Antec Minuet350 Piano Black Steel MicroATX Slim Case Computer Case 350W 80PLUS Certified Power Supply

Pros: Compact case that is surprisingly flexible.

Cons: Power supply capacity is a limitation on overhaul.

Other Thoughts: I bought this case almost 4 years ago when I was building a compact home office PC. I wanted something small and sturdy because I move a lot... and it has held up very well! In fact, I just gutted the original build and put in a new lower-end i5. The only hitch is that the PSU in my version has just 2 SATA connectors. That might have changed, but beware. The fan was a little noisy at first, but it either quieted down or I acclimated. Might be too distracting for a HTPC.

Pros: Thought that I would update my previous review.

Cons: Alot
(see my previous review)

Other Thoughts: So since newegg wouldnt swap cases for something else I had to forge ahead and use these for a customer's build. I did find out why as soon as you put the harddrive in it will not close all the way. I originally thought it was hitting the front panel usb 3.0 ports. I thought that because these were just recently outfitted with usb 3 instead of usb 2.0. I figured that they just swapped out connectors without testing the fit. I thought that might be why there are ome good reviews here on newegg. I was dry fitting the hard drive and bent back the mounts when I noticed that on the side of the hard drive there were scratches right in the middle and that the perforations were different there vs the rest on that side. I looked closer and noticed that that the screw holding the front face on is made to fit through the perforation. which is just bad design. because it will hit the harddrive. So I unscrewed it and used nippers to cut the plastic way until the cage would fit. I still had to slot the holes and move the dvd drive up a few mm so it would sit flusth with the front. and drill mounting holes so the card reader would fit. Overall I would expect this from a 30 dollar case not a 100 case. Which is why I bought the 100 case. I contacted Antec by phone to be told that I need to sign up on the internet first an create a trouble tickit. 3 business days later i recieved a message back. He wanted to stating he needed a copy of my reciept. I sent a screenshot back and told him of the design flaw and due to the slow responce I was forced to modify the case and void the warrenty. 3 days later I recieved a responce that he was happy i solved the problem and that he didnt know how i was trying to mount the drive but it was obviously wrong. You can only mount the thing one way to make the holes line up. Anyway hope everything lasts now that the warranty is null and void.

Pros: None

Cons: Wow where to begin. Oh I know new eggs replacement policy on this item is. Not refundable. So I can swap it out for the same pile of junk.

1. Screw holes for DVD drive rant aligned properly so the DVD drive sits back about an 1/8th of an inch. So a big ol gap all the way around.
2. If you install a 3.5inch drive the case won't close properly major flaw. (I wonder if they actually put a system in this thing for quality control.
3. No side holes to mount anything all bottom mount. So can't install a card reader. (One of the only reasons I bought this case external 3.5 bay.


Just sucks I have a customer that ordered two builds I decided to use these cases and am now out 250 bucks and will have to order two different cases in. Negating any profit at all and actually costing me money.

Antec should be ashamed of themselves.

Pros: nice shiny paint

Cons: - design
- quality
- attention to detail

For starters, the holes on the 3.5" slot don't line up, so my card reader is either 1/4" inside the case, or sticks out 1/4".
Once you actually get the components in there, the case doesn't really close anymore, because that removable cage thing won't seat properly, and there's nothing to lock it in place!
The mobo cables are pinched between this stupid removable cage thing and the video card, and they're too short to route another way.
Other cables, like the front USB cables, are way too long for some reason!

In general the whole thing feels cheap and poorly designed. This is not a $100 case!

Other Thoughts: The last time I bought Antec was about 10yrs ago. I was really impressed, and I was expecting to be impressed again. That's not what happened. As I got into it I kept thinking: "this isn't like Antec at all!" Well folks, that's because it's NOT.

If you look closely at other cases on newegg, such as the Rosewill R379-M, you can see they are the exact same case. Antec just bought this design, slapped some "piano black" on it, and now they're trying to charge over $100.

If you want this case, buy any of the sub-$50 ones that are available. If you want a nice case, look elsewhere.

Antec: Your business is basically putting paint on stamped metal. The only thing that separates you from the $20 case crowd is(was) your design, build quality, attention to detail. From my perspective, you've gone from making top-notch cases to being a rip-off artist. How is this case any different from the dude selling "BOSE" speakers out of his van in the parking lot?

This is my last Antec

Pros: Small, good air circulation, fan pushes a surprising amount of air, USB 3.0 ports up front along with headphone and mic jacks, looks great

Cons: The internal 3.5 drive bay is positioned under the 5.25 and 3.5 bays that are used for the disk drive and whatever else you want you computer to have, such as a card reader. The unusually large USB 3.0 cable makes it impossible to place a typical 3.5in hard drive in the internal space and reposition the drive tray so that you can shut the case properly. As a result, I had to take out the card reader I was intending to put in, and place the hard drive in the other slot.

This 3.5 slot, which was supposed to be used for the card reader, assumes that the device you're putting in there will have screws on the bottom. This made it impossible to secure my card reader in the first place, as it could only be secured from the sides.

Fan is a bit noisy, but it's not annoying.

Other Thoughts: This case isn't bad, but it does have some design problems. I got this to build a replacement PC for my mom, and the machine itself works great. Good airflow, great performance, but due to design issues with the case, not all the features I wanted to implement made it in, such as the card reader. Thankfully that can be solved by buying an external one that can sit on top.

The case is great if you're strapped for space. It's actually a bit smaller than what I was expecting.

Pros: Roomy case for micro ATX board. Removable hard drive/CD-DVD cage. Nice desktop configuration and size.

Cons: Power supply defective; did not turn on fans, only mv level on CPU connections. Only enough power to light motherboard light.

Other Thoughts: Returned to NewEgg.

Manufacturer Response:

Hi,

I apologize for the inconvenience. Please contact us at VIP@Antec.com and we'd be happy to get you a replacement power supply for your Minuet350 case.

Chris
Antec Customer Support

Pros: Highly Efficient, very reliable

Cons: Antec power supplies:
1) Aren't the size of a nickel
2) Can't cook worth a darn
3) Aren't FREE
4) Replacements aren't provided before they become defective (if they ever die)
5) Don't like lightning bolts

Other Thoughts: Antec power supplies are among the most reliable power supplies on the planet! For someone to say they are rubbish after just a few examples...well...increase your sample size.

I have personally installed over 1,000 Antec power supplies the last 5 years and have only had 11 become defective. We install Antec in servers, workstations and consumer grade desktops because we won't hear a peep from that customer again regarding the power supply.

(I wonder what the DOA rate of Sparkle is?)

If you want a power supply to last longer than your computer, buy Antec. If you like to replace power supplies and troubleshoot weird computer problems, by the cheepies.

Pros: This case is well made. the finish looks very nice. The case fan has a switch that allows you to set how fast it runs. would be nice if you could get to it from the outside but I didn't expect it to even have a switch so its still a pro.

Cons: The disk drive and hard drive fit pretty snug in there slots but they don't screw in to place so they could move around.

Pros: Works well, delivers as promised.

Cons: Multi-speed fan is loud on medium and high (but that can be solved). This is not really a 'slim' case by current consumer standards. It works for it's current purpose, though I was originally aiming for somthing with a smaller form factor.

Pros: Nice case. Slim, attractive, quiet, size effective.

Cons: Power supplies are absolute rubbish

Other Thoughts: Antec uses defective Taiwanese capacitors to save a few pennies on each power supply. DO NOT expect any antec power supply to last more than a year or two. I've gone through more than four power supplies for 2 of these cases. Last one that failed was a warranty replacement received in 2009. Bad caps, and judging by their lifespan it is safe to assume all the others had bad caps too. This problem was well known in 2004. Antec should be ashamed for not taking care about the use of defective caps.