The P180 is truly a revolutionary breakthrough in case design. Dual chambers isolate the power supply and CPU into separate cooling zones with up to 5 configurable fans. Three-layer sound-deadening panels dampen noise even in very high-performance systems. Ease-of-use, sleek design and Antec's reputation for quality make the P180 worthy of being the first in a new category we call the Advanced Super Mid Tower.
First Impression
Occasionally a modder sees a case and says to himself "oh yeah, I would love to mod the heck out of that case." Well when I first saw the Antec P180 on the internet around a year ago I thought its clean looks and interesting layout would be a fun little project. Today as I look at the simple black and white artistic packaging I still feel a little tingly. The outside of the packaging is adorned with several smaller photos highlighting the cases better features. Centered in the grey back drop is the bold black text "without compromise". This is a very bold statement and I have high hopes for this case. I simply love the look of it.
As with most cases the Antec P180B comes well packaged in foam and wrapped in plastic. The case also has some adhesive plastic attached to the 4 main sides of the case. This is nice because it allows you move your case around and install all the hardware without worrying about the finish. When all the hardware is installed you can just pull of the protective plastic.
The exterior look is very minimalist an Antec did an excellent job getting the black to match on both the plastic and aluminum pieces of the exterior case. Not only the color but the matte look of it is almost identical. You can't really tell this fact in the pic as the flash reflects differently off the materials. The blacks are Uniform when you see the case in person and in fact you can really only tell the difference upon close inspection.
The front door of the case is one large monolithic black piece. There are no decorations or adornments of any kind aside from a small Antec logo in the top corner. In the middle of the front there is a raised section where the firewire, 2 USB, Headphone, Mic and case lock are mounted. Behind the door is the power and reset switches. This is a good idea if you are concerned with security and the case is locked. No one can power up or down your system this way. For the daily user having to open the door every time could become tiresome.
The Chassis is a unique 2 chamber design. Well, that's not necessarily true, Lian Li has been using this design for a while now but in a BTX form. Antec was unique in that the case still opens from the left side still. Newer cases are popping up that use this design now. The Silverstone TJ07 for example, but I digress. The lower section of this two chamber design allows the PSU to have is own area somewhat like a wind tunnel. Fresh air comes in from the front and is expelled out of the back of the PSU. The top chamber is similarly designed like a normal ATX case. Fresh air is brought in through the lower front fan and pulled up and over the top of the components then expelled out the back and top of the case. According the Antec this is supposed to "isolate heat from the system and lower system noise".
Features:
Unique upper and lower chamber structure The power supply resides in a separate chamber to isolate heat from the system and lower system noise
Innovative three-layer side panels and front door (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) dampen system noise, making this one of the quietest cases available
Cooling System:
1 rear (standard) 120mm TriCool Fan with 3-speed switch control
1 top (standard) 120mm TriCool Fan
1 lower chamber (standard) 120mm TriCool Fan
1 front (optional) 120mm fan
1 middle (optional) 120mm fan to cool graphics cards
Upper drive cage can be used as a duct to provide fresh air to graphics cards
Maximum expandability with 11 Drive Bays
External 4 x 5.25"; 1 x 3.5"
Internal 6 x 3.5" for HDD
Motherboard: Fits micro and standard ATX
Double hinge front door designed to open up to 270 degrees
7 Expansion Slots
Front Ports
2 x USB 2.0
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.Link)
Audio In and Out
Material: 0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through the majority of chassis, 1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4x HDD area
To optimize performance of your P180 the choice of your power supply is crucial. Antec strongly recommends choosing from our Phantom, NeoHE or TruePower series
Silicone grommets in the hard drive cages absorb vibrations and reduce noise
Can we get more then a sentence in for comments. Some people can say more then a few single syllable words. (Editor)....Sorry, you are right and it has been changed.
Posted By: Wemic
Tue, Nov-07-2006
I hear what you say about broken tabs on the side panel. I did the same to all of them on one of my panels. And I was taking care. I note your concern about HD in the upper cage. How about locating your HDs in the lower cage that is what I did and eliminated the possibility of conflict with vid card power connections. In addition, the middle fan in the lower chamber draws the air over your HDs thus keeping them cool.
