In a unique mixture of “enclosure” and “test-bed”, the Antec Skeleton casing confounded the reviewers here at HWM with its zany design and unique take on the vagaries of computer component – housing. The “Skeleton” name is a perfect fit for this “enclosure” as it seems as if it lost its skin somewhere along the production process – not having any side, top, front or even rear panels in the traditional sense. Instead, Antec has put in its own spin on the open “test bed” structure and come up with this very individual casing.

                                             An open-air extravaganza!

This is one casing that is sure to be the very epitome of “niche” – only the most regular upgraders, tinkerers, and hard-core overclockers will truly appreciate the open form-factor of the Skeleton. The rest of the potential customer population will probably be put off by its huge (filterless!) fan, an open design that does not shield components from carelessness or a curious pet, and its size and difficult-to-reach niches during initial set-up.

                                             The punched-out Antec lettering is a perfect fit for the theme of the whole casing.

                                             The 92mm "intake" fan is strategically positioned in front of the hard drive bays.

For those select few in this particular niche however, the Skeleton is a godsend, giving to the user a super-accessible, two-tray system that separates the drives and PSU from the motherboard and add-in cards, excellent cooling due to its open design and scary-huge 250mm top-mounted fan, and slide-in, slide-out, press-button simplicity sure to be the envy of even the most adept of screwdriver-users. Specifically, the Skeleton is able to hold up to two 3.5” and two 5.25” drives “internally” (that is, under the motherboard tray and within the area between the four stands that form the main structure), plus 4 more 3.5” drives that can be hung on the honeycombed side panels. The whole two-tray arrangement can be slid out with the simple push of two latches, with all of the associated PSU to motherboard to internal drive cables going along with it.

                                             Special adapters can be used for additional hard drives - especially fitting for a Raptor X drive as shown here.

The motherboard itself sits on a removable tray of its own that can be attached to the main two-tray arrangement. Pass-through holes are in place for routing cables from the bottom compartment to the motherboard tray, which unfortunately necessitates wriggling through numerous cross-member struts and supports during initial setup, which can be quite a chore depending on your PSU’s cable length and placement. Another niggle is that the clear rear card-attachment brace gets in the way when installing add-on cards like videocards, especially since the brace cannot be removed along with the bottom trays. The brace is attached with two screws, and if you’re the type to move and remove a lot of large videocards often, it is probably better to leave the brace off, although that would mean leaving your add-on cards without any support.

                                             Removable side panels aid in assembly and continue the "honeycombed" theme.

Cooling as expected is quite exemplary, given the huge fan that practically covers the whole motherboard area with its swept blades. The fan adds a little bit of flair to the whole affair with a switch for changing between different color combinations, plus a three-way toggle for choosing the fan speed (low, mid, high). Even on high, noise was only a nice, even hum, with none of the high-pitched shrieking in smaller, high-speed case fans. Some people will argue that a true “enclosure” provides a better “funnel” for air to move through and thus better cooling overall, yet the design of the Skeleton eliminates the threat of any kind of heat buildup – I’d say it’s a toss-up between the two methods. Then again, if more cooling is required, pointing a stand-fan at the Skeleton would be a valid option – but not for an enclosed casing.

                                             The add-on card brace is removable for easy removal and addition of cards, especially longer videocards.

                                              One-step latches make for easy removal of drives. Drives can also be secured with screws if so desired.

The “side panels” are removable affairs that are there for a little bit of added protection, and also to serve as mounting points for hanging “external” 3.5” drives. A 92mm fan is provided for cooling the hard drives installed internally. Other smart details include the PSU’s own little slide-out tray, slide-in and slide-out latching drive enclosures that can be unlocked with a simple push of a lever, and overall excellent design – including the honeycombed “modder’s mesh” type fan grilles, the cut-out Antec name just below the top-mounted fan, and the scaffold design which mimics structural supports in building, within a “dome” flavored influence.

                                             A switch for changing of colors and color combinations (upper) and a three-way toggle for fan speed.

                                             The honeycombed design has its biggest example in the 250mm "intake" fan.

                                               The fan lit-up with one of its gaudier color combinations.

Once built, it is easy to appreciate the thought that has gone into this Antec Design, which fully conforms to the Antec motto of “Think Beyond the Box”. While this product will definitely only be fully utilized by the extreme users with fast-upgrade tendencies, anyone will be able to appreciate just how good it all looks, as long as you don’t mind seeing all the cables, wires and connectors out in the open. Then again, the Antec Skeleton is good-looking enough and convenient enough for the user to ignore those cable and connectors, whether they use it as an “enclosure” or a “test bed”. More pictures to follow.

                                              The "front panel" connectors include E-SATA and firewire.

                                             The power supply gets its own slide-out tray.

                                             A rear view with the dual trays pulled out.

                                              Tiny wheels on four corners of the tray help ease moving of the tray.

                                            A bottom view further emphasizes the name of this enclosure.

                                              Parting shots.