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Upgrade from an Antec P180 to a P183 for cable routing?

Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 2:16 am
by blunden
I've been using my trusty Antec P180 since 2005. Cable managment is hard though, partly because I use 8 harddrives (2 of them SSDs).

Recently I've seen stores selling out the remaining stock of the P183 (not the V3 version) cheap. I was wondering if you guys think it would be worth buying one just for the slightly better cable management options?

Note: I would be replacing the front panel and side panels with the ones from my P180 since I think the P183 front is too ugly.

Re: Upgrade from an Antec P180 to a P183 for cable routing?

Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 3:39 am
by flemeister
I'd just cut some cable management holes in the P180, and cover the edges with edge molding / u-channel. :)

Re: Upgrade from an Antec P180 to a P183 for cable routing?

Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 4:21 am
by blunden
flemeister wrote:I'd just cut some cable management holes in the P180, and cover the edges with edge molding / u-channel. :)
I suppose that might be better if I can get my hands on the required tools if those holes are the only differences of note.

Re: Upgrade from an Antec P180 to a P183 for cable routing?

Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2013 7:31 am
by xev
It depends on how neat you want to be. I used a small chisel and hammer to make crude holes in the motherboard tray on my P180. I had to use pliers to bend the metal and then covered the metal sheet edges with electrical tape (duct tape is great too). It's a wonder how well built this thing is. Many newer cases and I read the 183 as well have thinner metal sheets.
An issue might arise with the clearance behind the motherboard metal sheet and the second side panel, but it's ok if it bends a little as long as you can still slide it in with force.

Re: Upgrade from an Antec P180 to a P183 for cable routing?

Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2013 10:59 am
by JazzJackRabbit
Yes, P18x series is a beast. Like others I have cut several holes in my case for easier cable and SATA cable management. Requires tools and a little spare time, but it's easily doable. A year ago I bought P280 because I wanted USB3.0 headers on the front and dual 120mm top exhaust vent, and I was really disappointed with the build quality. The side panel U-lips are too loose (see SPCR review) and if you knock on the side panels/top they rattle like crazy. I had to put self adhesive floor tiles on the side panels and the top to stop them from rattling. With the addition of those tiles the case is just about as good as P18x, but it's completely ridiculous I had to do it in the first place. The P18x plastic/aluminum side panel composition was the best thing for sound dampening, pity Antec decided to ditch it for paper thin steel panels in P280.

Re: Upgrade from an Antec P180 to a P183 for cable routing?

Posted: Fri Oct 18, 2013 11:42 pm
by flemeister
JazzJackRabbit wrote:Yes, P18x series is a beast. Like others I have cut several holes in my case for easier cable and SATA cable management. Requires tools and a little spare time, but it's easily doable. A year ago I bought P280 because I wanted USB3.0 headers on the front and dual 120mm top exhaust vent, and I was really disappointed with the build quality. The side panel U-lips are too loose (see SPCR review) and if you knock on the side panels/top they rattle like crazy. I had to put self adhesive floor tiles on the side panels and the top to stop them from rattling. With the addition of those tiles the case is just about as good as P18x, but it's completely ridiculous I had to do it in the first place. The P18x plastic/aluminum side panel composition was the best thing for sound dampening, pity Antec decided to ditch it for paper thin steel panels in P280.
I had the same experience. First thing I did when I got the case was to get a rubber mallet and tighten the side panel U-lips. :) Also wedged some cardboard between the top panel and the 5.25" bays. Antec just left a ~3mm gap there. As soon as I did that, suddenly the top panel didn't bow in so easily... :roll:

Only had the case for a month before I moved back into my P182...

The Silverstone SG07 I use now at least is small enough that the steel panels don't seem so flexy, and I've put Acoustipack on them to harden them up. They really don't make 'em like they used to... :lol:

Re: Upgrade from an Antec P180 to a P183 for cable routing?

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 10:44 am
by blunden
I guess I'll just keep the P180 then and make my own holes if I feel like taking the time to do so. Even if I bought the P183 for the holes, I'd still have to disassemble and reassemble it anyway.

Thanks for your comments. I had no idea many "quality" chassis used thinner metal now. Now I have even more reasons to keep using it.