Noctua Compromise – Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition PC Case Review
Conclusion and Video
Its airflow is undeniable, but is it worth it?
At £348.90, it is undeniable that the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition is an expensive case. That’s what happens when you add six premium fans, a premium fan controller, and Noctua Edition branding to an already premium PC case. At Scan Computers, the standard Antec Flux Pro costs £144.98. That’s an almost £200 premium for the Noctua Edition version.
With this Noctua Edition product, users get six Noctua G2 Edition fans, Noctua’s NA-FH1 fan hub, anti-vibration fan mounts, and dark brown accents. The included fans are four 140mm Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 fans and two 120mm Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 fans. With these fans, Noctua promises a higher “performance-to-noise ratio”, enabling lower thermals and/or lower noise levels. The exact noise level and thermal benefits this case offers will depend on the speed at which you run your fans.
Is this an Antec Flux Pro review, or a Noctua Edition review?
In a sense, this is two reviews in one. This is undoubtedly an Antec Flux Pro, but it is also something more. Everything good about the Antec Flux Pro is retained and Noctua-fied. The case offers strong airflow characteristics, strong liquid-cooling support, lots of customisation options, and great ease of use.
This case has plenty of Velcro ties for cable management. The case’s main fan mounts are removable for easy fan/radiator installation. Add-ons like the iSHIFT PSU mount in this case also give users some interesting customisation options (assuming their PSU is short). Even features like the front fan mount’s 5 adjustability levels showcase Antec’s thought process when designing this case. Users can choose exactly where their fans are placed, as ideal mounting positions will differ depending on their chosen hardware. The top-mounted 420mm radiator support also ensures this case is ready for the largest and highest-performing all-in-one CPU liquid-cooling solutions available.
The Antec Flux Pro is a great case, so the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition is, too.
Colour matching – Annoying for some
One thing that we spotted was that the browns in this case did not match Noctua’s fans. The powder-coated case elements are much darker, and so were the rubber grommets. Add on the Noctua fans and the case’s walnut wood elements, that’s four different browns. That said, we have confirmed with Noctua that this is intentional. The case’s brown powder-coated elements match the brown used on other Noctua Edition products. Perhaps the intention is that the brown on Noctua’s fans serves as a brighter highlight, drawing attention towards them. Or maybe that lighter brown didn’t look good on large case panels.
The main thing is that this case will match Noctua’s other Noctua Edition products. Crisis averted. If colour tone differences don’t matter to you, this is a non-issue. That said, these elements did leave us stumped. Why don’t the browns match? Clearly, someone thought that Noctua Edition products looked better with these darker shades. These are official Noctua Edition browns, and they do match other Noctua Edition hardware.
If the lack of matching browns annoys you, it may be best to get a standard Antec Flux Pro and then buy Noctua’s G2 Chromax Black fans. 140mm G2 series fans are already available, and 120mm versions are due to launch this quarter. If you do this, you’d have an unofficial Antec Flux Pro Noctua Chromax Black Edition. If the different brown tones don’t bother you, then this is the Noctua-branded case you have been waiting for.
(How many shades of brown is that?)
Strong cooling, high pricing
This case is expensive, but so is adding a full assortment of Noctua fans to any PC case. As expected, adding premium Noctua fans to an already great high-airflow case results in strong thermals and good acoustics. If that’s what you want, and your budget stretches that far, this is the case for you. That said, if you are sensitive to colour differences, this case may infuriate you.
The Antec Flux Pro is a good case, and the Noctua Edition elevates that with premium fans. This case is a strong performer, but that performance comes with a high asking price. If nothing else, this case highlights why Noctua’s fans are so highly regarded. For those who want an all-Noctua PC, you now have the perfect case for your setup.
You can join the discussion on Antec’s Flux Pro Noctua Edition PC case on the OC3D Forums.
