A Closer Look:

   Here's a bunch of pictures to get you more familiar with the Antec Plusview II: the case we're focusing on here today.

   Above you will see some of the standard features of the Antec SOHO cases, a couple of which I reviewed here and here. However there are some new features that are certainly worth mentioning and I will do so now.

The Front Drive Door:

  The front drive bay door is now multi-hinged (or swivel-hinged) so that it is able to open to a wider degree. Overall I love this feature however there is a couple pros/cons to this new design. One the pro side, it opens wider than before which makes it more out of the way. On the con side, it's not quite as smooth an operator as before. It's a bit harder to open with one hand now and you can't just swing the door shut in a hurry like before. Having 2 axis` to swing on now means it requires a bit more precision to operate.

   Meaning, let's say you're getting up from the computer, you're leaving the room and you just grab hold the door and swing it to slam it shut. There's a good chance it won't close and rather just bang against the front of the case and swing back open. Why? Because the double-axis didn't line up perfectly to allow the closing mechanism to engage properly. That's one thing I've experienced and I'm coming from using the Antec 1080AMG for literally years. I'm so "hooked" on the front door on a case that I just can't do without it anymore. I gotta have a door!

   The other problem I mentioned: opening the door with one hand. It seems my days of easily opening the door with one finger is over also. I need at least two fingers positioned in such a manner to squeeze over the door just a fraction of an inch to allow the latch to dis-engage the front door to swing it open. Why? Again the double-axis hinge design for the front door.

   It's one of those features that I'm still getting used too, and although more of a headache than the original door design, I still wouldn't want to do without it. It's certainly a more secure and functional door design than before and even though it's alittle harder to operate, it still serves it's purpose extremely well. I'd just like to see it be just a tad more user friendly.

The Front Intake Filter: Tweaked?:

   I love the front air intake filter on my old Antec 1080AMG and this new one seems just a bit easier to use, although still far from "Easy". Maybe it's just me but damn it's a pain in the ass to get the filter to slide out of the slot it's designed to sit in while inserted up behind the front panel. It takes contorting a couple of your smaller fingers to squeeze a couple tabs, and then pull, to get it to slide out. If there was just an easier way to pull on it, it could be much improved.

   I'd really like to see Antec at least add a plastic tab or something that hangs down below the front of the panel just enough to grab a hold of. It would make things much more user friendly. All in all, having a front intake dust filter is a great idea and feature, I just think it could've been slightly better designed. Once again it's one of them features that I've got to have, and have grown accustomed to with my Antec 1080AMG Chassis.

New 120mm Rear Exhaust Fan:

     Antec's replacement of the old dual 80mm exhaust fan layout, and inclusion of a single 120mm Exhaust fan was a smart one for a couple reasons. First, a single 120mm fan can move as much or more air as dual 80mm's and it's also much quieter. More performance with less noise is always the preferred path and one of the reasons overclockers and enthusiasts have went with 120's whenever possible, even making them fit in places they weren't meant to be ;)

    In this particular chassis, Antec included a 3-speed blue LED 120mm fan and what a great choice in combination with the clear side window panel. It gives off the perfect amount of blue glow without blinding the children.

   The front intake fans are still dual 80mm's.

Front Accessory Ports:

   The front port door for the USB, Firewire & Audio ports on the front center of the chassis seems to be re-enforced versus my 1080AMG ports. Both the door and the ports inside seem to be very well constructed this time around. The ports on the inside of my 1080AMG would break loose if you pushed on them to hard....not these ports.

   Also, the wiring for the ports is VERY well done this time around. The USB, Firewire, and Audio connection are all "Boxed" with a plug that easily plug into most motherboards versus the old style that were a million separate tiny little wires you had to arrange perfectly on your motherboard, usually using the motherboard manual....not this time. It's much much easier. Kudo's to Antec for making these ports much easier to connect for the end user. I did break out the manual, but only to find the right port to plug the particular connection into and didn't need a schematic to figure it out.