Review System

Assembly

Installing the motherboard is done by traditional means using screws and spacers. The Antec DP503 is very well balanced in size, allowing for just the right amount of space above the board and enough depth so that even E-ATX motherboards have access to their own grommet covered cable routing openings, Oversized E-ATX board support isn't mentioned in marketing. Instead they actually fit and would do so quite well, perhaps something to advertise?


Adding a GPU is straight forward, the metal GPU support bracket works well to keep the unit level, with loads of space left towards the front of the chassis. Even when considering a sandwich liquid cooling scenario, users of most long GPUs will find plenty of space to fit everything. This again is thanks due to the slightly larger than usual case body.


Antec provides compact thumbscrews to use as pins for the 2.5" drives. They remind us of the first generation of Cooler Master pins, besides being somewhat larger. In comparison, the second generation has a bigger tip to keep drives in place, allowing the pins to be employed with 3.5" drives as well. That said, Antec's implementation works quite well for 2.5" drives.


To install a 3.5" drive, the easiest method is using the plastic tray. It is tool-less, you just snap the drive into place and then slide it back into the case until that tray pops into the cage securely.


As there is no room to slide the PSU in from the interior of the chassis, you first have to screw it unto the mounting frame and push it in through the rear of the DP503. Two thumb screws hold the frame in place nicely, and as you can see, there is lots of room for cables or longer units.


Adding an AIO into the ceiling of a case is always an interesting step to see how well it fits, and if it gets in the way of the motherboard at all. In the case of the Antec DP503, our 360 mm radiator fits effortlessly. There was no squeezing or excessive force needed, and as you can see, the rear fan placement is still completely accessible, while the bulky motherboard cooling elements are cleared perfectly. You even have access to the connectors at the top edge of the board, although it's a bit of a squeeze.


With everything installed, the case makes a very clean impression overall, however there is the location of the GPU power routing element, which clearly favors long GPUs. Antec could have placed a second one to the left of it for shorter units. In addition to that, while all the other cable routing openings have grommets, this one lacks such an extra which is unfortunate. In the rear, the final result is extremely clean but that required a bit of trickery, especially around the ARGB cables for the fans in the front. Those were routed inside the front panel, de-cluttering this area of the build considerably.

Finished Looks

Turning on the Antec DP503, you can see the gentle glow of the hub mounted ARGB elements in the front. The depth of the mesh design actually adds a nice element to the case, really managing to make it stand out nicely. A blue power LED in the top also lets you know the PC is turned on.


Looking straight at the front, it further underlines the distinctive design and balance in depth and glow. Thanks to the clear glass panel, you can also view all your hardware within nicely, while the back of the DP503 bears no unexpected surprises with all the connectors at the usual places.

The ARGB controller allows you to cycle through a set of single- and multi-colored animations, as well as five solid color choices which are illustrated below. While this is just fine, the presets of the controller are not quite as diverse as others on the market. Luckily you may easily remedy this by moving to motherboard software control instead.