P182/Nine Hundred Comparision

[Capper]

Originally Posted by ST!X

ok well lets hope results are good :D

thats gonna be a great comparison, and im sure the P180 will do just as good/better, but most likely be quite a bit quieter. i probably could use a 120mm front intake fan. a) im going to have one doing absolutely nothing when i move cases, b) my room's ambient temperature isnt too too high.

Thats simply not true. The P180 Series of cases are meant to offer the quietest computing possible....which was the whole design with triple panels (Aluminum/Plastic/Aluminum) to dampen sound. The Nine Hundred is pure performance, although the Tri Cool fans allow you to adjust the sound level quite a bit.

Simply, the air flow and interior space make the P-180 Series cases not even close to the same level of thermal performance as the Nine Hundred.

When reviewing a product, you have review it on its merits and how it is released to market. I say this because when someone talks about a product they have modified, or changed from the way the company intended (Changing fans, changing layout, etc) you are no longer reviewing a product, you are modding it......regardless of how little. People will look at what they want to see (the bottom line) and expect the same results.

Now, there is nothing wrong with writing an article like this, we just can't call it a "Review".

[Computer-Ed]

My goal was to see if the type of system I have put together with overclocking and such is viable in the P182 when compared to the Nine Hundred.

My gut reaction is that the P182 will likely add as much as 10c to the heat compared to the Nine Hundred (I have nothing to back that yet. Just my reaction based on a visual comparision of the cases) However that makes it still viable since the temps in the Nine Hundred are so low.

Also I want to compare levels of quiet operation to cooling. For example one question is does the Nine Hundred at low cool better than the P182 at high and how does the noise level compare in that study?

The two cases are meant for two seperate markets and this comparision is meant to see what level of crossover can exist, if any.

[Computer-Ed]

Okay there is a LOT of confusion here and I guess that is my fault. I am discussing in these later posts the idea for another article, not anything that will be directly added to the review, which is meant to be a review. I have been replying to questions and comments that arose from the review and that is where I got the idea for the next article.

I am planning a new article which be based on the above post. Sorry for the confusion..

[stinger608]

Not one bit of confusion here......I think that would make one excellent article!!!!!

[Pbirmingham1988]

can an 8800gtx fit in this case because my ATX Full Thermaltake Shark Case barely fit it in with about half an inch of clearance.

[Computer-Ed]

I take some measurements and see.

[Dr. V]

its Antec 900 for COOLING and (quiet) vs. the Antec P182 for QUIET and (cooling).

[Computer-Ed]

Since posting my review of the P182 I have been deluged on a few forums with questions about it. It seems my enthusiasm over the new cable managaement method in the P182 has been catching and a lot of people are really hyped about this case.

What was not expected is the number of people asking about how it compares to the Antec Nine Hundred. You need to understand that these two cases are designed for very different jobs. The Nine Hundred is designed first and foremost for air flow. The case is all about moving air and cooling your PC.

The P182 has a good air flow design but it's first design purpose was for quiet computing. It is meant to keep a PC noise free while providing adequate cooling.

The Nine Hundred is not a noise monster, not by any stretch of the imagination. At low fan speeds the case is VERY quiet and at medium speeds for me it has the right blend of cooling and noise. At high it is a bit noisey but there are other cases with just as much noise so it is not the worst on the market.

Also the looks are for very different people. The Nine Hundred is a case meant to make people go OOO. The LED lights, the open side, it is a case for showing off your PC at a LAN party. The case is light weight and has a lot of flash.

The P182 is a very professional and elegent design. It is not about showing off a system but rather is designed to make a whole desk setup look nice in any room setting. I has no real flash but makes up for it in a stately and timeless look. It is also the better built of the two cases. The case is heavier constructed and just overall more solid. However heavier build means what it says, this case is WAY to heavy to lug to LAN parties. This is a stay at home case.

However all the questions I have recieved got me thinking. The original P180 touted its cooling ability. Just how close is the P182 to the Nine Hundred in cooling? Over the next few days I will be testing exactly that. I have some good solid heat scores with my current system built in a Nine Hundred case with the case fans on medium.

I will move all the parts except the PSU to the P182 case and then test the temps there. The change of PSU should not be a big deal due to the fact in the Nine Hundred the air blasting past it means it has little to no impact on the heat of the case. In the P182 the PSU is in a seperate chamber and thus has no real impact there as well.

For round one of the comparision I will run the P182 fans at medium to match the speed of the Nine Hundreds fans. These numbers will be used as an apple to apple comparision of the ability to remove heat.

Once we have those numbers I will be experiementing a bit to see how close we can get the P182 to cooling like the Nine Hundred. Just basically adding a fan and moving another plus changing fan speeds.

When we have the P182 as close to the cooling of the Nine Hundreds baseline as we can get we will compare the noise of the P812 and see if it can do it quieter than the Nine Hundred.

Let me again make this clear, this comparision is for curiosity only. This is like comparing a BMW sedan to a Mustang. Each is designed to excel in different areas, we are just looking at the points of cross over. Okay enough of the intro lets begin.

Antec Nine Hundred

I have been running my base system in an Antec Nine Hundred for a few days. This is the same system that I used in the article for cable management for the Nine Hundred.

As you can see the system has some decent cable management in place with a bit of effort and we know this case is uber cool.

With two 120mm fans in the front of the case blasting air into the case and a 120 as well as a 200 exhuasting air out of the back and top.

This system has kept my computer very cool under conditions as high as 30c for room temperature. I have never broke 40 on the CPU or 50 on the highest core when the system has been folding full tilt, multicore CPU and GPU.

This case has a lot to like with the sweet cooling and light weight. A nice side window allows you to show off your parts and you have an option for an addition intake fan in the front and a side fan.

For purpose of our testing the system is run using it's stock cooling and the fans are all set to medium speed.

Antec P182

The Antec P182 has a very different look and feel. The case is much heavier and has no side windows or LED fans. It's look is less flash and more conservative but I personally do not think that is a bad thing. This case would look great in an office, bedroom, living room or LAN party.

This picture clearly shows the one BIG advantage the P182 has and that is in it's cable manamagement.

With no modifications done this case hides all of it's cabling neatly behind the motherboard tray.

When it comes to cable management, no matter which of these cases you choose, buy a 4/8 pin extension as well as a 24 pin extension. The Nine Hundred really needs them to get the cables well routed. The P182 could have actually done this without them but the Big Typhoon makes getting to the 4 pin hard so I used one on it for ease of assembly.

Also you will notice that the P182 is using an Antec Trio 650 for power while the Nine Hundred had used a Thermaltake Toughpower 1KW. The TT was used in the Nine Hundred for the cable management to take advanatge of it's modular cabling. The P182 does not really work well with an extended PSU and so it's use here would have created issues. Since the PSU does not play a huge role in either cases cooling system I felt this change would have little to no impact on the final results.

Now for our testing each case is using it's stock cooling setup. In the case of the P182 this means two 120mm fans provide exhaust in the upper chamber, one out the top and one out the back. A third 120mm fan is mounted in the middle of the lower chamber pulling air over the HD and pushing it toward the PSU.

Results of Base test

Okay with both systems set at stock configuration we set the fan speeds for all case fans at Medium. For the Nine Hunder case this was for me the sweet spot between noise and cooling. To make this test as close of a direct comparision as possible we have set the fans in the P182 to match.

We also tested for noise, while we lack the uber scientific methods we do have some neat ideas. For this tested I loaded the computer with some music by a group called Accapella, using the song Get to the Point. This song as some intriget 4 part hamrony and I have sung this type of music before so I know how to pick out the parts.

For the the noise test a set of Creative 2.0 speakers where placed on the lower part of the desk right next to the case on either side. I was standing at the othert side of the room, about 9 feet away with my back to the system. My daughter would slowly up the volume on the music until i could clearly hear the 4 distinctive parts.

Noise Level Testing:

• Antec Nine Hundred: Volume 63
• Antec P182: Volume 51

Now again I will state this is NOT scientific but it does give a solid indicator of the difference in noise each case puts out. The P182 does what it claims it will and keeps the case very quiet, what I found interesting was that the Nine Hundred scored much better than I expected, it was louder but the difference was actually harder to notice than we thought it would be.

System Cooling:

• Antec Nine Hundred
  • CPU: 30c
  • HD: 29c
  • Core: 42c
  • GPU: 61c
• Antec P182:
  • CPU: 32c
  • HD: 32c
  • Core: 44c
  • GPU: 67c

These numbers where run after the system had been running F@H SMP client and well as the GPU client full tilt for 2 hours. The room temperature at the time of reporting was 25.5c with the thermometer setting right next to the case. The readings where taken using Speedfan and CCC for ATI. The Core temperature represents the hottest of the two cores at the time of the reading.

These numbers tell us that while the Nine Hundred is a better cooling case it is not a great deal better with the exception of the GPU. When you realize that the GPU has a direct fan feed in the Nine Hundred this is easy to account.

These two cases play to very different consumers but Antec has kep a lot of crossover in thier performance. The Nine Hundred caters to people wanting max cooling and some level of noise control. The P182 caters to people wanting a quiet PC with decent cooling, both deliver on their assigned tasks well.

There are better cooling cases on the market than the Nine Hundred I am sure, however I doubt there are many that can keep the noise level as low while providing that cooling.

There are quieter cases than the P182 but none of them I have ever seen can cool as well while staying quiet.

This comparision is NOT meant to say one case is better than another. This comparision is here to help someone make an informed decision. Each of these cases are terrific and Antec should be commended on delivering on what they set out to do.

On a final note to Antec I wish to ask for the following; PLEASE take the lessons learned in the cable management system of the P182 and impliment them in the next generation of the Nine Hundred. I was amazed at how easy and clean a build in an P182 can go and it does not have the window to show off the work.

As I promised I will do some tweaking with the P182 and see if we can get it closer to the Nine Hundreds cooling but that is a seperate project, for now the stock scores are in and the results are clear, both cases are winners.

[Dr. V]

this was a GREAT mini-comparison thread, with probably all the info you'd need to make an efficient choice based on your preferences.

personall, i LOVE quiet cases, and not only is the P18x sexy AND quiet, it cools extremely well for how quiet it actually is, and that is what persuades me to give it the crown.

ive been REALLY contemplating between these 2 cases, so great comparison, and you've definitely helped me choose the victor.

of course its different for all based on preferences.

and if i REALLY have the urge to go to lan parties, ill get a new case later on. as of now i know for the next few years i wont have desire/time to do so.

great job

[Computer-Ed]

Thanks Stix, these two cases are both amazing it is a matter of style and preference as to which is best. I will probably stay with the P182, it's cooling is still keeping my system in safe temp ranges and is very quiet, the case has a more professional look which matches the rooms style and for me the PC sits under a desk, the top access on the Nine Hundred is a pain, the front access on the P182 better suites me.

(Also I am just to lazy to move this system again until a new case for review shows up )

I will be following this up with some tweaks I am doing to the P182 to make the cooling work a little better. Also remember the numbers only show a direct comparision and should not be considered numbers everyone will get. The system used is in my sig.

The big suprise for me is how well the Bug Typhoon VX is working in this case, it only has like a 2" clearance at the top so I though that would hinder it's air flow. Thermaltake has a new V1 on the way to me and Zalman is supposed to be sending a 9700 for testing as well. I am curious if a stand up cooler will work better.

All this being said I would readily reccomend the Nine Hundred case, it has the most amazing air flow I have ever seen.