Antec P150 mid-tower case w/ Neo HE 430 PSU

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stromgald
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Post by stromgald » Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:03 am

kabanan wrote:Everytime I want to clean the dustfilter (every 2 weeks) I must also remove the sidepanel, just waiting for the threads to get worn out...

Who the heck designs a case with two 120mm exhaust fans (one in case, one in psu) and two 92mm intake fans (behind a filter). Even when undervolting the case fan (replaced to a 1000rpm ADDA) and using a slooow Seasonic psu the case sucks in air everywhere BUT the filter in front (two 92mm 1500rpm ADDA). Heatsink, floppy and DVD-RW are full of dust because of the negative pressure inside the case + the open unfiltered vents just above the expansion slots.
Do you really get that much dust in Sweden that you clean the filter every two weeks? Unless you keep your computer outside or on a dirt floor, I don't see how the filter will clog in two weeks. Cleaning the filter 1-4 times per year would be more reasonable.

Why do you have all the case fans in there? Are you running a very high end system? Most systems are good with just the exhaust fan, and maybe one intake fan for a system with 3-4 hard drives. More fans = more airflow = more dust.

Most computer cases are designed to be negative pressure cases and they suffer from the same problem you mentioned, dust gets in open vents and all the little cracks around the panels and drives. Lian Li, Thermaltake, Cooler Master, and many other case manufacturers generally use negative pressure cases that pull in dust through the cracks around all the drive bays, and many of those cases don't even have a front intake filter. I challenge you to find more than a handful of retail computer cases that are sealed any better than the SOLO/P150. The SOLO is a great case, but I don't think anyone has said it was a revolutionary computer case that solved 90% of the dust issue.

Wedge
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Post by Wedge » Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:04 am

Incidentally, I have been wondering if anybody has received this case with the new design for silent drive mounting? Recall that the first iteration of the P150 used nylon bands as an alternative to hard mounting the drives with screws. This design was revamped due to the bands breaking after some period of time.

If any of you have this case with the new fabric (or whatever is being used now), from where did you make your purchase?

kabanan
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Post by kabanan » Sun Dec 17, 2006 3:56 pm

MikeC wrote:imo, kabanan's comments are sour and picky. He's not comparing the case to any product that exists but some fantasy perfect case in his mind. I've never heard of anyone who wants to clean the filters every 2 weeks.
Well, since I got so many replies to my "sour" and "picky" comments it's more than appropriate to reply.

Yeah, I am dreaming of that "fantasy perfect" case, but as long as reviewers are giving great reviews to sub-standard cases that will never happen.

I don't use the system in a dusty enviroment. I have it at home. I do not have any pets, children or other dust-enducing elements. ;)

I do however use a rather high/mid end system: AMD Opteron [email protected] (stock vcore), DFI RDX-200 passively cooled NB (Thermalright HR-05 SLI) and nVidia 8800GTS with stock cooler.

I am very "picky" if cooling is affected since this in turn makes the fans to rev up to compensate the lack of. Dust does affect cooling.

Antec has designed a very nice case in the Solo. The hdd suspension is great, so is the the general appearance. But as the review stated using a single undervolted 92mm fan as intake... this is only applicable in a test-lab. I knew this when purchasing the case and therefore also bought two medium speed 92mm fans to use as intake. Unfortunately this is not sufficient to combat the negative pressure a undervolted (800rpm) 120mm ADDA fan and a Seasonic S430 psu creates. I am aware that the videocard also exhausts directly out and contributing to the negative pressure but it's not running full speed all the time, most at 70% one hour a day.

SPCR's commitment to stick that this case is all that great is ridiculous. You should instead demand a case which in fact is Quiet, Cool and Dust-proof.

bendit
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Post by bendit » Sun Dec 17, 2006 5:55 pm

you know what they say about democracy? It may not be perfect but its better than the rest. please let us know when you find a better case. we will anxiously be awaiting your review.

regards

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Post by MikeC » Sun Dec 17, 2006 6:01 pm

kabanan wrote:SPCR's commitment to stick that this case is all that great is ridiculous. You should instead demand a case which in fact is Quiet, Cool and Dust-proof.
It is, quite simply, one of maybe 2-3 best cases I've used, seen or tested in all of my 20 years of messing with computers.

I run a system in a P150 with an A64-x2-4800+, 2GB RAM, two 3.5" HDDs, a 400W Seasonic PSU, a passive ATI X1800GTO and Zalman 9500 modded with 7V Nexus 92mm fan... all with a single 120mm Nexus fan for exhaust at 7V and no intake fan at all. The CPU temp is typically in the low to mid 30s, the HDD temps are <40C, the noise level is 20~21 dBA @1m, and after 2 weeks of 24/7 usage, I see no reason to clean off anything inside -- or even the dust filters.

Show us a better case and we'll be cheering. To suggest that SPCR praises substandard cases is an insult. Show me one other review on one other site that's more demanding than any of ours... and I'll hire that reviewer.

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Post by merlin » Mon Dec 18, 2006 4:18 pm

kabanan wrote: SPCR's commitment to stick that this case is all that great is ridiculous. You should instead demand a case which in fact is Quiet, Cool and Dust-proof.
So... the question at hand, which case out there is dust proof? I'd love to see you name one first. There's absolutely no reason to complain about a case unless you can name an alternative that is better. This case is best of class for silent cooling and most of us certainly agree with that. ALL CASES ARE VULNERABLE TO DUST IF UNFILTERED AIR IS MOVING THROUGH THE CASE.

kabanan
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Post by kabanan » Mon Dec 18, 2006 6:20 pm

So the general opinion is: As long as there is no "fantasy perfect" (I really do like that description :D ), dust proof case on the market I MUST NOT complain about and criticise the existing designs?!?

No. The only way to get these "fantasy perfect" cases out to consumers is by criticising the existing flawed designs. SPCR's credibility weakens when they praise the Antec SOLO without pointing out the obvious errors.
MikeC wrote: Show me one other review on one other site that's more demanding than any of ours... and I'll hire that reviewer.
Why not start by raising your own standards?
Last edited by kabanan on Mon Dec 18, 2006 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Shadowknight
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Post by Shadowknight » Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:39 pm

kabanan wrote: No. The only way to get these "fantasy perfect" cases out to consumers is by criticising the existing flawed designs. SPCR's credibility weakens when they praise the Antec SOLO without pointing out the obvious errors.
Dude, I think the P180 and P150s are overrated myself, but you're making a big stink about something COMMON TO ALL CASES. It's one thing if you're not happy with a particular design element to that case, such as wishing it had a door, had a 120mm in the front instead of 2 92mms, or wished it had more 5.25 slots, allowed more than 3 hard drives to be mounted, etc.; it's something else when you're obsessing over a weakness common to all cases on the market (not counting mega-expensive all passive cases like the Zalman TNN series).

So by your standards, SPCR should have taken off marks because:

1. The case is made of metal! Metal is heavy!
2. The case is made of plastic! Plastic is cheap and flimsy!
3. The case uses screws! Screws vibrate!
4. The case hard mounts 5.25 drives! NO CASE SHOULD HARD MOUNT ANYTHING!
5. It's not vacuum sealed! All cases should be vacuum sealed!

Am I being obnoxious? Not really. I'm just trying to illustrate that there's a difference between a valid criticism for a piece being reviewed, vs. a flaw ALL pieces are going to have. If you look at another review of any case; a valid complaint (such as with a Lian-li) is that the design of the hard drive cage leads to a high amount of resonance due to vibrations transmitted through the chassis. An IN-valid complaint would be that it should have a suspension system built in. Oh, and the air intake should be on the bottom of the case instead of through the front. Oh, and that there should be a separate thermal zone for the PSU.

A fair review gives an assessment of what something DOES, not what it DOESN'T do or what you think it, or similar products from other competitors, SHOULD do but don't.

kabanan
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Post by kabanan » Mon Dec 18, 2006 9:05 pm

Shadowknight you are missing the point (and being obnoxius ;) ). I am aware of that most cases are less than perfect. Should we not bring attention to these issues instead of of hailing the least imperfect case?

Here is my idea of a "Fantasy Perfect case" ;)

Image

merlin
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Post by merlin » Tue Dec 19, 2006 1:03 am

kabanan wrote:Shadowknight you are missing the point (and being obnoxius ;) ). I am aware of that most cases are less than perfect. Should we not bring attention to these issues instead of of hailing the least imperfect case?

Here is my idea of a "Fantasy Perfect case" ;)

Image
If your so-called case is so great, why don't you make one yourself and prove that it's actually worthwhile. Your standards of "perfection" are completely ridiculous. Nobody is going to run around complaining about a car being imperfect because it doesn't get 100 miles per gallon in a legit review. And who needs to bring that to attention? You'd basically have to comment on the same pointless whining for EVERY SINGLE CAR OR CASE. Who wants boring repetition? Not me.

Nothing is perfect, we just want something that works well. The P150 does exactly that. You obviously just needs to add some air purifiers to your area to clean out as much dust as possible or something. Dust is caused by the laws of physics. It's already better than most cases that there's a dust filter. Or there's another idea...you should just live in Intel's clean room!

P.S. I don't see how your case in any way improves on any other design out there.

nici
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Post by nici » Tue Dec 19, 2006 3:30 am

Well his design gets the fans out from the front and back, and quite possible make the fans sound quieter because of that. Along with some other benefits. It is actually very close to what i have been planning to do on my Lian Li.

So instead of complaining about the P150, build one of your "fantasy perfect" cases. If it's any good it might be worth an article on SPCR. Get a cheap case as a base and start modding, or build it from scratch.

Tzupy
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Post by Tzupy » Tue Dec 19, 2006 11:34 am

I believe that kabanan's drawing makes some sense, I also want the 'perfect' case. However, the proposed setup would be a much longer and taller than the Solo. You need some space between the fans and long gfx cards, three 120 mm fans would make it >15 cm taller than the Solo. I started a thread about a 5 cm longer Solo XL and got just 45% votes, so...
There is also problematic to get the right amount of airflow to the top vent. If the positive pressure in the case finds any other way to reach room pressure, it will. The top exhaust is not the best choice, as many P180 users have pointed it's better to be blocked.
My idea of the 'perfect' case has two 120 mm fans on the bottom (HDDs vertically mounted), the PSU on the bottom too, and one fan in the back (to make sure that hot air from the CPU gets exhausted).

jaganath
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Post by jaganath » Tue Dec 19, 2006 12:12 pm

The P180 is very similar to Kabanan's Fantasy Perfect case, at least in layout.

nici
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Post by nici » Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:41 pm

Well it is, sort of. If you install a fan on the upper HDD cage and use three 5,25" slots for another fan, and remove the part that separates the top from the bottom. You would not be able to use really long GPUs though.

I just did the mod to my case with two 120mm fans, and i could still fit a 8800GTX if i wanted to. It works great, temps dropped by quite a lot, it got quieter, and there is plenty of room for a huge filter if i need it.

If i had the room, i would change the intake to the bottom, still keeping the fans like in kabanans drawing. Also a rear exhaust is a better idea than the top, in at the front, out in the back.

So with two fans, this is doable in a case the size of a lian li 6077, which is not much larger than a Solo. There is still room to mount more HDD than my mobo can handle, the only problem being that they would face the front. Which is why i would like the bottom intake.

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Post by ultrachrome » Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:13 pm

I just received a B-stock P150 from Antec. $100 shipped. The PSU is marked A4 but it came with rubber bands.

B-stock flaws included some damage to the inside of the front bezel and chipped paint on the back edge of the side panel next to one of the captive thumb screws. To anyone else, it looks flawless.

Moved the following system out of my damped, slightly carved up and suspended Sonata:
- Opteron 175 (stock settings) w/ ducted Ninja
- 4 x 512MB
- A8N5X w/ NB47J
- Samsung SP2504C
- eVGA 7900GT KO Superclocked w/ VF900
- Audigy 2

For fear of breaking rubber bands, I mounted the Samsung on the silicone grommets. These work great with the Samsung. I see no advantage to using the bands. Holding my hand against the drive cage, I can feel no vibration.

The NeoHE 430 is silent compared to my S12-380 that I had in the Sonata. The S12 fan had an annoying ticking sound that bugged me. The modular cabling is also nice.

My CPU duct made the move with some slight enhancements, but the Nexus I used with it was left behind in favor of a Scythe SFF21D due to my lacking closed-corner grommets. Since the Scythe spins 200rpm slower than the Nexus, I left out the fanmate2 I had been using. However, at 12V the Scythe is not as quiet as the Nexus was and given that my CPU temp dropped several degrees C, I will likely reintroduce the fanmate.

My only criticisms are:
- LEDs are bright and there is lots of spillage around the power button which makes the case look cheap. I used some black Sharpie on the LEDs to tame their brightness.
- I don't like the stealth doors. I think a black optical drive looks fine. I wish Antec had included 3 solid drive bay covers.
- I think that making the top panel removable would allow motherboard installation prior to PSU installation which would be helpful with today's large heatsinks. This would be especially true in the Solo where someone may be installing PSU without modular cabling.

I can now fully appreciate why this case is so well thought of.

puddnhead
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Post by puddnhead » Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:12 am

ultrachrome wrote:I just received a B-stock P150 from Antec. $100 shipped. The PSU is marked A4 but it came with rubber bands.

B-stock flaws included some damage to the inside of the front bezel and chipped paint on the back edge of the side panel next to one of the captive thumb screws.
I also just received a P150 a couple days ago, it also has A4 marked PSU and rubber bands, and also has a noticable flaw to the front aluminum bezel, a scuff near the bottom & more noticably a raised bend/bump on the left edge of the 5.25 bay area. Noticed that immediately.

I really like the look & features, prefer this to my old Sonata, but haven't had a chance to put anything into it yet.

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Post by NeilBlanchard » Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:42 pm

Hello,

Well, I was tempted by the $40 Solo from Fry's and it is an excellent case. The wiring management is tops, and the damped sides, the front intake, etc. are all very nice indeed.

But, a few niggles: why does the HD LED have to be located just on the edge of the filter frame?! :? It would look just fine 1/4" to the left, or in line with the buttons and ports...having it's wire separate from the others is just a bit silly, IMO.

Also, the back edge of the mobo panel is quite wobbly, and the edges of it should be rolled, especially since you are going to route almost every wire and cable in the thing across it! :?

I wish the support strut and/or the top edge of the mobo panel where made so that you could install the PS after the mobo (and the HS) are installed.

Aesthetically, it is very nice except for the glossy black -- I would prefer a tougher "pebble" matte finish (like some of the older Antec's, the SLK-3800); but that might be harder to match with the plastic, I suppose?

redrocket
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Post by redrocket » Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:18 pm

Just read the full review and I loved it! Nice job, it was very thorough and informative.

Goldmember
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Post by Goldmember » Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:45 pm

Some P150 news from Cebit 2007. Antec will apparently release different color trim packages including a pink one. Rejoice all ye Hello Kitty and Moto Razr fans! :lol:
Techpowerup.com wrote:The second picture shows the new P150 case, which now comes with different colored fronts. You can choose from a wide range of colors like black, pink, green, blue to name a few. The final selection has not yet been decided, but there should be a color available that suites each taste.
A link to the techpowerup article which includes a pic of the blue version.

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Post by padmewan » Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:10 pm

The latest Microcenter flyer claims that they offer a $50 rebate on this, bringing it down to something like $53, but it's not listed on their website. Am considering checking it out and perhaps buying one...

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Post by MamiyaOtaru » Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:05 am

kabanan wrote:Shadowknight you are missing the point (and being obnoxius ;) ). I am aware of that most cases are less than perfect. Should we not bring attention to these issues instead of of hailing the least imperfect case?

Here is my idea of a "Fantasy Perfect case" ;)

Image
This is pretty similar to the stacker 810. Image (from this thread)

In that shot, the three front fans are mounted on 4 in 3 modules (convert three 5" bays to four HD bays, plus a 120mm fan). If I had mounted the 4 in 3s backwards, it would have been even more like your illustration. There are dust filters that go in front of them as well, they just aren't mounted in that shot. The two exhaust fans are on the back instead of the top though.

(sorry for threadbump. seemed worth commenting on, even if late)

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Post by Credo » Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:56 pm

MikeC wrote: I run a system in a P150 with an A64-x2-4800+, 2GB RAM, two 3.5" HDDs, a 400W Seasonic PSU,
Mike,

Is there any reason why you are using a seasonic instead of the supplied antec neoHE that comes with the P150? According to the reviews they are the same decibel level no?

Also I see that the 430w antec neo has a 4pin connector but no 8 pin connector. What are those connectors for? I am just wondering how future proof this PSU will be. I went back and forth between a solo/seasonic or corsair vs the P150/Neo. In the end I went with the P150 because not only do I like it's look but I found it to be the better value. I have the case on order so other than that, seeing as how I have not upgraded my case in over six years, I will be as giddy as a school girl until it arrives.

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Post by MikeC » Fri Jun 15, 2007 5:43 pm

Credo wrote:
MikeC wrote: I run a system in a P150 with an A64-x2-4800+, 2GB RAM, two 3.5" HDDs, a 400W Seasonic PSU,
Mike,

Is there any reason why you are using a seasonic instead of the supplied antec neoHE that comes with the P150? According to the reviews they are the same decibel level no?

Also I see that the 430w antec neo has a 4pin connector but no 8 pin connector. What are those connectors for? I am just wondering how future proof this PSU will be.
The 400W Seasonic is an old Super Tornado transferred from my last system. It might have been modded with a quieter fan. The NeoHE in this case was afflicted with the no-turn-on problem of some of the earlier production runs.

8-pin AUX12V connectors are found on some high end Intel boards and dual CPU boards. Not important for most silencers.

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Post by thebluebumblebee » Fri Dec 18, 2009 5:02 pm

My experience with a Solo and comments.

Regarding
Not only does the pair of 92mm fans actually cover a larger area than a single 120mm
I built a Folding rig with two Asus 9600GSO's with the Glaciator Fansink on an Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe motherboard. I tried running the tri-cool at the lowest speed but the heat in the case went way up, with the case becoming warm to the touch and the exhaust air getting quiet warm. Cranking the fan up lowered the temps, but the noise went way up. I started looking for a replacement 120mm fan that would be a good balance of CFM/noise. Then I started looking for a pair of 92mm fans for the front. At one point, I noticed the CFM's for the 92mm's, and when adding them up, realized that the CFM from 2 92mm fans is LESS THAN the CFM of one 120MM fan, not to mention the CFM through the PSU! So much for that idea.
Secondly, I tend to move parts around quite a bit. In order to remove the PSU, the motherboard has to be removed, unless I'm missing something! Kinda like the Camaro's that you had to loosen the engine mounts and jack the engine up just to replace the spark plugs.
Otherwise, it's a nice case. It will show you how dirty your environment is. With 5 people and a dog in my house, my case looks dirty within 2 weeks.
Musings: I wish that the manufacturers would make cases the size they NEED to be, not some pre-conceived idea of what size they should be. If this case was slightly (like .5 inch) taller the PSU removal problem could have been solved. If it was a little wider and taller, 2 120mm fans could have been used in the front. The PSU removal problem could also be fixed if the support bar was removable, which I understand could be a rattle concern.

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Post by ultrachrome » Fri Dec 18, 2009 6:27 pm

thebluebumblebee wrote:In order to remove the PSU, the motherboard has to be removed, unless I'm missing something!
You're just missing a drill bit.

When I had to RMA the PSU due to a fan issue, I drilled out the rivets holding the top on and replaced them will plastic push-in rivets. This made a PSU swap very easy. With a little extra effort you could probably tap holes in the case and use machine screws or simply use thread cutting screws.

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Post by NeilBlanchard » Fri Dec 18, 2009 8:15 pm

Welcome to SPCR!
thebluebumblebee wrote:My experience with a Solo and comments.

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Post by thebluebumblebee » Fri Dec 18, 2009 8:59 pm

NeilBlanchard wrote:Welcome to SPCR!
Thanks! Long time listener, first time caller..., er...., long time reader and recommender, first time poster. SPCR is on my very short list of reference sites. :D

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