Hi all,

We have just published a review of *Antec's Skeleton chassis* - if you
could post a link on your site that would be very much appreciated.

*Link:*
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/11/12/antec-skeleton/1


*Picture:*
http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2008/11/antec-skeleton/fp_img.jpg


*Quote:
*/The Antec Skeleton is a desperately frustrating product in so many
ways, not least because we'd allowed ourselves to believe it could be
something special, that it could prove that open air setups don't have
to just be for benchmarketeers like ourselves and that it really could
offer a compelling alternative to the upgrade happy enthusiast.

The sad fact is though that the Skeleton has failed utterly in
delivering any of these things and is in great danger of becoming a real
white elephant for Antec. The build quality we've come to expect is
still there, but the important design decisions seem to have missed out
hugely important concerns like aftermarket coolers or tall graphics
cards. The inability to support these products, which in the case of
aftermarket coolers have been enthusiast bread and butter for years,
borders on the unbelievable and is frankly an unforgivable omission.

Antec has itself said this case isn't aimed at the mass market and
instead at the enthusiast or overclocker, but what advanced system
builder with any level of knowledge is going to want to overclock with
just a stock heatsink, or at best a small low profile aftermarket cooler?

What's perhaps the most frustrating thing is that in the course of a
five minute conversation here in the office we'd come up with a handful
of solutions to all these design flaws. The inclusion of a hinged
section on the frame to allow access inside or even a slightly taller
frame would have alleviated most of our concerns and made the Skeleton a
slightly quirky, but interesting alternative to a normal chassis rather
than the crippled proof of concept it's been released as.

With prices starting at £129 the Skeleton goes from bad to borderline
abysmal. £129 is just stupid money for what you're getting here, no
matter how well put together it is, especially considering the quality
and feature sets of proper cases you can pick up for a similar amount.
For the same cash you pick up excellent cases like the Cooler Master HAF
932 or Akasa Omega, both of which can deliver excellent airflow
performance while also getting the basics like supporting aftermarket
coolers right. As a dedicated hardware test bench it's even harder to
recommend, with the frame interfering with the ultra easy access to
hardware that we ourselves require when installing and testing hardware.

While the Antec Skeleton is certainly an innovative product -- a rare
commodity in the case industry -- its design flaws have turned what
could have been a unique and exciting addition to the marketplace into
an exercise in frustration, and we haven't even mentioned the hazards
inherent in having your hardware permanently exposed.

Needless to say even those without children or pets liable to reach in
and break hardware or those not worried about the inevitable dust build
up should think very carefully indeed before picking up this case and
perhaps Antec should have left this particular Skeleton firmly in the
back of the closet./*

*Cheers guys!

Tim Smalley
www.bit-tech.net