Page 3 - Physical Look - Inside
We have finally made it to the inside. The two side panels of the Antec C5 ARGB can be easily removed via the two thumbscrews on the back per side. Each side then just slides off with a gentle nudge towards the back of the case. Additionally, the front glass panel along with the plastic molding can be carefully popped off. I say carefully, as there is a cable on the right side of the front panel that connects the front light strip into the internal controller. It has been a while since we have seen wires between the front panel and the rest of the enclosure, and I would have appreciated the use of pogo pins to avoid cable accidents. The front panel is held on by seven plunger-style retainer clips and three locating plastic dowel features. There is a little handle on the bottom of the panel to assist with popping it out.
The glass portion of the side panel is made out of the 4mm tempered glass. The metal bracket portions to help secure it to the C5 ARGB are adhered to a black-coated edge of the glass. This is similar to the black surround found on car windshields that hides the adhesive. The border doubles as a place for users to hold the glass and not leave fingerprints on the inside. The front glass is similarly 4mm thick and adhered to the plastic molding. The light strip is on the right side of this front panel behind an angular, diffused piece of milky white plastic. The shell remains rigid and strong despite losing a corner of structural support. This also provides greater access when building in the front.
On the pretty side, you will also find a grand total of seven fans. I think this might be the most I have seen included with a mid-tower PC case. There is one normal Antec P12 ARGB for the rear exhaust as well as six reverse P12R ARGB for bottom and side intake. The detail of including reverse fans is a nice touch, as the support structure is not visible when installed. This allows for the RGB LED lighting to shine all the more inside the Antec C5 ARGB. All of the included fans are 120mm and have hydraulic bearings internally. They can spin up to 1500RPM with standard 4-pin PWM-controlled headers and 3-pin ARGB headers for lighting control. The regular P12 is rated with maximum numbers for airflow of 60.63CFM, air pressure of 1.33mmH₂O, and noise level of 26.5dB. Meanwhile, the reverse fans appear to have slightly worse performance characteristics in terms of noise and air pressure according to the spec sheet on Antec’s website. This includes a maximum airflow of 61.46CFM, air pressure of 1.07mmH₂O, and noise level of 29.5dB. The blades are a translucent, milky white plastic to help diffuse the RGB LED lighting built into them.
Looking at the internal structure of the Antec C5 ARGB, there are large cutouts in the motherboard area that allow for the support of back-connected motherboards. The fit and finish of all the cutouts are very nice. There are no noticeable burrs or sharp edges. There is also an opening behind the motherboard to install third-party coolers without needing to remove the motherboard from the case. The case supports ATX, mATX and mITX sized motherboards. There is ample room for large graphics cards fitting up to 410mm in length. The case has a good depth that can fit CPU coolers up to 160mm in height.
There are many options in the Antec C5 ARGB for mounting fans and radiators. Just to note, the above photo is an inverted view of the top of the case. As such, the top and side can hold three 120mm or two 140mm fans. The bottom allows for three more 120mm units, and the rear supports a single 120mm. Although not explicitly stated on their specifications list, the front most bottom fan can be removed to mount an additional 3.5" drive. The lowest side case fan can also be removed to fit a 2.5" drive instead. For radiators, the top can fit up to a 360mm long unit and it is possible to do a push-pull configuration as long as the memory height is less than 35mm. The side can hold up to a 280mm long radiator in a normal push or pull configuration. Keep in mind the total thickness should be less than 75mm to avoid interference with the graphics card. You can also mount a 360mm long radiator on the bottom or a 120mm radiator at the back.
On the back, the first thing I noticed were the multitude of cables stemming from the top buttons and I/O connectors. These do somewhat cover the fan intake area. You should take some care to cable management to reduce the interference of airflow. The top-most side intake fan also has one of the screws obstructed by the cables. There are two washer screws that hold the I/O board in place. These can be removed to help get the board and connectors out to give access to the fan screw.
A large storage drive bracket can be seen next towards the middle-rear of the case. This bracket is screwed down and can hold two 2.5” drives and a 3.5” drive on the back. This bracket also helps to obscure any bad cable management. As you take off the bracket, you will find some included screws, zip ties, and instruction manual. The screws are not labeled nor listed. Above the bracket is the space for the power supply unit. Antec specifies a maximum power supply length, including cables, of 240mm. Antec claims there is 95mm depth of cable management space to work with, which is in line with what I measured. We shall see later how easy it is to work with.
On the bottom, we can locate the fan and light controller the Antec C5 ARGB comes with. It is screwed down and is a little finicky to cable manage around. The controller requires SATA power and also connects to the motherboard via a 4-pin PWM fan connector and a 3-pin addressable RGB connector. The ARGB connection allows for greater control and customization of the LEDs that can be handled by the motherboard or third-party software. Any connected lights will still function without plugging it into the motherboard, but the lighting management will be done solely through the controller. There are eight PWM fan connections in total with seven connections occupied by the case fans. All eight addressable RGB connections are preoccupied by the seven ARGB fans and the front panel ARGB light strip.
For cable management, there are multiple tie-down spots provided with metal loops in the case frame. This should provide ample ways to keep the cables fairly tidy. The case is fairly open though, so cables may be visible from the front by peeking through the holes. It would be nice to see more rubber grommets in order to conceal the cables.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
