P182 Special Edition - One of the best cases gets better
by Joshua Buss on April 12, 2007 1:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Final Words
Evolution and innovation drive all fronts of technology, and in the computer case business that translates into a constant battle for finding a perfect blend of functional usefulness, aesthetic acceptance, performance in regards to both temperatures and sound levels, and pricing to match competitors' similar offerings. Antec has already found great success with the original P180 and for years to come it will be a desktop case others are measured against. Its creative use of plastic, aluminum, and steel translated into some of the lowest noise levels yet on a desktop PC case without changing it at all from the way it comes out of the box.
At first appearance, there might not be much attracting a potential purchaser of a PC enclosure to the P182 SE over Antec's other offerings aside from the out-of-this-world paint job, but the work/showcase spotlight might be just the kind of accessory which nudges an interested party over the edge to choose it over the normal gunmetal gray P182. Choices are always good though, and in this sense the P182 and P182 SE make great additions to Antec's line.
The "vanilla" P182 is a nice choice; for around $170 online one can get almost all the same features as the case we reviewed, with a still very attractive dark gray finish. For the user who demands the "best", the P182 SE's still-killer noise performance - one of the best in its class - is available with the addition of the flexible work light, all black interior, and super-shiny mirror finish for a pretty substantial increase in price.. we've seen the P182 SE available for around $230 online. The special edition will be a limited offering, however, so if having the ability to see your reflection on the surface of your case is something you've always wanted, you'll want to jump on it as soon as it's available - but be aware of the fact that it's going to leave a bit of a dent in your wallet.
Evolution and innovation drive all fronts of technology, and in the computer case business that translates into a constant battle for finding a perfect blend of functional usefulness, aesthetic acceptance, performance in regards to both temperatures and sound levels, and pricing to match competitors' similar offerings. Antec has already found great success with the original P180 and for years to come it will be a desktop case others are measured against. Its creative use of plastic, aluminum, and steel translated into some of the lowest noise levels yet on a desktop PC case without changing it at all from the way it comes out of the box.
At first appearance, there might not be much attracting a potential purchaser of a PC enclosure to the P182 SE over Antec's other offerings aside from the out-of-this-world paint job, but the work/showcase spotlight might be just the kind of accessory which nudges an interested party over the edge to choose it over the normal gunmetal gray P182. Choices are always good though, and in this sense the P182 and P182 SE make great additions to Antec's line.
The "vanilla" P182 is a nice choice; for around $170 online one can get almost all the same features as the case we reviewed, with a still very attractive dark gray finish. For the user who demands the "best", the P182 SE's still-killer noise performance - one of the best in its class - is available with the addition of the flexible work light, all black interior, and super-shiny mirror finish for a pretty substantial increase in price.. we've seen the P182 SE available for around $230 online. The special edition will be a limited offering, however, so if having the ability to see your reflection on the surface of your case is something you've always wanted, you'll want to jump on it as soon as it's available - but be aware of the fact that it's going to leave a bit of a dent in your wallet.
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Anorax - Sunday, July 15, 2007 - link
Hi Joshua. Just read this review. To be honest this is a fairly average review. What sets the P182 series apart from other cases is specifically the ability to route cables behind the backplate the motherboard is fixed to and between the rear case cover. There are cable ties, fixing points, and access holes for just this purpose.By removing the cable mess from the area over the motherboard you give the case a much better airflow and therefore lower overall ambient temperatures. You say the review was rushed but there would have been little if extra time involved in quickly routing the cables behind the keyboard.
So really you have defeated the whole purpose for using this case in the first place. Sorry but a little more attention to detail next time would be good.
Anorax - Sunday, July 15, 2007 - link
The word *keyboard should read *motherboard.Jodiuh - Friday, April 13, 2007 - link
Why must they continue to put the bottom 120 in the middle of the case? My HDD's will roast 10C hotter in that config as opposed to blowing cool air OVER the HDD's. :(Leth - Tuesday, May 22, 2007 - link
You can move the middle mounted 120mm fan to the front of the case if you wish, or even add an extra so you have two 120mm's in the bottom part. Having two gives you a push/pull airflow setup for hd's mounted in the bottom ;)afilis - Friday, April 13, 2007 - link
Correct me if i'm wrong but i haven't seen anywhere in the review if you can fit a pair of 8800gtx with both cages installed, as these gfx cards are extra long...??bamacre - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Don't get me wrong, this case, and others have a lot of features not found in a Dell, but take a peek inside a Dell XPS 410 or Precision 390.Dell's assembly for the optical drives is one major thing that no other cases I have seen have tried to duplicate. The Precision 390 case design even allows for the changing of the optical drives to be rotated so that the system can be used as a desktop or a tower, and this change takes literally 90 seconds. It is just so incredibly easy to add or replace an optical drive in a Dell because of the case design.
This complaint is personal but would apply to any of us who would only want one or two internal. Again, Dell's design for hard drives is so simply and yet so brilliant. Two pull-out plastic enclosures. No screws needed. Pull one out, slide in a hard drive, and pop it back in. It is just so easy, and this is definitely something that some case makers could easily implememnt.
Reference:
http://www.majortoker.com/images/xps410a_04.jpg">http://www.majortoker.com/images/xps410a_04.jpg
The hard drive enclosures are located on the bottom left and center.
JarredWalton - Friday, April 13, 2007 - link
Already done http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=28...">months ago. A quote you'll probably agree with:That said, the XPS 410 chassis is not designed to house dual GPUs or a variety of other options. It's a good all-in-one system for a non-enthusiast (i.e. people that don't care about overclocking), but it's not inexpensive either.
bamacre - Friday, April 13, 2007 - link
Yeah, I remember the article, it was very good actually.But what I meant to say was that other case-makers should implement some of the nice features that Dell has in their cases.
JarredWalton - Friday, April 13, 2007 - link
Ah, I see... maybe they want to avoid patent infringement lawsuits? ;)One possibility is that they want to make sure their cases are more compatible. You have to be able to fit anything from an old P3 up through the latest Core 2 Quad or X2 in a standard ATX case. Part of the reason Dell cases can be easy to work with is that they are often designed for a specific, proprietary motherboard. I'm still surprised we haven't seen more screwless designs that actually work well, however.
bamacre - Friday, April 13, 2007 - link
Yes, patent infringement is certainly a possibility.And yes, Dell has an edge in that they are specifically made for their motherboards. They've done a good job utilizing that, too. One particular nice feature is that blue thing that gives physical support for heavier video cards, to prevent them from bending over time. I work on a lot of Dells, I've replaced everything possible in the xps 410 and Prec 390, except for the case/mobo/psu. They are just so damn easy to work with. Even replacing the cpu is a breeze.