Should I get an Antec P180 Case ?

M

Mixman

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Feb 23, 2004
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I now have a P160 case in which I have the system in my sig. I have my X2 3800 clocked to 2800 at 1.42V with temps at 36deg idle and 52deg load with Prime95. My other temps are PWMIC 40 deg and Chipset 44 deg. This is with 2 Antec 120mm fans, a Vantec CardFan and Big Typhoon helping to cool the memory in addition to the CPU.

I am wondering whether buying a P180 will help me to keep the temps down. Since it has cutouts for three 120mm fans it seems like a better cooling box, not to mention more silent. Should I try a P180 or will there be no cooling difference between that and the P160 ?
 
I would imagine the temps will remain largely the same, but the noise will be much less. TBH I dont think the benefit will be worth the 130$ you will spend on the case. I love my P180 though :)
 
I guess that might mean I could turn up my fans speeds and have a cooler system and have it be just as quiet if not more quiet ?
 
I recently built a machine for a customer using the Antec P180 case.

Personally, I am quite dissapointed in the P180. The front door feels cheap and never folds back quite right, and the raised vent on the top rear of the case is flimsy and falls off really easily.

The case on the inside is rather good, except for one SERIOUS flaw. It is a PITA to work in. It's too small, and it's hard as hell to make your wiring neat the way it has to be routed. The third 120mm fan would only be a good thing if you had a Phantom series power supply. For anyone else it just gets in the way.

On the plus side the case does look pretty good and it really is quiet. If it weren't for the cheap ass face and door, and that goofy vent cover on the top, the interior shortcommings could be overlooked.

My verdict: Thumbs down on the P180.
 
IMHO, the Aerocool Masstige is a much better case. It's alot like the Stacker, except you can mount 120mm fans anywhere up & down the front of the case (which is covered with mesh grills) On the rear of the case, you can mount either one 120mm fan (comes with the case), or two 80mm fans. Also, I like their take on "toolless" optical drive mounting. You just slide the drive right into place, and press small plastic bars into the drive's screw holes. It's just a mid-tower, but it still has 10 external 5.25" bays. But the coolest part of this case is the motherboard tray. You can pull it out, flip it over and POW!!! your ATX case just became a BTX case.

*edit* Also worthy of note, is that the Masstige has a lower price tag than the P180. At Newegg.com the Masstige is either $95 (silver) or $99 (black), and the P180 is $129 (no choice of color)
 
Sheldron said:
IMHO, the Aerocool Masstige is a much better case. It's alot like the Stacker, except you can mount 120mm fans anywhere up & down the front of the case (which is covered with mesh grills) On the rear of the case, you can mount either one 120mm fan (comes with the case), or two 80mm fans. Also, I like their take on "toolless" optical drive mounting. You just slide the drive right into place, and press small plastic bars into the drive's screw holes. It's just a mid-tower, but it still has 10 external 5.25" bays. But the coolest part of this case is the motherboard tray. You can pull it out, flip it over and POW!!! your ATX case just became a BTX case.
Click to expand...

USB, power button too far down on that one.
 
if you keep your case on the floor, yes, but all my cases are actualy sitting up on my desk surface (which runs the full length of 1 wall, and 1/2 way down the other)
 
Sheldron said:
IMHO, the Aerocool Masstige is a much better case. It's alot like the Stacker, except you can mount 120mm fans anywhere up & down the front of the case (which is covered with mesh grills) On the rear of the case, you can mount either one 120mm fan (comes with the case), or two 80mm fans. Also, I like their take on "toolless" optical drive mounting. You just slide the drive right into place, and press small plastic bars into the drive's screw holes. It's just a mid-tower, but it still has 10 external 5.25" bays. But the coolest part of this case is the motherboard tray. You can pull it out, flip it over and POW!!! your ATX case just became a BTX case.

*edit* Also worthy of note, is that the Masstige has a lower price tag than the P180. At Newegg.com the Masstige is either $95 (silver) or $99 (black), and the P180 is $129 (no choice of color)
Click to expand...

You can mount more 120mm fans in the front of the Stacker. I did. You do have to get more 3 fo4 4 drive modules in order to mount them though. It can hold up to three or four of those modules and they aren't cheap. I myself have two of them installed.

Theres also a 300mm crossflow fan, which is goofy and prevents you from mounting an E-ATX board from the look of it. Although I am not positive of that. The Stacker is better made form the look of it. Although I have to admit the front bezel of the Aerocool looks better than the Stackers. If only by a little bit. The backplate is another story. It looks cheap and that fan grill in the back looks retarded. And not very functional from the pics. The Stacker can also hold two PSU's unless you get the single PSU only version which gives you the ability to mount a second 120mm exhaust fan at the cost of a second PSU.

The Stacker did go through a seemingly undocumented change. The first one I bought has a different motherboard tray than the first one did. There is new mounting hardware and holes on the motherboard tray for the BTX thermal module sold seperately by CoolerMaster. Also, they added a chassis intrusion switch to the case and changed the dual ATX PSU cable to one that does EPS12v and ATX 2.0.

In my opinion the Stacker is the better choice overall over that Aerocool. It's also a better functional choice over the P180. Unless silence is your thing, in which case the P180 has NO EQUAL. It really doesn't. I just found the P180 left me with mixed feelings after working with it for a couple days.
 
I honestly had a few misgivings about the P160 when I got it too. A few aspects felt cheap to me. It is the convenience I like (USB ports and power button at the top.

Now the problem is that the more fans I put in the P160 the more I notice both the temps are not going down too much and it is starting to get a bit noisy.......and I am not even a silence freak. So I am wondering will the P180 help me out on both counts ?
 
The P160 had a great interior layout, and overall was a good case. Although the front bezel is ugly in my opinion and extremely cheap feeling.

I doubt the P180 would do much for your temps. If you need to take cooling to the next level, consider the Stacker. You can move the USB ports to any bay you like.
 
That Coolermaster Stacker is an impressive case....a bit expensive and big , but it looks like a cooling monster.

How loud is it with all those fans going ? Which Stacker do you have ?
 
Sir-Fragalot said:
I recently built a machine for a customer using the Antec P180 case.

Personally, I am quite dissapointed in the P180. The front door feels cheap and never folds back quite right, and the raised vent on the top rear of the case is flimsy and falls off really easily.

The case on the inside is rather good, except for one SERIOUS flaw. It is a PITA to work in. It's too small, and it's hard as hell to make your wiring neat the way it has to be routed. The third 120mm fan would only be a good thing if you had a Phantom series power supply. For anyone else it just gets in the way.

On the plus side the case does look pretty good and it really is quiet. If it weren't for the cheap ass face and door, and that goofy vent cover on the top, the interior shortcommings could be overlooked.

My verdict: Thumbs down on the P180.
Click to expand...

that top spoiler has a wierd locking system but once u get that tight, it doesnt budge.
 
AznAnarchy99 said:
that top spoiler has a wierd locking system but once u get that tight, it doesnt budge.
Click to expand...

I agree, the top spoiler DOES NOT fall off easily if you actually attach it correctly :rolleyes: It isn't even a weird locking mechanism.

I think I may have been lucky with my P180. The front door works perfectly, is flush against the front when closed and sits flat against the side when open 270 degrees. I have been having none of the major problems that many people have talked about.

The case is cramped on the inside, but routing the cables neatly wasn't that hard. What makes it really easy is to remove the PSU chamber fan and route the cables through there.
 
AznAnarchy99 said:
that top spoiler has a wierd locking system but once u get that tight, it doesnt budge.
Click to expand...

Well you may be right. I didn't mess with it enough. Even so, it's ugly and I don't think they needed to put that up there.

Erasmus354 said:
I agree, the top spoiler DOES NOT fall off easily if you actually attach it correctly :rolleyes: It isn't even a weird locking mechanism.

I think I may have been lucky with my P180. The front door works perfectly, is flush against the front when closed and sits flat against the side when open 270 degrees. I have been having none of the major problems that many people have talked about.

The case is cramped on the inside, but routing the cables neatly wasn't that hard. What makes it really easy is to remove the PSU chamber fan and route the cables through there.
Click to expand...

It may be a matter of QC or something. If they all were as nice as yours seems to be I'd recommend them. Despite their lack of interior room. For certain applications the case would be ideal. Personally, other than the spoiler thing, I think the case looks great. I really wanted to like it, but the one I dealt with simply did not work like yours does.
 
Hyperblau said:
spend your money on a new vid card
Click to expand...

Well, I'd call that good advice, if the OP is a gamer. If not, then I would say it that it doesn't matter.
 
Sir-Fragalot said:
You can mount more 120mm fans in the front of the Stacker. I did. You do have to get more 3 fo4 4 drive modules in order to mount them though. It can hold up to three or four of those modules and they aren't cheap. I myself have two of them installed.

Theres also a 300mm crossflow fan, which is goofy and prevents you from mounting an E-ATX board from the look of it. Although I am not positive of that. The Stacker is better made form the look of it. Although I have to admit the front bezel of the Aerocool looks better than the Stackers. If only by a little bit. The backplate is another story. It looks cheap and that fan grill in the back looks retarded. And not very functional from the pics. The Stacker can also hold two PSU's unless you get the single PSU only version which gives you the ability to mount a second 120mm exhaust fan at the cost of a second PSU.

The Stacker did go through a seemingly undocumented change. The first one I bought has a different motherboard tray than the first one did. There is new mounting hardware and holes on the motherboard tray for the BTX thermal module sold seperately by CoolerMaster. Also, they added a chassis intrusion switch to the case and changed the dual ATX PSU cable to one that does EPS12v and ATX 2.0.

In my opinion the Stacker is the better choice overall over that Aerocool. It's also a better functional choice over the P180. Unless silence is your thing, in which case the P180 has NO EQUAL. It really doesn't. I just found the P180 left me with mixed feelings after working with it for a couple days.
Click to expand...
the thing is the aerocool is a budget stacker knock off is a cheaper
 
N H O said:
the thing is the aerocool is a budget stacker knock off is a cheaper
Click to expand...

I realize this. That's why I was comparing the two.
 
Sir-Fragalot said:
Well, I'd call that good advice, if the OP is a gamer. If not, then I would say it that it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

No I am not a gamer, but the silence thing is starting to intrigue me, my setup is just plain loud.
 
the masstige will probably cool better if you're using 6+ drivebays, but you have to be dreaming to think it will be as quiet as a p180.

The p180 is all about quiet aircooling. If that isn't your bag, look elsewhere.
 
Yes i have seen it around here a few times, should get you some reply's
 
I love my Antec P180, The design is awsome, but after taking it to one lan I opted to sell off my tower and invest everything into my Shuttle i got over the summer. I went from 6 to 2 hard drives and bairly got my 6800LE and Audigy2 in it.


But i will give the P180 credit, the rubber mounts for the hard drives kept my Raptors at bay. and the cooling was nice. Although a Blue LED fan in the top part was a bad idea....I say get the 180, Just because i think the 160 looks like ***. Nothing better than a nice plain canvas to mod :D
 
I built three identical computers with this case. I must say the damn thing is awesome. With 4 120mm fans and one 80 (or is it 92mm) fan in the side, the damn thing is still super quiet (I could barely hear it) and stays damn cool. I was quite impressed.
 
PedroDaGr8 said:
I built three identical computers with this case. I must say the damn thing is awesome. With 4 120mm fans and one 80 (or is it 92mm) fan in the side, the damn thing is still super quiet (I could barely hear it) and stays damn cool. I was quite impressed.
Click to expand...

I agree on the sound part of the case. It's great in that reguard. However, I think that it is still way to cramped inside. It's a PITA to work in.
 
although it has some good reviews the general thing that most people complain about is how there isnt enough room in the case. It really doesnt have anything special besides dampening material in certiain areas (which you can purchase and do to anycase) and a bottom psu rack (which doesnt make a difference if you have a quiet psu anyways)
 
Sir-Fragalot said:
I agree on the sound part of the case. It's great in that reguard. However, I think that it is still way to cramped inside. It's a PITA to work in.
Click to expand...
I agree. The P180 is great case if you're going to build a system and leave it alone. It's very quiet and has good cooling.

However, it is a major PITA to work in, so if you're going to be screwing around with your hardware all the time, look elsewhere.
 
I am not going to be changing much all the time, maybe a fan or two, or swapping out heatsinks.
 
EnderW said:
I agree. The P180 is great case if you're going to build a system and leave it alone. It's very quiet and has good cooling.

However, it is a major PITA to work in, so if you're going to be screwing around with your hardware all the time, look elsewhere.
Click to expand...


These are exactly my thoughts on my P-180 build. Not even so much that there is limited room inside, it's bigger than my Tsunami and I am in that thing all the time, it is just too damn heavy for me to want to move around and open.
 
just the black paint and the cool silver SPCR logo on the bottom of the door.
 
Got new ram for my box, sorta dreading cracking the p180 open again to replace the memory. While it is a big, heavy case, the split chamber design takes one roomy case and divides it into two cramped areas.

Great for cooling, great for noise reduction, royal pain to work in.

One of the great aspects for me is that I feel no desire whatsoever to mod it, I like how it looks and works just as it is.
 
eastvillager said:
Got new ram for my box, sorta dreading cracking the p180 open again to replace the memory. While it is a big, heavy case, the split chamber design takes one roomy case and divides it into two cramped areas.

Great for cooling, great for noise reduction, royal pain to work in.

One of the great aspects for me is that I feel no desire whatsoever to mod it, I like how it looks and works just as it is.
Click to expand...

I totally agree. That's what I've said all along.
 
But then you have the situation where you are buying a large tower case like the Stacker and having to take up a lot of room. I guess Antec had to make that compromise.
 
Mixman said:
But then you have the situation where you are buying a large tower case like the Stacker and having to take up a lot of room. I guess Antec had to make that compromise.
Click to expand...

I had no choice personally, the CM Stacker is the only retail available E-ATX case that isn't crap. There are other choices from Lian-Li, Chenbro and so on, but I didn't want to spend $300 for a damn case for one thing, and I didn't want to have to have it shipped in.

Yes the Stacker is huge, and yes the Antec case is smaller. The Antec case though is way crowded inside, they probably could have kept much of the quietness and cooling, with another approach that would have made it more servicable.
 
Sir-Fragalot said:
I had no choice personally, the CM Stacker is the only retail available E-ATX case that isn't crap. There are other choices from Lian-Li, Chenbro and so on, but I didn't want to spend $300 for a damn case for one thing, and I didn't want to have to have it shipped in.

Yes the Stacker is huge, and yes the Antec case is smaller. The Antec case though is way crowded inside, they probably could have kept much of the quietness and cooling, with another approach that would have made it more servicable.
Click to expand...

Which Stacker do you have ? Is it relatively quiet ? I know it must keep the temps down as many fans that are in that thing.
 
Actually, that would be perfect for me.

My case sits mounted on the wall (no shit) and it's elevated a bit. Well, not mounted. I have track shelving on my office wall, and it sits on a 6" track/board up against the wall:



Crap. How do you embed a picture, not a link to a picture?

Alas, the fans and window are on the wrong side :(

-Larry

Mixman said:
USB, power button too far down on that one.
Click to expand...
 
Sir-Fragalot said:
I had no choice personally, the CM Stacker is the only retail available E-ATX case that isn't crap. There are other choices from Lian-Li, Chenbro and so on, but I didn't want to spend $300 for a damn case for one thing, and I didn't want to have to have it shipped in.

Yes the Stacker is huge, and yes the Antec case is smaller. The Antec case though is way crowded inside, they probably could have kept much of the quietness and cooling, with another approach that would have made it more servicable.
Click to expand...

when i was done building it, even though it was cramped and took 3 hours to build, it was all worth it coming from 4 tornados
 
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