It's an interesting case, probably too complicated and expensive for many SPCR people though. I submitted a uATX case concept here:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/vi ... 7db1c5e298
With an additional 200 top fan and a different position for the optical drive it would probably match the cooling performance of this mini P180.

It looks like a nightmare for getting a large heatsink'd mobo in- I wonder why Antec didn't ditch the steel division plate between the two chambers?

Has Antec solved their problems with the plastic rapidly degrading? I had an original P180, and the tabs and other protruding plastic parts became brittle and fragile within a matter of months.

Has anyone shown that the thermal division actually helps in a case this cramped? And if it does help, what exactly is it that it helps do?

It wasn't difficult. The only hard part was getting the AUX12V plug in because of its position.


Didn't happen on any of the lab's Antec case samples.


It's not cramped -- the NSK3480 is cramped. This one's big for a mATX case. Did you really read the review? As for the divider... I did comment on that -- bottom of p.6.

I thought just one 5.25" drive bay in the top chamber was a great feature for those of us who only use one optical drive... but very few optical drives fit there. Did Antec assume most users would put the case on top of the desk (and maybe that's why they had no issues with putting the PSU filter on the bottom)? IMO this case is too big to put on top of a desk.

Thanks for another informative article Mike. They should have asked you for some input!
Did you happen to try just the single 20cm fan with the back 12cm fan and other rear vents blocked to minimize the intake of any warm psu air?

I don't know what they were thinking, but putting the optical drive on the bottom is a big con in my book. A quick glance at Newegg suggests the length of optical drives is not readily available information.

Perhaps they intended the bay more for fan controllers, LCD displays, and drive bay extenders like for the X-Fi.

You should take a picture of it next to a standard ATX case, like the Solo/P150. Its basically the same size as a full ATX case, but only supports a micro atx motherboard. And with the optical drives on the bottom, the only realistic place to put it is on a desk. A full sized ATX case on top of a desk? Antec is really starting to lose their marbles. This is what happens when the dev team never talks to the end users before launching a product.

Drop the 200mm fan on the top. Hell drop the top fan exhaust all together. Then you can fit an optical drive on top easy. And what is up with that top fan exhaust anyhow? Making them into racing arrows isnt going to help it cool better, or run faster. it just makes it look juvinile.

2x 120mm intakes and a 120mm exhaust with a psu exhaust which would likely be another 120mm fan. Thats PLENTY of airflow, you dont need a 200mm fan in such a small case.

I agree - why not ditch the 200mm fan for a 120mm like the P180 has, then at least you have the option of replacing the Antec fan with your favorite 120. And I refuse to put a computer case on my desk, that just moves the sound closer to my ears, so the optical drives at the bottom don't work at all for me. If the top fan were a 120 there would be more room for top mounting the optical drive(s).

And doesn't anyone besides me wish the power button could be accessed without opening the front door?

Since size is quite the same, I think people would buy a P182 instead.
NSK1380 for the others.

this looks like a flawed concept executed brilliantly.

I was really intrigued when I first heard about this case, but I'm underwhelmed. Still a nice case, but not all what I was hoping for.

Now I am patiently waiting for the Antec Three Hundred review.

It should be out soon shouldn't it?

Review by SPCR? I don't think that'll happen. The 300 isn't a quiet oriented case, the completly open perforated front should give that away, and looks like the hard drives hardmount to the case(?)

Mike, you said the filter doors of the Mini P180 are just as restrictive as the P182. Can that be due to the fact that this is the first production run? I was under the impression that the doors would be less restrictive, there's even a picture in japanese site that made the door look much less restrictive, but now I'm wondering if it's just an optical illusion of the angle the pic was taken.

This is the pic:



knowing that the doors are just as restrictive isn't very inspiring for those of us waiting for Antec to release the new doors for the P182.

Splits opinions surprisingly much. I do like it. I don't like oversized fans that can't be found as replacements when the original one fails/doesn't please one's ear, but this one seems to be all OK.

And what are you whining about the optical drive location and all that? How often do you REALLY use the optical drive? I barely open my P180 door once a month to clean the dust... I simply don't see reason to use CDs/DVDs as for small things there are thumb drives and larger ones wouldn't fit on a DVD anyway. Maybe it's just me.

The power button could be located on the front panel as well, again, I don't mind it being behind the door as I'm not too keen to turn off my PC in the first place, but I see where people are coming from on this one.

The one thing I really dislike are the chrome details. Damnit I don't want my quiet PC to look like a Hotwheels-toy car that has just come out of the tuning shop. Even the stupid hump on the top of a P180 is better than those.

No, it's not just you, but you are in the minority. I'm in that minority too, but when I DO USE the optical drive I don't want to have to reach the floor.

Chrome? What chrome?

The top fan is unnecessary, awkward, and the reason those hideous chevron-styled vents are on top. In addition, it also blocks the optical drive and isn't easily replaced by a quiter model. A horrible choice, imo.

Thankfully this case should have ample airflow even with the 200mm fan removed, and the top vent sealed.

How much space is there between the 5.25" bay, and the door? Is it possible to install a fancontroller with protruding knobs? I was unable to figure it out by looking at the pictures.

The people calling for 120mm fan instead of 200mm are going back one step too far. 140mm fans are the next step up and you have to wonder why they didn't use one.

http://www.jab-tech.com/140mm-Fans-c-282.html shows that 140mm fans are cheap enough for common use now.

60mm or more than 2 inches would have made a big difference for that top CD drive issue.


Am I reading right on page 5 that I can't use an intake fan to directly cool a hard drive like you would in a Solo?

Yes, but there's really not much need, the airflow from the big fan alone on low was enough to keep the single drive at <40C all the time. If you filled that bay with 3 HDDs, then maybe you'd want a bit more... and at that point, with the added noise of those HDDs, speeding up the back fan or the big fan is probably not a big deal.

A bit OT, but do you have any numbers on cooling performance with the Kama bay + P182 combo vs. P182 alone? Would be interesting...

I too see the 200mm fan as unnecessary. A 120mm fan there would have been a much better choice in my opinion, especially with a less fussy designed exhaust.

I would also like to see 2 120mm fans at the very front of the case, like the SOLO's 92mm design. You could then have 4 or 5 HDDs with an elasticated suspension mounting system, and still be able to use the top optical drive slot.

More like shiny plastic.

Also I don't like the bottom dust filter. Seems like a bit of a pain to clean. If I ever get my hands on one of those cases then I'd likely block the bottom hole and make a new, dust filtered hole to the two bottom 5,25" bays. Not like I would use them anyway and a filter in there could be cleaned just as easily as the other two.

I would have loved to have read the measurements and subjective conclusions on the top 200mm hooked up to a viable resistor and set to its lowest start-up voltage. Though I realise this can vary from fan to fan.

Don't suppose there's any chance of this. Please?

And yes, other than warping and plastic bits breaking, my main issue with the P180 was the power button located behind the door!

Is the lower HDD bay available as an accessory for the P182? I'd like to switch to a 5.25" bay like that so I can suspend my HDDs without having to drill holes in the original one.

If you put a capacitor (220-1000uF) in parallel with the resistor, it'll provide the enough current to kick-start the fan.

ok, ok.... [grumble, grumble] see the last page.

Thanks for bowing to popular demand.

Hey, Mike - I noticed one slight factual error in your description of the Mini P180 - you stated that the only other Antec mATX case with a separate PSU chamber is the NSK-3480. This is incorrect - the NSK-2480 is a mATX case with a separate PSU chamber. Granted it is in 'desktop' configuration rather than mini-tower, but it is still a mATX case with a separate PSU chamber.

-D

p.s. Please don't ban me.