Quantcast
BROWSE ARTICLES BY CATEGORY
Antec P180 Mid-Tower Case
 
Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:
Kurtis Kronk
Brian
Antec
Dec. 21, 2005
Inside the Case

Overview

With the case opened, you will immediately notice a large black fan duct. This duct provides fresh air from the back of the case to the CPU. You can install a 92mm fan on the end of it for better airflow and even remove part of the duct and install an 80mm fan over your graphics card(s) if you so choose. This is pretty much the same duct as found on the Sonata II. The duct is removable if you find that it is too much of a hassle or in your way.

Inside the case you will see (4) 5.25" bays, (1) external 3.5" bay, (6) hidden 3.5" bays, (2) optional 120mm front intake fans, a bundle of front panel wires, the non-removable motherboard tray, (1) 120mm rear exhaust fan, (1) 120mm top exhaust fan, (7) standard PCI slots with standard screws, and the power supply cage.


Drive bays

Antec did not opt for toolless installation with any of the drive bays, though they did implement a rail system for the 5.25" bays and the top hidden 3.5" cage (2 bays). The top cage sits hard drives in a standard rear-facing position. The other hidden 3.5" cage is actually in the lower compartment along with the power supply, and the drives install on their side with screws. To reduce vibration, this cage has thick rubber grommets which the screws go through to secure drives in place. As I mentioned earlier, both of the 3.5" cages are removable, they slide out to the left, and when installed they can be firmly secured with included thumbscrews.


One small detail that I thought was really nifty was on the back side of the top 3.5" drive cage there is a small compartment which snaps shut and contains the assorted screws that come with the case. This is much nicer than having all the screws in a Ziploc lying in a dresser drawer or in the closet.


Motherboard tray

The motherboard tray is just the standard, non-removable type, except for the fact that it is located above the power supply.

PCI Slots

The PCI slots are nothing special in the P180, and I was a little surprised that Antec didn't even include thumbscrews for securing add-in cards. Until recently with cases such as Cooler Master's Cavalier 3, I have not been an advocate of toolless PCI slots, but now that has changed. It would have been great if Antec could have integrated a toolless solution such as the one used by Cooler Master, but at the very least they could have given me a handful of thumbscrews.


Cooling

With the P180, Antec decided to implement an interesting compartmental cooling design. The bottom compartment is pretty much sealed off from the top compartment and this is where you will find the power supply and up to four hard drives; the upper chamber is where you will find everything else.


In total there are only three 120mm case fans in total; one intake located in the bottom compartment between the power supply and hard drives, and two exhaust fans in the top compartment - one in the rear and one up top. You can optionally install two 120mm intake fans in front of the hard drive cages, but it's not necessary. All of the air entering the case does so through slits up and down the sides of the front panel.

This compartmentalized design is good in terms of cooling, but we'll see what sort of implications it has with regards to ease (and convenience) of installation as well as wire management later on.

There is also the fan duct to consider; this of course is good for improving airflow to the CPU and even video card if you choose to use it. For the sake of convenience, however, I chose to uninstall the duct. Considering how often I tamper with the insides of my computer, there's no way I would want to mess with a bulky ducting system every time I open my case.


 
<< Previous
Page 3 of 5
Next >>
Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Impressions & Opening the Case
Page 3: Inside the Case
Page 4: Quality Check
Page 5: Conclusion


9 User Comments
1 - Posted by J2T on December 22, 2005 - 8:05 am

I like the looks from the outside, but the inside just seems too cluttered for my liking. Also, I just can't see myself going back to a case without a slide out motherboard tray. It seems like they tried to somewhat copy the Lian Li V series cases, but forgot a few things.

2 - Posted by handrail on December 22, 2005 - 10:51 am

that's really sad. i love my slk3700amb antec case. i'm kind of disappointed in antec.

3 - Posted by PsychoSnowMan on December 26, 2005 - 7:05 pm

You recommended the Cooler Mater Wavemaster over this one, but that case uses 80mm fans and looks to have somewhat restricted front air intake.
I want to buy a new case in that range/style area. I was looking at getting the P180 until I read your review. The Wavemaster sure looks like a viable option, but is that the case you would recommend the most for that market area, or did you just offer it up as one possible alternative?

4 - Posted by Kurtis on December 26, 2005 - 8:05 pm

well, in my review i said that the wavemaster doesn't have as many features (including silence), but overall it is a higher quality case. if you just want the features, i suppose the p180 is the better deal, but you need to be aware of the problems i stated in the review. it's not a bad case, just isn't as good as i would expect from antec in the quality department - i had too many problems with too many of those features.

the wavemaster could be turned into a pretty quiet case if you take the effort to replace all the fans with quieter ones and have all silent components.

i think to get the quality we look for in cases with the featureset you see in the p180, you'd have to look towards cases from the likes of Lian-Li. Of course, that's a whole different price point.

what i recommend you do is go back to my p180 review and read closely each of the pages and jot down the issues i mention which you are concerned about. don't just skip to the conclusion and take my final recommendation as the law, you may not care that much about the individual issues i experienced.

5 - Posted by PsychoSnowMan on December 26, 2005 - 9:41 pm

Thanks, I did read through the entire article but I'll look through it again. They both look like pretty good cases I just need to make up my mind about what I want.

6 - Posted by Dyrewolph on December 26, 2005 - 9:50 pm

have a look at these fans if you're going for something quiet ^_^

that's an australian store but i'm certain you can get them elsewhere

http://www.pccasegear.com/category139_1.htm

7 - Posted by Kurtis on December 27, 2005 - 12:03 am

silenx, pfft.

just go with panaflo or papst. :)

8 - Posted by Dyrewolph on December 27, 2005 - 2:46 am

SilenX 80mm - 28CFM at 14dBA
Papst 80mm - 26CFM at 19dBA
Panaflo 80mm (low speed) - 24CFM at 21dBA

you can also get the SilenX in red blue or green led at the same specs...

9 - Posted by Kurtis on December 27, 2005 - 2:54 am

just because a manufacturer lists something in the specs doesn't mean it is true. every manufacturer has the right to test their products with some degree of freedom. they may have measured sound from further away etc.

papst and panaflo are just really well known for their quality and silence - though they also make some louder high-airflow fans too.

for that matter, nexus also makes some really quiet fans i think. silenx ones may be silent, they're just not as well known as the two i mentioned.

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.

Username: *


Password: (optional)
(Remember my login information: )

Comment: *


What is 1+2?: *