Introduction: 

   It's 2004. Fifty years ago, futurists thought we'd have instant teleportation, jet backpacks, and that we'd all be wearing red spandex jumpsuits. Well, I suppose that since we can't have jet packs and personal spaceships, we'll have to get along with computers (which, ironically, were never mentioned).  But shouldn't everything look like it belongs in 2004, not 1980 or earlier?  Evidently, Antec thinks so (and so do I).

   I've had a  chance to look at the Super Lanboy aluminum case over the last few days.  The kind folks at Directron provided me with a review sample. I'll show you some pictures of the case and point out the major features that it has to offer.  A short time ago, most of the features could only be found on custom boxes. Now it seems that aluminum is more popular than ever, and the once-faddish case window has apparently become mainstream.  If you're in the market for a new case, then this review will help you make a decision.

   Less than a year ago, if you wanted an aluminum case or one made with Lexan or Plexiglas, you had to get it from a specialty shop. Now it is more commonplace to see more color choices, and different materials being used.  I think a lot of the credit has to be given to the staying power of the ATX specification.  I still remember when the AT standard was dying out, everyone was kind of holding their breath to see if ATX was going to stay around.  Now that it has been with us through so many chipset and processor revisions, manufacturers are confident that they can invest the resources into making complex cases that won't become obsolete before they can be sold. 

   This results in more plastic components, more complex door mechanisms, more well-thought-out features and more tool-free designs.  All good things for us. What used to be a field populated by identical beige boxes has become a highly competitive design contest amongst manufacturers.  The Super Lanboy is a good example of this continuing refinement process.

Specifications: