Antec and Chieftec, are they the basically the same?

[coolsti]

While assembling my new PC I came to the realization that I would rather
buy a new cabinet instead of re-using an older one, and so have looked
around on the net for a good one. On my other computer I already have a
Chieftec Dragon series cabinet, which looks ok, nothing special, but I am
really happy for it with regard to construction and quality.

On the net, the Chieftec is described as a cabinet that is constructed
very well for low noise, with vibration absorbing hard disk bays, etc.

I also came across the Antec PlusView II EU, which would be the same price
as this Chieftec, the same physical size, and here is the thing: from the
photos of the cabinet insides, the Antec looks exactly like the Chieftec
with the exception that the Antec has one 120mm fan in the rear whereas
the Chieftec has room for two 80mm fans. When I say they are the same, I
mean all the holes, etc. of the bays look exactly the same, the placement
seems the same, etc. etc.

The Antec already comes with a 120mm fan built in, the Chieftec comes with
no fans. The Antec has a see thru side panel and a more appealing front
panel than the Chieftec. The Antec's rear fan can be adjusted to three
speeds, I don't think the Chieftec can.

So based on the above, I would rather buy the Antec, but is the quality of
the cabinet the same as the Chieftec (regarding construction)? It looks
like it to me. Does anyone know more?

Thanks!
Steve, Denmark

 

[EDM]

While assembling my new PC I came to the realization that I would rather
buy a new cabinet instead of re-using an older one, and so have looked
around on the net for a good one. On my other computer I already have a
Chieftec Dragon series cabinet, which looks ok, nothing special, but I am
really happy for it with regard to construction and quality.

On the net, the Chieftec is described as a cabinet that is constructed
very well for low noise, with vibration absorbing hard disk bays, etc.

I also came across the Antec PlusView II EU, which would be the same price
as this Chieftec, the same physical size, and here is the thing: from the
photos of the cabinet insides, the Antec looks exactly like the Chieftec
with the exception that the Antec has one 120mm fan in the rear whereas
the Chieftec has room for two 80mm fans. When I say they are the same, I
mean all the holes, etc. of the bays look exactly the same, the placement
seems the same, etc. etc.

The Antec already comes with a 120mm fan built in, the Chieftec comes with
no fans. The Antec has a see thru side panel and a more appealing front
panel than the Chieftec. The Antec's rear fan can be adjusted to three
speeds, I don't think the Chieftec can.

So based on the above, I would rather buy the Antec, but is the quality of
the cabinet the same as the Chieftec (regarding construction)? It looks
like it to me. Does anyone know more?

Neither Antec nor Chieftec make their own cases. They
are made by a Chinese company named Chenming, who
also sell direct at a lower cost. Newegg sells them:
http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/Brand.asp?Brand=1651

The two main quality classes are 1.0mm steel and 0.8mm
steel. I know most of Antec's models use the 1.0mm's,
not sure about Chieftec.

 

[coolsti]

Neither Antec nor Chieftec make their own cases. They
are made by a Chinese company named Chenming, who
also sell direct at a lower cost. Newegg sells them:
http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/Brand.asp?Brand=1651

The two main quality classes are 1.0mm steel and 0.8mm
steel. I know most of Antec's models use the 1.0mm's,
not sure about Chieftec.

Hi and thanks for the quick reply!

And thanks for the tip for a direct sale, but living here in Denmark, the
possibilities for this are very low. Doesn't seem as if anyone is selling
Chenming directly, and trying to buy from abroad is just a lot of
headaches and extra costs: transport + local VAT@25% + customs fees.

But I can see that the basic cabinet is the same, so I will go for the
Antec.

Regards,
Steve