Antec P182 Case Review

[Panda Man]

It's not until you set them to high that you'll really notice the whir, at which point you'd probably be engrossed in an epic battle against some XBox 360 poseur anyway.

got a chuckle out of that one. Nice review, I figured with all the praise the P182 was getting, it would have scored higher.

[One4yu2c]

Having now had a chance to cram my main rig into the P182, I wanted to share a few more pics and observations for those planning on an enthusiast level build. The hardware list includes:

• Core 2 Quad 6800
• ECS PN2 SLI2+
• 2GB Corsair DDR2-1066
• EVGA 8800GTS 320MB
• Foxconn 8800GTS 320MB
• 2 x Western Digital 400GB/16MB (WD4000KD)
• Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty
• BenQ and Samsung DVD Burners
• Silverstone DA750 750W Power Supply

Here's a shot with everything installed. The bottom chamber fan was moved to the top as an intake for additional cooling, and not reflected in the pic (but changed afterwards), I moved the hard drives to the top chamber as well. Sitting by themselves at the bottom, they were just getting too hot. I'd really like to see the option for another intake fan, as the only place left to mount another one is in front of the PSU bay.



Depending on your motherboard's implementation, dual videocard setups (SLI/Crossfire) can really dampen the cable management experience. The second 8800GTS sits almost flush with the divider, blocking the hole where cabling is supposed to come up. An elongated 8800GTX in that same PCI-E slot could potentially block the second hole too, though I don't have one on hand to test this out.



Installing the Thermaltake V1 heatsink/fan caused interference with the top mounted exhaust fan. Given the airflow restrictions, losing a fan in this setup was an unacceptable proposition, so I ended up physically altering the heatsink (bent a bracket) to solve the problem. This gripe can't be pinned on the P182 alone, as heatsink/fan assemblies continue to grow to gargantuan sizes, but it's something to be aware of regardless of who bears the brunt of manufacturing responsibility.



And finally, the temps. At idle, my QX6800 sits around 50C with a cool breeze constantly flowing through my bedroom window, and right at 70C under load. These quad-core chips run hot, and when combined with a two videocard setup, the cooling ability of the P182 really gets tested. The case could really benefit from a side mounted fan, but would come at the expense of quiet construction (the primary goal of the P182).

[Capper]

excellent follow up!!

Paul and I have talked at length about this case leading up to our review. While ANTEC did make some nice modifications to the P180 Series, there are still some serious issues that really need to be addressed.

Personally, I'd like to see the PSU mount simplified (remove the necessity of removing both side panels by either allowing for the PSU to be installed through the rear of the case, or simply through the left side).

I'd also like to see the bottom chamber better designed, with the 120mm fan moved to the very front, drawing in cool air over the HDD rack, which I would turn sideways (Like the sonata II does), which I think would better optimize room, airflow, and cable management.

I also think an interesting concept would be to use a 250mm fan on the door, as its the perfect size for the top chamber (would cool the cards, CPU, and memory well......it would allow for much better airflow without compromising the sound dampening features of the case.

[Jokerswild]

That CPU fan looks awful close to the top fan. Do you use the top exhaust fan?

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by Jokerswild

That CPU fan looks awful close to the top fan. Do you use the top exhaust fan?

Yes, and as mentioned above, I bent a clip on the V1 so I continue to use the top exhaust fan. With the temp and airflow situation less than ideal, I couldn't see sacrificing one of the fans.

[Jokerswild]

I would have thought that they could have had the exhaust fan mounted on top of the case since they cover it with a duct anyway. That would have allowed more room inside the case specially since aftermarket CPU coolers are growing in size of course that would have made the duct bigger too.

[screwballl]

this is part of the conundrum that we as techies run into... we have a higher dollar system and have the choice of this case.... or we have a basic system (like mine in my sig) and although it would be nice, there is no need for a high dollar case on such a basic system (in most situations).

[Computer-Ed]

A lot of the ideas you posted for improvements matched the ones I posted and sent to Antec with my review. I do find it odd that it appears you made no real use of the cable management behind the tray?

The bottom chamber with the HDs concerns me with the top/bottom PSU setup, however if you use an inline fan for the PSU the chamber does a lot better.

In front of the drive bay on the bottom is a weird boxed in area. A common mod on the original P180 was to remove the bottom lip of the box and this allowed a 120mm or a 92 mm fan to be installed there. I really find it strange this was not fixed with the P182 considering the other modifications they did make.

As for the top fan I suggested they look at creating a false top of sorts pulls the top fan a bit farther up and then if they want to vent out the back use the false top to create a vent channel. This would get rid of the spoiler look that the P182 has, which in my opinion mars the look a bit from the simple design of the rest of the case.

As for the V1 that would appear to be mostly a design issue with the heatsink. Even in other case designs the top of the case or the PSU could be to close for that setup which means the only way to set the fan would then be pointing to the top of the case, not sure if the HS can be rotated like that but that would create other issues.

The V1 looks cool but with this issue it leave me wondering if the design is practical.

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by Computer-Ed

I do find it odd that it appears you made no real use of the cable management behind the tray?

There's actually a good bit a cabling behind the motherboard tray, but with a system crammed with components, combined with the SLI blockage, it would take a lot more time/effort than I'm willing to put in to effectively hide all the cables. And the effort wouldn't be noticeable without a case window, nor do the cables visible in the pic inhibit airflow, as they're against the back of the case behind the top HDD tray (that's not shown). With the top HDD cage installed, the setup more closely resembles the neater appearance of the first pic in this thread.

Originally Posted by Computer-Ed

The bottom chamber with the HDs concerns me with the top/bottom PSU setup, however if you use an inline fan for the PSU the chamber does a lot better.

Problem is, the fan needs to be removed for some power supplies, as was the case with the modular Silverstone DA750. And even then, the ease of setup provided by modular cables was largely negated. It's just not an ideal setup without a bottom intake fan towards the front panel, which isn't an option (put it in the middle or bust).

Originally Posted by Computer-Ed

As for the V1 that would appear to be mostly a design issue with the heatsink. Even in other case designs the top of the case or the PSU could be to close for that setup which means the only way to set the fan would then be pointing to the top of the case, not sure if the HS can be rotated like that but that would create other issues.

As mentioned, the fault lies with both, but it would be a mistake to give the P182 a 'pass' in this regard. Many cases have a bit more room to work with, or better yet, provide enough airflow to where a top mounted exhaust fan isn't necessary.

[Computer-Ed]

Originally Posted by One4yu2c

And the effort wouldn't be noticeable without a case window,

This is a point I made with others that it would seem the Nine Hundred, with it's side window would have benefited a lot more from the cable management system. I am hoping they impliment in the next version of the Nine Hundred.

Problem is, the fan needs to be removed for some power supplies, as was the case with the modular Silverstone DA750. And even then, the ease of setup provided by modular cables was largely negated. It's just not an ideal setup without a bottom intake fan towards the front panel, which isn't an option.

I agree the bottom fan in the middle is bad, sorry if that came across wrong. i was saying that with an inline PSU for it's fan, like a Smartpower II (design only) the lower chamber does a fair job of cooling an HD without a fan at all.

Also as stated the front fan is an option but only with modding, like you all I am disappointed that this was not addressed in this version.

As mentioned, the fault lies with both, but it would be a mistake to give the P182 a 'pass' in this regard. Many cases have a bit more room to work with, or better yet, provide enough airflow to where a top mounted exhaust fan isn't necessary.

I would disagree here not the pass is not just for the P182 but every case with a top mount PSU or fan. All of them place that top mount fairly close to the motherboard in the mid towerdesign. The fault here is not totally on the heatsink design, but it does show a limit of as others have limited their usage by using strange and oversized designs as well. it is niot a bad thing but should be a serious consideration in buying the V1.