Antec's open-air Skeleton case thinks outside of the box

Thu Sep 18, 2008 7:06PM EDT

See Comments (23)

Here's an interesting concept: Instead of having your hot PC components trapped inside of a box, why not let them sit in the open air for maximum ventilation? Antec's upcoming "Skeleton" case looks to address that issue head on.

The case features 4 drive bays (2 external 5.25-inch and 2 internal 3.5-inch), 7 expansion slots, front USB/Firewire/audio ports, a front-mount 92mm hard drive cooling fan, and a massive 250mm, three-speed, multi-color fan up top.

There are a few obvious concerns that come to mind:

Liquid hazard: Spill one 64-ounce cup of Mountain Dew on this after a hard night of gaming, and your rig is probably toast. And don't even think about dropping anything metal in there...

Dust: Electronic components attract dust, and this case looks like it might be a big target. However, the design may be a blessing in disguise—keep a can of compressed air handy and it might do wonders, especially on a case like this.

Noise: Fans, hard drives, and other components create a good amount of noise. Without case walls to suppress the noise, you may run into some audible annoyances. No one likes checking their email with the sound of a jet engine lingering in the background.

Although it does look a little intimidating (borderline scary, if you will), I give kudos to Antec for trying something new. So, what do you think? Good idea, or bad idea?

Antec.com - Skeleton (Thanks for the tip, Jonny Le) 

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Comments on Antec's open-air Skeleton case thinks outside of the box

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  • 6 Posted by d_gunde on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    The extra cooling really isn't needed. A decent case and heatsink is fine for even gaming rigs. There's also always an easy to install cooling system if you ed up needing your parts even cooler.

  • 7 Posted by hoosier_bear on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    Thinks its a good Idea and even though it looks odd I bet its a dream to work on hardware wise.

  • 8 Posted by jedimaster_gary on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    For teenagers or adults with older or no children this case might work but i can see my five year old getting into it to look at it. Even on a high up far off shelf. I would say the average family needs a case where a 500 watt power supply isn't in range of fingers keys or beverages.

  • 9 Posted by mkeith714 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    That thing looks UGLY. It might work, it might not, but that is the worst look on the planet.

  • 11 Posted by jeffreycat1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    Good idea! Keep it high, and you'll avoid dropping stuff in it.

  • 12 Posted by phillip24fan on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    ya it definitely looks cool. i like it. but i can see how noise is an issue. and it would be kinda cool if it could be like all mounted so you have some scary looking thing hovering

  • 13 Posted by oster30 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    Looks like a place where my cat would like to play in...

  • 14 Posted by debbiec4902 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wow I like the idea. I know I had a lot of trouble with my last PC and keeping it cool. Think about his now. Why not have the PC encased in some kind of light material and just put holes in it all the way around. Of course there is always the risk of people sticking things in it, Just to see what happens. you know like a screwdriver. Right! So maybe the holes just have to be smaller than a pencil. Lessens the risk of things being poked through the holes. Well, its just a suggestion. Thanks for reading it.

  • 15 Posted by thahunter05 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    Its a great idea, but what if you have clumsy kids or just clumsy hands and you accidentally spill something around your new open air case. Then your screwed.

  • 16 Posted by thahunter05 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    Its a great idea, but what if you have clumsy kids or just clumsy hands and you accidentally spill something around your new open air case. Then your screwed.

  • 18 Posted by cconfigurec on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    It is not only incredible non-functional, but a potential hazard for all your valuable data. As the author mentioned the obvious hazards, lets also mention the smokers that can't quit around their desktops. The possible shock hazard for kids poking around trying to figure how to insert the CD, but little Billy slipped and grounded himself to the power supply. It a great idea for hardware manufactures because you will be replacing most of the internal components because of dirt and dust alot sooner than you think. I can go on...but hopefully ANTEC will rethink this idea!

  • 20 Posted by texxsmith on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think it might gather less dust as air is able to move through it more freely, thus not allowing the dust to settle? Anyway, There's a reason why computer cases have walls, FCC rules about interference with other electronic devices. I would think this breaks one of those laws the white house stopped enforcing.

  • 21 Posted by jons90 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    Love it! Like every other product on the planet, it is not intended for everyone. If you are worried about the hazards, dont buy one. I can imagine the list of consumer alerts and cautions on this product because someone is not smart enough to know there are hazards inside the computer. Also, I would think the people who would buy a case like this are building their own computers and are aware of what you can and can't do around them. I doubt you would see PC's built in this case showing up at your local big box retailer where any joe somebody would pick one up and take it home.

  • 23 Posted by ramarajan2020 on Wed Oct 7, 2009 3:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    best ideas... just checkout our site... http://bluetooth-earpiece.blogspot.com

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