Antec LanBoy Air Modular Case Review

Conclusion
The Antec Lnboy Air is like no other case you have seen. The modularity of the design allows the system builder a great amount of flexibility and compatibility. The case is well built, spacious, lightweight, easy to transport and all the things we have come to expect from the Lanboy family of enclosures. It also looks good, comes with 5 fans and loads of features for cooling.

The support for a huge number of fans and the ability of the case to turn conventional wisdom on its head it tremendous. The Airmount system for 3.5” HDD mounting is flexible, unconventional, yet effective and gets the job done. Support for USB 3.0 on the front panel ports is also a big deal as most enclosures do not have that yet.

Unfortunately, while this case is a wonder of modern design, it also has its drawbacks, some are aesthetic, some functional. On the functional side there is the fact that the 5.25” drive rails can be mounted to have the drive facing the front or to the left, but not the right. This is one of the biggest issues to me since it goes right to the heart of the concept of the modular case, the ability to build it the way you want. The other is that there is no way to mount a 3.5” drive bay device that needs to be external, such as a card reader or fan controller. There is no faceplate or adapter brackets to install it. And while you could install a card reader using the Airmount system, it will shake all around every time you touch it.

Also, since the motherboard tray sits right at the top of the case, there is no way to route cables behind it and have them come out the top, for instance the 6 pin motherboard power cable. If you route the connector along the top of the motherboard, it would be nice to route the cable behind the tray, but you can’t.

From a cable management perspective, the side panels effectively prevent you from running cables from the front to the back along the side. The vertical bar between the drive pillar and the rest of the case, where the side panels and the door screw into, prevent that. All cables would have to be run on the inside of that bar.

From an aesthetic point of view the first thing you will notice is that the panels are all plastic with metal mesh. The case would have a much more polished look and feel a bit more study and solid, but it would add weight, and cost. Next is the fact that when you install 5.25” drives you expose the screw holes in the front on the pillars that hold the faceplates and rails in place.

Despite those cons, the case is still an excellent case and ThinkComputers.org gives it an 8 out of 10 score.

rating8 10 small

Pros:

  • Modular design
  • Roomy interior
  • Unique looks
  • USB 3.0 front panel support
  • Capable of holding up to 15 fans

Cons:

  • No way to mount external 3.5” drive bay devices
  • Cable management can be tricky
  • Plastic side panels
  • Some modularity features are not there, such as the ability to mount drives facing the right of the computer.