Antec p182 vs antec solo

[josephclemente]

On the other hand, a smaller enclosure means there is much less air to move, so it can be fully exchanged more quickly. (Not that it would apply to Solo vs P182, since the separated chambers of the P182 make the real volume similar to the Solo.)

I almost missed this point and think it is important. I was thinking everyone was talking about case size in regards to the Solo vs. P18x, but wondering how that can be an issue since the upper chamber volume of the P18x is not a big deal larger.

[ame]

I almost missed this point and think it is important. I was thinking everyone was talking about case size in regards to the Solo vs. P18x, but wondering how that can be an issue since the upper chamber volume of the P18x is not a big deal larger.

Yeh. they are almos identical in size and volume. therefor the airflow vs size in a non issue when comparing these two caes.
Removing frond grill on the P182 helps intake. as does adding an intake fan.
In the solo I think one intake fan is a must. without it to much passive intake happens from the back over the PCI slots and reduces HD cooling.

Hush,
I would go with the Solo as I've seen price diffrences here in the range of 400 nis (about 100 US). In terms of Quiet they are about the same. My Solo is subjectivly quieter than my freind's P180 with almost the exact same specs. we both agree on that so its not just me

edit: i think the reason for this is that P182 with PSU has 4*120 fans and solo will have 2*120 and 1*92 giving a potencially lower noise level.

A thing to keep in mind is that parts (fans) make noise. cases don't. So the P180/2 while blocking more sound also blocks more airflow. to get a better result you will need to mod it.


off topic
Does anyone know if its possible to flip the PSU in a SOLO so that the 120 intake is on top?

[Wibla]

My solo (ws2) is barely less noisy than my P182 (ws1), the main difference is harddrives, with samsung drives in the solo and seagate drives in the p182. Because I chose a crappy cpu cooler for my solo its more noisy than my p182 when i actually use it tho... damned thing.

[Yomat]

Unless I am missing something (always possible...), you need to remove the side door (which requires rear access) to open the Solo front panel, *then* take the filters out. Since we keep all our computers under desks, this is a major PITA and I find we rarely clean the filters. In the P180/182, the filters are directly accessible by simply opening the front door. I have the plastic doors removed to make it even easier.

I dont think you're missing anything. Its just hard to tell these things from pictures and reviews. Thankful for the input. Btw, how often do you clean the filters?

They are both excellent cases, but I just find it easier to get a near-silent computer with minimal twiddling in the P182.

Doubling back a bit if you dont mind. What kind of twiddling does it require for the Solo to be equal?

[cb95014]

Unless I am missing something (always possible...), you need to remove the side door (which requires rear access) to open the Solo front panel, *then* take the filters out. Since we keep all our computers under desks, this is a major PITA and I find we rarely clean the filters. In the P180/182, the filters are directly accessible by simply opening the front door. I have the plastic doors removed to make it even easier.

I dont think you're missing anything. Its just hard to tell these things from pictures and reviews. Thankful for the input. Btw, how often do you clean the filters?

No worries. Obviously this depends on your room (plus pets, etc.) but in my case I clean them every couple of months or so. It is so easy that my kids even clean their own filters.

They are both excellent cases, but I just find it easier to get a near-silent computer with minimal twiddling in the P182.

Doubling back a bit if you dont mind. What kind of twiddling does it require for the Solo to be equal?

In all cases I replace the stock fans with Scythe S-Flex, so the big difference for sound is the door. Lined with acoustimat, it noticeably drops the sound level when closed. The Solo does not have the door, so you need to tweak the fan voltages (/temps) more carefully to get comparable results. Also, having the power supply at the bottom of the case seems to deflect more noise when the case is under a desk. The P182 is also much easier to cable now that you can route behind the tray, and makes it extremely easy to swap motherboards, etc. Overall I think it is an outstanding design. IMO the Solo is almost as good, but generally much cheaper (= great value).

[JVM]

For those interested in the Solo, Newegg has it for $89.99 with $50.00 rebate bringing cost to $39.99 plus shipping, not a bad deal.

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6811129018