I think this is the most excited I've been about a case before. I waited, and hunted around, and finally snagged one at $68 shipped (AR), and I truly believe I've found my case for the next decade. PC cases is one of the least upgraded things for me, so it's good to have a GREAT looking case that is so brilliantly put together.

I had been kinda on the fence between the 182 and the 180, just because of the minor improvements internally (cable behind the motherboard, fan switches outside accessible, etc), but just couldn't justify an additional $50 to get that. Well, I was thrilled to pull the 180b out of the box and discover that it was the 1.1 version...which means it had all of those improvements! I think I'd heard rumors about that, but it was still a real pleasant shock.

Anyway, I just wanted to gush a little bit. I waited eagerly for the P180 review on this site from when it was first ever mentioned, and it's been on my "must have" list since then. I can't wait to actually put a system in it! (right now, its back in its box until I pick up another 180b, then begin a dual system upgrade).

the p180 is a product that slowly got momentum after kind of stumbling out of the start gates, and now is a modern classic. that is a testimony to its design and antec quality. I have a solo and the attention to detail is amazing. I am waiting to have a look see at the mini 182.

oo, a mini 182...that sounds intriguing.

This is the first case I'm happy to display. I'm not so happy about it that I felt enticed by the 182 special edition...yikes! But the clean look of the 180b is really sweet. It's the first PC case I've had that doesn't look like all the other cases I've ever had, and also didn't have to resort to crazy *bling* to do it.

Well, the dual desktop PC upgrade has completed, and I am dang tickled by the result.

P180B
Antec NeoHE 450
Abit AB9 QuadGT
Pentium 2160 Dual Core
MSI GeForce 8600GT Fanless
2GB Crucial
2 X 200 GB Seagate SATA in RAID 1

This case is brilliant. I kept murmuring that as I was putting the whole thing together, I think my wife thought I was going crazy. This install has zero cables of any kind crossing the motherboard. I put almost all of them around the back in some manner. The 8-pin power connector from the power supply to the upper side of the motherboard was REALLY tight, but it makes it.

I'm using all the stock fans....CPU and case (though I removed the lower chamber fan). I realize that's almost taboo here, but I decided what the heck. The result is still an un-modified PC that's quieter than anything I've ever been able to synthesize with all the help from these forums. The P180B on top of the table is hearable only if all other equipment in the room is off, and the one under the desk is quieter than that.

Anyways, again just gushing a bit, and a big thanks to SPCR for leading me to it.

Yea, I think the P182 is a good improvement.

I have the P180B and at first I thought it is good to have these extra holes on the back but I seem to be wrong after some testing.

The P182 is less wide between Mobo and panel since it got a larger space behind Mobo for cables. This forces the airflow nearer the mobo and whence the hot components and cards.

Also the air isn't hot in the lower part of my cage so it is better that the airflow has to be forced to the upper part and also nearer the mobo as in the P182 (compared to the P180).

The lack of a lot of extra holes on the back also help to keep noise inside the case (not propagating out).

The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme fits tightly (=perfectly) in the P182 also which is a big plus.

And last but not least the cable management possibilities in the P182 are superb.

So all up to this "new" Antec case from me. Although I am quite happy with my old Antec P180B.

I didn't even know I could be as excited about a case before I got the P180. It's just superb, and it's not a fugly plastic thing you need to hide from guests like most cases.

I don't agree at all. I was very disappointed with the case. From it's flawed design to it's weight to it's poor cooling. I ended up getting a Nine Hundred afterwards and was much happier.

The revisions weren't an improvement at all either. The lower chamber is just a sheer joke to me.

Yeah, it is definitely flawed But it is still one of the best cases of its size, possibly the best overall.

Many things should be improved however. Modernized, really. My P182 lost a ton of weight after I stripped out all the junk, and there is still room for improvement.

The front metal grills and doors can go, the fan filter acts as a fan guard. The filter mounts can be improved. The removable PSU frame can go. Toolless card mounts can be added. Toolless+optional screw drive bays can be added, ala the CM690. The old Antec drive rails are... questionably useful compared to the alternatives these days.

The top fan should be further from the back fan because there is too much competition between the two, lowering the effectiveness of each. I think there might be room for a couple more motherboard tray wire holes. And frankly when Yate Loon fans are selling for $2, I don't want those Antec fans at all. Antecs have a higher top end, but normal people don't need that much air flow. Lower is sufficient for the consumers who won't buy new fans -- Antec should contract out for some better fans, or consider leaving them out. It is a high end case after all.

And while I'm at it, the rubber hard drive mounts are great, and the layout is versatile, but I'm not so sure it is better than a system like that of the CM690.

I bought a P180B on mega sale right before the P182s started showing up. Ease of routing cables behind the mobo in the P182 would make me a much, much happier silencer. Anybody want to trade the new for the slightly, slightly older?

I agree completely with Luminair.

Also I would like to have these improvements.
- One more air intake with dust filter for the front
(We "all" kind of use Kama bays or something here)
- Soft rubber bands for hard drive suspension
(We "all" softmount also)
- An optional seal for the top vent
(We "all" do that as well here at SPCR)
- The lower chamber height should just barely fit a 120 mm fan (smaller case).

I would like to see the door removed. The dust filter should preferably just be one big one.

As pointed out by Luminair
- The fans should be changed
(we "all" do that as well here)

Remove the cages and the 3.5 and 5.25 inch slots.
Just make it possible to mount drives softmounted somehow as freely and in any direction as we like.
Soon more drives will be solid state.
We do not need anything than a 5.25 inch slot for a DVD or alike accessible from the front.

For medium to low heat systems the P18x cases are excellent. Well, apart from the HDD bays which are inferior to suspension.

For high power/heat systems, the Nine Hundred is a better bet. The P18x simply don't have the airflow.

"The lower chamber is just a sheer joke to me"

What makes you say this? I think that having the psu in a space unaffected by other heat sources is a good idea. Or are you referring to somethng else?

I have not used this case in practice but have carefully examined it. Plastics are of average quality but the metal parts are much better than average. I like the top fan slot because you can use it to take better advantage of convection airflow. I would use it instead of the back slot and mount the heatsink accordingly, if possible.

As for the looks, I dare to say it looks a bit bland compared to lian li`s or even antec`s own solo.

agreed, particularly on the need for some sort of sliding mechanism to seal the top vent.
i do think the door should definitely stay though. It is a big silent attribute. w/ the door open, my hdd and intake become much more audible. Besides, if you don't like it, you can easily remove it.

In the end, there are always going to be compromises that keep it from perfection. Thats where modding comes in.

The problem with the door is that it massively restricts airflow.

A better solution would be a door like the one on my current server case, which has large holes for air which hang over each other so there is no direct path for sound. Noise is reduced but airflow is hardly affected:

One has to wonder just how quiet that horrendously chavesque piece of kit (the 900) could be.

My brother just bought a Nine Hundred. "Chavesque" doesn't even come close.

Sadly his system is not noise-reduced, but since I built it I did have an opportunity to work with the case and experiment a little with acoustics.

The case itself is fairly open and the side panels fairly light. It was very easy to work with, and the front fan mountings are ideal for suspending HDDs in front of. Airflow is also massive, even with all fans on the lowest settings. The supplied Tricool fans are not silent but are easily changeable. The top 200mm fan can be run silently by dropping the voltage, and moves a lot of air.

I'd say the Nine Hundred has excellent potential as a silent case. Just because it's not built for silence does not mean it can't be - after all people managed to make silent systems before the P180 arrived. The key to the Nine Hundred is that it has excellent airflow, so you don't need high speed fans to cool your system. Plus, HDDs can be suspended in the optimum position, unlike the P180 which needs modding if you want to keep the HDDs in the lower chamber or upper HDD bay.

A lot of people seem to think the P180s thick walls and front door are the best way to silence a system. I find that my P182 is actually louder than my much more Nine Hundred like server case. The server side panels were quite thick until I put windows in them (I was young...). The back has huge holes in it (space for three PSUs, but I only have one etc). Even with the front door open it's quieter than the P182, because the fans run slower and most of all the HDDs are suspended. The superior airflow allows the components in the case to be quieter to start with, and despite the P182s dampening it can't compete with that.

My conclusion is that the P18x is good if you want to run a medium range system and have a 2.5" HDD. If you want 3.5" drives or high heat output components, a Nine Hundred will probably be quieter.