yukon --
It's ironic how you start off with a good big picture statement then launch into a tirade about the P183 and our review.
Even with the original P180, the primary target market was not just silent pc enthusiasts -- that market is a small percentage of the total. It was also aimed at power users and gamers. The P183 still has more effective noise reduction features than the vast majority of cases, and the big difference between it and typical gaming cases (including the Antec 300, 900 and 1200) is the door, the muffling sandwiched panels, and the absence of a side panel vent/fan for video card cooling -- the last lack sometimes addressed by gamers who like the case and cut their own side panel hole. (Note, btw,
cmanley's call for more space at the bottom of the mb to fit a 3rd PCIe 16x video card in the bottom slot!) On the other hand, like the P182, the P183 needs tweaks to be ideal for the silencer as well. It's just that those tweaks have changed -- ie, in the P183, I'd say dealing with the top vent (if you want to use a fan there) is issue #1, while in the P182, the main issue was the restrictive front intakes.
Quote:
"...punching the front panel full of holes hasn't made the case any louder" is not possible
Until you hear it yourself, you're in no position to judge. No question the door works -- it blocks the noise from getting out the front much like the older doors did. Holes in the door have changed its noise-blocking ability very little.
Quote:
The Performance One cases are high quality and expensive, but they still don't generate heat
They're not expensive relative to many other high end cases, and no case actually generates heat.
I totally disagree with you on the PSU. The 120mm fan straight flow-through design provides far more effective cooling than the conventional 120mm fan PSU. So it's not ATX -- who really cares? ATX, like desktop computing, is on the way out of mainstream computing. That Antec didn't pursue a "new standard" is hardly cause for condemnation. That's not their business, and they're not selling the CP-850 as a universal product, it's meant to be a proprietary advantage for them -- and for their customers.
The fact is that the new PSU is a better design, and the P183 can take advantage of it. There's no doubt that 850W capability is far more than most SPCR enthusiasts need, but Antec's argument (expressed to me if not to the public) is that their CP-850 is cheaper to build because of its design, and real power consumption is dictated by the demands of your components, not the PSU. Checking on web pricing, the CP-850 is typically $125 -- about what you'd pay for many high quality 600~650W PSUs. If you use this PSU instead of a similarly priced 600W PSU for a quiet midrange system, what do you lose? probably nada, and it might even be quieter -- wait for the review to see.
Finally you diss SPCR for 1) being positive about an intelligent PSU design even if it's a very high power unit because you think this is contrary to SPCR... morality?? re -- "
I had felt SCPR was more about standards and efficiency" and 2) for posting an article that you think "
encourages Antec to change their quiet case into a louder high-performance type case that moves away from industry standards."
My response to 1) is that this is... misguided, and my reasons have already been explained above. My response to 2) is that Antec has already made and launched the product, never mind SPCR approval or sanction. We can like the product or not, and we can provide Antec feedback or not. What Antec chooses to do with our responses is entirely up to them... and I've already made it very clear to them that I think the top vent is a serious error that should be corrected.