Antec Flux SE Mid-Tower Chassis Review

TweakTown Rating: 92%

Our Verdict

The Antec Flux SE performs well, has excellent build quality, offers great value, and does everything you need from a case.

Pros

• Build quality
• Includes five fans
• BTF compatible
• Vertical GPU option
• Great value

Cons

• You can't see your components!
• Fan hub could support more fans

Should you buy it?

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Buy at Amazon for £109.38

Buy at PC Case Gear for $165

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

Antec has delivered some exceptional cases recently, and to keep things moving, the Antec Flux SE follows on from the Flux and Flux Pro models. The Antec F-Lux series of cases (an abbreviation of Flow Luxury) concentrates its designs on airflow to enhance cooling capability. Flow Luxury features a multi-directional vent design, with extensive air intakes located at the bottom, around the power supply chamber, and on the lower sides, as well as top vents and a large-area mesh at the front, creating a dedicated "Flux" airflow channel.

The mid-tower Antec Flux SE also focuses on silence, with sound-dampening foam on both steel side panels and premium walnut wood trim to the front. The Flux SE isn't a case designed to show off your system, though. The Antec Flux and Flux Pro cover the windowed options, but the Flux SE offers a case that can be quietly tucked into the corner of a room or as part of an HTPC setup.

The Antec Flux SE features five case fans, a five-port fan hub, and a removable top cooling bracket, making AIO or custom loop installations easier. It also incorporates the ability for vertical GPU mounting and compatibility for BTF motherboards.

Pricing for the range starts at $115 for the standard tempered glass side panel version, available in black or white. The Flux SE we have today is available at the same price, but only in black. Finally, the Flux Pro scales up included features at $219.99 for black, with a "White Tax option" coming in at $229.99.

So then, let's take a closer look at the Antec Flux SE!

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Packaging

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As with most cases, the packaging is suitable, but nothing particularly noteworthy; our sample arrived safely and sound. At the front of the packaging, the Antec Flux SE is depicted, accompanied by Antec branding and the model name in the lower corner. To the side, additional product information is available in various languages below the carry handle. The rear section provides further details on the airflow, functionality, appearance, and features of the Antec Flux SE.

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The case arrives adequately packed and secure, with foam pieces on each end to ensure stability. It is also wrapped in a plastic bag to keep it dust-free.

Outside the Antec Flux SE

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With the transport packaging removed, the initial impression I get from the Antec Flux SE is that it's modest, modern, and unassuming. It wouldn't look out of place in a living room for casual gaming sessions on the big screen, in an office, or as part of a dedicated gaming setup, possibly as a sleeper build.

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The front of the Antec Flux SE features a multi-directional vent design surrounded by walnut accent trim, split into four sections, and the Antec logo in the bottom right corner.

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The top of the case is vented primarily for top-mounted fans, but also features our I/O, which includes Power, Reset, USB 3.0 x 2, Type-C 10Gbps x 1, and a Headphone/Mic Combo Jack located towards the back of the case.

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The front side panel, of course, is solid steel and features sound-deadening material on the interior. The side panel occupies around 80%, with the vented basement panel positioned below.

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Flipping the case around, the rear side panel features the same design as the front, but the lower vented area is now part of the panel. Both side panels include captive thumbscrews for securing to the chassis with a small tab for easy panel removal.

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Moving on to the rear, it's a fairly standard affair, featuring seven PCIe slots, venting around the I/O panel, a 120mm or 140mm height-adjustable fan mount, and some external tie-down points for keeping things neat. The PCIe slots are also open, so adding a vertical GPU mount is possible, without having to deal with individual slots for cable connection.

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Flipping the Antec Flux SE on its back, we can see the full-length dust filter at the bottom. This filter is easily removed from the front for added convenience, while the feet allow fresh air to enter with 20mm of clearance.

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Before we move inside, Antec includes a small accessory box within the case. The box contains screws, zip ties, replacement panel latches, a manual, and some dust covers for the I/O ports located at the top of the case, which is a nice addition.

Inside the Antec Flux SE

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Removing the side panel, we get our first glimpse of the Antec Flux SE's internals. All five included fans can be seen: three Antec P12 120mm fans to the front, an Antec P14 140mm rear exhaust, and finally, an Antec P12 Reverse 120mm fan on top of the PSU shroud to push air into our GPU. The blade color of the reverse fan is grey, differentiating it from the standard fans that are present. There is room next to this to add another 120mm, or swap it out for two 140mm versions if required.

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Moving lower, 2 screws hold the basement vent panel in place. With this removed, we have good front access to the basement for hooking up cables to the power supply. A drive cage is also fitted here, and it can be moved to accommodate longer power supplies or removed if not required. There's space for 2x 2.5" SSDs or 2x 3.5" HDDs.

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To the rear, we have a good number of tie-down points around the BTF-compatible motherboard tray. There is a single 2.5" SSD sled, while to the left is a plastic cable tray to help route all our wiring. The plastic tray is screwed into place from the front and sits next to the grommets for easy cable management.

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Above the motherboard tray cutout, the included fan hub is located here, pre-populated with all five pre-installed fans. It would be nice to have a couple of extra ports to add more, but as it goes, it's a nice inclusion to tidy up all the existing wiring.

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The top of the case features a removable cooling bracket, allowing for the preinstallation of a 360mm radiator with fans, which can be dropped straight into the chassis. Remove the two screws, and the panel comes straight out, ready to mount your hardware.

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Finally, before we proceed to testing, the front panel is easily removable, providing access to the front-installed fans.

Installation, Testing, Finished Product, and Final Thoughts

Kris' Test System Specifications

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As I mentioned at the outset, Antec is releasing some excellent cases right now, and the Flux SE is no exception. The build process was straightforward; I think it took me under 15 minutes to assemble the system, making it ready for testing. There's nothing here that's just there for the sake of it; no fuss, no drama. The Flux SE simply does what it's supposed to do, and it does it very well indeed.

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The build quality is excellent, I like the included cable management tray, and there's plenty of room to connect everything. One feature I do like, but didn't get to use, was the three plastic clips at the back of the case, near the motherboard tray, that run down from top to bottom.

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These are super convenient for running our two 8-pin CPU power cables down to the basement. Sadly, the length of the cables on this particular power supply unit wouldn't allow me to use them, but they are a much easier option over trying to throw a zip tie in there.

Its ingenious and something I think most people have come across when trying to tidy up cables, bending a tie so that it doesn't snag on the rear of the case and feeds back around to be tightened, these clips simply eliminate the need to use the tie down points, of which there are plenty if needed in addition.

It would be nice if Antec included a couple of spare ones in the Accessory box. While they are strong, they are made of plastic, and I could potentially see them snapping if you try to wedge too much behind them.

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The system I have built for testing includes an AMD Ryzen 5 9600X CPU, housed in an MSI B850 Tomahawk Max Wi-Fi Motherboard, paired with two sticks of 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 memory. Our CPU is kept cool using the be quiet! Dark Rock Elite. For storage, I am using a Corsair MP700 Elite 1TB NVMe M.2 drive. Finally, for graphics, I have an ASUS Prime RTX 4070 12 GB Super. Testing is completed with PBO enabled, AXMP1, and MSI Smart fan configuration.

All testing was completed using Aida64 Engineer's System Stability Test v7.65.7400 for 2 hours. Other software used was HWiNFO 64 v8.28-5770, TechPowerUp GPU-Z v2.66.0, and CPU-Z v2.15.0 x64.

Running my usual test, with an ambient temperature of 27 °C, our AMD 9600X reached a maximum of 83 °C and averaged 79 °C. On graphics, the RTX 4070 Super hit 75C, with an average of 73C. The fan setup of the Flux SE ensures that both the CPU and GPU are supplied with air from the front of the case. The graphics card receives an additional boost from the 120mm reverse-blade fan located above the power supply chamber, which draws in air from the ventilated side panels. The CPU average clock speed came in at a tad over 5GHz, while the RTX 4070 Super held at 2660MHz.

The Flux range caters to all budgets and requirements; it's a shame that the Flux SE is only available in black, as I think a white option would also be attractive. Don't forget that the SE version is more focused on noise levels, rather than bling, and it's quiet. The sound deadening on the side panels did a great job, and even when I was running tests, it certainly wasn't a distraction in the background.

The Antec Flux SE could potentially be an excellent base for a stealthy, water-cooled build, too, quietly pumping away with passersby having no clue what's going on under the hood. It can easily accommodate a pair of 360mm radiators or even a 420mm radiator to the front with a push-pull configuration. Adding some ARGB fans to the front could maybe also give a hint of what's inside.

Having covered all the above, for the same price, you do have the option to go with the standard Flux, it includes all the features of the SE version (excluding sound deadening), tempered glass, the same five pre-installed fans, ARGB addition to the fan hub, and a white option is also available.

My only issue with the Antec Flux SE isn't just aimed at this case, but at any case that comes with a fan hub or ARGB hub. If you are going to include one, ensure it supports the maximum capability of the case. I know that's easier said than done, but if a case can support eight fans as standard, consider adding a hub that can help with this without requiring the use of splitters.

I suppose it then comes down to whether you want to show off what you have in terms of hardware and some flashy lights, or whether you want a more professional, less distracting, grown-up affair. If you're looking for something that will slot right into place, does its job well, and you're not too bothered about showing off the contents of your system, then the Flux SE gets a massive thumbs up from me.