P183 Reviewed

yensteel · Post by **yensteel** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:54 pm

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?o ... &Itemid=61

It's got a 9.25 out of 10.

I'm relieved that it still has filters for the front, Since I couldn't tell whether it has it or not from earlier pictures.

ame · Post by **ame** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:15 am

Seems all the changes they made are to improve airflow and layout, with no significant changes made with regards to noise.

I think the best changes are the low chamber fan moved to the fromt and the door vents being much less restrictive. These are also probably the most popular mods I've seen done to p180/182 cases on the forum's gallery pages.

I could have lived with the hole-less door, but I guess the is no perfect case, right?

Hypernova · Post by **Hypernova** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:55 am

Get rid of those ugly holes and I'll throw my wallet at them. Otherwise? No, just, no.

InfyMcGirk · Post by **InfyMcGirk** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 3:29 am

I agree... the holes look especially tacky with those chrome bits. Urgh. I'm sticking with Plan A - a P182.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 7:06 am

InfyMcGirk wrote:I agree... the holes look especially tacky with those chrome bits. Urgh. I'm sticking with Plan A - a P182.

It looks like they're trying to make it look like a Pontiac G8..

Xeanor · Post by **Xeanor** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 7:27 am

Maybe it's just me, but I like the holes.

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:02 am

The holes dont mater to me.
Id rip the door off anyway.

pqyrz · Post by **pqyrz** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:13 pm

Wonder if you can replace the door with one from a P182.

ProtoPunch · Post by **ProtoPunch** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:30 am

What is the point of the key lock on the front panel if the power and reset buttons are easily accessed through the vents?

Xeanor · Post by **Xeanor** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:16 am

ProtoPunch wrote:What is the point of the key lock on the front panel if the power and reset buttons are easily accessed through the vents?

You spotted that well. I don't think there's a way to lock the side panels, so what's the lock needed for anyway? Most motherboards have a power and reset button on them nowadays.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:12 am

Hmmm, I somewhat liked the holes on the black P180 Mini - worked well with black and the top vent in same style. But here, no, I dont like them.

Regarding the holes from a practical perspective: I believe they improve airflow, but I think they make a noise path at the same time. This is of course speculation

I mis the firewire on the front - I use it frequently for my camcorder. Also, I would appreciate, if the two HDD cages was the same size, so they could be swapped around.

On the other hand, I think it was about time Antec improved the airflow on the inner front

Would be great if the fan doors fit on the older cases

If I should buy a new case, I think I would give the CM 690 a try.

~El~Jefe~ · Post by **~El~Jefe~** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 7:36 am

The holes rock.

It is called: style.

I know, it's strange for some people on computer forums!

Monkeh16 · Post by **Monkeh16** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 7:47 am

~El~Jefe~ wrote:The holes rock.

It is called: style.

I know, it's strange for some people on computer forums!

Lack of style, more like.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:15 pm

You really cannot argue about matters of taste taste, now can you? Beauty is in the ye of the beholder, now that is very true old wisdom that applies here.

Monkeh16 · Post by **Monkeh16** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 6:16 am

thejamppa wrote:You really cannot argue about matters of taste taste, now can you? Beauty is in the ye of the beholder, now that is very true old wisdom that applies here.

You mean the beer holder, surely.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 12:30 am

Monkeh16 wrote:
thejamppa wrote:You really cannot argue about matters of taste taste, now can you? Beauty is in the ye of the beholder, now that is very true old wisdom that applies here.
You mean the beer holder, surely.

Why of course, how could I have made such typo?

Shaman · Post by **Shaman** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:01 am

Monkeh16 wrote:You mean the beer holder, surely.

I wonder how many will order the P183 while drunk and regret it the next day

jimmyzaas · Post by **jimmyzaas** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:53 am

For the amount they are charging, wouldn't it be a better choice to buy a Coolermaster Cosmos S? In terms of looks and feature-wise, that's a winner. I dunno about the silence aspect of it though.

Cosmos S only costs roughly 50 bucks more but it looks so awesome in comparison.

speedkar9 · Post by **speedkar9** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 5:21 am

The reason why I dumped my P180 in favor of a Solo was because of the front door design- having to open a flimsy front door every time to access the power button. Again, in the P183 they've kept the power button behind a door that supposedly locks, although now I don't have to open the door to access the button anymore

. Why couldn't they just put the power button on the front panel rather than have me sticking my fingers in the intake vent to turn the computer on?

I think the plastic open front panel treatment would still let more sound out. Other than that, I don't see any difference between this and a P180 rev 2.

I wonder if they'll ever make an P183SE with mirrored side panels .....

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:18 am

speedkar9 wrote:Why couldn't they just put the power button on the front panel rather than have me sticking my fingers in the intake vent to turn the computer on?

Agree !!!!

F for Fragging · Post by **F for Fragging** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 6:35 am

speedkar9 wrote:The reason why I dumped my P180 in favor of a Solo was because of the front door design- having to open a flimsy front door every time to access the power button. Again, in the P183 they've kept the power button behind a door that supposedly locks, although now I don't have to open the door to access the button anymore . Why couldn't they just put the power button on the front panel rather than have me sticking my fingers in the intake vent to turn the computer on?

I was confused by this comment because I thought the grey button on the front was the power button. I took a look at the photos again and now I see that it is a black button located behind the door together with the reset button. Are you sure a finger will fit through the hole?

I had an Antec SLK3700BQE in the past, which also had the power button hidden behind the door. In principle a door wouldn't be a problem for me because I barely use my DVD-drive, but placement of the power button behind the door is a serious turn-off for me because I often turn my PC on and off.

I'm not yet sure if the P183 is off my to-buy list already, but possibly the Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 is a better choice for me. That's unfortunate, because I'd rather not buy it, because it's expensive and larger than I need.

I have another question, I wonder how easy dust will accumulate inside the P183 through the top vent, which doesn't seem to have a dust filter. My enclosure stands under my desk, but on top of it a thin layer of dust always quickly builds up after it's cleaned. Does anyone have any experience with this? Canned air is expensive, so it's important to me that dust is kept outside the enclosure.

ame · Post by **ame** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:36 am

I have another question, I wonder how easy dust will accumulate inside the P183 through the top vent, which doesn't seem to have a dust filter. My enclosure stands under my desk, but on top of it a thin layer of dust always quickly builds up after it's cleaned. Does anyone have any experience with this? Canned air is expensive, so it's important to me that dust is kept outside the enclosure.

If I can use the P-182 as a reference, there will be no dust comming in from the top vent, since the fan is blowing air out of the case.

The best solution for dust is filtered positive pressure. First eliminate the top fan and block the top opening, then add an intake fan, and another intake fan in a kama Bay. With 2x120mm fans as intake and only one as exauhst you will have positive pressure and all the air comming into the case is passing thru the filters.

K.Murx · Post by **K.Murx** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:27 pm

Regarding the power buton problem:
Have you guys ever thought about simply getting a keyboard with a power button?
Works for me.

With regards to the case:
Nice, if only they would offer a closed door option. The holes do look ugly ("style" certainly does not include integrating little, angled, hyperactive structures into a large, flat, rectangular and quiet surface), and the new hinge design should still offer some nice improvement with regards to airflow.

Other than that, there's nothing that could not be done to a P182 within 20-30 minutes of work. So I would not be willing to pay an additional $30-$40 compared to the 182, but my 182 will last me for the foreseeable future anyway...

Olle P · Post by **Olle P** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:38 am

pqyrz wrote:Wonder if you can replace the door with one from a P182.

My question too. I sent it to Antec's EU support a while back. They couldn't give me a straight answer since they hadn't actually seen one yet, but agreed with me that it seems like a plausible possibility.
(I'd rather use the brushed alu door from a basic P180 though.)
____________________________________________________

As I see it, the improvements compared to P182 are:
1. Less restrictive air intakes on the door sides.
(Takes some Dremel work to fix on a P182.)

2. Less restrictive filter grills.
(Also takes some work to fix on a P182.)

3. Bottom fan placement moved to the front.
(Good if you actually need that fan, and an easy fix on a P182.)

4. Lowered PSU holder reduces the air flow restriction when using PSUs with top air intake. It also provides room for Antec's new PSU format.
(Not so simple fix on a P182.)

5. Changed the top fan grill. The old type wasn't good, don't know whether the new one is better.

I see no reason to replace an existing P180/182 with a P183, but the P183 is a serious option when purchasing a new case.

Cheers
Olle

F for Fragging · Post by **F for Fragging** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:33 am

ame wrote:If I can use the P182 as a reference, there will be no dust coming in from the top vent, since the fan is blowing air out of the case.

The best solution for dust is filtered positive pressure. First eliminate the top fan and block the top opening, then add an intake fan, and another intake fan in a kama Bay. With 2x120mm fans as intake and only one as exhaust you will have positive pressure and all the air coming into the case is passing through the filters.

But wouldn't that work only if the PC is turned on all the time? Or would dust which would have passed through the top ventilation holes while the PC was turned off, be blown out again when the PC is turned on?

Xeanor · Post by **Xeanor** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:03 am

F for Fragging wrote:
ame wrote:If I can use the P182 as a reference, there will be no dust coming in from the top vent, since the fan is blowing air out of the case.

The best solution for dust is filtered positive pressure. First eliminate the top fan and block the top opening, then add an intake fan, and another intake fan in a kama Bay. With 2x120mm fans as intake and only one as exhaust you will have positive pressure and all the air coming into the case is passing through the filters.
But wouldn't that work only if the PC is turned on all the time? Or would dust which would have passed through the top ventilation holes while the PC was turned off, be blown out again when the PC is turned on?

I reckon that "dust falling into the pc" only takes care of like 0.1% of the dust that might pile up inside your case eventually. It's downright ridiculous to even mention it really.

cherubrocker · Post by **cherubrocker** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:19 am

Finally! I've been looking for a P183 review for a while now. Thanks for posting.

However, this review lacks any noise testing or even a single reference comment about noise, which I found disappointing. A case can have all the cooling in the world, but if it's not rated against noise then it's pointless.

Olle P · Post by **Olle P** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 10:42 pm

cherubrocker wrote:However, this review lacks any noise testing or even a single reference comment about noise, ...

From the reviewer himself:

Matt Williams wrote:I wasn't able to test the sound levels objectively (no DB meter), but I can give you my subjective opinion. I used an Antec P180B for about a year and enjoyed the low noise levels. Compared to that case, the P183 is about the same on low fan speed and tad louder on the medium and high fan speeds. It takes a good ear and quiet room to hear the difference though.

Cheers
Olle

yensteel · Post by **yensteel** » Wed Apr 22, 2009 12:56 am

http://tech-reviews.co.uk/reviews/antec ... ower-case/

Another Review.

thepwner · Post by **thepwner** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:31 am

Holes look hideous. Forget eSATA and the lock on the front. The interior panels for the drive bays are very ugly. I liked the looks of the 182 or 180 ones. The top vent for the fan is fugly compared to the vent little thing on top of the fan for the 180 and 182. Other than that...it's just another 182 or 180.