Antec Cube EKWB Edition Review

Performance Analysis

Performance is very much a mixed bag with the Cube, and the cooling setup clearly benefits the CPU far more than it does the GPU. For example, at full speed, the case achieves the best CPU delta T result we've seen from a small form factor case capable of supporting tower coolers. Even at medium speed, it's only matched by one other case, and it's not until minimum speed that it joins the other cases closer to the middle of the chart. This isn't wholly surprising, as the single rear exhaust is positioned pretty much perfectly to evacuate heat from the CPU cooler area. Its impact is evident from the result where we turned the fan off completely – this resulted in a whopping 16°C increase compared to the minimum speed result.


We were worried about the GPU getting hot as a result of there being no ventilation around it, and these concerns were evidently well founded. Unlike the CPU results, the GPU ones are some of the worst we've seen, and the maximum speed result of 55°C indicates that the GPU is definitely being starved of air. In fairness, most people will use more powerful open-air coolers, but the fans may have to spin faster than in other cases to keep the GPU adequately cooled, and this would lead to greater noise output. While it's not directly served by the rear exhaust fan, the GPU does benefit from it being there as indicated by the gradually increasing temperatures in line with lower fan speeds. When the fan was off altogether, the GPU started to cap its boost speed in order to stay cool enough.

As a fairly well sealed case, the Cube is largely positive when it comes to noise output and contains sound well. Furthermore, that rear fan is never that easy to hear, even at full speed.

Conclusion

Overall, there is a lot to like with the Antec Cube. As a standalone product, it's largely positive. Material quality is very good, for example, and the feature set is decent too. Little additions like the RGB lighting and built-in fan control are pleasing, and cooling is excellent for the CPU and at least adequate for the GPU. You won't have much difficulty building a tidy, high-end system into this case, and it'll show it off pretty nicely.


However, when the price tag is £230, we think we're justified in being as critical as possible, and in this light the Cube is a very difficult case to justify buying. The plastic front panel, inconsistent RGB lighting that's less complex than that seen elsewhere, the absence of rubber grommets and Velcro cable ties, and the failure to include built-in support for custom water-cooling parts all stand out as disappointments when the price is so high. The EKWB certification doesn't appear to mean much either, which is a real shame given the weight this brand carries in certain circles (which is probably the main point of the “certification”).

As a result, we're unable to recommend the Cube. There's certainly a place in the market for premium mini-ITX cases like this, but the design has to be really spot on, and despite numerous positives that's not something that applies here when the product is taken as a whole.