Keep P180 or Go W/ Stacker 830

[shizdan]

I Have a P180 thats missing a few parts. My cooling is fine. E6600 Idles at 29'C and 8800GTX at 49-50'C w/ my Zalman CNPS9700 Cooler and Stock HS for 8800GTX

I've been looking at the Coolmaster Stacker 830 evo and wondering if i should switch over to that case?

 

[Dan_D]

I actually got better temps in my P182 than I did in my CM Stacker 830 even with all of its' many fans. The Stacker 830 is also more fragile, easier to damage and the worst part is that despite its' immense size, it is cramped to work in.

 

[shizdan]

doesnt it have a mobo tray that can come out easily

 

[brydon10]

Stick with the p180, my friend just got a CM stacker 830 and he said the side panels seem to vibrate and what not. I have a p182 and I love it, so quiet and has great cooling. I wouldnt switch to that big bulky thing that looks like a space ship lol. Are those temps with the side panel on or off?

 

[shizdan]

well do you guys have the clips to make the windtunnel effect....like to clip on the fan onto the back of the hd holder?

 

[Impulse]

The fan on the lower bay between the HDs and the PSU? I really don't think you need that one unless you have that space stuffed full of HDs, seems superfluous for one or two drives. The PSU can easily handle the heat coming off them, just fire up SpeedFan and check your HD temps.

Or did you mean the clip for the fan on the back of the upper 3.5" bays (mid-case)? You can probably order that from Antec, chances are they won't charge you anything but shipping.

 

[shizdan]

the 3.5

 

[firas]

I’m really starting to like the P182 though I’m still struggling to convince myself about that door
So is there any other differences between the P182 and the P182 SE other than the glossy stainless?
Oh and another thing… can we replace the stock side with a window side panel?

 

[shizdan]

yea you can ..JUST DONT LOOSE ANY PARTS HAHA

 

[dj_2004]

Antec sells various parts on their site but I did not see the P180 fan clip. Send Antec an email and see if they have a spare.

 

[conghelach]

I Have a P180 thats missing a few parts. My cooling is fine. E6600 Idles at 29'C and 8800GTX at 49-50'C w/ my Zalman CNPS9700 Cooler and Stock HS for 8800GTX

I've been looking at the Coolmaster Stacker 830 evo and wondering if i should switch over to that case?

the stacker 830 is a joy to work in, as for a p180 being cooler? the stacker 830 is extremely well ventilated and thoughtfully designed, when fully assembled is quite sturdy. the thing you have to keep in mind here is that any computer case is not going to include high quality, high cfm rated fans, they include led fans or other flashiness and very low cfm because stupid people think fans shouldnt make any noise, well they dont......when they arent cooling anything effectively. the factory included fans in the stacker 830 are not good fans, they should be replaced with panaflos or scythe s flex fans. the 830 is wide enough for a thermalright si 128 heatsink and any of the latest graphics cards and still use two or three side mounted fans on the side mounted bracket with no problems.

I agree the stacker could be a bit wider like an inch and a bit taller wouldnt hurt either.

 

[Croak]

I replaced a two-year old P180 with a CM 832. Mainly because the P180 was getting beat up (2 cross country moves, and some internal abuse), and I wanted something a little nicer looking since I'd just upgraded all the internals.

I have mixed feelings about the Stacker. There's issues with vibration, there's definately going to be issues with dust, and there's some issues with general noise and cooling.

After a week of monkeying around with the Stacker, I finally have it cooling better than the P180, and its almost (almost) as quiet.

I still fight vibration on the right side panel, especially after a restart as fans and drives spin up...sounds like total ass when that happens, not something I was expecting out of a $200 case.

The Crossflow fan door is pretty much useless for me..I use a TRU 120 Extreme, so one fan is gone right off the bat. I also use TWO Accelero S1 coolers, so there goes the bottom two fans. That leaves room for one fan that is only good for keeping the RAM cooler, but with that fan installed my vibration issues are amplified.

Now the upside...it's a good looking, roomy case. Working with it is mostly a pleasure, from getting the side panels off to being able to move it around easily thanks to the casters.

Cable management is not bad at all (and the new model is even better, I hear). There's lots of flexibility in fan mounting. Two mostly unadvertised fan mounts underneath the case can be a godsend if you SLI/Crossfire and use standard ATX mounting (though that's also where some of my vibration issues originate). The fan boxes that come pre-installed in the door also snap right into the drive bay, for additional intake if you want it.

I was a big fan of the P180's PSU chamber at first...but in the end, it became nothing but a cable routing pain, even after I took out the 120mm x 38mm fan that's installed down there. So I'm digging the top mounted and roomy PSU area on the CM 83x, easy cable management, excess cables can be tucked on the right or left side and are totally out of the airflow and sight.

With a dremel and some time, the case has all kinds of water cooling options, and the reversable BTX mounting gives you even more.

And if you opt for the 832, CM has a pretty good rebate on the unit as they make way for the 832-2 line, so it's about the same price as a P182.

That said, I'm probably going to pick up a Cosmos when I hit NCIX on Boxing Day. I dig the looks and hope it's as quiet as advertised...I can handle losing *some* cooling if I get less noise and less dust.