getting closer
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails. ... dID=81800#

So, maybe the p180 case comes with an included ATX extension cable?

Heh...thanks for the warning. Too bad all the posts in here about washable filters couldn't be extracted into a new thread, as I find it an interesting discussion by itself.

Ya, I stopped by Checker last night just to see what they had, and sure enough, they all required a cleaning solution/oil as well. Nah, not for me. I want wash/rinseable with just water, like my AC filter. I think that will be more than sufficient for my PC's air needs, seeing as how I've survived this long without any filters at all!!

So, I stopped by Ace hardware on the way home and found some cut-to-fit washable air filter, and some stiff wire mesh...so I'm going to make my own! I'll probably give it a whirl this weekend, and post a few pics of how it turns out.

Somehow I don't think Antec is going to include this with the case... how would they know if you wanted a 24 pin or a 20 pin? Besides that, I don't see it stated anywhere on their website that it comes with one...

Do note, however, that you CAN mount your PSU with either the fan up, or the fan down. This might give you about an inch or so more length on the cable depending on how far towards the edge of the PSU case your cables come out...

Sorry, didnt think about the oil in the filters...

link to Sonata II page on Antec's website:
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15139
(the Sonata is 15138...hehe...OK it's not me saw it @ HardOCP & AnandTech)



interesting...on the Sonata II the air-duct is for cooling both the VGA and the CPU (incl. 2 optional fans on the duct). whereas on the P180 they changed it and now it's VGA only (and only 1 fan)!

Does anyone know when the Sonata II will arrive in stores?

Seeing that antec put it up on their website aproximatly the same time as the P180, Im hoping it will arrive at the same time.

Has anyone heard if the fan mounts on the cooling duct will be able to fit Antec Noise Killers or some other sound absorbing gasket/mounting devise? Or are they already fitted with sound absorbers perhaps?

If the duct transfers to much rattling/vibration the advantages provided by larger fans running at low speeds would be reduced, right? (I'm def. a newbie so I'm just speculating.)

I very excited about the Sonata II. I've been thinking about using Gigabyte's passively cooled 6600 APG card, and this duct may be just the thing to move the heat it generates quietly.

Noise killers are by most accounts useless. There are so many ways to mount a fan. Look at the stickies in the fan forum. If there is vibration in the duct you would have to use your imagination and make a mod. Reinforce or support it better. Use isolation mounts or foam at case and and fan end. No one has ever worked on a Sonata II before.

I've emailed a few retailers retailers (in Australia) and it looks like the release of the P180 could be a month away. One said that the case was probably 4 weeks away, while another expected it to be out by the end of June.

FrontierPC quoted me an ETA of May 27 (today) when I e-mailed them a few days ago. It doesn't look like they arrived today, and I haven't heard back from them in reply to an e-mail I sent this morning requesting a new ETA. NCIX is now listing an ETA of July 28, which is crazy! I sure hope this case will be available in the next week or so, or I'm going to have to put my new system in something else.

This store has a real-time availability updater. Wonder if it's accurate.

ETA: May 31st

Hello all,

I just phoned the store, and was told they wouldn't have it till the middle of June. Argh, I'm waiting to buy my mobo and cpu until the p180 comes out, as we've already seen small drops in the 3200 venice's price since release, and I expect a better price.

But this is driving me insane. I've got 80% of a computer ready to go....

Tell me about it, the rest of my system will be here at the beginning of the week. I like frontierpc's current P180 pricing...



Nice sale

No plans to sell the Limited Edition in Europe?

I've been e-mailing frontierpc about the P180. Here's what they have to say:

And:

Doesn't sound too promising

I think we need a solid answer on the release dates of the two models.

Mcbob and I have been told, by the same store, that the black spcr version would be out at the end of June, and mid-June.

NCIX has the silver version listed for July 28th.

People in this forum were suggesting end of May, early June.

Can anyone, perhaps AntecRep, shed some informed light on the matter?

As I'm impartial to the colour of my case, I may have to get the silver one, as frontierpc is selling the spcr one for significantly more than their listed silver price.

When I first saw that July 28 ETA at NCIX, it seemed crazy, especially since frontierpc had assured me they'd have the silver P180 in stock by May 27 (does anyone remember when it was coming out in "February"?). Given what frontierpc told me today, it's starting to look more likely. They're listing the silver version as "Special Order" again, which means they have no idea when it's coming in. Their pricing on it has been all over, from $170 to $190. It's now back at $180 with a $189 "sale" (-5% discount, wtf?).

I'm thinking of sticking my components in a shitty old Dell case with some fans strapped on it until I can get my hands on a P180. I guess I'll probably go with the black version if it's likely to come in sooner (though they could just be bullshitting me to get me to buy the more expensive model). I would like to hear from an Antec rep, too. Hopefully we'll get more information after the long weekend in the States.

More weirdness... As usual, the price of the silver P180 is fluctuating; it's at $201.25 with a discount to make it $189.00 at the moment. If you look at the bottom of their main page, they list both the SPCR P180 and regular P180:


I think I'm going to just order the damn black one and be done with it. It will arrive when it arrives, until then I'll make do with an old case.

A few weeks ago, frontierpc listed the silver model at 169.99 on sale. I immediately added one to my cart, and refuse to take it out .

I emailed frontierpc today, and they told me mid june for the spcr version, and mid july for the silver version.

Which leads me to my next question : how bad would it be to run a system caseless for about a month?

I am delighted that there will be a black version, and I hope the case reviews well.

But I remain skeptical about the positions of the PSU exhaust with a fresh air intake just above it. I read the post about the Lian-li diverter for the exhaust, and recall that it has previously been condemmed as causing turbulent airflow. I simply can't look at that beautiful case and not visualize a smoke test showing PSU exhaust going into the duct intake, even with a gadget like the Lian-Li diverter.

I can't imagine that the case has progressed this far without someone at Antec raising this obvious issue, and testing the resultant temps - which is all that really matters - but if it does work, I'd like to know why. Either the short circuit of the air flow doesn't matter, or their is something about this that is escaping me and the others who have raised this question. I hope I'm missing something, as I really want this case to be a winner.

We'll see what the story is when the review comes out.

You worry to much.

Even if PSU exhaust does get drawn in through the VGA duct, I don't think it would be much of a problem.

The hard drives and PSU won't add much heat to the air, and it'll mix with outside air before it gets drawn back in. And importantly, it won't keep going round in circles - the air can only go in, past the HDDs and PSU, back in over the GPU and out past the CPU - it won't keep coming round and getting hotter and hotter.

Another point is that the VGA duct has quite a large area to draw its air from, so the "sucking action" above the PSU exhaust won't be strong, giving the PSU exhaust more time to dissipate into the air.

So I don't think it's anything to worry about, and anyway, it's an acceptable compromise for the otherwise great airflow design of this case.

@oldabelincoln:

i've had some email correspondense with Antec (asked a few questions etc.).
some of it:
to which the reply was:
not very informative but there it is.
we'll have to wait for reviews...

Funny. My thoughts were "Man, now I'll have to do 2 case swaps: one for the silver next week and another for the black when it arrives"

Is the right panel removable? If so you can just swap the side panels and door

But of course you're not serious about getting two cases, right?

I'm getting at least two P180s, myself, one black and one silver. I might get a third, depending...

-Ed

Antec finally has the links to the P180 from their products page. Guess its not terribly exciting, since the original pages were discovered long ago, and we got much better pictures on this site. But at least its official, and should mean that it's being shipped to retailers, according to AntecRep. Right?



Edit : Interesting spelling of "Performance" Not that we care. Just get us our cases!

"finally" ? it's a week at least already.