to put a motherboard into the case and keep it in place via this mount, so you can screw the board down comfortably without trying to juggle it with one hand while you hold a screw and screwdriver with the other.

Mounting 5.35″ drives now requires the front bezel to be removed. It comes off by pressing on two clips on the bottom, then pinching two clips in the internal middle. It was a bit tricky the first few times, but got easier after. Drives need rails which come with the case, and slip into the slots. This time the drive rails are all metal, and come loose in a box. Once the drives are mounted the front bezel snaps back on and leaves a clean look to the front. My other Antec cased didn’t require the bezel to be removed, but the front didn’t look as clean because of the exposed clips on the drive rails.

Inside the front bezel is a removable filter covering the front air intake. This is a great way to keep that dust out of the case. In behind the front air intake is a mount for another 120 mm case fan, not included. Antec’s fan mounts have clips at the top and bottom, so the fan’s don’t need screws.

Included with the case is a 350 watt Antec power supply. Great build quality, but not one of the new TruPower models that use the noise “Silencer” technology. Not to say it’s loud, as a “standard” power supply from Antec is a step above.ATA RAID testbed. This case has been improved by the additional of a small PC speaker mounted behind the removable hard drive cage. Now if only they would change the front USB connectors…

Not to say I loved everything about the case. The front mounted USB cables have all ten pins with individual plastic covers, so you have to read your motherboard manual and try to match them up. While this allows for maximum compatibility, it took me a few tries to get them working. Another problem is the lack of a case speaker. Case manufacturers are moving away from them, but most include at least a small circular speaker attached to the four pin motherboard connector. My final gripe is the fact that full size PCI cards won’t fit. While this seems minor, to use all five hard drive bays you’ll be using an ATA RAID or SCSI controller which may require the additional real estate.

Let me sum it up: I love this case and will be buying them from now on. Nuff said.

Update / Revision April 11th 2003

I just picked up another Antec SLK3700AMB case for my ATA RAID testbed. This case has been improved by the additional of a small PC speaker mounted behind the removable hard drive cage. Now if only they would change the front USB connectors…

Editors note: this review was migrated from the old eBabble.net site and the photos updated. Originally published January 30th 2003.

Being a fan of computer cases, especially Antec cases, last year when I was building a new system I came across an excellent price on an Antec Atlas 550. For reference I suggest reading my original review: for this piece I’ll cover the differences between the two. This was a new model, the second in the Antec server line, a reworking of the Antec Titan that I had enjoyed so much. At the time the Atlas had the same 550 watt power supply (the Titan now comes with a 650 watt power supply), but had reduced the overall dimensions significantly. This was accomplished by removing two internal hard drive bays and shrinking the width to accommodate only ATX motherboards and not extended ATX. As well the front hinged door was removed and a fan grate added to the side panel, but these four items were the only changes. I loved the Titan so the Atlas seeemed a shoe-in.

Once I had the Atlas on my work table and started installing components did I realize what those changes meant. When they shortened the width for ATX boards they went a little too far: in the picture above you can see that an ATX board fills the space completely, with nary a cables width between the edge of the motherboard and the drive bays. You cannot install a large video card such as a Geforce 8800 GTX or Radeon 2900XT. That pretty much killed my use for this chassis.

The two other changes are welcome additions. The side fan grate allowed me to put a low RPM 80 mm fan and vent some of the heat from my Geforce 7900GT that I installed. I didn’t miss the hinged door on the front panel at all. I found the Atlas to be much quieter than the Titan, possibly because of the reduced space. Overall the built quality was solid and excellent, like practically all Antec products.

I’m still miffed at this being called a “server” case: the hard drives can only be accessed once you remove the side panel, pull off the front bezel and loosen two thumb screws from a medal door that doubles as the dual 92 mm fan grate. Antec’s removable drive cage from the 3700AMB is much more elegant. Antec, please develop a hot swap drive cage!

Antec products are solid, reliable and affordable. The Antec Atlas for me overall was a disappointment, as the available motherboard space was very restrictive and the hard drive bays remain difficult to access.