Cheaper & Better? Montech Air 1000 Lite ATX Case Review

Dust filtration is one of the things that’s typically deplorable in budget cases, even among those that are made from otherwise acceptable materials and use acceptable construction methods. Users typically chose between cases that are missing some filters or have filters that are difficult or impossible to remove. Of the later, typical compromises include front panel filters that are glued in or held by folded tabs, and power supply filters that are secured with edge tabs that require the filter to be bent to remove. The Air 1000 Lite isn’t any of those things.

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We obviously needed to get the thing out of its box before we could see any of those features. The trick to getting the foam past tucked-in handles is to open the bottom of the box and slide it up off the contents, since the foam liner pushes the flaps out when extracted in that direction.

With the manual tucked safely inside, we had to determine how to open the Air 1000 Lite. Fortunately, the pull tab stood out enough to get our attention. Noticing that the rear edge was hinged, we pulled. Click-to-enlarge is enabled for the above photos.

The Air 1000 Lite has only one tempered glass panel, and it’s secured by a snap connector at the front and two hinges at the back. Lift-away hinges enable easy panel removal.

The “Front Panel” ports include Microphone and Headphone, a single USB 2.0, and dual USB3 Gen1. Buttons include Power, Reset, and a mysterious “LED” button which would have been used as a mode selector for the ARGB controller in the deluxe version of this case. These features are nestled between a magnetic sheet top panel dust filter and a pop-up intake fan filter which runs the length of the front panel.

Pulling off the snap-on facial reveals a dust panel mechanism with push latches at the bottom and screw-on slides to the side. And as we said, the dust panel itself slides out of the top without using any tools: Simply give it a gentle push and it pops up to grab.

The top panel filter sheet covers 140mm and 120mm fan screw slots that are offset 38mm and 50mm from motherboard standoffs, respectively. The top panel already has 54mm of motherboard clearance, and the offset allows users whose top-panel radiator/fan combos exceed that dimension some additional hope of clearing motherboard components.

The bottom filter slides out the back, between the Air 1000 Lite’s rear feet. While that typically requires uses to turn their case around, it’s a far superior solution to the hook tab surrounds we’ve seen on earlier Montech models. Also notice that the 120mm exhaust fan is mounted on some rather long screw slots, to aid vertical adjustment for top and rear mounted radiator placement.

Montech Air 1000 Lite
Type	Mid-Tower	Included Fans	(2) 120mm Front, (1) 120mm Rear
Motherboard Support	EATX, ATX, Micro ATX, Mini ITX	Front Fan Mounts	(3) 120mm or (2) 140mm
Max Motherboard Depth	14.5″ (36.8 cm) without front fans	Rear Fan Mounts	(1) 120mm
Dimensions (HxWxD)	19.4 x 8.7 x16.9” (49.2 x 22.0 x 42.9 cm)	Top Fan Mounts	(2) 140mm/120mm
Air Cooler Clearance	181mm from standoff, Rated 165mm	Bottom Fan Mounts	X
Card Length	368mm (measured) without front fans	Side Fan Mounts	X
Power Supply Format	PS/2: 208mm/187mm w/movable HDD cage (rated 180mm)	Top Rad. Clearance	54mm vertical, 38mm/50mm horizontal
Weight	14.5lbs (6.58kg)	Front Rad. Clearance	33mm/54mm with movable HDD cage
External Bays	X	Front Filter	Slide-out (from top) nylon mesh
Internal Bays	(2) 3.5/2.5″, (4) 2.5″	Top Filter	Magnetic perforated sheet
Card Slots	7	Bottom Filter	Slide-out (from rear) nylon mesh
Ports/Jacks	(2) USB 3.0, (1) USB 2.0, Headphone/Mic	Damping	None
Other	LED Controller Button	Price	$70