P180 Solid Aluminum Door

Z

~zQ~

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Feb 21, 2006
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I am planning to buy an Antec P180 for my first build (yea its gonna be tough), and I wonder if anyone knows if they are selling them with the solid aluminum door right now. Or does everyone need to call Antec for a replacement.

Another thing is I've seen everyone talk about the door and their positive experience with it (compared to the warped one) but I haven't found any pics of them. Can someone pleeeeeeeease post a couple? I am dying to see how it looks like.

Thanks in advance.
 
To be honest, I've never encountered the warping door and I live in one of the most humid places on earth (Houston, TX). I'm pretty sure that all the doors are aluminum nowadays, I would buy from Newegg since they usually have the most up-to-date revisions of hardware (since they flush their stock so often).
 
For some reason people usually talk about how cold it was when the door warped. I live in NY so it does get pretty cold up here sometimes.

Pictures anybody?
 
Yes the old plastic/aluminum door warps when it gets cold. That is because the aluminum contracts when it gets cold much more so than the plastic does. The only time I have had a problem with my door warping was right after taking it out of the car from a long road trip. It had gotten quite cold. In a normal room temperature environment I have no warping problems.
 
i just finished my P180 build. Alot of people bitch about how hard it is to work in, or that you can't really keep the cables neat, but i really didn't think it was so bad.

All it takes is time. I'm very happy with mine, i will be calling Antec for the new door though, mine is warped.
 
sac_tagg said:
To be honest, I've never encountered the warping door and I live in one of the most humid places on earth (Houston, TX). I'm pretty sure that all the doors are aluminum nowadays, I would buy from Newegg since they usually have the most up-to-date revisions of hardware (since they flush their stock so often).
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I work part time where P180's are stocked and sold all the time. I've also built a few systems using that case. Every single one of the doors were warped out of the box. Some more than others though.
 
Ahh...thanks for the input.

I'm still dying to see a pic/feedback from anybody who has the solid aluminum door from antec.
 
I have a P180 sitting behind me that I can't even use. Not only is the door warped, but the backplane is somehow warped to the point I can't get any PCI cards installed.. they won't sit flush to the motherboard. :mad:
 
does anyone have the side doors warp or very hard to slide out? I broke the bottom 2 clips/thingys twice on both sides. Also my front door top & bottom is warp. Do you think antec will rma/replace door & side?
 
I'm still waiting on delivery of mine.
I know I've got a package waiting for me at the office at home so it's either my replacement door or my PSP clip, heh heh. If it's the P180 stuff, I'll get your some pics tonight.
 

Door is not warped whatsoever after going through temperature extremes...

I got my P180 a week or so ago, and it was so cold the day it was delivered that the case was covered in frost :| (ordered from newegg)

Anyways, I left it in my dorm room to heat up for about 6 hours and I have had no problems with the warping of the door (which I was afraid I Was going to have)

The only problem I have had with the case is that I accidentally broke one of the tabs off of teh side panel, since they are plastic, and you really have to be careful taking the side panels off...
 
how come it seems alot harder to take off side panel after you install than when it was fresh? this is what happen to me. I broke off 3 of those clips/tab thingies :(
 
yujie said:
how come it seems alot harder to take off side panel after you install than when it was fresh? this is what happen to me. I broke off 3 of those clips/tab thingies :(
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yeah...

It seems like when you slide the panel off, you cannot 'angle' it at all away from the case while pulling it you -- you have to pull it off straight horizontally, otherwise the tabs get all ghey and you break them
mad.gif
 
I really don't recommend the P180 it is not good :mad:

The place where I have my computer has a lot of temperature changes so maybe I'm not exactly a normal user, BUT. The first day I had the case the side exploded off along with the front panel, I got a lot of cuts. This case is a danger.

Sometimes it gets down to -110 and not too long later it can get up to 342 degress fahrenheit where i live though so i dunno it still could work for you.
 
Hvatum said:
I really don't recommend the P180 it is not good :mad:

The place where I have my computer has a lot of temperature changes so maybe I'm not exactly a normal user, BUT. The first day I had the case the side exploded off along with the front panel, I got a lot of cuts. This case is a danger.

Sometimes it gets down to -110 and not too long later it can get up to 342 degress fahrenheit where i live though so i dunno it still could work for you.
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and you live on the surface of the moon then?
 
someone please name one place on this planet that it's get's that hot....and the core does not count.
 
O man no need to scare me like that Hvatum... :rolleyes: Do you feel the P180 is that bad?

Thanks for the pics draconius. Is that the case with the revised magnetic door?

I'm gonna be waiting for your pics daedal. I'm guessing you are getting the solid aluminum one correct? Thanks in advance.
 
So i think i got an RMA/replacement from antec, they ask me for copy of receipt/invoice and i sent it to them. Do you think i will need to send the pieces back for replacement?
 
mine never warped but i just noticed the p180 has usb 2.0 now?

i wonder if antec can give me a replacemtn front for usb 2.0. i bought mine right when it came out and only has usb 1.0.
 
yujie said:
So i think i got an RMA/replacement from antec, they ask me for copy of receipt/invoice and i sent it to them. Do you think i will need to send the pieces back for replacement?
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If you are talking about the door, I believe you don't have to send it back to Antec according to the other threads I've read. Not 100% sure though. Why not ask Antec?
 
linjy2 said:
mine never warped but i just noticed the p180 has usb 2.0 now?

i wonder if antec can give me a replacemtn front for usb 2.0. i bought mine right when it came out and only has usb 1.0.
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usb 1/usb 2 same connector. if you only have usb 1 you had better upgrade your mainboard.
 
~zQ~ said:
O man no need to scare me like that Hvatum... :rolleyes: Do you feel the P180 is that bad?

Thanks for the pics draconius. Is that the case with the revised magnetic door?

I'm gonna be waiting for your pics daedal. I'm guessing you are getting the solid aluminum one correct? Thanks in advance.
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I don't actually know....

I have had 0 alignment issues with it though if that makes a difference?
 
I actually went to the CompUSA in downtown Chicago yesterday to check out the P180 floor model before buying it and I'm glad I did. The door was warped so that the middle of the door wouldn't reach the magnet when closed. Pretty silly I think for what's supposed to be a "high-end"ish case. I doubt there are too many temperature extremes inside the store, so I chalk up the door issue to sheer crappiness.
 
My P180 is great, it lets me run my 4400+ @ 2.6 silently. Yes the door warps but if that gets bad I just lock it shut (I don't use the power buttons or the optical drives much anyway).
 
vanilla_guerilla said:
usb 1/usb 2 same connector. if you only have usb 1 you had better upgrade your mainboard.
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i dont know, my board is pretty good. a8n-e.

is it a board issue? driver issue? or case issue? when my onboard usb reads 2.0. my extra attached usb on the back is 2.0, but just my case front is 1.0?
 
sac_tagg said:
To be honest, I've never encountered the warping door and I live in one of the most humid places on earth (Houston, TX). I'm pretty sure that all the doors are aluminum nowadays, I would buy from Newegg since they usually have the most up-to-date revisions of hardware (since they flush their stock so often).
Click to expand...


The warping isn't from humidity, it is from temperature, specifically colder temperatures. Unless yours is sitting right next to the exhaust from your air conditioner, I can understand why you'd not see the warping.

I had mine in the back of a van during a cold winter day and when I got where I was going, I could stick my fingers in between the outer layer of aluminum and the plastic middle layer of the door!

The design didn't take into account the different thermal expansion/contraction rates of the materials.

In my case, I don't care about the door, since it is always folded back to the side. I've got an x-fi platinum and use a few of the front ports. I'm slowly accumulating 90 degreee adapters, and might be able to close that door sometime in the distant future.

That is the only "issue" I have with the case, and since it is purely cosmetic, I don't really consider it an issue anymore. Next time I'm at the hardware store, I'll spend $5 on materials necessary to fix the door myself.
 
dtess17 said:
someone please name one place on this planet that it's get's that hot....and the core does not count.
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underwater thermal vents. he lives with those crazy tubeworms.
 
Hvatum said:
I really don't recommend the P180 it is not good :mad:

The place where I have my computer has a lot of temperature changes so maybe I'm not exactly a normal user, BUT. The first day I had the case the side exploded off along with the front panel, I got a lot of cuts. This case is a danger.

Sometimes it gets down to -110 and not too long later it can get up to 342 degress fahrenheit where i live though so i dunno it still could work for you.
Click to expand...

Not it does not reach 342 degrees. If it did, your area wouldn't support human life. Also not with being able to go -110F degrees below 0F. Such extremes would likely prevent soil bacteria from living too. Also realize that normal operating guidlines for most computer equipment does not exceede 85 degrees F that I've ever seen. 342F would be enough to fry and egg, and certainly would keep computer equipment from operating for any length of time. Warping of plastics in such temperatures would be inevitable.

The hotest places on earth don't get above the mid 130's. 140 tops. I can tell you from personal experience what 127F is like in the sun. It was hot enough that the news recommended people stay indoors and of course drink lots of water.

phoderpants said:
I actually went to the CompUSA in downtown Chicago yesterday to check out the P180 floor model before buying it and I'm glad I did. The door was warped so that the middle of the door wouldn't reach the magnet when closed. Pretty silly I think for what's supposed to be a "high-end"ish case. I doubt there are too many temperature extremes inside the store, so I chalk up the door issue to sheer crappiness.
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I agree. For a case in that price point, the quality is unacceptable. Antec's quality in PSU's and cases has done nothing but drop in the last year or so.
 
what more pics do u need? draconius posted a good pic of the revised AL door.
 
Hvatum said:
I really don't recommend the P180 it is not good :mad:

The place where I have my computer has a lot of temperature changes so maybe I'm not exactly a normal user, BUT. The first day I had the case the side exploded off along with the front panel, I got a lot of cuts. This case is a danger.

Sometimes it gets down to -110 and not too long later it can get up to 342 degress fahrenheit where i live though so i dunno it still could work for you.
Click to expand...
Holy Christmas this post is so funny it's siggable.

The only true part is, if this case does fluctuate between -110 and "not too long later" 342, the side of the case probably would explode along with the front panel, causing schrapnel wounds for all nearby.

Wow this was a good early morning laugh :p
 
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