Assembly

Installing the motherboard is done by traditional means. Simply screw it unto the provided, golden spacers. Antec includes just enough screws to install it into the chassis. As you can see, there is plenty of space around the CPU cooler, so even the really big units will fit. On top of that, the Eleven Hundred can hold GPUs with up to 33 cm in size - more than enough by modern standards.


Installing hard drives does not require any screws. Simply clip the rails on each side of the drive and slide it into the bay of your choice. The entire contraption will snap into place firmly, so that you will not have to worry about it, even during transportation. You will not require anything for a 2.5 inch drive: just slide the drive into the bay - that is it. The side panel will act as a stopping mechanism, keeping the unit in place.


Installin an optical drive will require you to remove the entire front panel, allowing you to free the bay of its metal cover and taking out the desired mesh part of the front panel. Once free, simply slide the drive into place until the plastic locking mechanism snaps into place. It holds quite well, so you will not need to worry about this aspect either. Antec does still allow for screws to be used, just in case you are not convinced that the system will hold your drive properly.


Placing the PSU within the chassis is done utilizing traditional methods as well. Four crews hold it in place - that is it, nothing else to see here.


Once everything is placed in the appropriate location and all the cables are connected, the Antec Eleven Hundred still makes a very clean impression. I have used neon orange SATA cables, so that you can see where these are routed.

Finished Looks

Once the side panels have been placed back unto the chassis and it was turned on, I was quite relieved that both fans are actually nice and quiet. The above shows the system up and running, but with the top fan LEDs toggled on/off. Two blue LEDs in the front of the chassis are used for power and hard drive activity.


You can clearly see the entire motherboard and a part of the power supply through the window - pretty cool. Both vents for the side fans have been well placed as they are at the same height as the graphic card. Taking a closer look at the rear, there is nothing out of the ordinary and the blue LEDs in the top fan actually fit the chassis quite well overall.