Antec Announces P280 Enclosure

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Antec, Inc. is proud to announce the P280, the newest member of the award-winning Performance One Series. The P280 reflects the sophisticated appearance and Quiet Computing™ engineering of its Performance One predecessors, while offering a new set of features at an attractive price for users building with current- and next-gen hardware.

Continuing the legacy of Performance One enclosures, the P280 integrates quiet technologies such as sound-dampening steel / polycarbonate side panels, a triple-layer front door and hard drive trays with preinstalled vibration-reducing silicone grommets. Its understated aesthetics will appeal to gamers and enthusiasts who prefer a stylish, functional appearance.
 
I was just searching for this case last night after reading the MaximumPC article Breaking in Sandy Bridge-E: Building A Kick-Ass Rig with Intel's New Chip in which they used a P280..

Antec’s P280 combines the quiet competence of the P180 series with modern niceties like cable-routing cutouts and USB 3.0 front-panel connectors.. The P280, like previous Antec cases, is all about silence, and its hard drive trays bear that out. Rather than attaching to the sides of the hard drive, like most trays, the P280’s trays attach to the bottom of the drive through thick silicone grommets. These dampen vibration and prevent noise.. Another nice surprise was Antec’s P280 chassis. This was my first build into that case, and frankly, I expected to have to add more fans. While it’s not the easiest build I’ve ever done, the P280’s guts are miles ahead of Antec’s older designs, and the darn thing is quiet
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zaxour said:
Looks like they're the ones knocking off Fractal now :p
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One could just as easily argue that Fractal knocked off the P180.

I don't really think it's a big deal either way; both Fractal and the Antec P280 have nice clean designs. I'm generally not a big fan of having a door on my case though, I'd rather have better ventilation, and the door gets in the way for me.
 
LoneWolf said:
One could just as easily argue that Fractal knocked off the P180.

I don't really think it's a big deal either way; both Fractal and the Antec P280 have nice clean designs. I'm generally not a big fan of having a door on my case though, I'd rather have better ventilation, and the door gets in the way for me.
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I know, that's the irony. Fractal borrows from Antec for their design and makes improvements, and Antec, in turn, returns the favor by doing the same.
 
LoneWolf said:
One could just as easily argue that Fractal knocked off the P180.

I don't really think it's a big deal either way; both Fractal and the Antec P280 have nice clean designs. I'm generally not a big fan of having a door on my case though, I'd rather have better ventilation, and the door gets in the way for me.
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Ventilation isn't completely cut off due to the door. There is a gap, allowing for air to be pulled in from the side. I'll see if I can't get an image of this for you.

If any of you have questions regarding the P280, I'll be checking this thread periodically.
 
LoneWolf said:
One could just as easily argue that Fractal knocked off the P180.
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That was exactly what he was getting at. He seemed to be pointing at how the tables have turned a bit. But everyone takes design elements from others. Not too much you can do with a simple design and a box, and still have it appeal to a relatively large segment.

I really don't like the stupid triangles at the top. Take a nice clean straight design and then toss two triangles in for no reason. It looks like they were trying to take an element from NZXT's Hush series, and just didn't pull it off IMO. Decent looking case otherwise.
 
Looks nice but where is the mini version? I have a mini P180 and was hoping Antec would update it so you could have fans and HDDs in at the same time.
 
c0mad0r said:
Was thinking the SAME thing... sweet looking case that offers some of the Sonata line features in a P1XX looking case.
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You know i just upgraded to SB this week; while installing MB/CPU I kept thinking "when is Antec releasing the new P series?" I haven't found a good replacement yet, some brands offer similar aesthetics but poor construction (I hate R3's side vent), others give you solid but ugly cases. Was even considering to mod a front USB 3.0 port instead of switching to another brand.
I didn't like the P183 because of the front panel ventilation holes, now I can see my (near) future case :)

About temps, my GTX580 idles at 38c (65c on BF3), HDDs never go further than 37, and previous i5 [email protected] + Hyper 212 never passed the 68c mark at full load. That's cool enough for me :)
 
I was looking the other week for a release date for this. I liked my p183 before it got stolen lol.
 
Antec_Jessie said:
Ventilation isn't completely cut off due to the door. There is a gap, allowing for air to be pulled in from the side. I'll see if I can't get an image of this for you.

If any of you have questions regarding the P280, I'll be checking this thread periodically.
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I understand. I did a few P180 builds at one point, and that portion of the P280 design is similar. However, it does restrict intake ventilation over a more free-flowing setup.

I would also think in some designs it might have the potential to increase turbulence, and therefore noise, though I doubt that's a problem in the P280 due to its foam-lined door, which is a nice touch.

P.S. I'd love to see you guys do a design someday where the front door slides into the case, kind of like a sideways roll-top desk (or single-pane garage door) style, as opposed to hinging open and requiring more outward clearance.
 
LoneWolf said:
I understand. I did a few P180 builds at one point, and that portion of the P280 design is similar. However, it does restrict intake ventilation over a more free-flowing setup.

I would also think in some designs it might have the potential to increase turbulence, and therefore noise, though I doubt that's a problem in the P280 due to its foam-lined door, which is a nice touch.

P.S. I'd love to see you guys do a design someday where the front door slides into the case, kind of like a sideways roll-top desk (or single-pane garage door) style, as opposed to hinging open and requiring more outward clearance.
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It's an interesting concept. The only issue is that you'd need to roll it one of two ways - into an area where you'd normally want HDD/component access or into a space where people would expect to have space for cable routing.
 
while that door keeps noise inside the case I don't mind opening/closing it a couple times a day :)
 
Xyvotha said:
while that door keeps noise inside the case I don't mind opening/closing it a couple times a day :)
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Personally, I don't use DVD/CD drives any longer so the only time I'd open the door is to clean the dust filter on occasion.
 
Antec_Jessie said:
It's an interesting concept. The only issue is that you'd need to roll it one of two ways - into an area where you'd normally want HDD/component access or into a space where people would expect to have space for cable routing.
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I'd probably add .5"-.75" onto the width of a case to do it.. As it would only need to be retracted when accessing drives, it could be in the closed (front) position when working on the case, so it wouldn't impede access to components or cabling during a build.
 
btw Antec_Jessie, any plans to have a representative in Peru? I had to "smuggle" my P182 because no1 sells Antec cases here (only products available are PSUs)
 
I always wanted a p180...may have to build a server out of this one...maybe they will make a mini
 
Definitely an improvement over previous Antec designs. I'd like to see a better material chosen for the side panels, however. Polycarbonate is a very stiff plastic and does not absorb vibrations well. A heavy foam would be much more preferable.
 
The only disappointment I have with the P280 is the fact that there is no way to cover the two top 120mm fan holes at the top. I would have really liked to have seen a cover that could be mounted inside of the case to seal this hole like the Fractal R3 comes with.

I really like the idea of the two front fans mounted behind the hard drives, rather than in the front, and I think the potential for a very, very quiet case is there, but the top holes being unsealable without modding may get in the way of that.
 
Zero82z said:
I'd like to see a better material chosen for the side panels, however. Polycarbonate is a very stiff plastic and does not absorb vibrations well. A heavy foam would be much more preferable.
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Same. Even a material similar to Lian-Li's stock sound-absorbing foam would be a nice inclusion.

steal said:
The only disappointment I have with the P280 is the fact that there is no way to cover the two top 120mm fan holes at the top. I would have really liked to have seen a cover that could be mounted inside of the case to seal this hole like the Fractal R3 comes with.
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I would like to a see an attachable "panel" of sorts. So that you can either attach a grill panel, or a solid panel allowing the case to retain a more "professional" appearance.
 
I know this thread is a bit old, and I can't be the first one to have one here, but my P280 just shipped from US **IX for $112. I was going to go with an Antec 300 for this build, but I just happened along the P280 and decided, why not. It's taken about a week for my order to get to the shipped stage though. Just a heads up for those considering purchasing the case from there.

s1xty7
 
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s1xty7 said:
I know this thread is a bit old, and I can't be the first one to have one here, but my P280 just shipped from US **IX for $112. I was going to go with an Antec 300 for this build, but I just happened along the P280 and decided, why not. It's taken about a week for my order to get to the shipped stage though. Just a heads up for those considering purchasing the case from there.

s1xty7
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Going back and forth between the P280 and a R3 or Arc Midi. I could wait on Amazon to get them back in stock for $139 shipped with Prime. I would much rather go through Amazon if the case doesn't live up to my expectations...

When you get the P280 how about sharing some pics?
 
I'll be sure and take some pictures and how well it fits with my setup. It's supposed to show up on Monday, so I might be able to post some by Tuesday or Wednesday (work and kids keep you busy).

s1xty7
 
s1xty7 said:
I'll be sure and take some pictures and how well it fits with my setup. It's supposed to show up on Monday, so I might be able to post some by Tuesday or Wednesday (work and kids keep you busy).

s1xty7
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pics would be nice, also I'd like to know your impression on the side panel thickness and sound dampening strength
 
I'll let you know my acoustic observations and case materials impression, but it's been a number of years since I did a full PC build and I don't have any real reference point to compare this to (I used to buy the cheapo $30 cases). One review I read after I ordered, which I thought did a good job of covering the sound level generated by the system (including audio clips), was over on SPCR: http://www.silentpcreview.com/Antec_P280. I'll certainly still include my thoughts but that review should give you a pretty good idea.

s1xty7
 
Christmas came early for me this morning, UPS Claus dropped of this case. Definitely is deeper than my old P180 from a while back. Heckuva lot lighter as well. I wasn't going to get this case for a bit, but found a killer deal on it with free shipping as well, so I bit. My main reasons for getting it where: nine expansion slots in a(somewhat) mid case and fans that I can mount with little to no modding (sorry, time to mod is something I don't sadly have anymore) in front of the video cards. For the price I paid for it, I feel I easily got my money's worth. The updated changes are really welcome, like the redesigned front fan filters, and the psu one as well. The interior is clean, free of sharp edges, and the grommets are nice, they don't easily pop out. Feels weird without the dual chamber design, but I can understand why the omitted it. For the cons: the drive cages are kinda flimsy, and they could use better silicone isolation grommets, then again, for my needs it won't matter, as I'm using SSD's, but others might find them to be lackin, and I'm also quite picky. The door I guess pays homeage to the old P180, but I wish it would have been the same as the side panels or the side panels to be the same as the door. It's an easy fix though, once I get some time. Sound dampening double layer panel like the sides for the top would have been nice. Lastly, I really would have like to see some kind of air inlet on the bottom of the case, and I'll remedy this and the door once/if I get some spare time. Almost forgot, to those of you worried about the use of the plastic on the side panels which doesn't absorb sound versus acoustic foam, it's just a different way of doing it. One of the ways to prevent/tame sounds resonance is to increase the mass of the object resonating, which this will do. Acoustic foam would work well though too, as it will absorb some of the sound, so I guess it's all in what you folks prefer. Hope this helps!!
 
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