Antec VSK3500 Case Review

First Look

Like the In Win Z583 I have previously reviewed, the Antec VSK3500 is intended to be more for the average home or office computer, and is not by any means an enthusiast case. With retailers selling this case for around the $90 mark, it’s $10 more expensive than the competition from In Win. Let’s see how it compares and if it’s worth it.

The box and packaging

vsk3500-box-front vsk3500-box-back vsk3500-box-side

Like most cases around this price range, the box is fairly plain, with no fancy colours. The front and sides have a sketch of the case, and tells us exactly which model we have. The back of the box has a list of specifications, which goes:

  • Sturdy, SGCC steel construction (How thick is the steel? Most cases aren’t very sturdy unless it’s at least 0.8mm)
  • Five drive bays- 2 x external 5.25″
    – 2 x internal 3.5″
    – 1 x external 3.5″
  • Included Power Supply (500W) (Yes, but it’s not exactly a great power supply)
  • Intel Thermally Advantaged Chassis (TAC) 2.0 Compliance
  • Cooling System:
    – 1 x 92mm rear exhaust fan
    – 1 x 92mm front intake fan (optional)
  • Front Ports
    – 2 x USB 3.0 (Nice. It’s about time we start seeing more budget cases with USB3)
    – Audio In/Out
  • 4 Expansion Slots
  • Maximum graphics card size: 12.5″ (318mm)
  • Motherboards: microATX, mini-ITX
  • Top-mounted PSU station (oh, darn, I wanted a train station instead!)
  • Unit Dimensions:
    – 14.4″ (H) x 6.8″ (W) x 15.5″ (D)
    – 365mm (H) x 173mm (W) x 393mm (D)
  • Net weight: 4.0kg/8.8lbs
  • Gross Weight: 4.7kg/10.4lbs (That’s very light. The In Win Z583 is quite a lot heavier this)

That specifications list is repeated in several other languages. With the marketing done and dusted, let’s unpack this case

vsk3500-packaging vsk3500-accessories vsk3500-manual

The VSK3500 comes in a plastic bag with two foam on the top and bottom, which is the norm for cases. In the way of accessories, we have a bag of screws, a power cable, product overview sheet, and a note on Australian Consumer laws, which basically state that products have to last a reasonable period of time, and that the customer is entitled to a refund or replacement in case of a major failure, if the goods are not of acceptable quality, and is entitled to compensation for foreseeable damage that a failure of the product causes. The case, however, is unlikely to fail and destroy hardware, so this would apply mainly to the included power supply.

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