Antec Constellation C8 Case - Best Budget O11D Clone

The last time we looked at a product from Antec was to review the Torque chassis almost five years ago. Well, that changes today as we are checking out the Constellation C8, featuring a dual chamber layout which is becoming the common choice of new case design now. But can it compete with other dual-chamber chassis that we have reviewed recently? Let’s find out. Read more here: bit.ly/49ausOB
We never offer affiliate links or take percentages of product sales. If we say the product is good or bad we mean it. Our Editor in chief wrote about why you should value this and how the industry is rife with fake reviews from 'influencers' - read here bit.ly/3pXzaw4
00:00 Start
00:42 Overview and pricing
01:29 Strip down and Front I/O
02:48 Inside the case - hardware support
05:43 Cable management and air duct partition
06:33 Construction and white cabling
06:58 Power supply and storage
07:42 Rear side
08:24 Back side
08:50 Underside
09:45 Test System
10:45 Thermal Performance
12:06 Some mods we made
13:39 Future improvements
14:28 Is it worth buying?
Price and availability:
MSRP - £99.99 - Scan.co.uk
U.S - $129.99 -Newegg
Build Specification
• CPU - Intel Core i9 14900K
• Motherboard - Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Pro X
• Graphics Card - Gigabyte RTX 4080 Aero OC
• Memory - 48GB (2 x 24GB Modules) Corsair Dominator Titanium DDR5-7000
• Storage - 2TB Seagate FireCuda 530 PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD
• CPU Cooler - EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 LUX DRGB White
• Power Supply - Seasonic Vertex GX-1200 80+ Gold Modular ATX3.0/PCIE5.0
• Case fans - Corsair QX140 RGB
• Chassis - Antec C8 (White)
• Operating System - Windows 11
Specifications:
• Case Type: ATX Dual Chamber
• Dimensions: 464 x 303 x 476mm
• Material: Steel, Plastic, Glass
• Motherboard Support: E-ATX (upto 280mm), ATX, Micro-ATX, ITX
• Expansion Slots: 8
• Storage Bays: 2 x 3.5”, 4 x 2.5”
• Max GPU Length: 440mm
• Max CPU Cooler Height: 175mm
• Max PSU Size: ATX upto 210mm
• Fan Support: 3 x 120mm/140mm or 2 x 160mm (Top) 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm (Side) 3 x 120/140mm or 2 x 160mm (Bottom) 1 x 120/140mm (Rear)
• Pre-installed fans: N/A
• Radiator Support: 360/280/240/120 (Top, side, bottom) 120mm (Rear)
• Dust Filters: Bottom
• Font I/O: 2 x USB 3.0 Type, 1 x USB Type-C (10Gbps) combined 3.5mm audio jack, power and reset buttons
• LCD Screen: N/A
Front I/O:
• 2 x USB 3.0 Type, 1 x USB Type-C (10Gbps) combined 3.5mm audio jack, power and reset buttons
Cooling support:
• Pre-installed fans - N/A
• Fan/Rad Front - N/A
• Fan/Rad Top - 3 x 120/140mm fans or up to 360mm radiator (70mm Max)
• Fan/Rad Rear - 120/140mm Fan or 120m radiator
• PSU Shroud - N/A
• Fan/Rad Left Side - N/A
• Fan/Rad Right Side - 3 x 120/140mm fans or up to 360mm radiator (100mm Max)
• Fan/Rad Floor - 3 x 120/140mm fans or up to 360mm radiator (135mm Max)
• Max CPU cooler Height - 175mm
Dust Filters:
• Bottom
Hardware support:
• Motherboard Support - E-ATX (upto 280mm), ATX, Micro-ATX, ITX
• Rear PCie expansion Slots - 8 vertical (Fully open when removed)
• Max GPU length - 440mm
• Max GPU height - N/A
• Max GPU Width - N/A
• PSU Type/length - ATX
Storage Support:
• 2.5” Drive Mounts - 4 (removable modular cage)
• 3.5” Drive Mounts - 2 - Modular locations (floor and roof)
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#antec #pcbuild #constellation

[@KitGuruTech]

We are removing spam as soon as we see it, if you see any report it. thanks!

[@dynastes4938]

SPAM!

[@Linusfikfaps-ez2qg]

Lol

[@harleylover9446]

Have a long history with Antec but not in recent years. That’s a pretty good case. Even the negatives James mentioned aren’t a big deal to me.

[@AntecUK]

Should give the C8 a try then. Glad you are a long standing customer. We appreciate you.

[@GladiatorVI6]

It’s the official channel for antec. I’m building in the c8 soon too

[@edwinwelch1946]

I love my Antec C8. Stunning case and fits the new Arctic Freezer III like a dream with tons of room to spare. I got all white

[@theonlyredspecial]

Are your temps good ?

[@hothardwareforthewin-he4fz]

yeah whats the temps like? what CPU you using?

[@Daisudori]

I got same but all black. A nice case for the money indeed. I hope for front mesh DLC I would prefer the look over the glass but alas.

[@francisdumlao8040]

Can it take 3 160mm fan in bottom?

[@YourLocalHelper12]

@@francisdumlao8040no…

[@larwiemcdonnel5322]

They look to be using good materials. I still can’t get over that hyte case flex. 😮

[@AntecUK]

why, hello there. We are solid!

[@philipjfry628]

Have to say that is such a crisp looking case at 10:48 with the blue lighting and the white finish. It looks like it would generate cold very difficult to imagine it could be a heat source.

[@MiddleofKnowhere]

Great review. Love that you modded it to make the 3x 140s work. I think your points of removable fan brackets is super valid. If the case was maybe 1-1.5" or 3cm taller the 3x 140mm fans would be no prob AND you'd def not run into issues with doing a push/pull + thicker rad on the bottom.

[@100500daniel]

I got the C8 and I love it. the build quality and materials are superb.

[@hairsprungdutchtechnique9626]

really good value chassis that, I havent seen antec in years - very low profile. If this is a new design its a sure fire sign of better things to come, I hope.

[@theonlyredspecial]

Great build James as always

[@Linuxdistro15-ih8ox]

Cant say ive had very good experiences with Antec back in the day, loved some of their very early stuff. This actually looks like quite a good case, but if anyone has current experience please do let me know.

[@iamahappybunny7640]

Great job James. Brilliant review.

[@KitGuruTech]

Thanks!

[@Linusfikfaps-ez2qg]

I love James case reviews. Best on KZbin 🤘🏻

[@jamesjessenden7838]

I love a James case review.

[@dreschaffhausen5693]

Every time I hear Antec I can't help but imagine its a company started by Ant and Dec.

[@joshuastedford1670]

For £100, definitely up there with my favourite dual chambers.

[@justisstudding2101]

I like it. Building something in a case like that, but Custom loop. The 200mm Reservoir+Pump combo i purchased just clears my Sapphire PURE 7900 GRE GPU. I'm stoked.

[@teemu3370]

YES! Been waiting for this review

[@johnerikson2443]

Buying one or found something else you like more ?

[@teemu3370]

@@johnerikson2443 It is on the short list with O11 EVO RGB. C8 has better space for custom loop that I have in mind

[@AntecUK]

Now go to scan computers and get one bought for your lovely PC. You know your PC components will thank you.

[@amdforlife5591]

A lot of competition right now but the price of this surely puts it close to the top. Corsair 6500 is a fortune compared to this.

[@AntecUK]

Let the Corsair fanbois enjoy their expensive case, we offer good quality combined with awesome value for money. What more can you ask for?

[@thetechdevil-jn1vo]

Really surprised with how good that is for the money.

[@kaylee.snyder]

Great review!!

[@CarlosDeBernardMrAgapi]

Nice work antec nice work. the case has a lot what most dual chanber doe not. if anyone have other is clear what are those key tips there. i like it

[@hairsprungdutchtechnique9626]

I’m really quite impressed with both the case and the versatility. Watched the overview again. James would you buy one yourself ?

[@KitGuruTech]

If I was on a £100 budget and was looking for a dual chamber case I would consider buying this.

[@sortingoutthebills-dy6td]

pretty cool name for a product for a change.

[@mrphuongie]

One thing I wish you would have shown is the cable management in the back of the case on a build like this. Otherwise, great case!

[@dimitarnakovski2462]

Great video!! Just wanted to ask if it fits the new Liquid Freezer III 280 A-RGB since its thickness is bigger than normal 280 Aios. It is 67.5mm. Please Help!! I already have returned few cases haha.

[@rival2028]

I legit thought this was the Corsair 6500x 😂

[@AntecUK]

But £70 cheaper :)

[@stevewatson6839]

My first PC was in an Antec Sonata case (Most of it still is! 🙃); I should probably check this one (and some of their other recent stuff too) out. Build looks good, thanks for the mod tips too; 'Ronseal' of Approval as always.

[@universemaster100]

The IO ports should've been in the front. The top ones collect dust a lot.

[@KitGuruTech]

Antec ships the case with rubber covers for the top I/O ports to keep dust out when not in use.

[@inlovewithmycar7085]

@@KitGuruTechthat’s a good idea

[@universemaster100]

@@KitGuruTech To me dust isn't the only concern, reaching the ports when sitting in a chair is just not possible.

[@Everychillitsjustlife-cz8zz]

Really great buy for 100 quid

[@justinebrink4056]

I want to help my dad to build a new computer using this case. I think it's totally gorgeous and I love the design. I'm just wondering if the best cooling solution wouldn't have been to mount the 3x 140mm fans at the bottom as intake, then 3x 140mm fans on top as intake (reverse argb fans) and then to mount the 360mm AIO cooler on the side as an exhaust and the one in the back as an exhaust too? I know some people say it's better to have the AIO as an intake to pull fresh air over it but I think the difference is negligible, esp with so many intake fans in that size to keep ambient temperature down. So that way you actually get all the 140mm capacity to work without having to drill holes and such :-). Also imo all the intake fans directly over your CPU and motherboard provides amazing cooling for your GPU and even helps the ambient temperature and maybe the CPU a bit too.. There won't be much heat that build up inside the system with that much air moving. From my experience with my Neo qube 2 case the graphics card is the only component generating heat and with all the intake fans it really doesn't generate that much of it. I think that might be the best setup for this case.

[@jdkim8697]

Is there any power led cables for motherboard? Can't find!

[@HanmaHeiro]

My first PC was in an Antec! Pretty sure it was the Sonata II

[@AntecUK]

A solid case back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth haha

[@HanmaHeiro]

@@AntecUK Yes indeed. It had everything you needed for the time and then some!

[@Ttblondey]

Nice

[@festerleech4952]

Sort of want to see more GPUs with a water based cooler rather than the encyclopaedia sized air coolers they need to come with nowadays.

[@Buffinator1988]

These o11 style cases really cry out for you to make use of all the fan mounting areas in order for it to look it's best. But the problem I have with this... It's horrendous overkill. Even with the hottest components you only really need a decent case, a few good fans and an capable AIO. You've got 10 fans in there! And with Rgb, I suppose you could lend it out whenever someone needs lighting for a rave 😂

[@KitGuruTech]

It can also become very expensive to fill the case with fans too.

[@AntecUK]

Check out our Antec fusion fans in white - they are priced well against other white ARGB fans on the market.

[@conserve_liberalism]

When you test the rigidity of unsupported top corner of the case, do so without a radiator / fans mounted. You comparison to the HYTE case isn't all that accurate due to extra rigidity that the radiator contributes to Antec.

[@KitGuruTech]

This case feels as rigid with or without the radiator installed. The Hyte case feels equally flexible with or without a radiator installed.

[@conserve_liberalism]

Appreciate it! This may seem like an inconsequential metric to some, but for those who want to do custom watercooling with rigid tubes and a top radiator, case rigidity really does matter. Love the build and getting the 3rd 140 fan at the top on the side really makes this case shine. That's a 100% necessary modification IMO! @@KitGuruTech

[@sortingoutthebills-dy6td]

@@conserve_liberalism I bought the HYTE from James review here on Kitguru last year when he reviewed it. I agree, its not very rigid, but i love the case apart from that. looks great with the screen. Thanks James for the review happy with the case, even if its not perfect !

[@canarychrome7012]

Have they uk after sales support and warranty coverage ? They used to be terrible for rma.

[@AntecUK]

We have improved our RMA/support part of our business with the onset of new staff around 2 years ago. We are proud to offer better support now.

[@ChinchillaBONK]

1 tip for your sponsor segment. If you are showing off a chair, potential customer will want to see the chair in most of the screen. Not some random bloke talking.

[@hothardwareforthewin-he4fz]

or just watch the reviews of the chairs here so you can see what he is talking about. he isnt a random bloke btw. he reviews products on kitguru

[@user-uv8qn1br8q]

Poor mat 😂

[@jamesjessenden7838]

Lol "random bloke" Mat

[@etienne3108]

This looks almost exactly like my FSP CMT380B which goes for a silly price.

[@AntecUK]

Your FSP CMT380B is smaller and doesn't have cable grommits, only supports 2 x 120mm fans in the side and doesn't support E-ATX boards.

[@justindavis7600]

Looks very like the Corsair design just a third less of the price.

[@ivantsipr]

NVM I was looking at the Corsair😅

[@KitGuruTech]

@@ivantsipr www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=c8+antec

[@inlovewithmycar7085]

Weird it didn’t come with 140mm fan support of the box. Hardly an unusual size either in 2024. I prefer 140 over 120.

[@KitGuruTech]

It does, just only 2 x 140mm on the side mount. I modded it to fit 3. It also supports 3 x 140mm in the roof and floor and one in the rear.

[@JackTotGaming]

@@KitGuruTechany trouble getting the icue link cable to fit on the 3x side 140mm fans? I am tempted to do your same mod to run qx140s

[@Daisudori]

ANTEC! Front mesh dlc!

[@hotandcoldrunningwater-hj2mn]

Is this just for sale on Amazon ?

[@KitGuruTech]

Also at Scan www.scan.co.uk/search?q=antec+c8+white

[@ivantsipr]

Edit:NVM I was looking at the Corsair 6500x😅 Must be Amazon UK only, on the US is $200 in every retailer, that image of Newegg they show is either a flash sale or was a error.

[@KitGuruTech]

@@ivantsipr we just found it for 129 dollars on newegg US

[@saleemremane4722]

Not bad at all

[@ivantsipr]

Edit: NVM i was looking at the Corsair 6500x Best budget O11 clone???? You are WAY off, the price of that case is $200 USD WITHOUT ANY FANS! I guess you guys dont know the Montech King 95 Pro exist ($150 USD and comes with 6 fans)

[@KitGuruTech]

It's $129 at Newegg in black or white. www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=c8+antec check out the conclusion at the end of the video where I mention the King 95.

[@amdforlife5591]

They reviewed the montech King 95 pro and it got one of their best cases of the year - james review of that was amazing. This antec ive seen for 130 dollars on newegg and other US retailers, just checked.

[@Itsameamario-ns3se]

AH come on man, Kitguru reviewed the Montech King 95 pro already, ages ago, james loved it. I think he gave it his case of the year 2023 !

[@geofftatesmate7748]

james mentioned the King 95 Pro at the end of this video as well as reviewed it, and then did another video with it as one of the best case of 2023. Its always a good idea before shouting in CAPS to do even a bit of basic investigation or you sound, like. well... you know 🤣

[@buyingastairwaytoheaven5252]

Mate just bought it for 130 bucks. 😂

[@i_Like_Goya]

dam is identical to the corsair 6500x

[@AntecUK]

and way cheaper!

[@rickss69]

When you see the two side by side and in person you will know the difference quickly.

[@KitGuruTech]

Other than reverse connector motherboard support and iCUE link integrations, there isn't much difference between the two, build quality is similar but the Corsair 6500X is much more expensive. Corsair fanboys may try to convince you otherwise but from a totally impartial viewpoint, there isn't much in them.

[@Itsameamario-ns3se]

@@rickss69 looks pretty similar to me tbh

[@danmar007]

It looks an awful lot like my Musetex Y6. Which is much more affordable.

[@BleepBlop-rh9lm]

Is it legal?! Absolute copy of 011.

[@darren253]

Is it me but companies are now copying Lian LI who made the first case.

[@JeremyArchie]

The Corsair 280X would like to have a word. 😏

[@mawandaeed]

Wish they stopped making these 😊

[@rickss69]

No back connector motherboard capability...it literally costs them nothing to provide this. No sale. This is just jumping on the bandwagon and bringing nothing of worth to the table.

[@geofftatesmate7748]

price is good. maybe they could charge 70 for it, make it same price as corsair 😛