Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 Review

👤by David Mitchelson Comments 📅20-08-10
Introduction

Product on Review: Antec DF-85
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Antec
Street Price: £135 / $209 / €165



Antec have been a forerunner in case design and power supply development for over 20 years and are one of the pioneers in quiet, reliable and efficient products. Personally I've always had a soft spot for Antec products, especially power supply units. In over 10 years I've been able to put confidence in a brand that certainly stands by its claim to reliability.

Back in June of this year, Antec showcased a new range of cases at Computex in Tapei. This unveiling revealed a new series named the Dark Fleet.

Today we will be taking a look at the largest of the cases within this new range - the DF-85. This case is a full tower chassis and follows a similar design concept to that of the LINK Antec Twelve Hundred gaming case. The Twelve Hundred divided quite a number of enthusiasts, its one of those cases that you either love or hate. The idea behind the DF-85 is that it addresses some of the concerns that were flagged up on the Twelve Hundred case such as tool-less functionality. Throughout this review we will be taking a good look at all the features on the DF-85 to discover if its worthy of a purchase.



Antec's Take on the DF-85
Time to build a killer rig? Turn to Antec. The DF-85 is the gaming case re-envisioned, with all the award-winning build quality that made Antec cases famous and plenty of airy, wide-open expandability with 14 total drive bays and 7 expansion slots. Fleet-Release™ front drive bays allow swift customization of front fan and drive configurations and easy access to tool-less, washable fan filters. A top-mounted hot-swappable SATA (SSD-compatible) drive bay plus Fleet-Swap™ SATA drive interfaces offer blazing fast throughput with superb convenience. With pioneering design and world-first conveniences, the Dark Fleet DF-85 is the case of choice for your next flagship.


Specifications
Three Fleet-Release™ access doors open separately for convenient entry to drives
Three washable fan filters allow for easy cleaning
Top 2.5" hot-swap SATA (SSD-compatible) drive bay
Bottom-mounted power supply isolates heat
- Mounts either a standard size power supply or an Antec exclusive CP Series power supply
Lockable access doors ensure security
CPU cutout allows for easy installation of CPU coolers
14 drive bays:
- Up to 9 x internal 3.5"
- 3 x external 5.25"
- 4 x internal 3.5" Fleet-Swap™ drives (position changeable)
- 1 x external top 2.5" hot-swap SATA drive bay
- 1 x internal bottom-mounted 2.5" SSD drive
Advanced cooling system:
- 2 x top 140mm TwoCool™ fans
- 2 x rear 120mm TwoCool™ red LED fans
- 3 x front 120mm red LED fans with speed control knobs
- 1 x side 120mm fan to cool graphics cards (optional)
- Water cooling capable
7 expansion slots to support multiple graphics cards
Maximum graphics card size: 12.5" / 318 mm
Cable management ties help keep your case tidier
Stylish blacked-out interior
Windowed side panel
Front ports:
- 1 x USB 3.0
- 3 x USB 2.0
- Audio (AC'97 and HDA compatible) In and Out
Motherboards: Mini-ITX, microATX, Standard ATX
Power supply not included
Unit Dimension
- 596mm (H) x 213mm (W) x 505mm (D)
- 23.5" (H) x 8.4" (W) x 19.9" (D)
Package Dimension
- 577mm (H) x 288mm (W) x 510mm (D)
- 22.7" (H) x 11.3" (W) x 20.1" (D)
Weight
- Net : 11.0 kg / 24.2 lbs
- Gross : 11.3kg / 26.3 lbs


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