Antec ISK300-150 Case Review

Introduction (Cont’d)

A while ago we reviewed Antec ISK300-65, which proved to be a nice mini ITX case. This other case, however, comes with an external power supply, with a  DC-DC converter module inside the case to convert the 19 V provided by the external power supply into the voltages required by the PC (+12 V, +5 V, +3.3 V, etc). On the new ISK300-150, Antec added an internal 150 W power supply, which allows you to install a more powerful system. Let’s see if this new version is as good as the previous version.

In Figure 1, you can see the comparison between the ISK300-150 box with a standard mid-tower case box, while in Figure 2 you can see ISK300-150 compared to a mid-tower case. The difference in size is dramatic, making ISK300-150 a possible choice if you want to build the smallest computer in town.

Figure 1: Comparing ISK300-150 to a standard mid-tower case.

Figure 2: Comparing ISK300-150 to a standard mid-tower case.

ISK 300-150 has exactly the same size as ISK 300-65: 3 ¾” x 8 ¾” x 12 29/32” (9.6 cm x 22.2 cm x 32.8 cm). But since it has an internal power supply, it is 1 lbs (400 g) heavier than its little brother, moving from 7.5 lbs (3.4 kg) to 8.5 lbs (3.8 kg).

On Figures 3 and 4 you have an overall look from Antec ISK300-150.

Figure 3: Antec ISK300-150 case.

Figure 4: Antec ISK300-150 case.

Here we could spot a major difference between ISK300-150 and ISK300-65: the new version has left panel meshed using the same pattern as the one used  on the right panel, while on ISK300-65 this panel is solid and only the right panel is meshed. Both have a mesh on the top panel above the area where a slim expansion card can be installed. Like ISK300-65, a triple-speed 80 mm fan is present on the right panel and there is a space for installing a second 80 mm fan there. We will talk more about cooling options later.