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| Date Reviewed: 01/28/2005 |
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Strengths: Allows you to use microATX motherboards in a cube-format case
Weaknesses: Takes a bit of patience to install
Summary: This case is small, solid, and beautiful! The sides are matte aluminum, and the front is piano black. There are two LEDs on the side which light up blue (although you don't have to use them). Some users reported problems fitting more than 1 PCI card in because of the extra fan. I had no problems installing 2 PCI cards and an AGP card. The universal CD-ROM drive door is a nice touch, as it allows you to maintain the uniformity of the black face. However, you can remove this and install your CD-ROM so it's flush with the front.
A few pointers: The case can accomodate three hard drives, but you'll probably get the best cooling if you just use one. If you want to use both front USB ports as well as the card reader, you'll need 3 internal USB headers. You can get a PCI card with extra headers for less than $10. Take some time to route the cables carefully - this will improve air circulation. The included I/O shield is for motherboards with a horizontal row of audio jacks. If you need the vertical kind, you can probably get it from shop-intel.com.
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| Date Reviewed: 07/05/2005 |
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Strengths: Nice sturdy case. Takes any mATX motherboard. All side come apart. Built in media reader. Price
Weaknesses: Powersupply had to be removed to install motherboard.
Summary: This is a very nice little case. I plan to use it as my HTPC computer in my living room. I didn't have a lot of space for a computer so I bought this case and it fits perfectly in the space I have. It looks really nice and comes with all the accessories. My mATX motherboard installed just fine, though I had to take out the power supply first to install the motherboard. This is a very nice case for the price. I really like the 3 year warranty. The blue lights in the front look cool. It is a little tight once you get everything in there but that is how it’s suppose to be with a case this size. It is a little loud but then again I do have a hard drive cooler in there. Bottom line is that it is a very nice case and Antec is a brand that I can trust.
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| Date Reviewed: 02/06/2006 |
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Strengths: looks good, it offers enough space to accommodate a full-size graphics card, the Zalman 7000CNPS7000B fits perfectly in the Aria.
Weaknesses: Noisy when under a lot of stress, major heat problems, only room for one 5,25" drive, little room to work with.
Summary: The Aria can have it all, although it has it weaknesses there's nothing we can't fix with this case. I wanted to build a powerfull mini-sized system and I wanted this case to house my brand new PC. Regarding the specifications and warnings on Antec's website, I stubbornly decided to use the following components: Intel P4 2.8GHz Prescott CPU, Asus P4RD1-MX (PCI-Express) mainboard and a brand new ATI Radeon X1600Pro graphics card. And it works and flawlessly! The 300Watt power supply offers enough power to feed all of the power-hungry components. There's two things to keep in mind, first the Aria comes with a 20-pin ATX power-supply and my motherboard came with a 24-pin ATX2 connector, I bought an ATX to E-ATX (20-> 24 pin) adapter to make it fit. Second, the small Aria doesn't allow much airflow, so the stock coolers of CPU and GPU were very noisy, solution: enhance the graphics card with a silent cooling system and do the same for the processor. I used the Zalman CNPS7000B-Cu cooler which fits perfectly, I don't advise to use a larger cooler for this one because it will not fit.
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| Date Reviewed: 08/17/2005 |
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 Looks Good, Needs Work Strengths: Attractive design in a small form factor.
Weaknesses: Poor ventilation. Difficult access to components. Oh yes, did I mention that the 8 in 1 card reader does not work with Win XP?
Summary: 2005-08-17 06:23:01 This case is a good idea that needs a bit of work. It's a very attractive design and it holds all the stuff necessary, but barely. The first step in the assembly should be to take out the power supply and try to untangle the gob of power cables so that they can be routed with minimal obstruction to air flow. The cables in my unit were terminated while tangled making it impossible to group them efficiently. Leave the power supply out until you install the MB,CPU, and CPU cooling fan. The three internal 3.5" bays probably will not all be usable if any but the most compact PCI cards are also installed.
After installing all my components and loading Win Xp SP2, I tried the card reader--it did not work. I looked at Device Manager and found that it had a problem, ("failed to start" Code 10). Troubleshooting procedures all failed so I sent a request for help to Antec. They actually called me back the same day to tell me that the card reader just would not work with Win XP SP1 or SP2. I can only wish that Antec would be as honest in their product descriptions.
Ventilation and CPU cooling would be improved by a large vent beside the CPU site. My unit runs quieter with the right side removed because the CPU fan runs much slower with access to outside air. I will probably have to cut a hole in the right side cover.
Antec needs to do two things to make this an excellent product: (1) Make the card reader work or remove it from the design. (2)Put ventilation in the right side for the CPU site.
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| Date Reviewed: 05/14/2005 |
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Strengths: Small size (after you build it), nice look, accepts mATX motherboards; 300Watt Power supply
Weaknesses: Small size (while you are building it); will NOT work with ATI AIW 9700PRO
Summary: This is a beautiful case that is well made, with a high quality 300Watt power supply. It is quite a challenge to work with as you assemble the PC, but well worth the effort when you are through. The laminated construction dampens noises and makes the PC very quiet. All parts fit together well and the ventilation is adequate to support a moderate level CPU (I would not go over 90 watts). The front card reader, USB ports, and audio ports are convenient. This case can support 3 PCI cards, 3 hard drives, and optical drive and a mATX motherboard. DO NOT plan on maxing this case out. It would be quite an accomplishment to fill every possible item, fit it in the case, and stay within the power supply capability. I wanted to use an ATI AIW 9700PRO with this case, but the power supply would current limit on power up.....ended up using an older AIW.
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| Date Reviewed: 08/13/2004 |
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Strengths: One of the few cases that fits all standard mATX boards. Excellent servicability, and very high quality construction.
Weaknesses: The included PCI slot fan (Said to be integral to the airflow design of the case) takes up 2 PCI Slots, leaving most motherobards with only one! USB Features take up _3_ USB Headers.
Summary: This is a very limited market, but Antec is a quality name, and it shows. This case is very quiet and well built, but my motherboard doesn't have enough USB Headers to support everything on the front of the case If you go with this case, the Asus A7N8X-VM/400 may not be the best motherboard for you.
96% of People (23/24) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 06/30/2004 |
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Strengths: Compact size, clean front, extra fan included, front IEEE audio USB ports. Runs quiet. Card reader included.
Weaknesses: Can get toasty inside. Zalman cooler solves the problem, though. Cable management needs to be planned. Get a few zip ties.
Summary: I have built two Aria systems. I bought a third one just two days ago. Very versatile little box that fits all micro ATX motherboards. I used Asus P4P800VM, Intel P4-2.8E, Zalman CNPS7000A Cu cooler (fits in the tight space under the power supply), ATI Radeon 9600XT etc. Cooling and cable management requires shelling out a little more money. My system runs cool, quiet, and stable.
93% of People (57/61) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/03/2004 |
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Strengths: great quality, compact, comes with exhaust blower =)
Weaknesses: a few minor tight spots
Summary: Best compact case that uses mATX mobos on the market,, I was surprised by the quality of this case,, really the only thing I can say is that the case looks a little smaller in the pictures,, but besides that,, its real solid,, a bit heavy, but who cares? Few people noted the 3.5 bay being a downside,, I say,, if you still use 3.5 floppy disks, please visit your local electronic store for an invention called CD-RW =) ,, even the box the case comes in is top notch, its not some brown box. Until some other company comes out with another ultra small compact mATX ready case, this one should be on top of your list.
89% of People (8/9) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 10/25/2004 |
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Strengths: Quiet and small and able to hold multiple hard drives
Weaknesses: heat sink a bit hard to install without removing powersupply
Summary: I am very happy with this case. Compared to the shuttle cases this is much better. It uses standard m-atx motherboards so it is upgradable. It is very quiet and its small size makes it ideal for media center PCs. With its unique design it can handle up to 3 hard drives(although i don't do more than 2). I have installed 2 hard drives and a DVD+-RW in this case with no problems. It also can accomodate regular full size AGP or PCI video cards. I have installed an ATI AIW 9800 without a problem. If you install the included slot fan it does pretty much limit you to one pci expansion. Overall I have found this case to excellent design and value for the money
86% of People (6/7) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 09/02/2004 |
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Strengths: This is an extremely well-built, strong aluminum case. Access is good for a small case as both sides, top, and drive mounts remove easily.
Weaknesses: I would have preferred a 3.5" bay instead of the multi-media card reader or front connectors. Though positions are provided for 3 hard drives, it is unlikely that more than one can be used.
Summary: This is the best case out there in the cube format (may actually be the only one right now for the mATX board that is not a barebone) - extremely strong and easy to access. That said, it still does not fit all of my desires. There is no 3.5" external bay and 2 of the hard drive mounts are essentially useless. It is very unlikely that they would not interfere with other components. I would like to see a more flexible version without the multi-media card reader and front audio but with a 3.5" bay open for any use.
82% of People (14/17) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 10/26/2004 |
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Strengths: Compact size
8in1 card reader
Front side ports
Great Airflow
PRICE
Weaknesses: Doesnt have a handle
Abit heavy for its size
Summary: The Antec Aria has to be checked out by all those interested in micro-atx systems. It brings together prepackaged many essential components that would be a troublesome feat for one getting all parts and putting it together. This allows the case to have maximum efficiency, thus the airflow is great and no overheating is evident, which is #1 reason people complain about many m-atx cases. This case has enough room to complete your best pc system to date. Even for those looking for bargains, this is it, you can put your system in this cool looking case and people will be amazed at your project.
67% of People (2/3) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 02/26/2005 |
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Strengths: looks sweet!
Weaknesses: not much room to work with
Summary: I love how this case looks. The size of it is also appealing although it has its drawbacks when trying to install all the components. I've heard that overheating can be a problem too, due its size. But so far, my comp has been running stable at reasonable temperatures.
50% of People (1/2) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/07/2004 |
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Strengths: Very quiet.
Weaknesses: Cooling problem.
Summary: It took me about an hour to move my Celeron 2.0 with stock heatsink fan to Aira. It did not require me to remove the power supply. I also have a PVR-250 in it. After bootup, if I unplug the heatsink fan power, the case generate virtually no noise.
The temp was around 98 when I watch TV with it. However if I ran program with high CPU load (70% all the time), temp reached around 113, and I believe it can go higher.
33% of People (1/3) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 09/28/2006 |
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Strengths: Size, looks uses standard mATX motherboard, dual Hard Disks supported. Easy to open.
Weaknesses: No Floppy/Zip Slot, Power supply design. Poor documentation -- not enough diagrams. PCI Slot screwdown plate area has too many screws holding it down!
Summary: I have installed over a dozen of these for my customers. They like it for the smal footprint. I bought spare power supplies from Antec's website.
Antec should have had an open slot for Floppy drive where the third HDD goes.
Power supply has to be removed to install mother board... I can deal with that -- but the screws holding the PS are weird!
I have no problem using an Intel motherboard with everthing on-board. I use mirrored RAID-1 drives for my customers, so dual HDD was important. But the FDD was an issue for installing the driver.
Overall, an excellent case.. you can't go wrong with it.
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| Date Reviewed: 10/29/2005 |
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Strengths: Exellent for someone with limited space in there room
Weaknesses: Heat build up
Summary: I have 5 servers running here in my house and i am a computer admin at my work but i am running out of space in my room and when i went to my local computer store i was looking for something with power, speed and processor power i got this case with the AMD 64 bit processor board...awesome...just awesome and i can fit it right on my desk.....but the heat problem....but like i said i got 5 servers in here....could have something to do with it
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