Hi, I am interested in buying the p180 case and on newegg, there are so many mixed reviews for the product. I've read alot about how the panels can warp and the door is flimsy, but I was wondering if this has been fixed in the recent p180 or are they still all hte same?
In addition, I am college student and will have to move the computer back and forth about once every 4 months. would this be terribly inconvineient with the p180? thanks.
antec p180 clarity
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Devonavar
The P180's major feature is the separation of the CPU and power supply so they don't heat each other up. It may or may not be worth it depending on your application.
I don't know if mine is the update or not, but the door only warps when the weather is cold (the aluminium contracts). When it's summertime again, it'll be all good again.
It is undoubtably bulky to move around, so you might be better off with something more compact.
I don't know if mine is the update or not, but the door only warps when the weather is cold (the aluminium contracts). When it's summertime again, it'll be all good again.
It is undoubtably bulky to move around, so you might be better off with something more compact.
I understand that they have fixed many issues. I do not know if the silver P180s that are shipping have the same improvements as the P180B does.
I think ease of moving is your own call. Do you move your tower / computer now? Is it difficult for you? I would say for sure a shuttle or other SFF / notebook would be better if you had to fly with it.
I think ease of moving is your own call. Do you move your tower / computer now? Is it difficult for you? I would say for sure a shuttle or other SFF / notebook would be better if you had to fly with it.
I doubt it will fall off from normal wear and tear 
Mine fell from the table with a lot of heavy coolers on components inside and broke one corner of the case, some epoxy and it still works.. though it is a bit ugly 
Point being that the door did survive, and that the dooor isnt flimsy like in crappy plastic that feel like it will break if you fart, it more of the loose wobbly kind of flimsyness. Am i making any sense here? 
My opinion still is that for many systems its worse than a regular case like the 3000B, its harder to work in, more expensive, and some other stuff.
A perfect case doesnt exist, i have cases from a 35€ cheapo with included fan controller and temp sensors and crappy vents to a SilverStone TJ07s. About ten cases total. Yes i am nuts, i don´t have a proper hobby so silncing has gone a bit overboard, and i like vinyl records
Mine fell from the table with a lot of heavy coolers on components inside and broke one corner of the case, some epoxy and it still works.. though it is a bit ugly Point being that the door did survive, and that the dooor isnt flimsy like in crappy plastic that feel like it will break if you fart, it more of the loose wobbly kind of flimsyness. Am i making any sense here? My opinion still is that for many systems its worse than a regular case like the 3000B, its harder to work in, more expensive, and some other stuff.
A perfect case doesnt exist, i have cases from a 35€ cheapo with included fan controller and temp sensors and crappy vents to a SilverStone TJ07s. About ten cases total. Yes i am nuts, i don´t have a proper hobby so silncing has gone a bit overboard, and i like vinyl records
Some of the wobbliness in the P180 door relates to the fact that the door is double-hinged and can be folded back 270 degrees to lay flat against the case. As Nici noted, you wouldn't want to drop the case on the floor, but I'm not expecting my case to fail from wear and tear either.
As far as portability goes, a P180 with everything installed inside is going to weigh around 40-50 pounds. You won't enjoy moving it, but any other heavy-duty steel case (such as the less expensive Antec 3000B) is also going to be heavy. If transportation weight is a serious consideration, you might look into aluminum cases. I believe that SPCR once reviewed aluminum cases and found that they tend to be more expensive and slightly louder than steel cases, but portability would be a definite plus for an aluminum case. As a small, lightweight computer is also easier to steal, that might also be an issue for you as a college student (depending on your living arrangements).
I also purchased a 3000B a year or so ago. Comparing the 3000B and the P180 is a little like comparing apples and oranges as they meet different needs and have different prices. If you are interested in comparing these two cases, I would encourage you to read the SPCR P180 reviews (one of which compared the P180 to a 3000B). You might also read the various P180 and 3000B user projects which have been posted on SPCR.
Although the above discussion focuses on a couple different Antec options, a number of SPCR users speak highly of Lian-Li and other cases as well.
As far as portability goes, a P180 with everything installed inside is going to weigh around 40-50 pounds. You won't enjoy moving it, but any other heavy-duty steel case (such as the less expensive Antec 3000B) is also going to be heavy. If transportation weight is a serious consideration, you might look into aluminum cases. I believe that SPCR once reviewed aluminum cases and found that they tend to be more expensive and slightly louder than steel cases, but portability would be a definite plus for an aluminum case. As a small, lightweight computer is also easier to steal, that might also be an issue for you as a college student (depending on your living arrangements).
I also purchased a 3000B a year or so ago. Comparing the 3000B and the P180 is a little like comparing apples and oranges as they meet different needs and have different prices. If you are interested in comparing these two cases, I would encourage you to read the SPCR P180 reviews (one of which compared the P180 to a 3000B). You might also read the various P180 and 3000B user projects which have been posted on SPCR.
Although the above discussion focuses on a couple different Antec options, a number of SPCR users speak highly of Lian-Li and other cases as well.
BigA a) Which case would you deem best for silencing a mid- to high-end computer (see my sig) while not frying the parts?
b) In what ways is the 3000B better than the P180?
nici c) For what systems would the P180 be worse than a regular case like the 3000B? I'm mostly interested in the "some other stuff" part. (Seeing as what counts is really what you get after assembly and I reckon the cost for the P180 is pretty low actually.)
Eunos d) In order to find out whether you have the "fixed" version or not, just take a look at the inside of your front panel door. Is it plastic, or aluminium? The original front door with warping issues is dual-ply composite of aluminium (front, (out)side) and plastic (back, (in)side), whereas the new "fixed" door is the same multi-ply composite as the side panels: aluminium, plastic, aluminium. So simply check, does your front panel have aluminium on both sides, or does it have plastic on the inside (the side you can't see when the door is closed)?
Thanks!
~ Kris
b) In what ways is the 3000B better than the P180?
nici c) For what systems would the P180 be worse than a regular case like the 3000B? I'm mostly interested in the "some other stuff" part. (Seeing as what counts is really what you get after assembly and I reckon the cost for the P180 is pretty low actually.)
Eunos d) In order to find out whether you have the "fixed" version or not, just take a look at the inside of your front panel door. Is it plastic, or aluminium? The original front door with warping issues is dual-ply composite of aluminium (front, (out)side) and plastic (back, (in)side), whereas the new "fixed" door is the same multi-ply composite as the side panels: aluminium, plastic, aluminium. So simply check, does your front panel have aluminium on both sides, or does it have plastic on the inside (the side you can't see when the door is closed)?
Thanks!
~ Kris
Well the PSU is the main problem after assembly in my opinion, i can´t understand why but the Phantom ran cooler in a 3700AMB with acoustipack than in the P180. Sure it wont butn up in the P180 either.. I tried with the holes around the PSU open and closed with different fans in the lower chamber, and i tried sealing off all the holes between the compartments.krille wrote:
nici c) For what systems would the P180 be worse than a regular case like the 3000B? I'm mostly interested in the "some other stuff" part. (Seeing as what counts is really what you get after assembly and I reckon the cost for the P180 is pretty low actually.)
And for me it isn´t just about what i get after assembly because im always changing stuff and a case thats hard to work in gets pretty frustrating.. Though im starting to think that all cases are frustrating to work with.
But overall i suppose i don´t have any major complaints
Im typing while tired again, ill see if i can come up with more tomorrow..
If I had to do it over again, I would not buy the 180 again. I have the warped front door, but I also have one of the side panels peeling apart.
Also, for such a big case, there seems to be a lack of room inside. The placement of the PSU means it is a stretch to plug the 12V 4-pin power cable into some motherboards, depending on the length of the cable. Also, if you are thinking of building a high-powered computer based on, say, an Asus A8N32-SLI deluxe and 2 7900GTX video cards in SLI, that combination won't fit in the case because all the power cords exit right where the 2nd video card and its double-slot cooler wants to be.
Also, for such a big case, there seems to be a lack of room inside. The placement of the PSU means it is a stretch to plug the 12V 4-pin power cable into some motherboards, depending on the length of the cable. Also, if you are thinking of building a high-powered computer based on, say, an Asus A8N32-SLI deluxe and 2 7900GTX video cards in SLI, that combination won't fit in the case because all the power cords exit right where the 2nd video card and its double-slot cooler wants to be.
I know the P180 is bloody annoying to work with, I've actually already built a setup in a P180 for a friend. However, my biggest concern is noise. Is there any other case that will yield a quieter system than the P180? Because I don't mind putting up with lots of trouble in order to achieve silence.
nici, the PSU issue sounds weird. But this may be because your Phantom is running passive or? I have a hard time believing my S12-600 would run hot in a P180?
olyar15, you saying SLI won't fit? That's big trouble actually. I'm into going water-cooling eventually so the cards won't have to use dual-slot coolers. Then it should fit no? Or what's the issue with these cables?
nici, the PSU issue sounds weird. But this may be because your Phantom is running passive or? I have a hard time believing my S12-600 would run hot in a P180?
olyar15, you saying SLI won't fit? That's big trouble actually. I'm into going water-cooling eventually so the cards won't have to use dual-slot coolers. Then it should fit no? Or what's the issue with these cables?
Actually, I'm concerned about this too, this was the exact combination I was planning to go in a P180 and I hadn't seen any comments about this before. Is it really not possible to route the cables cleanly around this combination, has anyone achieved it? I was going to mod the video cards with the latest Zalman VGA cooler, which is probably even larger than most...?Also, if you are thinking of building a high-powered computer based on, say, an Asus A8N32-SLI deluxe and 2 7900GTX video cards in SLI, that combination won't fit in the case because all the power cords exit right where the 2nd video card and its double-slot cooler wants to be.
Its early days I know, but is there a passively cooled AM2 board coming up (maybe ATI Crossfire rather than nVidia SLI) which would not foul up the power cables with 2 video cards (I'm off to check Asus' website....)
Durwin
With long enough cables shouldn't you be able to re-route them via the HDD cable "inlet" instead? (If you remove the lower chamber fan that is.) Worth a try perhaps.
Because this here is sort of a deal-breaker. I'm into shopping a 24" LCD sporting 1920x1200 resolution and today's single-cards are a very long way from handling this resolution in new games. SLI/CF has big problems even.
~ Kris
Because this here is sort of a deal-breaker. I'm into shopping a 24" LCD sporting 1920x1200 resolution and today's single-cards are a very long way from handling this resolution in new games. SLI/CF has big problems even.
~ Kris
Krille,
I have a 24" LCD at work (I believe it's a Samsung 243T) and I'm not too crazy about it since it runs at a refresh rate of something like 65 Hz (you really want a vertical refresh rate > 80 hz to avoid the impression of flickering). For video quality, it's still hard to beat a 21" CRT and they are a *lot* less expensive than a 24" LCD. If you're wedded to the idea of a 24" display and display quality is important to you, you might look into the 24" Sony monitors -- these have been discontinued, but you might be able to pick one up used at a reasonable price.
If noise is your only concern, the P180 is the best case I am aware of short of the $500 Zalman TNN-300 case reviewed a month or so ago by SPCR. We discussed case advantages of the P180 vs. P150 on another thread last week. I've copied that list over, added some additional notes, and included information concerning the 3000B:
P180:
* Composite side panels minimize vibration
* Separate airflow for PSU, requires longer power cables than traditional ATX implementations.
* Larger case than P150 or 3000B
* Side-vented front panel reduces transmission of noise by blocking direct air paths from the case interior.
* Overall, airflow and damping can make the P180 the quietest mainstream case available.
* Extra space and separate power supply chamber provide lots of implementation flexibility.
* Requires more time to build than a P150 or 3000B
* Vertical drive installation (with grommets) in lower chamber may damp hard drive resonance better than horizontal installation (with grommets).
* Very high quality finish -- all parts slide together smoothly and precisely without any sharp edges inside the case. Some users have reported issues with warping of the front door (although mine was fine). The latest revision of the case has reportedly addressed this issue.
* Approximate cost: $100
P150 / Solo:
* Side panels are damped with rubber
* P150 Includes Neo HE power supply (a good power supply if it is compatible with your system -- search the forum for discussions about the P150 power supply).
* Solo appears to be identical to P150 without PSU
* Front panel / venting solution borrowed from P180
* Elastic drive suspension minimizes vibration (some users have reported issues with bands breaking, although drives may be horizontally mounted with grommets)
* Probably not quite as quiet as the P180, but an awfully quiet case.
* Standard ATX implementation creates a more straightforward build.
* Approximate cost: $80 (without PSU)
3000B:
* Non-damped steel side panels using a thicker gauge of steel than many cases in this price range. Users have lined these steel panels on the inside with vinyl floor tiles to reduce vibrations.
* Thermally advantaged chassis provides direct airflow vent to the CPU. Some users remove the duct and block off this vent for cooler (AMD) CPU's.
* Air intake through front panel is directed through downward angled vents which limit noise somewhat, but not so much as with the P180.
* As with the P150 and P180, removable drive cages are oriented to maximize airflow across the drives (this is an advantage over the Sonata).
* Users have rigged hard drive suspensions within the 3000B case (and in the P180), although by default only horizontal installation (with grommets) is supported).
* Removable drive cage is similar to that of the P150 and P180, and a huge step up from systems without removable drive cages.
* Not as finished inside as the P180 and includes some sharp metal edges inside the case (my installation was not entirely bloodless).
* The 3000B is similar to the Evercase 4252, which is somewhat less expensive, although I prefer the drive cage implementation of the 3000B.
* Approximate cost: $50 (without PSU)
Model builds using these three cases are:
Antec P180 -- Quiet OC'ed Pentium D 830 System
* Part 1: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article310-page1.html
* Part 2: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article595-page1.html
Antec P150 -- Quiet PC for Torrid Thailand
* http://www.silentpcreview.com/article293-page1.html
Antec 3000B -- A fine-tuned SLK3000B (photos and instructions)
* http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=25368
SPCR has also did a generic build comparing the 3000B and the P180 as part of its review article -- Antec P180 Review, Part 2: The Whole Nine Yards:
* http://www.silentpcreview.com/article255-page1.html
I have a 24" LCD at work (I believe it's a Samsung 243T) and I'm not too crazy about it since it runs at a refresh rate of something like 65 Hz (you really want a vertical refresh rate > 80 hz to avoid the impression of flickering). For video quality, it's still hard to beat a 21" CRT and they are a *lot* less expensive than a 24" LCD. If you're wedded to the idea of a 24" display and display quality is important to you, you might look into the 24" Sony monitors -- these have been discontinued, but you might be able to pick one up used at a reasonable price.
If noise is your only concern, the P180 is the best case I am aware of short of the $500 Zalman TNN-300 case reviewed a month or so ago by SPCR. We discussed case advantages of the P180 vs. P150 on another thread last week. I've copied that list over, added some additional notes, and included information concerning the 3000B:
P180:
* Composite side panels minimize vibration
* Separate airflow for PSU, requires longer power cables than traditional ATX implementations.
* Larger case than P150 or 3000B
* Side-vented front panel reduces transmission of noise by blocking direct air paths from the case interior.
* Overall, airflow and damping can make the P180 the quietest mainstream case available.
* Extra space and separate power supply chamber provide lots of implementation flexibility.
* Requires more time to build than a P150 or 3000B
* Vertical drive installation (with grommets) in lower chamber may damp hard drive resonance better than horizontal installation (with grommets).
* Very high quality finish -- all parts slide together smoothly and precisely without any sharp edges inside the case. Some users have reported issues with warping of the front door (although mine was fine). The latest revision of the case has reportedly addressed this issue.
* Approximate cost: $100
P150 / Solo:
* Side panels are damped with rubber
* P150 Includes Neo HE power supply (a good power supply if it is compatible with your system -- search the forum for discussions about the P150 power supply).
* Solo appears to be identical to P150 without PSU
* Front panel / venting solution borrowed from P180
* Elastic drive suspension minimizes vibration (some users have reported issues with bands breaking, although drives may be horizontally mounted with grommets)
* Probably not quite as quiet as the P180, but an awfully quiet case.
* Standard ATX implementation creates a more straightforward build.
* Approximate cost: $80 (without PSU)
3000B:
* Non-damped steel side panels using a thicker gauge of steel than many cases in this price range. Users have lined these steel panels on the inside with vinyl floor tiles to reduce vibrations.
* Thermally advantaged chassis provides direct airflow vent to the CPU. Some users remove the duct and block off this vent for cooler (AMD) CPU's.
* Air intake through front panel is directed through downward angled vents which limit noise somewhat, but not so much as with the P180.
* As with the P150 and P180, removable drive cages are oriented to maximize airflow across the drives (this is an advantage over the Sonata).
* Users have rigged hard drive suspensions within the 3000B case (and in the P180), although by default only horizontal installation (with grommets) is supported).
* Removable drive cage is similar to that of the P150 and P180, and a huge step up from systems without removable drive cages.
* Not as finished inside as the P180 and includes some sharp metal edges inside the case (my installation was not entirely bloodless).
* The 3000B is similar to the Evercase 4252, which is somewhat less expensive, although I prefer the drive cage implementation of the 3000B.
* Approximate cost: $50 (without PSU)
Model builds using these three cases are:
Antec P180 -- Quiet OC'ed Pentium D 830 System
* Part 1: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article310-page1.html
* Part 2: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article595-page1.html
Antec P150 -- Quiet PC for Torrid Thailand
* http://www.silentpcreview.com/article293-page1.html
Antec 3000B -- A fine-tuned SLK3000B (photos and instructions)
* http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=25368
SPCR has also did a generic build comparing the 3000B and the P180 as part of its review article -- Antec P180 Review, Part 2: The Whole Nine Yards:
* http://www.silentpcreview.com/article255-page1.html
The problem with the Asus A8N32-SLI is that the 2nd PCIe16 slot is the 2nd to bottom. When using the 7900GTX with its double-slot coolers, this means that the video card is basically at the bottom of the motherboard. This means that there is no space for the cables to enter the upper compartment of the case.
If you do SLI with a single-slot video card, there should be enough room for the cables. Or if you use a low profile waterblock you should be OK.
Or if you use another motherboard that doesn't have the 2nd PCIe16 slot so low, then you should be fine.
If you do SLI with a single-slot video card, there should be enough room for the cables. Or if you use a low profile waterblock you should be OK.
Or if you use another motherboard that doesn't have the 2nd PCIe16 slot so low, then you should be fine.
errmm... sorry to go off on a tangent but this really is completely wrong - LCD screens don't work in the same way as CRTs. A CRT's image is composed of phosphor dots whose illumination decays in the interval between which they're hit by the electron gun (this is what causes perceptible flicker if the refresh rate is set too low). LCDs use transistors which simply open or close as the displayed image is updated.BigA wrote:Krille,
I have a 24" LCD at work (I believe it's a Samsung 243T) and I'm not too crazy about it since it runs at a refresh rate of something like 65 Hz (you really want a vertical refresh rate > 80 hz to avoid the impression of flickering).
I've never noticed any flickering on LCD monitors, even at the default refresh rate of 60Hz which most of them ship with. There may still be some valid reasons for preferring CRTs in some circumstances, but if you can see your LCD flickering there's probably something wrong with it...
BigA Thanks for the updated list!
24" LCD debate (smaller to avoid unrelated thread spamming)
As for LCD vs CRT debate, my eyes can't stand CRT monitors so they're a no-no. My current LCD (18.1", Viewsonic VP181s) is too small (imo) so I'm looking into 24" models. I'm currently waiting for reviews of the upcoming Dell FPW2407, the only problem I see with these big screens are 1) response time, 2) high resolution. I love to game and watch movies on my computer, so response time is important. Problem with high resolution is really the horsepower required to game at the native resolution and the highest end solutions are very noise (I'm allergic to noise!! I HATE it also draws lots of power/generates tons of heat) and very expensive (I'm not too happy about spending $2000+ every year just for new video cards, also powerbill of course).
As for P180vP150v3000B I'm definitely on to P180. A Zalman TTN (Totally No Noise Computer Case) would be EXTREMELY interesting if I thought it could handle my sig rig (which I don't think). For a HTPC setup, perhaps. But for my sig rig I think the P180 along with water-cooling would yield the best results. Btw, what bout these?Differences (basically which one is better)? Can handle how much? One of those two cases may very well be very interesting for a mid-end computer.
(I have read all excellent SPCR reviews of P180 already, but thanks anyway.)
However I think my main question was answered quite elaborately by olyar15 so P180 it is, thanks!
~ Kris
24" LCD debate (smaller to avoid unrelated thread spamming)
As for LCD vs CRT debate, my eyes can't stand CRT monitors so they're a no-no. My current LCD (18.1", Viewsonic VP181s) is too small (imo) so I'm looking into 24" models. I'm currently waiting for reviews of the upcoming Dell FPW2407, the only problem I see with these big screens are 1) response time, 2) high resolution. I love to game and watch movies on my computer, so response time is important. Problem with high resolution is really the horsepower required to game at the native resolution and the highest end solutions are very noise (I'm allergic to noise!! I HATE it also draws lots of power/generates tons of heat) and very expensive (I'm not too happy about spending $2000+ every year just for new video cards, also powerbill of course).
As for P180vP150v3000B I'm definitely on to P180. A Zalman TTN (Totally No Noise Computer Case) would be EXTREMELY interesting if I thought it could handle my sig rig (which I don't think). For a HTPC setup, perhaps. But for my sig rig I think the P180 along with water-cooling would yield the best results. Btw, what bout these?Differences (basically which one is better)? Can handle how much? One of those two cases may very well be very interesting for a mid-end computer.
(I have read all excellent SPCR reviews of P180 already, but thanks anyway.)
However I think my main question was answered quite elaborately by olyar15 so P180 it is, thanks!
~ Kris
Krille,
From the URL's you provided, it looks like the TNN500AF ships with a 400W power supply, whereas the TNN500A ships with a 350W power supply.
The 50-page installation manual suggests that building one of these might be a lengthy process, however, the quality of the documentation is superb (10 MB file):
http://www.zalman.co.kr/Upload/product/TNN500A_eng.PDF
The specifications for the TNN500AF state that it supports a CPU with a TDP up to 100W, and VGA cards up to ATI X800XT / Nvidia 6800. Since AMD processors rate their TDP's conservatively, your CPU would probably run well in this case without a case fan (if not, you could try undervolting). As it is my understanding that the X1900 uses significantly more power than the ATI X800XT, this would probably prevent you from using this case. As for watercooled systems, the very idea of routing water inside my case makes me shudder, although the concept was first introduced by IBM in their mainframes decades ago.
From the URL's you provided, it looks like the TNN500AF ships with a 400W power supply, whereas the TNN500A ships with a 350W power supply.
The 50-page installation manual suggests that building one of these might be a lengthy process, however, the quality of the documentation is superb (10 MB file):
http://www.zalman.co.kr/Upload/product/TNN500A_eng.PDF
The specifications for the TNN500AF state that it supports a CPU with a TDP up to 100W, and VGA cards up to ATI X800XT / Nvidia 6800. Since AMD processors rate their TDP's conservatively, your CPU would probably run well in this case without a case fan (if not, you could try undervolting). As it is my understanding that the X1900 uses significantly more power than the ATI X800XT, this would probably prevent you from using this case. As for watercooled systems, the very idea of routing water inside my case makes me shudder, although the concept was first introduced by IBM in their mainframes decades ago.