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Antec P183


Date
: 05/23/09 – 04:53:49 PM

Author
:

Category
: Cases

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer:
Antec

A familiar face both here at Overclockers Online as well as in the PC industry, Antec is practically a staple for your needs from fans to power supplies and cases.

Antec has a wide variety of cases to satisfy anyone's needs, from the New Solutions Series all the way up to their Performance One line. We have put a few of Antec's cases through the test here, but it has been nearly 2 years since we reviewed the P182. Today I have the next evolution, if you will, of the P180 series, the P183. Much as Antec did with the P182 before it, the P183 gets some adjustments to improve the overall case.

Page 2 : Package and Accessories

On the front and back of the packaging is a picture of the case and the specifications and features.

On the sides there are two more pictures along with some more information on features.

Opening up the box, the packaging on the P183 is one of the most protective I have seen. on top of the soft Styrofoam ends, the entire case is covered in an additional layer of cardboard to protect it.

Accessories include 5.25′ drive rails, 3.5′ drive rails, two bags of screws, a set of keys and fan clips. Also inside is a product overview and warranty statement. There isn't a manual included, though you can access the manual in Adobe ODF form at Antec's website here.

Page 3 : Features and Specifications

I pulled the specifications straight from Antec's product page here..

Specifications:

11 drive bays
– External 4 x 5.25′; 1 x 3.5′
– Internal 6 x 3.5′ for HDD
Cooling system:
– 1 rear (standard) 120mm x 25mm TriCool fan
– 1 top (standard) 120mm x 25mm TriCool fan
– 1 lower front chamber – 120mm fan (optional)
– 1 upper front chamber – 120mm fan (optional)
– 1 middle chamber – 120mm fan (optional)
Cable organizers behind motherboard tray minimize cable clutter
Front-mounted ports provide convenient connections:
– 2 x USB 2.0
– 1 x eSATA
– Audio In and Out (HDA and AC'97 compatible)
Double hinged door opens up to 270º
7 expansion slots
0.8mm cold rolled steel chassis for durability
Compatible Motherboards:
– Mini-ITX, microATX, Standard ATX
Case dimensions:
– 20.25′(H) x 8.1′(W) x 19.9′(D)
– 514 mm (H) x 205 mm (W) x 507 mm (D)
Net weight:
– 30.9 lbs / 14 kg

Features:

- Dual chamber design isolates heat and noise: the power supply resides in a separate chamber to isolate heat and reduce system noise
- No power supply included
- Power supply option: comes with a power supply mounting adapter to mount either a standard size power supply or Antec's exclusive CP Series power supply
- Innovative three-layer, sound-deadening side panels and front door (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) dampen noise and ensure Quiet Computing

What's new in the P183:
- Front door vents, as well as wider vents along the door frame, improve airflow into the chassis.
- Filters and filter doors are integrated as one unit. The doors themselves have been modified to provide greater airflow, resulting in cooler system temperatures.
- Drive bay covers are vented and include air filters to provide better airflow.
- Lower chamber fan is now located in front of the hard drive cage, allowing for installation of longer PSUs as well as easier cable routing between the lower HD cage and the power supply.

As you can see from the features and specifications, compared to the P182, there are some minor changes. Probably the biggest change is for better airflow in the front door panel and drive bay covers. Another difference is where once the lower bay fan was included, now the mounting location has moved and the fan is now optional. Also weighing in at nearly 31 lbs empty, this is no lightweight case and is not really meant for frequent travel.

Page 4 : Exterior

The P183 retains the gunmetal gray color of the previous P182. Some of the more noticeable changes and improvements are here in the front. Vents now adorn the front door along with the drive bay covers being vented with filters to allow greater airflow. The front panel has microphone and headphone jacks, two USB and an eSATA replaces the Firewire port of the P182. Power and reset buttons reside behind the door which can also be locked. There are four 5.25′ drive bays along with one external 3.5′ bay.

The top is flat and gone is the shroud that covered the 120mm exhaust fan, replaced with just a screen guard.

Both right and left sides are identical with no windows or vents. Here you can also get a little better look at some of the additional venting in the front panel.

Along the back are holes for water cooling, 120mm exhaust fan, standard I/O plate and 7 PCI expansion slots. The power supply is mounted on the bottom and the standard PSU bracket can be removed to accommodate Antec's exclusive CP series power supply. Two thumbscrews hold on the left side panel while standard screws hold in the right side. Along the top are fan speed controllers for the top and back TriCool fans with settings of low, medium and high.

The bottom of the case is rather unremarkable with four rubber feet. The feet are attached using adhesive rather than screws. I would prefer better feet as I found that they can be accidentally detached if trying to slide the case on carpet.

Page 5 : Interior

After removing the side panels, which are both identical, you can see the mix of aluminum and plastic that acts as sound insulation. Side panels feel solid along with the entire case.

The front plate is removable though really not necessary as everything behind it is easily accessible by removing the bay or fan covers. Each one has a filter that is easily removed for cleaning by either push button (fans) or easily reached tabs (drive bays).

If you have seen the insides of the P182 than you are instantly familiar with the insides of the P183. You still have two removable hard drive cages. The main difference is the change in the lower bay fan housing being moved to the front allowing more flexibility with longer power supplies.

The top mount has two hard drive caddies with rubber grommets and a small compartment on the back side you can use to put extra drive screws in. The lower hard drive cage also has rubber grommets and can hold up to 4 hard drives.

The partition separating the upper and lower chambers has a two piece cover that can be adjusted back and forth to the size you need for wiring. Here you can also see the rubber lining that lines the power supply mounting plate to reduce vibrations. In between the upper and lower drive cages is the 3.5′ bay and in the front are two additional spots to mount 120mm fans.

Just two TriCool fans are included with the P183 and act as exhaust and as stated before are set up so the fan speed can be changed from the back. PCI expansion covers are slotted to allow greater airflow but unfortunately do not use thumbscrews.

Turning to the backside of the motherboard tray there are already three cable ties in place with places to attach more. Four holes around the motherboard tray allow for cable routing behind the motherboard tray.

Last but not least are the front panel connections: HD Audio/AC'97 connections, eSATA, USB, power switch, reset switch, power and hard drive LED.

That covers our tour; let's throw some hardware at the P183!

Page 6 : Installation

Installation was a mixed bag, as I feel I have gotten spoiled by a lot of the tool free features in many cases lately. The P183 is a throwback of sorts when it comes to installation. While it may not be tool less I do like the 5.25′ drive rails. You easily screw them onto the drive and it snaps solidly in place. No need to screw the drive to the case as there is no room for movement or vibration.

You have the option of installing the hard drives in the upper or lower cages. As you will see shortly, it is better in my opinion to utilize the lower cage.

One concern I did have was space towards the top and as you can see here the Zalman CNPS9900 LED came close but still cleared the top exhaust fan. It is kind of hard to see in this picture but if your 8 pin (or 4) is located in the top left of the motherboard, space is tight and it is quite difficult to plug it in once everything is installed.

I had mentioned before the fan clips and here is where they come into use if you want. You lose the use of the upper drive cage to mount the fan to act as a sort of wind tunnel delivering air to your graphics cards. While it is a neat idea, it really cuts things close to my Biostar Geforce 9600GT and so full size cards would obviously be out of the question.

I would have liked to see the slot between the lower and upper chamber in the backside to be a little wider. Once you start to get a few cables running through there it seems to get small in a hurry.

With a full system installed everything fits well, though if you used the upper hard drive cage it would really be a cramped spot in that area. It's important to keep in mind with a PSU mounted in the bottom you will need longer cables if you really want a neat and clean looking case to route everything behind the tray.

With things installed once you power it up, no real flash but just a classy look to the P183. While the power LED is visible at all times, the hard drive LED is blocked by the door when closed.

Page 7 : Testing

The following system was installed and used to gather temperatures:

CPU: Intel E8400 w/Zalman CNPS9900 LED
MB: Biostar TPower I45
RAM: G.Skill PI Black PC6400
Video: Biostar Geforce 9600GT
PSU: Ultra X3 1000W
HD: WD 250GB SATA
DVD-Rom: Lite-On 18x DVD Burner – SATA
OS: Microsoft Windows XP w SP2
Ambient Temperature: 25-26C

Cases:

Antec P183

Cooler Master HAF 932
Cooler Master HAF 922

To get idle temperatures I started the PC up and allowed it to sit at idle for 3 hours with no processes running and recorded temperatures using Everest Ultimate. All temperatures were recorded using Everest Ultimate Edition. I tested the P183 at both high and low fan settings. On low the P183 is certainly quiet, but put those TriCools on high and the noise is very noticeable. It's not a whining noise, but a loud bit of moving air.

Under idle all of the cases are pretty much even except in hard drive temps. This is to be expected since both of the HAF cases come with an intake fan directly in front of the hard drives where as the P183 does not.

Next was to load the PC and get some temperatures with a little more heat involved. To get load temps, I ran Orthos blend along with 3DMark06 in a continuous loop for 3 hours.

Under load and with the fans on high the P183 does well to keep up with the HAF 932 in most but the GPU temps, but again this isn't a surprise due to the 230mm side fan on the HAF 932.

Now on face value the P183 is a bit behind in temperatures, but considering how much more enclosed it is than either HAF case, the results are pretty good.

Page 8 : Conclusion

Antec has followed the motto 'If it's not broke, don't fix it', for some time now with their Performance One series of cases. The core function and style of the case is retained but they have made a few tweaks to improve on it. There is greater airflow with the improved vents in the front door and drive bay covers. As with its other siblings, the P183 is made of quality materials and is therefore quite sturdy and strong.

My only two real complaints with the P183 are the weight and cable routing. The weight is expected due to the materials used and the solid construction and besides this is not a case made for LAN parties so it's only a small hindrance. The cable routing issues could be relieved with a couple more holes or cutouts in the motherboard tray. I won't list the fan noise as a negative because of the fan control so you can set them to how you prefer.

The P183 isn't the ideal case for someone that switches components often, but is a stylish and well designed case that should be at home in any room or office.

Advantages

• Quiet on low (fan speed control)

• Cable management
• Good cooling
• Elegant design and solid construction

Disadvantages

• Heavy

• Cable length could be issue

Overclockers Online would like to thank Antec for supplying the P183 case for review.