Antec Titan 550 Server Enclosure Review

     The R&D guys over at Antec never sleep!  This week we will be taking a look at their latest case; the Titan 500 enclosure.  With the Titan 550, Antec brings some of the most requested features to the server and workstation market.  We put the Titan under the microscope here at the Club.

     Taking the Titan out of the box definitely gives a first impression.  This case is solid and long.  The chassis is manufactured from 1.0 mm cold rolled steel and weighs in at a hefty 30 lbs.  Much of that weight is from the generous 17.6 x 8.1 x 23 inch dimensions.

     Enthusiasts may want to look elsewhere for flashy lights or windows but the Antec design team still makes the Titan 550 both functional and attractive.  Many of the innovative features find there home under the hood here.

     I have a love hate relationship with case doors.  They look great but they seem to always be in the way or worse broken.  Antec has responded to these concerns by providing a double hinged door that can open up to 270 degrees.  Not only does this allow you to completely open the door out of your way, but it also allows for a set of hinges stronger than in a standard case.

     The door conceals your power and reset switches and can be locked to provide the server level security many businesses require.  The Titan 550 brings the standard accessory ports to the front as well.  Featuring 2x USB, 1 IEEE1394 and audio input/output ports on the front bezel.

     The entire front bezel is hinged and can be removed to grant access to the drive bays.  The Titan 550 supports 4 5.25" external drive bays.  The bottom bay contains a 3.5" adaptor for your floppy or accessory needs.  Six more 3.5" drive bays are located internally.  Probably the most interesting feature found in the Titan 550 is the ability to access and change every drive from this front panel.

     The fan mounting panel is also hinged and opens to grant front access to the drive bays.  The panel also supports an additional set of 92mm fans as shown here.  I used a couple of used server fans here to complete the install.  I should mention that the length of the case forced me to use another controller as the default fan cables could not reach my motherboard.  The Door also features an optional 80 mm fan location.

     Looking inside the case you can see the solid construction of the chassis and the drive cages.  Notice the support beam near the top of the case (left side here) to strengthen the case allowing for the extended length.

     The back of the case follow this same no nonsense approach.  The included 120mm fan has a simple controller with a 3 speed setting that is controlled by the white switch sticking out of the right side here.  Though the 120 mm moves a good amount of air, any serious build will require going with the three other optional fans or a good water cooling system.

      The back of the Titan is accented by the gold grill on the power supply.  Another nice feature is the spring loaded thumb screws attached to the side door for easy tool less access.