Antec C8

[Darksaber]

The Antec C8 represents the largest of the Constellation series dual-chamber enclosures. The C8 manages to impress with a down-to-earth design, focus on functionality, and plenty of details that make the build process and final result very positive.

Show full review

 

[Bayfront Benny]

I just have one question - does this case support the new back (reverse connector) connect motherboards? I believe the C5 does but not clear if this one does too. TIA

 

[Chaitanya]

It feels good to see Antec back making good cases.

I just have one question - does this case support the new back (reverse connector) connect motherboards? I believe the C5 does but not clear if this one does too. TIA

Current C8 doesnt support those(thankfully given the placement of PSU atleast top connectors will be blocked. Wont be surprised to find a revision of this case few months down the line with support for reverse connectors.

 

[wheresmycar]

thanks for the review.

So another box on the block. I've done so much online-window-shopping over the years for one of these over-sized shoe boxes with 2 chambers, one for each shoe - now I've lost interest. Can't knock it though, some completed builds in these type of cases still look fantastic.

"In terms of build quality, Antec really did do everything right for the most part.................the overall design manages to be simple yet extremely functional"

Good job Antec!!

 

[Minus Infinity]

Wow, so surprised air doesn't turn through 90 degree bends very well. Results speak for themselves, very ordinary thermals thanks to the idiotic aquarium design.

 

[lepudruk]

Lol, so basicly it's a duplicate of Lian Li Dynamic EVO (well, without one feature - the upside down rotation). Even the accessories fit perfectly - like LL's GPU raiser.
I don't know if it was already mentioned but you can place 2x 160mm fans on bottom and top of this case - LL's 216 fans should fit easily.

Now I started to wonder if this type of case would notice any gain from switching rear fan from exhaust to intake?
Best case scenario (lowest temps and noise) is: 3x bottom intake, 3x top exhaust and back side AIO intake.
What about the rear fan? Wouldn't VRM section benefit from cool air blowing on it? I have to check it on my Evo..

 

[Ruru]

Been a while since Antec has put out something good. I may consider this as been thinking of case change.

Lol, so basicly it's a duplicate of Lian Li Dynamic EVO. Even the accessories fit perfectly (I don't know if it was already mentioned but you can place 2x 160mm fans on bottom and top of this case - LL's 216 fans should fit easily).

Personally I don't mind, IMO majority of cases are more or less copies of each other anyway.

 

[lepudruk]

Personally I don't mind, IMO majority of cases are more or less copies of each other anyway.

After I checked pricing I don't mind it either (it's a 90$ difference)

 

[Ruru]

After I checked pricing I don't mind it either (it's a 90$ difference)

View attachment 356329

Whoa, since when the O11 pricing has skyrocketed

 

[lepudruk]

Whoa, since when the O11 pricing has skyrocketed

My bad, I compared non-argb Antec with argb LL (also that was a canadian pricing, now it's US):

 

[Ruru]

My bad, I compared non-argb Antec with argb LL (also that was a canadian pricing, now it's US):

View attachment 356330

~30EUR difference here. Still that Antec looks that it's a good clone though.

 

[SN2716057]

I'm looking for an airfryer for my parents, and this will do just fine.

 

[Chomiq]

After I checked pricing I don't mind it either (it's a 90$ difference)

View attachment 356329

Well that's main problem for Antec right now, their distribution kinda sucks which leads to inflated prices. There's a direct store:

C8 White

The Antec C8 case is a stylish mid-tower PC case combining functionality with premium aesthetics. Designed to cater to different tastes, the C8 is also available in these finishes: C8 Black and C8 White Pick between a classic sleek black finish or a clean modern white finish for timeless...

antecplay.com

which has some of the recently announced models listed (aluminum and wooden front options) but it looks like availability depends on currency used.

Anyway, this "clone" has better fan support than the original 011D and its built quality is on par. If I were to switch to this type of case it would be one of the three possible picks, along O11D Evo and that new BeQuiet case.

I'm looking for an airfryer for my parents, and this will do just fine.

Base model has no included fans, what did you expect from a test that does not include any standardized fans?

 

[Caring1]

Wow, so surprised air doesn't turn through 90 degree bends very well. Results speak for themselves, very ordinary thermals thanks to the idiotic aquarium design.

I think that is more a reflection of the fact fans weren't placed on the bottom of the case to have bottom to top airflow. Side fans are a stupid idea IMO.

I believe the PSU placement should be a big negative for this case as it makes it harder to change the CPU cooler and inhibits airflow over the back of the Motherboard's CPU region.
I had this case short listed until that factor was known.

 

[dj-electric]

Statements like "Antec is back" and "It has been a while since Antec did X or Y" are a little strange to those of us who have been working tightly with Antec products for many many years now and without pause. Antec release new products on a quarterly basis. That said, most of them are based on similar designs and are of low-cost nature

Seems to be mostly a North American thing, since they have been gone from that market for a while.

I would love to see Antec's PSUs that aren't their signature series getting reviews. I know their new NeoEco ATX 3.0 series of power supplies are selling well where Antec is present.

 

[Vincero]

Having the PSU directly behind the CPU socket mount is not a design decision I would have gone with.... if changing cooler needs back of board access this requires removing the PSU, which is fine if it's fully modular PSU... but even then not preferable (to me anyway).
Would have been easier to put removable drive cage there maybe - I'd rather disconnect a couple of SATA drives (which may be less common as time goes on) than faff with chonky PSU connections.

Besides, PSU is also generally quite weighty and will always be part of the build, so might as well have that weight lower down to make the whole thing a bit more stable - not that it's generally a problem on most cases (especially the 'dual chamber' type like this), but you know... low centre of gravity makes toppling it a bit harder.

 

[SIGSEGV]

My bad, I compared non-argb Antec with argb LL (also that was a canadian pricing, now it's US):

View attachment 356330

How's this case compared with LL O11 EVO XL version? Both are full towers (C8 vs XL).

 

[lepudruk]

How's this case compared with LL O11 EVO XL version? Both are full towers (C8 vs XL).

IMO C8 is closer to a mid-tower. The main difference is capacity: Antec is about 67 l and EVO XL is 84,5 l.

 

[basco]

i miss my antec p180.. series

 

[SIGSEGV]

IMO C8 is closer to a mid-tower. The main difference is capacity: Antec is about 67 l and EVO XL is 84,5 l.

is it worth to get evo XL with EUR130 difference?

 

[lepudruk]

is it worth to get evo XL with EUR130 difference?

Honestly, I don't know. I got my second rig in a basic 011 Dynamic EVO but if I were about to buy a new case today, I would take Antec C8. Apparently, only small % of all users makes use of LianLi's "reverse build" feature, other then that - they both look same and Antec is a bit cheaper.

 

[Vlodec]

I just bought a C8 and was surprised to discover it has no power or hard drive activity LEDs. All the more surprising as I understand the C5 DOES have both LEDs. Does this make sense?

 

[80-watt Hamster]

I just bought a C8 and was surprised to discover it has no power or hard drive activity LEDs. All the more surprising as I understand the C5 DOES have both LEDs. Does this make sense?

HDD LEDs are an endangered species; I'm (pleasantly) surprised at this point when a case does have one. They probably dispensed with PLED on this model because the chance that a buyer of this case has some sort of LED kit on the inside, making a PLED redundant, approaches certainty and opted to save a few pence.

 

[Gabe1]

I just moved from a Phanteks Enthoo Pro Full Tower to this C8. I had the old case for 8 years and was looking for a change.
I like everything about it and it's easy to work in with a 360 AIO in the vertical position. I'm using 8 fans in it and adding 3 more this week just for looks. This case runs cool with my fan set up and I can't even hear it over room noise. I always run a fan sitting on top of my video card to cool the VRM, NVMe m.2 and memory.
Highly recommended...

 

[Degreco]

The biggest issue really being that the C8 ARGB is likely the better choice for many

That is so true. The A-RGB variant has much more value, as it comes with three fans, two of them reversed 160mm PWM fans with 35mm thickness. The C8 RGB with this two fans is very obviously intended for large and largest GPUs.

I don't know of any case on the market that has >140mm fans directly (and with directly i mean GPU dedicated) oriented on the GPU. And additionally with no intake obstructions whatsoever. This case was build for a 4090/5090. The 2x160 fans are covering most of the cards length (even if you own a lengthy 4090 Master). There are of course some cases with even bigger fans, but never solely dedicated to the GPU. Most other cases with oversized fans find space in the front (e.g. designs by Fractal Design or Cooler Master).

So imho this Antec C8 design in the RGB version is a game changer for great GPU temps and an optimal solution for a 4090/4080/7900XT(X). Somehow most reviews of the C8 RGB variant fail to mention this.

Obviously, in a double chamber case one needs to populate the side intakes too. This is a must to create some air around memory, CPU and VRM areas and the back side of the GPU. Especially with a large GPU, as a physically big card will eat/block most of the air coming from the bottom fans.

If you populate the side intakes you get top mesh case performance with CPU and GPU on Torrent level. Yes, really. And that's with an aquarium case! Maybe one can achieve only very good temps for CPU, as you still have a slight disadvantage with the front side intake compared to a front mesh airflow to the CPU area. In the c8 and comparable cases the back and top outtake fans will need to do the work to create the airflow, but without the side intakes there won't be any. So you need to configure those dual chamber designs the right way, but then they will deliver.

So, the C8 with the two stock 160mm in the bottom has the potential for top level cooling! Mesh case, step aside. If you don't believe this check out the Gamers Nexus review of the C8 A-RGB with stock cooler config out of the box (without any side intake or top outtake). They loved the C8 stock. It performs and feels much better then more expensive cases like Corsair 6500x. Even at stock the GPU temps perform on a top level, beating most other modern cases. CPU temps were higher, because they left it at stock and choked the area above the GPU. One just needs to put some more fans in this case and create an airflow behind (above) the GPU and this design will easily lead the GPU temp benchmark chart of a modern case roundup (the GPU getting air from behind the card will even improve more) while delivering very good CPU temps too. If you plan to get an 5090 and leave it on air cooling, get this case. I'm not joking.

Amazon Germany has the A-RGB variant for 89€, so roughly 96 USD. I guess, Antec wants to increase market share fast with aggressive pricing over here. That's a nobrainer for anyone with a large GPU. Only downside is the lousy fan hub, but I will use a better one lying here (Arctic). I ordered the C8 A-RGB for my 4090 rig to migrate to, just for the fun of it (won't change a thing in the rig otherwise)