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Antec P180 case...PSU concerns.

L

LoneWolf

2[H]4U
Joined
Jul 13, 2004
Messages
3,190
Hi all,

I'm building a box for some family that will be using it overseas in a tropical area. Cooling is a primary concern, as well as longevity, so I'm looking at an Antec P180 case due to its extensive use of 120mm fans, as well as its case door which should make it less accessible to their childrens' fingers. :)

My only issue is making sue the power supply I choose has adequate cable length to reach the mainboard and drive power connectors. I'm planning on using an
Intel BadAxe mainboard which will need both the 24-pin ATX and 8-pin connectors. Right now, I'm favoring the Enermax Liberty 400w PSU seeing as this isn't an overclocking system, and the video card will likely be ATI's All-In-Wonder X1300, which won't require a hefty power supply.

Has anyone here used the Enermax Liberty line with this case? Did it work for you? If not, what power supply did you use that worked well? I'd like to get a model that's at least partially sleeved, and modular if possible, to cut down on cable clutter for better ventilation (though if I can't get one that's sleeved, I'll just break out the zip-ties), plus I'm picky about brands (I usually use Enermax and Fortron Source, though I'm willing to look at others of the same quality level, like Seasonic). I want to get this build right the first time, so any help you can provide would be great.

P.S. If you own the Antec P180 and have found it isn't as durable as you'd like, I'm open to listening to other case suggestions...my requirements are that it be durable, use 120mm fans, have front audio/USB/Firewire, and modest looks (no ugly bling stuff here, guys). I have a modded Antec P160 myself, and while I love it, I don't know that it'd be as durable as I'd want for this build.
 
I don't believe that one is one the p180 compatibility list, but 24 pin extenders are easy and cheap to come buy.

I'm not sure either if the liberty is one of those 'longer' psus, but drilling out the bracket to mount a 120 at the front of the lower chamber (instead of the middle) is also super easy to do. My powerstream is long, and thats what I did.

As for your durability concerns, put them to rest right now. I'm fairly certain that the p180 can stop small caliber bullets from all sides. It's heavy, meaning its not the best LAN choice, but load it up with low speed 120s, throw your HDs down in the rubberized, isolated lower chamber and its just about as QUIET as you can get these days..
 
The Liberty isn't a long PSU; the only Enermax I know that fits that is the Galaxy model, far and above what I need.

If you know of a compatibility list for the P180, I'd appreciate it if you could provide a link to it. I didn't see such an animal on Antec's website, and it would be really helpful.
 
After having Enermax and Antec power supplies both fail on me lately, and given that you're talking about tropical conditions, I would recommend a PC Power and Cooling Silencer unit instead of Enermax or Antec PSUs. They're quiet, reliable, don't have the modular cabling (you don't want those extra connectors getting corroded!!!), and for a high end PSU, they are quite affordable. I just bought 2 of them for P180B cases and was very pleased. I'm using a Asus P5W DH board and the cables reach just fine. The only caveat is that you do have to ditch the fan at the bottom of the case because there are so many cables with these units...
 
could have sworn I found a list somewhere on antec's site once, but now all I can find is a blurb on their p180 specs pages saying "we strongly recommend an antec neoHE or phantom psu for use with this enclosure"
 
coolrunnings said:
After having Enermax and Antec power supplies both fail on me lately, and given that you're talking about tropical conditions, I would recommend a PC Power and Cooling Silencer unit instead of Enermax or Antec PSUs. They're quiet, reliable, don't have the modular cabling (you don't want those extra connectors getting corroded!!!), and for a high end PSU, they are quite affordable. I just bought 2 of them for P180B cases and was very pleased. I'm using a Asus P5W DH board and the cables reach just fine. The only caveat is that you do have to ditch the fan at the bottom of the case because there are so many cables with these units...
Click to expand...

PC Power & Cooling is nice, but their least expensive PSU is about $160 last I checked (the Silencer 610 IIRC).

I'll double-check this, but I think that Enermax's modular units may have gold-plated connectors to eliminate corrosion. If not, I'd still probably choose an Enermax Noisetaker (their non-modular version) of similar wattage. I'm trying to do everything well, and still stay within an overall budget, and a PC Power & Cooling unit is an extra $60-80 tacked on. That, and, I don't want to ditch any fans.

EDIT: It appears there are less expensive PCP&C units, just that the vendor I was looking at didn't carry them. If I can find one that meets the same specs and doesn't force me to remove a fan (all while having a long enough power cord) I'll consider it. I just need someone to confirm a power supply they used that made the stretch.

EDIT 2: After checking, the Silencer 610 may not be the cheapest PCP&C offers, but it is the least expensive model they list as being fully compatible with the Intel mainboard I plan to use. $160 for a PSU isn't going to cut it.
 
coolrunnings said:
After having Enermax and Antec power supplies both fail on me lately, and given that you're talking about tropical conditions, I would recommend a PC Power and Cooling Silencer unit instead of Enermax or Antec PSUs.
Click to expand...
Antec's most recent models are built by Seasonic. Guess who builds the PCP&C Silencer lineup? Seasonic.
 
I have a seasonic s12-500 along with a gigabyte board with the power in the top right and was able to get it to reach - though it is tight. It is a pretty night PSU and very quiet. If you need a lower wattage and no SLI there are lower wattage units that would be fine for you.

The seasonic I have also has a lot of cables but I was able to stuff them down below and keep the middle fan fine. I gues YMMV but you will probably be able to keep the fan.
 
I have a P180 and a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 360 and everything reaches fine..
 
_Korruption_ said:
Antec's most recent models are built by Seasonic. Guess who builds the PCP&C Silencer lineup? Seasonic.
Click to expand...


By the way Pc Power and Cooling psu's aren't built by Seasonic. They use some parts from Seasonic but the psu's aren't built by them.
 
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