Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition Test – Premium case with premium fans

What happens when several premium products come together? Noctua has already had several experiences in this field. In the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition test, we take a look at the latest collaboration between the Austrian premium manufacturer of cooling solutions and the Taiwanese case specialist. After a few graphics cards and AIO water cooling systems from ASUS, a high-end power supply from Seasonic, 3D printers and filament from Prusa, the computer case sector is now also covered. Antec is one of the major manufacturers in the PC case sector that has been producing impressive cases for a long time – albeit in a somewhat less prominent phase. And the regular Antec Flux Pro was already known as a top performer, making the Noctua Edition all the more exciting to look at.

Specifications

Dimensions	245 x 545 x 530 mm
Capacity	70,77 l
weight	13.75 kg
Form factor	Mini-ITX, µATX, ATX, E-ATX
Max. air cooler height	190 mm
Radiator sizes	Front: 120 / 140 / 240 / 280 / 360 / 420 mm Top: 120 / 140 / 240 / 280 / 360 / 420 mm Rear: 120 / 140 mm Bottom: 120 / 240 mm on the power supply cover: 120 / 240 / 360 mm
Max. graphics card length	455 mm
Fans included	6 (4x 140 mm Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 / 2x 120 mm Noctua NF-A12x25 G2)
Support for mainboards with rear connections	No
Expansion card slots	8
Warranty period	6 years warranty
price	€ 399.90 *

Packaging

• Brown cardboard box
• Soft foam shells with reinforced edges hold the case
• Accessory box and fan box are also included

The Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition is supplied in a very large cardboard box. For weight reasons, it is practical that the box has handles, which make it easy to transport. When you open the box, you see a box of accessories and underneath is the case, which is protected by two large, soft foam shells. I actually prefer this soft foam because, unlike polystyrene, it breaks less quickly and also has a more cushioning protective effect.

Behind the case is another foam frame that holds another large box containing the fans.

All of this can be removed from the box without much resistance and now only the housing is still in a plastic film.

There are also a couple of protective films. Once on the small display on the side of the case, then on the glass window and on this both inside and outside. The front panel connections on the top of the case are also protected by silicone plugs. And the fans have a protective paper frame between the frame and the fan blades. These can be removed directly – I would leave the remaining protective film on the case until assembly is complete to avoid fingerprints.

Scope of delivery

• Various mounting materials for the fans
• Alternative mounting frame for the power supply unit
• Mini Noctua fan as a key ring
• Information on the FSC certification of the real wood components

The Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition comes with an extensive accessory package. On the one hand, either fan screws or vibration-damping silicone mounts are included for the fans.

On the other hand, there is the general accessory package, which includes a sorting box with all the necessary screws, as well as a power supply frame for mounting the power supply in a “normal” orientation, whereas the Flux Pro is otherwise designed for a 90° rotated power supply. Then there are two covers for the power supply cover, in case you don’t want to install the two NF-A12x25 G2 on it. There is also information about the wood used on the front of the case and a small Noctua NF-A4, which is designed as a key fob and comes without a motor.

A printed operating manual is also included, which is clearly laid out and easy to understand.

The mini fan, which is included as a key ring, is a really cool accessory, especially for Noctua fans. Although it comes without a motor and cable, the rest looks like real components.

I also took a look at the FSC website for the certification information on the wood and compared the information. You can see that the company responsible for the wood is Dongguan Sunny Fund Wood Co. Ltd. from China. And as far as walnut wood is concerned, it has only entered“Juglans nigra” in the tree species, i.e.“black walnut“. This is a subspecies of walnut, which is also known for its very attractive wood, which can also be seen in the casing.

Design

• Brown and black design with real wood details on the front
• Mini display in the side
• Brown silicone parts to match Noctua
• Mesh front is textured and makes a classy impression

Sure – not everyone is a fan of Noctua’s color scheme and finding it in an adapted form in a case will not necessarily suit everyone’s tastes. But those who like the Noctua color scheme will feel at home, because brown and black tones have been combined here, as was also the case with ASUS and Seasonic. Beige, on the other hand, is nowhere to be found – except for the fans. I think it’s almost a shame that it’s not a beige-brown case, or that the brown fan blades are married to the black frames of the chromax.black models for a more uniform look, which would also be a cool fan series. On the other hand, it is understandable from Antec’s point of view, as Antec was one of the pioneers a few decades ago who moved from the beige cases of the 80s and 90s to black cases.

A uniform appearance is usually difficult to achieve with the color scheme of Noctua fans, and until now there have only been a few options for fitting Noctua fans into cases with a matching look. This started in particular with the Fractal Design North and its wooden front and the Antec Flux Pro also fits into the picture with its walnut wood frame. And with the Noctua Edition, there is also the corresponding adaptation of the color tones. The brown tones of the housing are kept restrained and dark so that it doesn’t stand out too much. In the photos, the brown tones appear brighter and more intense than in real life. The silicone parts inside the case have been matched to the silicone corners of the Noctua fans quite perfectly.

Another visual feature of the Antec Flux Pro is the three-dimensional design of the mesh grille in the front. Some would certainly prefer a more sober design, but overall it still looks very classy and not too playful. The mesh grille all around is tightly meshed and therefore also acts as a dust filter.

If you are using a Noctua case, you will probably also be using a high-quality Noctua cooler. Accordingly, I have also positioned the Noctua NH-D15 G2 in its fully assembled state for the picture:

Antec Flux Pro: The Basis of the Noctua Edition

• High-quality case with excellent airflow
• Particularly flexible compatibility with many components

We don’t actually have a dedicated test for the original Antec Flux Pro, but in summary it is a very high-quality case that not only stands out visually with its real wood accents, but also plays in the high-end range in terms of performance. On the one hand, this has to do with the fact that it has a large fan surface and comes with a relatively large number of fans. On the other hand, it has a generous mesh front, which does not require an additional dust filter and therefore performs better than two-layer concepts. And it also has a perforated area around the power supply unit, through which two fans mounted on the power supply unit cover can draw in fresh air and transport it directly towards the graphics card – a feature that has been increasingly neglected since the introduction of power supply unit covers in recent years. In terms of the number and recommended position of the fans, nothing has actually changed with the Noctua Edition.

This means that the original version of the Antec Flux Pro is already a high-quality case with high component compatibility (such as for radiators up to 420 mm!), which cools both processors and graphics cards well.

With the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition from this test, nothing has changed in the basic case design. However, there are a few differences. This new edition not only has a different color scheme, but also a better fan hub from Noctua, which is located behind the motherboard tray, where it is magnetically pre-mounted and can also be easily moved around. If you connect a SATA power supply, the fan hub can easily supply more than the eight slots with power, for example if you use Y-splitters to connect more fans. The SATA power supply is strongly preferred so as not to overload mainboard fan headers.

In addition, the fans are not pre-assembled ex works. There is a recommendation on how to mount the fans, but depending on your personal setup, this can be freely adapted, for example if you are using water cooling.

Noctua NF-A G2

• Latest fan generation from 2024 / 2025
• Dedicated test reports available at Basic Tutorials for more information
• High-quality fans in flexible standard format
• Excellent ratio of performance and noise level

We have already written dedicated reviews of the Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 and the Noctua NF-A12x25 G2. And it is precisely these premium fans that are supplied with the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition. The special feature is that these fans achieve the best ratio of noise and performance with the standard dimensions – i.e. a thickness of 25 mm. There are other very good fans that achieve the same performance in other ways, whether at the expense of noise (with higher speeds, for example) or at the expense of the standard format, which can cause problems with various compatibilities.

But as soon as you normalize to a certain volume in the standard format, Noctua’s second generation NF-A fans are currently at the top in terms of performance. And there are other reasons why you might want to use these fans. With the G2 fans, Noctua has designed a targeted speed shift into the fan pairs. The fans are labeled PPA and PPB, with the PPA fans rotating a little slower and PPB fans a little faster. This reduces the effect of “floating”, which can lead to unwanted background noise with fans of very similar speed. For this reason, you should always install the fans in the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition alternately in the case and not place two PPA or PPB fans next to each other. (The pictures are from the dedicated fan tests and show accessories such as the fan sealing lip, which are not supplied with the case fans from the test and are only useful when used on radiators).

Last but not least, Noctua simply offers outstanding product longevity. Of course, I can’t subject the G2 fans to a 15-year endurance test, but my previous experience with Noctua fans makes me very optimistic. Privately, I still use Noctua NF-P12 and NF-S12B fans from 2010 – and they still work today as they did on the first day – although of course not with the performance of the current fan generations.

Processing quality

• Very high build quality of housing and fans
• Some parts are plugged in and not screwed together, but with strong locks to prevent accidental opening
• Only the front rail for the fan bracket was quite easy to bend

To get to the inside of the case, you don’t have to loosen any screws, because the window is only plugged in. This plug-in mechanism is very tight, so I was really a bit scared at first, as I had to exert quite a lot of force on the glass before it could be released. It is simply pulled forwards and as soon as both connection points have been released, it is removed upwards. I don’t think it’s a problem that the glass can’t be screwed down, as it’s so tight that I can’t imagine any situation in which it would accidentally come loose.

The rear is also not screwed down, but thanks to the generous space for cable management and the good fasteners, this did not cause any problems in our Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition test. In contrast to the FSP CUT593P test, for example, in which it was almost impossible to close the rear panel.

I took a detailed look at the entire case. However, the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition has nothing to criticize in terms of workmanship. The paint finish is clean, the gaps are very good and there are no sharp edges. The quality of the workmanship is clearly evident in the pictures from the test.

Only one part was a little easy to bend: The rail for the front fan. However, this was only the case when removed without the fans fitted to reinforce the structure. Some force had to be exerted when fitting the silicone brackets for the fans, which caused the thin bars to bend slightly. However, these are kept narrow and do not interfere with the air flow, which benefits the effectiveness of the fans.

As is typical for Noctua, the fans themselves are at their best. Although they do not offer any quality-of-life features, such as daisy-chaining, the frames are torsion-resistant, vibrations are hardly generated by the high-quality motors and bearings and these are dampened by the silicone corners. The fan blades made of LCP (liquid crystal polymer) are very hard and make the best possible use of the space between them and the frame.

Component compatibility

• All available air coolers fit easily
• Even large radiators up to 420 mm possible
• Compatibility even with the largest graphics cards

The Antec Flux Pro is impressive in terms of compatible components, both in the standard version and in the Noctua Edition from this test. With a maximum possible air cooler height of up to 190 mm, any air cooler you can find for the PC sector, no matter how large, will fit into the system. But even very large radiators are no problem: radiators up to 420 mm in size are possible both at the front and at the top. You rarely see this – often you only find one possible position for a 420 mm radiator, if at all.

There are also almost no limits for mainboards in this full tower: from Mini-ITX to E-ATX, all sizes can be installed. However, there is one restriction: motherboards with rear connections are not provided with the Antec Flux Pro, even in the Noctua Edition. In practice, there are currently still only a few motherboards of this type, but more and more are becoming available as acceptance grows, especially as more and more manufacturers are bringing out their own variants. On the other hand, the look with standard mainboards is somewhat cleaner than with the holes in the mainboard tray – and this is therefore also more stable.

There is no need to worry about graphics cards. The case would even fit the ASUS x Noctua RTX 5080 – and that’s pretty much the biggest graphics card you’ll find anywhere. However, as we don’t have access to this graphics card, our Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition test uses a different graphics card with three fans.

Hard disks and SSDs

• Six SATA drives can be mounted, four of which can be either 3.5″ or 2.5″ and two dedicated 2.5″ slots
• One 3.5″ hard disk can be mounted without tools
• Vibration-damped mounting of the hard disks
• Drive carriers can be removed without tools, only the holder for the lower hard disk cage is screwed on and can be completely removed if required

As far as drives are concerned, it is of course not possible to accommodate external 5.25″ drives – this is only found in a few modern enclosures, which are usually designed for office systems. However, the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition still offers a good selection of spaces for hard disks and 2.5″ SSDs. Behind the motherboard tray, there are two brackets that can be used for either a 3.5″ or 2.5″ drive and two dedicated 2.5″ brackets. There is also a hard disk cage in the power supply cover, in and on which a 3.5″ or 2.5″ drive can be placed. In total, up to four 3.5″ hard disks can be mounted or up to six 2.5″ hard disks or SSDs if 3.5″ drives are not used.

A 3.5″ hard disk can be mounted in the caddy of the hard disk cage at the bottom without tools. Other hard disks must be screwed in place, whereby the two upper 3.5″ hard disk holders are vibration-damped by silicone parts. If you mount a 3.5″ hard disk on the hard disk cage in the power supply cover, this is therefore the only completely undamped one. Accordingly, this position should only be used if there is no other option.

Fan setup

• No fans fitted ex works
• A configuration corresponding to the normal Antec Flux Pro is recommended
• Can be varied freely if required
• Additional fans do not bring any significant advantage, except for AIOs

The Noctua fans are not installed in the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition ex works, but the same setup is recommended that is used in the regular version of the Flux Pro: Three 140 mm fans in the front (PPA / PPB / PPA), two 120 mm fans in pull position at the bottom in the front two positions of the power supply cover, which were also kept free from the factory, and one 140 mm fan in the back.

Noctua itself has created a video (in English) explaining how to install the fans – I don’t want to withhold this from you:

In principle, you could install a third fan at the bottom, but due to the power supply unit, which sits under the rear position, it is not expected that this would draw air to any relevant extent. The entire top remains free so that a radiator can be installed here. The setup is also very good for air coolers.

Why are the fans not pre-assembled at the factory? For example, you would have the option of mounting the existing fans on a radiator, be it a 280 mm, 420 mm or 240 mm radiator. Or if you use two AIOs (e.g. a processor and a graphics card), you also have a free choice of location for the fans. You can also remove the brown intermediate part as well as the hard disk cage in the power supply cover and place two fans at the bottom to draw fresh air directly from underneath the case.

Anyone using the recommended fan setup and a radiator on top would of course be well advised to use Noctua fans. On the one hand because of the uniform look and on the other hand because of the very high performance of the fans on radiators. I think it’s a shame that a third 120 mm fan is not included. Of course, this would hardly be of any additional use in the standard fan position at the bottom above the power supply unit, but you could fit a 360 mm radiator directly with the supplied fans.

If you attach the supplied fans with the silicone brackets, there are enough left over to mount three more fans – so you either have a spare or can fill the fan slots at the top.

Filling the upper fan slots has almost no effect on the cooling performance and is therefore not realistically necessary.
Side tip: You can cut off the protruding ends of the silicone brackets so that they are no longer visible, but this makes it extremely difficult to reuse them after removal (e.g. for cleaning). What worked well for me was to push the ends of the silicone holders back into the fan frame, which offers space for the excess due to the open design. This makes the impression a little cleaner, even if something occasionally pushes out to the side.

Dismantling and accessibility

• Many parts of the housing can be removed for optimal accessibility
• Dust filter is pulled out to the front for cleaning
• Fans and radiators can be screwed on outside the housing

One advantage of the Antec Flux Pro is that many parts can be removed. The glass, the mesh part underneath, the entire top, the front rail for fan mounting: everything can be removed. This makes installation convenient, as you don’t have to hold the fan and radiators in the case when screwing them in, but can do this externally and then insert them with neatly bundled cables. And removing the top makes it easy to wire the mainboard in the case, as you can reach everything easily – including the CPU power connector.

The following can be removed without tools: the glass panel, the brown mesh cover underneath, the brown cover of the lid, the back of the housing, the mesh front panel with the wooden accents and the dust filter at the bottom. On a positive note, the lower dust filter can be pulled out to the front and is therefore easier to access for cleaning than on cases where it is removed to the rear. This is also very easy without getting caught. Hard disk cages and SSD carriers are also easy to remove using knurled screws, whereby the knurled screws were already smooth enough ex works that no tools were required. Only the knurled screws of the expansion card slots are too tight to simply loosen by hand.

From then on you need tools – a simple Phillips screwdriver. This can be used to remove the brown intermediate part above the power supply cover (two screws), the top of the case (two screws) and the fan bracket at the front behind the mesh (six screws) as well as the hard disk cage in the power supply cover. The front can be reattached in five different steps and thus also slightly higher or lower than in the delivery state – so you can react to the mounting positions of radiators, for example.

Installation

• Fan installation with vibration-damping silicone plugs somewhat time-consuming
• Easy mainboard mounting and good accessibility
• Combined front panel connector
• Somewhat large knurled screws on the expansion card slots
• No graphics card support

The installation of the fans with the NA-AV4 anti-vibration mounts took the longest in the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition test. These silicone parts are best positioned first, then the fans have to be aligned and gradually threaded through one corner after the other. Then the silicone parts should not be pulled through completely at one corner, but should always be tightened a little crosswise if possible. Installation with the normal fan screws is actually somewhat easier and also looks cleaner. But the Noctua NA-AV4 simply provide a little more attenuation, so the extra effort can be worthwhile to achieve the last bit of sound attenuation.
Otherwise, it is very pleasant that two of the spacers for the mainboard have a raised center. This means that they hold the mainboard in the optimum position even before it is screwed into place so that all the mainboard screws can be aligned without any problems.

It is also very nice that the front panel connector is combined and can simply be plugged on. This makes installation easier compared to separate plugs.

Working in the case is particularly convenient when the upper section has been completely removed. On the one hand, you can work on it outside the case, for example to install a radiator or additional fans. On the other hand, you have easy access to the upper half of the mainboard, which is very difficult to reach in many other cases, for example to connect the power cable for the processor or fan and pump cables. This makes installation much easier. Rarely are cases so pleasant to handle.

The expansion card slots have no bars, which is why you could also install the graphics card vertically, for example. Antec offers a suitable bracket with riser cable for this. There was only one thing that I found a little more strenuous during installation: The knurled screws of the expansion card slots are relatively large and therefore also hold the cover of the slot in place. So in order to install a dual-slot graphics card, three screws had to be loosened, although the third cover did not have to be removed. At least the cover does not fall out when the screw is loosened, as this in turn is held in place by the knurled screw of the next slot.

However, the case does not actually have a support for large graphics cards, although the size of the case and the lower fans are certainly designed for large graphics cards and such supports can also be found in much cheaper cases. This means that you have to resort to third-party solutions if you do not install the graphics card vertically. After all, many large graphics cards are supplied directly with corresponding supports.

Power supply unit and cable management

• Plenty of space for cable management
• Fan cable extensions for the recommended standard configuration already pre-routed
• Generously dimensioned Velcro cable ducts

The cable management of the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition is very good in that there is not only plenty of space for cables on the back, but also Velcro cable ties to simplify routing. In this edition, a Noctua fan splitter is used, which can control several fans, with the power supply running via a SATA connection. Ultimately, only one fan cable is routed to the mainboard to send the PWM signal to the fan hub. Some Noctua fan extension cables are already connected at the factory and routed to the expected locations for the standard fan positions, which makes cable management for the fans very easy.

It is intended that the power supply unit is inserted rotated. The advantage of this is that you can easily access the connections of modular power supplies, especially as there should be enough space in the width. However, if the power supply unit is too long or you otherwise prefer the regular position – for example to be able to operate the power supply switch easily – you can also install it in the regular position if you use the corresponding power supply unit frame. In the factory-installed rotated orientation, there are recommendations for cable routing depending on the position of the IEC connector.

In the test, I have now fitted more fans and also installed two hard disks in different places, which has significantly increased the number of cables. Nevertheless, it was no problem to close the rear of the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition with the “undergrowth” on the rear in this test. Depending on the lighting and viewing angle, however, it is inevitable that cables will be visible in the lower mesh area.

There are attachment points for cable ties on the back of the housing. This allows you to lay the connected cables neatly – whether monitor cables, USB cables, network cables or whatever: everything can be bundled well.

Antec iUnity

• Software is required to control the display
• This can also be used to control the fans

There is a small display on the side of the Antec Flux Pro. To be able to use this in practice, you need to run the iUnity software from Antec. This program allows you to do more than just control the display. For example, the program also includes a fan controller, so that you can either use predefined fan curves or shape them manually. This is very practical so that you don’t have to either make the settings in the BIOS or resort to other software. FanControl, for example, is a popular program that can be retired with iUnity.

But you also get a good system overview (components, temperatures, programs with the highest system load), which you can put on a second screen, for example. Antec itself offers the Vortex View, an AIO with a display that can be controlled via the same program. In short: Even if not everyone likes dedicated software like this, I have to say that it is easy to use and works without any problems here.

But in the case of the case, the display is the primary purpose of iUnity. However, I am happy to use the fan controller for the Noctua fans, even if they are only controlled via one header.

The “Temp” switch on the top of the case allows you to display only one of the two temperatures or switch the display off completely. If you don’t want to use it at all, you can also keep the USB 2 header on the mainboard completely free and not connect the cable.

A look at the price

• Expensive case
• Price is put into perspective if you calculate the price for a high-quality case and the fans individually
• In practical terms, the regular version of the case is also sufficient in terms of performance
• If you want to equip your case with Noctua fans anyway, you should take a look at the case

The Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition is a very expensive case. But if you put the price into perspective, it’s still not a bad price. After all, there are quite a few users who equip their systems with high-end fans from Noctua. And as soon as you take the price of a regular Antec Flux Pro and add the price of the Noctua fans, you are already paying more than for the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition, which also matches the fans even better visually. And this case is also equipped with the high-quality NA-FH1 fan hub from Noctua, which can be used to address more fans than the slitter in the regular Flux Pro. This saves you the “detour” and the additional costs for the factory fans of the regular Antec Flux Pro, so to speak.

So you shouldn’t make the mistake of seeing the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition as “just” a case, which would be very expensive, but rather as a case and a high-end fan upgrade with a complete configuration. It also comes with a good fan hub from Noctua, which is an upgrade over the model that sits in the regular Flux Pro. But as is almost always the case when the name Noctua comes into play, it means that you are playing in the absolute top class. In terms of performance, but also price.

At this point it should be said that the standard fans of the regular Antec Flux Pro are not bad either and even without the Noctua upgrade it is a very high quality case that comes from the upper price range.

I therefore recommend only investing so much money in the case and fan set if the basic system does not suffer as a result. The “normal” Antec Flux Pro may well be the better choice for a limited budget. If you then change the fans to Noctua over time, you can split the costs somewhat.

Conclusion

The Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition is an impressive case that offers enthusiasts many options as well as high performance at low noise levels. Of course, “normal” users are not the target group for the case, but rather fans of Noctua and enthusiasts with high-end systems who are looking for a high-performance deluxe case. This means that the case is designed less for beginners and more for experienced users, which is underlined by the fact that the fans are not mounted ex works, but you still have the freedom to choose how to mount the fans and where (despite the recommendation for the best standard setup).

In terms of handling, the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition proved to be one of the best cases I’ve been able to test so far, even if the assembly takes more time than some other cases. The removable panels and the high flexibility are impressive and there is space for almost all components that you would want to have in a modern case. Only users of 5.25″ drives will have to look elsewhere.

Anyone who trusts in the quality of Noctua therefore has the freedom to access a suitable case, even if it is expensive. But: Money or no money – having “Noctua” written on the case is also a certain statement and the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition definitely has the potential to earn a place in the Hall of Fame of legendary cases.