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
Interior
Inside, not much has changed through the various iterations of Antec's P18x series. Their design places the power supply at the bottom but does not invert the motherboard like other cases with this layout. Although sometimes this can make certain motherboard/power supply combinations impossible fits for the case, Antec believes it is still worthwhile it to have this layout, and for a few reasons it really does make sense.
Most notably, the design allows for all the hottest air that collects around the CPU and motherboard power regulators to be taken away very quickly by the two large exhaust fans placed at the top-rear of the case.
In this shot of the fan in the top plate, a USB-powered flexible work light is visible. When not in use, the light stores away in its holder. It's an interesting inclusion, but of course it's only useful if the system is powered on; this is generally not the case when people are working on the interior of their computer.
Unlike the P180 we reviewed earlier, the entire inside of the P182 SE is black - right down to the drive cages and motherboard mounting tray. To hold the hard drives, two separate removable cages are used. The top unit can contain two drives, each one in its own removable sled, and the bottom cage can hold four with vibration-dampening rubber grommets.
Each cage is guided securely in place along rails and held fast with a single thumbscrew. As for the power supply, it's held with a piece of metal with rubber along some of its edges that goes around three sides and then fastens with screws onto a platform underneath. Four more screws can go into the PSU itself in the back, regardless of which way the unit is oriented - a nice touch a lot of cheaper cases still have not implemented.
Our Zalman PSU's plethora of cables still all fit through the collapsible opening, but longer power supplies might require the removal of the fan in this bottom section. For the longest power supplies, the entire plate that the fan mounts onto can be taken out. The handy sliding cover serves to keep the cabling neat, and simultaneously it segregates the different airflow zones of the case; unfortunately it's still a bit flimsy in its construction and use. There are actually two holes in the cover, one for the power supply cables and one for cabling to go to the lower hard drive cage. Both can be opened and closed individually.
Inside, not much has changed through the various iterations of Antec's P18x series. Their design places the power supply at the bottom but does not invert the motherboard like other cases with this layout. Although sometimes this can make certain motherboard/power supply combinations impossible fits for the case, Antec believes it is still worthwhile it to have this layout, and for a few reasons it really does make sense.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Most notably, the design allows for all the hottest air that collects around the CPU and motherboard power regulators to be taken away very quickly by the two large exhaust fans placed at the top-rear of the case.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
In this shot of the fan in the top plate, a USB-powered flexible work light is visible. When not in use, the light stores away in its holder. It's an interesting inclusion, but of course it's only useful if the system is powered on; this is generally not the case when people are working on the interior of their computer.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Unlike the P180 we reviewed earlier, the entire inside of the P182 SE is black - right down to the drive cages and motherboard mounting tray. To hold the hard drives, two separate removable cages are used. The top unit can contain two drives, each one in its own removable sled, and the bottom cage can hold four with vibration-dampening rubber grommets.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Each cage is guided securely in place along rails and held fast with a single thumbscrew. As for the power supply, it's held with a piece of metal with rubber along some of its edges that goes around three sides and then fastens with screws onto a platform underneath. Four more screws can go into the PSU itself in the back, regardless of which way the unit is oriented - a nice touch a lot of cheaper cases still have not implemented.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Our Zalman PSU's plethora of cables still all fit through the collapsible opening, but longer power supplies might require the removal of the fan in this bottom section. For the longest power supplies, the entire plate that the fan mounts onto can be taken out. The handy sliding cover serves to keep the cabling neat, and simultaneously it segregates the different airflow zones of the case; unfortunately it's still a bit flimsy in its construction and use. There are actually two holes in the cover, one for the power supply cables and one for cabling to go to the lower hard drive cage. Both can be opened and closed individually.
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Spanki - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Yep... I mentioned that ^ up there already :). I got the hybrid case as well back in March (others reported getting it since late Feb.). The primary difference, as far as I can tell is that it's black, instead of the new gun-metal grey of the 'regular' P182.i4mt3hwin - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Is there any other differences between the P182SE vs the P182 besides the finish? I'm really not into flashy looking cases but the features described in the article def appeal to me as I'm looking to buy a new case.Deusfaux - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
and the cable routing features behind it? They didnt even install the PSU that way or take advantage of them, and its a hell of a rat's nest in their install picture.Anyways I already have a P182SE on order to replace my P180
BPB - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
May I ask from where you ordered it? The http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">Newegg price is so high.classy - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
The P180 series is flat butt ugly.Spanki - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
It's the classiest case on the market today. I'm guessing you're one of those winky-blinky, windows and neon type of guys :).strikeback03 - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
They're classy with the door closed. IMO doors make cases pretty much useless though, and the front of the case inside the door is nothing special.yacoub - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
I love my Antec P150 (now also available as the SOLO (no included PSU)). I've had it since they were first available a little over a year ago and it's been an excellent case. An assortment of nice quiet/silencing features, a good amount of room inside for a "mini" tower, and what seem to be very good quality parts.If anyone is looking at the 180 or 182 and wishing there was something a bit smaller, definitely look at the P150 or the SOLO.
Icepick - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Agreed. The Solo is easily my favorite case and that's what I chose to house my Core2Duo build this past October. The silencing features, cable management and appearance make it the best case out there.jpeyton - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Antec made notable changes regarding cable management for the P182, particularly the design of the motherboard tray. Specifically, there are cut-outs in the tray for routing cables behind the tray between different compartments, and there is more room behind the tray to allow for thicker cables (like a 20/24-pin ATX PSU connector).I would think such important differences between the P182 and the P180 should be touched upon in the article; perhaps you could even incorporate some of the cable routing features into your "Installation" portion of the article?