Antec Performance 1 FT Case Review

TweakTown's Rating: 98%

The Bottom Line

Antec's Performance 1 FT is a great case that offers excellent front airflow, supports massive hardware, and has many options to mount just about any water cooling configuration possible.

Pros

• + Very stylish yet functional front panel with informational temperature display
• + 4x Storm T3 fans included and 30mm thick
• + Dual tempered glass panels and removable top section
• + Superb water cooling support, two 360mm radiators simultaneously
• + Cable management was a breeze with included panels, cable raceway, and tie downs, and rear cable management velcro straps

Cons

• - No rear 140mm fan support
• - Combo Headphone/Mic 3.5mm jack

Should you buy it?

AvoidConsiderShortlistBuy

Buy at Amazon

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

32

Antec is on a roll in 2023, this time with the release of the Performance 1 FT, the 2023 flagship case. The Performance 1 FT, which stands for "Full Tower", doesn't feel like the traditional oversized PC case but doesn't feel cramped either. Let's dive in and see what the Performance 1 FT is all about.

32

Spec-wise, the Performance 1 FT is full-featured, with nothing left on the table. The Performance 1 FT can fit up to an E-ATX motherboard with tons of space for water-cooling radiators up to 420mm. Pricing for the Antec Performance 1 FT is set at $159.99, which is very competitive, considering it includes two tempered glass side panels with four high-performance fans.

Antec Performance 1 FT

	Today	Yesterday	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$143.95	$143.95	$143.95	$139.99	Buy
* Prices last scanned on 5/2/2024 at 7:04 pm CDT - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Packaging

32

The packaging on the Antec Performance 1 FT is in the standard brown cardboard box with lettering and pictures on the sides.

32

The backside of the box is a blown-out image of the case, with a few photos focusing on the main features.

Outside thePerformance 1 FT

32

The first thing you are greeted with when opening the box of the Performance 1 FT is the included accessory box, which is typically in the drive cage in the basement of the case.

32

Inside the accessory box is a user manual, a tacklebox with screws, a bag containing zip ties, velcro ties, and a fan splitter for the three front fans.

32

The packaging on the Performance 1 FT is pretty standard here. It gets the job done.

32

Once the packaging is removed, the Performance 1 FT stands in all its glory. Notice the slight tint on the tempered glass. The dimensions are 522x230x522mm.

32

The front grille of the Performance 1 FT has this automotive look that screams performance. Comprised of plastic, for the most part, a fine metal mesh provides ample airflow. This grille is also very easily removable and is held in place with two magnets.

32

The rear side panel, again with tempered glass that has a slight tint, shows a little bit of what's inside, mainly showing the two cable management panels.

32

The cable I/O side of the Performance 1 FT shows cohesion, with the rest of the case having a double triangle mesh approach which is also continued with the eight PCIe slot covers. The PSU mount is also removable, making installation easier. One thing to note here, only support for a single 120mm fan is present. A removable PSU bracket, which aids in installation, is present.

32

The roof of the Performance 1 FT, again, has a dual triangle pattern that is throughout the case for good ventilation. Near the front/top I/O is a glossy plastic section that houses the integrated temperature display, which works with the new Antec iUnity software, enabling the CPU and GPU temperatures to be displayed externally.

32

The front or top I/O starts with a larger squared-off power button, followed by a reset button, a combo headphone/mic 3.5mm jack, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a USB Type-C 10Gbps port, and lastly, a temperature display switch that connects via a USB 2.0 header on the motherboard. The USB Type A and Type C ports did ship with protective dust plugs that mesh well with the rest of the Performance 1 FT's design.

32

The bottom of the Performance 1 FT has a full-length dust filter with more of the dual triangle pattern. Very large rubber-dampened feet keep the Performance 1 FT in place.

Inside the Antec Performance 1 FT

32

The interior of the Performance 1 FT seems very well organized, with cable management the forethought. Rubber grommets are placed on the motherboard tray along the right side and on the bottom for cable passthrough. The only place where no rubber grommets are preset is on the top edge along the motherboard tray, where the 8-pin EPS CPU cables and CPU fan headers would be.

32

A view of the three included 140mm Storm T33 fans all have a width of 30mm instead of 25mm. The extra 5mm width helps with static air pressure and airflow performance. The Storm T3 series of fans are also Fluid Dynamic Bearing fans, which should extend life.

32

The rear included 120mm Storm T3 fan, just like its bigger 140 brethren, is PWM controlled with an additional three-pin connector for daisy chaining multiple fans on a single fan header.

32

The front mesh filter can pop out for cleaning, compliments of the two magnets that hold it in. Support for either three 140mm or 120mm fans as front intake with their corresponding radiators up to 60mm in total depth.

32

The front also has a trick up its sleeve, an informational LCD display, connected via USB 2.0 motherboard header, can display CPU and GPU temperatures via a push of the button on the top I/O or by using Antec's iUnity software, but the software must be installed for the display to work.

32

With the back tempered glass side panel removed, there are two sections labeled “01” and “02,” indicating the removal order. Three 2.5” SSD/HDD mounts also mount to the back of the motherboard tray. Two pre-installed cable ties are also visible along the right side of the motherboard tray.

32

The two sections, also two screws on section “01” must be removed prior to removal.

32

The “01” section removed exposes the front /O cabling, three cable tie-offs points, and the rubber cable grommets for better cable passthrough to the other side of the motherboard chamber.

32

Lastly, section “02” removed reveals the full basement with a single 3.5” HD mount with another 2.5” SSD/HDD mount on the top. Also, every 2.5” SSD/HDD mount is held in with a single captive thumbscrew.

32

The I/O cabling is blacked out for the most part, except for the HD Audio and USB 2.0 cables. The front panel connector is a solid pinout that helps save time and frustration while building.

32

Moving to the top of the case has another full-length magnetic dust filter for exhaust. Now we have been over this a million times, but a dust filter in this location is pretty pointless if the fans are set up as exhaust.

32

The top section also has a trick up its sleeve that aids in building very much so - the complete removal to help with cramped cable installation or even mounting a motherboard.

Ryan's Test System, Installation, and Finished Product

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS PRO (INTEL Z690) - Buy from Amazon
• CPU: Intel Core i5 12600K - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Bequiet! Dark Rock 4 - Buy from Amazon
• Memory: Patriot Viper Venom DDR5 5600 RGB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA RTX 3090 Founders Edition - Buy from Amazon
• Storage: Corsair MP600 PRO XT Gen4 PCIe x4 NVMe M.2 SSD - Buy from Amazon
• Case: Antec P20C - Buy from Amazon
• Software: AIDA64 Engineer 6.32.5600, and CPU-z 1.94.0 x64
• Power Supply: XPG Fusion 1600w Titanium ATX 3.0 PSU
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit Build 22621 - Buy from Amazon
• Software: AIDA64 Engineer 6.8.6300, and CPU-z 2.03.0 x64

Final Thoughts

32

With the build complete, the Antec Performance 1 FT stands tall, a tad bit bigger than a mid-tower case, but slightly smaller than a traditional full-size tower.

32

The front temperature display, which must be used in conjunction with the new Antec iUnity software, shows CPU and GPU temperatures via a USB 2.0 header on your motherboard.

32

The Antec iUnity software works alongside the temperature readout at the front of the Performance 1 FT. iUnity shows CPU/GPU information, CPU/GPU temp, CPU/GPU load, CPU/GPU clocks, motherboard information, RAM information/usage/clocks, and lastly, storage information.

32

Cable management on the Performance 1 FT was great. Not only did every cable have a dedicated path, but the labeled sections “01” and “02” covered up all cabling completely for a clean, stealth look.

32

For temperatures, the Performance 1 FT was an excellent performer, mainly because of the three included 140x30mm Storm T3 fans configured as front intake. On the CPU side, the Intel Core i5 12600K cooled by the be quiet! Dark Rock 4 idled at 25C and loaded up to 68C.

The GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 FE, idled relatively low at 36C. Once fully loaded up, it ran at a chilly 64C. All tests were performed with an ambient temperature of 17C. Noise levels from all four fans were manageable but not too loud, measuring in at an average sound decibel level of 45.8dB, which for reference, is about the sound of a quiet street.

My final thoughts of the Antec Performance 1 FT are excellent. It's easy to gush about a case I built in when the building took little to no effort. You know what I am saying - sometimes a build seems like you hit every roadblock there is, and some, like this one, sailed along perfectly.