Which is a Better case

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maverick786us

2[H]4U
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Aug 24, 2006
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I have a choice between Antec P180 and 900. Both of them cost almost equal, but in term of air-flow, keeping the circut cool and repelling the dust, which one out of these Cases is better.


Apart from these 2 cases, any other good case can you recommend??
 
Between two of those P180 is better but I personally prefer the Antec 300. Dusk management and high air flow are great.
 
Antec 300 looks pretty simple. What makes it so special for managing dust? It does'nt even have a dust filter? What all other options can you suggest?

I don't want too much expensive case
 
Not sure how different the models are, but the Mini P180 is awesome for cooling, noise, dust, and cable management. It is my first "real" case, tho, so I may have lower standards than the experts, here. Hope that helps. :)
 
the 900 TWO also has the dust filters. the airflow of the 900 is far better than the p180. but it depends on what kind of ase you want. the 900 case was designed for gamers that like to show off the guts with lighting etc... if you dont want that then you might want a different type of case. the 300 does have filters, and is actually a very good case. i have one for my server. the only thing i did was swap the doors as im not using the video card fan. ( thats the only fan hole that doesnt have a dust filter, although you could make one for next to nothing if you wanted it.
 
Rogue71 said:
The 900 TWO also has the dust filters. The airflow of the 900 is far better than the P180. But it depends on what kind of case you want. The 900 case was designed for gamers that like to show off the guts with lighting, etc.
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I just got this case for my cousin's build, because he's into flashy things, but I am not comfortable using a case with poor airflow/features. I have to say it looks like a great case, also.
 
I am looking for a case that should keep the circuit as much cool as possible and repel dust.
 
300
902
1200

All have dust filters. Pick one in your price range.
 
OK thanks for the suggestion. I am still not sure about the dust filters, what is it? Is it the net that we have on the doors and behind the fans mounted on the cases or "a removable tray that attracts all the dust entering inside the case (thus not letting it going to CPU fan and rest of the circut)?"
 
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lt_shiro said:
Between two of those P180 is better but I personally prefer the Antec 300. Dusk management and high air flow are great.
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+1 for the Three Hundred. I have one for my current build, and have owned a P180 in the past. I like the Three Hundred much better due to the better airflow and the fact that the PSU rests on the bottom of the case.
 
dont get the 900. i had one and it gets really crammed in there quick. and it sucks up dust like you wouldnt believe.
 
newegg has the nsk2000 for $37.99 and free shipping. I just gotone from my local frys 3 days ago and like it more and more as I mess with it. good case fr the money.
 
I own a 900, I have built 5 computers with antec 300. If you are decent with cable management (neither the 300 or 900 have much cable management) it will be fine. The airfilter is basically a washable filter that clips out of the front panel. To remove it you must take off a side panel and clip off the front bezel then you can easily remove the filter. Or you could always just take a vacuum to the front. I would say between the p180 and the 900, yeah go with the 300. 900 has a bit more room and comes 2 tricools (where as with the 300 you have to buy them seperately) and has a larger top fan, but has no filters. The 900 is still a nice case, I don't really care about dust (I clean it out every 2 months or so) so the airflow is great.
 
Shadowssong said:
I own a 900, I have built 5 computers with antec 300. If you are decent with cable management (neither the 300 or 900 have much cable management) it will be fine. The airfilter is basically a washable filter that clips out of the front panel. To remove it you must take off a side panel and clip off the front bezel then you can easily remove the filter. Or you could always just take a vacuum to the front. I would say between the p180 and the 900, yeah go with the 300. 900 has a bit more room and comes 2 tricools (where as with the 300 you have to buy them seperately) and has a larger top fan, but has no filters. The 900 is still a nice case, I don't really care about dust (I clean it out every 2 months or so) so the airflow is great.
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The 300 DEFINITELY has 2 Tricools, a 120mm and a 140mm. The 900 has three 120mm (two blue LED fans in the front) and a 200mm fan for the top exhaust. And the case linked in the post above mine has the 2 extra 120mm LED fans in the front.
 
douglasb said:
The 300 DEFINITELY has 2 Tricools, a 120mm and a 140mm. The 900 has three 120mm (two blue LED fans in the front) and a 200mm fan for the top exhaust. And the case linked in the post above mine has the 2 extra 120mm LED fans in the front.
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I'm talking about the front fans. I told you I've built 5 computers with the 300, I think you can take my word that I wasn't saying it doesn't have any fans lol


And the 300 illusion doesn't have tricools, they are either dual cools or just single speed, unless you prove me otherwise. But yeah the illusion is a good deal.
 
i have the antec 1200 which is heavy ......has nice air flow.......however the front fans can get dusty but as others have stated there is a dust filter its just a bitch to get to it. poor design in that regard.
 
read the specifications on newegg

Cooling System
80mm Fans No
120mm Fans 1 x 120mm rear fan
2 x 120mm TriCool blue LED front fans
140mm Fans TwoCool 140mm blue LED fan
 
I would get the 300 over your other options too, btw. I picked mine up for $30 at Microcenter, and it's a good case. Relatively quiet, good airflow, and not obnoxious, over-the-top design.
 
Shadowssong said:
I'm talking about the front fans. I told you I've built 5 computers with the 300, I think you can take my word that I wasn't saying it doesn't have any fans lol


And the 300 illusion doesn't have tricools, they are either dual cools or just single speed, unless you prove me otherwise. But yeah the illusion is a good deal.
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The 300 Illusion definitely does have TriCools in the front. Anyways, I have the regular Three Hundred, and the 120mm and 140mm fans are definitely 3-speed fans (Low ,Med, and High settings on the switch). I'm looking at them right now. I'm not sure if that makes them "Tri-Cool" but they have 3 speed settings, I can assure you. I may even take some pics, as I'm about to pop the case open to switch out AM2 retention brackets on my PC.
 
douglasb said:
The 300 Illusion definitely does have TriCools in the front. Anyways, I have the regular Three Hundred, and the 120mm and 140mm fans are definitely 3-speed fans (Low ,Med, and High settings on the switch). I'm looking at them right now. I'm not sure if that makes them "Tri-Cool" but they have 3 speed settings, I can assure you. I may even take some pics, as I'm about to pop the case open to switch out AM2 retention brackets on my PC.
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... Can you not read my post? I am talking about the front fans on the illusion case..

@It_shiro, they just added that spec on the site within the past month because it was not there the last time I checked it. Since they are tricools that makes that case an EXCELLENT deal. 2 extra $15 fans for the same price as the regular 300? God I wish I needed a case right now because I would buy it!
 
Shadowssong said:
... Can you not read my post? I am talking about the front fans on the illusion case..
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You mean the ones that it DEFINITELY does have, where you were just proven wrong? Easy there, guy...it won't kill you to be wrong about a couple of fans on a computer case. :p
 
douglasb said:
You mean the ones that it DEFINITELY does have, where you were just proven wrong? Easy there, guy...it won't kill you to be wrong about a couple of fans on a computer case. :p
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/facepalm, are you illiterate? I was saying that as far as I knew the front fans in the antec 300 I L L U S S I O N were not tricools (turns out they are). This has absolutely nothing to do with the regular 300 or the regular fans that comes with the basic model. Maybe you should read through the thread before you actually reply?
 
maverick786us said:
I am looking for a case that should keep the circuit as much cool as possible and repel dust.
Click to expand...

I got a Cooler Master Storm Sniper less then a month ago. It's a lot larger then an Antec 900 or 300 though, CM claims it's a mid tower but I'd call it almost a full tower. BUT..it does have nice airflow (1 200mm fan in front, 1 in the side if you get the black edition, one up top and a 120 in back, with a fan slot on the case floor if you want to add one). When I got it, it was $120.00 plus shipping but I think Newegg had a sale at the time. Anyway, I'm very happy with the case, even with my clumsy hands and lousy cable management skills I did an okay job with it, it's a great case for cable management too, which of course is a factor for airflow.

AND..it will fit something like a Radeon 5870 or other really long video cards without having to yank drivebays or having the video card in your hard drive bay, so there is that too. Dimensions are (Roughly, I don't have the exact figures in front of me right now) 24" deep by 21" high by 10" wide if that helps. I did swap out the stock feet for smaller ones also included in the case, if you leave the stock feet on it's closer to 22" tall, I needed the space though due to my desk.

OH..forgot to add that the case does have filters too, although it's more of a microfine mesh in front of each fan vent built into the grill/panel the fan is bolted onto, so you will need to pull them and wipe them off if the grills get clogged. But at least it has filters of a sort.
 
Shadowssong said:
/facepalm, are you illiterate? I was saying that as far as I knew the front fans in the antec 300 I L L U S S I O N were not tricools (turns out they are). This has absolutely nothing to do with the regular 300 or the regular fans that comes with the basic model. Maybe you should read through the thread before you actually reply?
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Maybe you should learn to read as well. I know that you are referring to the 300 Illusion. That's the case we've been talking about for the last half-dozen posts or so. I wasn't talking about the regular 300, and have no idea why you're stuck on that. You clearly stated that the I L L U S I O N did not have Tri-Cools:
Shadowssong said:
And the 300 illusion doesn't have tricools, they are either dual cools or just single speed, unless you prove me otherwise. But yeah the illusion is a good deal.
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I stated that it definitely did have them, and that I wasn't sure about the fans in the regular 300, although those do have 3-speed switches. I don't know why you're /facepalming me, since you seem to be the only one here having difficulty understanding what was said.
 
Looks like I have to make a choice between Anten 902 and 300 I L L U S I O N. Just one last question. These cases comes up with such a good mechanism for cooling and provide dust filters, despite all this, does it make your circuit 100% dust proof? or I still need to vaccume every 2 months?
 
I live in barbados (trade winds bring in sahara dust) and i do general clean every 6-8 months and wash out the filter every 2 months.
 
I have 2 dogs in a small 1-bedroom apartment, so dust is a huge issue at my house. I have an Antec 300, and it is really good at keeping dust out. However, don't necessarily limit yourself to cases which come with filters, because you can easily buy them separately, or make your own (I went to Menard's and picked up some vinyl porch screening which I cut up and use as cheap, disposable filtering. Works great and I'll never run out.)

Filters:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=filter

http://www.frozencpu.com/search.htm...n_id=RoLDBvnw&searchspec=filter&go.x=0&go.y=0
 
Unless you get the 902, I would stay away from the original 900...it is a dust magnet. I have had both the 900, 1200, and 300, and by far, the 300 is my favorite. The cable management is actually one of my favorite things about the case, most cases you can't get the back panel on because of the mess of wires, but the 300 has a slight space built in for it. I flipped the psu and cut out a hole in the bottom for it, and added a filter to that and the side fan. I sold both the 900 and the 1200 lol

I would go with either the 300 or the 300 illusion, at least the 300 illusion you don't have to buy extra fans, but I kind of think the front is ugly :)

Here are a couple of pics of my son's pc with the 300:

043-1.jpg


010.jpg


058.jpg


054.jpg


043.jpg
 
How did you manage to reverse the drives in that 300? I can't fit my SATA power cables in there without some MAJOR squeezage. I'm paranoid I'm going to damage the connector.

To Maverick (I can't PM you):
I have no experience with the CM 690, so I wouldn't know. Honestly, filters are pretty cheap. If I were you I might buy a couple different ones and see which I like best.
 
So if I am not wrong, the only difference between Antec 300 and Antec 300 Illision is the difference between the type of cooling fans placed?
 
I tried to google 300 Illusion, but didn't find much artical on that, can someone show me the review of this case?? Just like other cases does illusion also comes side door mounted glass?
 
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As far as I'm concerned the Illusion is just the regular Three Hundred with an extra intake fan and more LEDs. The performance difference between the two shouldn't be substantial so just look for regular Three Hundred reviews (which I'm sure are bountiful).

Sad to see you ruled out any offerings from LanCool. :eek:
 
I've had the P182 and the Original 900.

IMO, the P180/182 is great for cable management and sound dampening but if you want looks and GREAT airflow, look into the 900 - 2. I'm thinking about getting the 900 2 myself for my next build.

Antec FTW.
 
Rogue71 said:
the 900 TWO also has the dust filters. the airflow of the 900 is far better than the p180. but it depends on what kind of ase you want. the 900 case was designed for gamers that like to show off the guts with lighting etc... if you dont want that then you might want a different type of case. the 300 does have filters, and is actually a very good case. i have one for my server. the only thing i did was swap the doors as im not using the video card fan. ( thats the only fan hole that doesnt have a dust filter, although you could make one for next to nothing if you wanted it.
Click to expand...

Please explain what "swap the doors" entails?
I am interested in using a 300, but don't want a video card fan either.
Does this mean that you end up with a blank open grille on the oposite side of the case,
and how does that affect dust and airflow?

Thanks.
 
I currently have an antec 900 and I love the way it looks. I like the fans and all the cooling. Cable management can be a pain in the a$$ but with a few mods/cutting its make it easy. Honestly another good case is the antec 300(currently building a comp using this case) . but once again you need to do some cutting to get some good cable management.
 
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