Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 Case Review

Performance Analysis

While we only have a small selection of cases to compare against which we've had time to re-test with our new test kit, the Dark Fleet DF-85 is clearly a monster when it comes to cooling. It wiped the floor with the competition with its fans at full speed and even managed to better the Twelve Hundred by a few degrees recording slightly lower CPU and GPU delta T's.

Unfortunately it's a noisy beast at these speed settings - but thankfully, the Dark Fleet performed only slightly worse at its slowest fan speed setting. The CPU only became 2°C hotter while the GPU actually remained the same so in most situations, using the fans at their lowest speed setting will mean a small difference in temperatures while the difference to your ears will be huge.

Conclusion

As we had an Antec Twelve Hundred to hand, we couldn't help but instigate a mini clash of the titans with the Dark Fleet DF-85 going head to head with our trusty old favourite. The two roof-mounted 140mm fans are clearly doing just as good a job as the 200mm Big Boy fan in the Twelve Hundred and the absence of drive modules may also improve airflow. However, it's a little louder, more expensive and far uglier. The Dark Fleet DF-85 does have an abundance of features, including comprehensive fan-speed control, 2.5in and USB 3 support though.


Compared with the other cases we've tested recently, the issue of its unappealing looks becomes even more obvious, as the Dark Fleet DF-85 is only slightly better at cooling. As such, we'd recommend holding off from buying the Dark Fleet DF-85 at the moment.

• Cooling
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

• Features
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

• Design
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

Score Guide