My New Antec P180! With Excellent Cable Management

Show off your quiet rig.

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dynamiks
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My New Antec P180! With Excellent Cable Management

Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 4:21 pm

I am in love with my new P180... I just got it yesterday, and spent half the day transfering all my hardware from my old CM Stacker, into this beauty. This case is the most well built case I have ever owned. The attention to detail Antec has put into this case is EXCELLENT. And its nice and quiet. Only thing I can hear right now is my 6800 ultra fan, that thing is insanely loud. But that will be fixed soon, because I ordered a Zalman VF-700 to replace it...

Anyway here is some pics I took of my case for now, I might take some better ones tomorrow. Cable management in this case is harder than I had even imagined. It took me forever to get everything set up perfectly how I want it. I got almost no wires showing now, and it looks excellent!

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Caudipteryx zoui
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Post by Caudipteryx zoui » Sat Jul 02, 2005 5:19 pm

Not to burst your love bubble, but once you remove that leafblower, er, stock 6800 fan, be prepared to notice many new sounds coming from your rig. It's probably dominating different or weaker kinds of airborne acoustics. :oops:

amplemind
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Post by amplemind » Sat Jul 02, 2005 5:27 pm

WOW! Nice setup, you are an inspiration to the rest of us with/getting P180.

BTW, what PSU is that?, and did you need to use any PSU extension cables?

lenny
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Post by lenny » Sat Jul 02, 2005 6:27 pm

amplemind wrote:BTW, what PSU is that?, and did you need to use any PSU extension cables?
From the photo : Cooler Master Real 450W RS-450-ACLY

According to the review linked above, it has 23" main ATX and aux 12V cables, so I don't think any extension is necessary.

Dirty-Harry
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Post by Dirty-Harry » Sat Jul 02, 2005 6:39 pm

Caudipteryx zoui wrote:Not to burst your love bubble, but once you remove that leafblower, er, stock 6800 fan, be prepared to notice many new sounds coming from your rig. It's probably dominating different or weaker kinds of airborne acoustics. :oops:
Caudipteryx zoui,

OMG, I almost fell out of my chair laughing after reading your post. "Leaf Blower"

I'm favoring a passively cooled Gigabyte 6600 video card for my P180 system. I don't want a stinking leaf blower in my case.

Have you considered the Antec Phantom 500?

wim
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Post by wim » Sat Jul 02, 2005 8:56 pm

where did all your cables go? nice work

way too many fans and leds for me though.. :?

the 'nice and quiet' feeling won't last long, so enjoy it while you can :) once you replace the leaf blower you're gonna have to get rid of the tiny chipset fan you know..

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 9:05 pm

wim wrote:where did all your cables go? nice work

way too many fans and leds for me though.. :?

the 'nice and quiet' feeling won't last long, so enjoy it while you can :) once you replace the leaf blower you're gonna have to get rid of the tiny chipset fan you know..
LOL.. you guys here @ this forum must be super obessed with quietness because I dont think the 4 120mm fans (including power supply) I have running are loud at all. Only thing disturbing me is the 6800U. Once I replace that "leaf blower" then I will be happy. The chipset it only loud if you have you ear close to it.

Besides I am a hardcore gamer, and overclocker. So I have to have some kind of airflow. I can't run my PC on one exhaust fan like in the review for the P180 on this site.

MonsterMac
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Post by MonsterMac » Sat Jul 02, 2005 9:24 pm

dynamiks wrote:
wim wrote:where did all your cables go? nice work

way too many fans and leds for me though.. :?

the 'nice and quiet' feeling won't last long, so enjoy it while you can :) once you replace the leaf blower you're gonna have to get rid of the tiny chipset fan you know..
LOL.. you guys here @ this forum must be super obessed with quietness because I dont think the 4 120mm fans (including power supply) I have running are loud at all. Only thing disturbing me is the 6800U. Once I replace that "leaf blower" then I will be happy. The chipset it only loud if you have you ear close to it.

Besides I am a hardcore gamer, and overclocker. So I have to have some kind of airflow. I can't run my PC on one exhaust fan like in the review for the P180 on this site.
Why don't we just wait until after you replace your VGA fan to figure out how you feel about how loud your other fans are? I think you will agree with us after you replace that VGA fan with the Zalman heatsink, that another fan became 'noisy'.

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 9:29 pm

MonsterMac wrote:
dynamiks wrote:
wim wrote:where did all your cables go? nice work

way too many fans and leds for me though.. :?

the 'nice and quiet' feeling won't last long, so enjoy it while you can :) once you replace the leaf blower you're gonna have to get rid of the tiny chipset fan you know..
LOL.. you guys here @ this forum must be super obessed with quietness because I dont think the 4 120mm fans (including power supply) I have running are loud at all. Only thing disturbing me is the 6800U. Once I replace that "leaf blower" then I will be happy. The chipset it only loud if you have you ear close to it.

Besides I am a hardcore gamer, and overclocker. So I have to have some kind of airflow. I can't run my PC on one exhaust fan like in the review for the P180 on this site.
Why don't we just wait until after you replace your VGA fan to figure out how you feel about how loud your other fans are? I think you will agree with us after you replace that VGA fan with the Zalman heatsink, that another fan became 'noisy'.
I doubt I still will consider them noisy. Audible is a better word than noisy to describe the rest of the fans in my case. My two Coolermaster LED Fans are only 22db each, and I have the Antec fan on low giving intake to the HDD's.

But if however the fans were too noisy, I do have an Aerogate 3 fan controller sitting here that I haven't opened yet. I am debating on keeping it or not. I'm waiting to get the Zalman VF700 before I decide. So if I think the case is still noisy, I'll hook it up to all my existing fans, and run them silent, when I'm not gaming. :)

MonsterMac
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Post by MonsterMac » Sat Jul 02, 2005 9:59 pm

dynamiks wrote:
MonsterMac wrote:
dynamiks wrote: LOL.. you guys here @ this forum must be super obessed with quietness because I dont think the 4 120mm fans (including power supply) I have running are loud at all. Only thing disturbing me is the 6800U. Once I replace that "leaf blower" then I will be happy. The chipset it only loud if you have you ear close to it.

Besides I am a hardcore gamer, and overclocker. So I have to have some kind of airflow. I can't run my PC on one exhaust fan like in the review for the P180 on this site.
Why don't we just wait until after you replace your VGA fan to figure out how you feel about how loud your other fans are? I think you will agree with us after you replace that VGA fan with the Zalman heatsink, that another fan became 'noisy'.
I doubt I still will consider them noisy. Audible is a better word than noisy to describe the rest of the fans in my case. My two Coolermaster LED Fans are only 22db each, and I have the Antec fan on low giving intake to the HDD's.

But if however the fans were too noisy, I do have an Aerogate 3 fan controller sitting here that I haven't opened yet. I am debating on keeping it or not. I'm waiting to get the Zalman VF700 before I decide. So if I think the case is still noisy, I'll hook it up to all my existing fans, and run them silent, when I'm not gaming. :)
those coolermaster fans are not even close go 22db each, theyre probably around 30db. btw, could you post a pic of the back panel of your case so i can see how you did some of your cabling?
Last edited by MonsterMac on Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:01 pm

so you are saying that they are false advertising then? :roll:

atomidude
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Post by atomidude » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:03 pm

I agree MonsterMac, Coolermaster led fans are not even close to 22dBA! i thought CM is a reliable and serious company... well, i've got now yet another quiet 120mm fan (mind you, on paper only), getting dusted in my shed :(

MonsterMac
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Post by MonsterMac » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:06 pm

dynamiks wrote:so you are saying that they are false advertising then? :roll:
:lol: yes I am. coolermaster is one of many companies (vantec is another example, with their 'stealth' fan at 18db) who say their products are 'quiet' and 'below the threshold of human hearing' etc. when they are not even close to that level.

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:08 pm

MonsterMac wrote:
dynamiks wrote:so you are saying that they are false advertising then? :roll:
:lol: yes I am. coolermaster is one of many companies (vantec is another example, with their 'stealth' fan at 18db) who say their products are 'quiet' and 'below the threshold of human hearing' etc.
So who makes true silent fans? I'm assuming NEXUS right? Only problem is I don't feel like paying $15 for an orange fan. I think I rather just either 5v the Coolermasters or hook them up to the fan controller. Only problem with the fan controller is that it will most likely ruin my cable management :(

lenny
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Post by lenny » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:15 pm

dynamiks, manufacturer's dBA numbers has come up a lot in the past. Basically, we don't know how they measure the noise level.

For example, I can say a jet engine in full throttle is 22 dBA, if heard from 5 miles away inside a house with doors and windows closed.

Can you share some tips on how you managed the wiring in your setup? It looks like you ran the ATX12V under the motherboard.

Regarding the fans, don't swap unless you find them noisy (or you're hopelessly addicted to The Quest, like many of us).

atomidude
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Post by atomidude » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:15 pm

dynamiks, try the new Aerocool Turbine fans, they are silent and look much better than the Coolermaster ones, hands down! they also push more air than regular 120mm fans at the same speed. i've got the titanium version, looks great, the light is not too bright and yes, they are supersilent at 750rpm. even at stock 950rpm they're pretty quiet.
Last edited by atomidude on Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:15 pm

I also have two of these fans. But this is ridiculously low amount of airflow. Thats why I decided not to even use them. Might as well not even use a fan.

http://www.svc.com/saf-s12-e1-19.html

MonsterMac
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Post by MonsterMac » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:15 pm

dynamiks wrote:
MonsterMac wrote:
dynamiks wrote:so you are saying that they are false advertising then? :roll:
:lol: yes I am. coolermaster is one of many companies (vantec is another example, with their 'stealth' fan at 18db) who say their products are 'quiet' and 'below the threshold of human hearing' etc.
So who makes true silent fans? I'm assuming NEXUS right? Only problem is I don't feel like paying $15 for an orange fan. I think I rather just either 5v the Coolermasters or hook them up to the fan controller. Only problem with the fan controller is that it will most likely ruin my cable management :(
nexus is one company that sells a 'quiet' fan, but yate loon is the company that makes the fan nexus rebrands and sells. so if you are looking for some quiet fans, check out the panaflo 'L' series (be sure they're made in japan), most yate loon fans, some evercool fans, papst, acoustifans, etc. for a more complete list, check out the recommended fans list.

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:21 pm

lenny wrote:dynamiks, manufacturer's dBA numbers has come up a lot in the past. Basically, we don't know how they measure the noise level.

For example, I can say a jet engine in full throttle is 22 dBA, if heard from 5 miles away inside a house with doors and windows closed.

Can you share some tips on how you managed the wiring in your setup? It looks like you ran the ATX12V under the motherboard.

Regarding the fans, don't swap unless you find them noisy (or you're hopelessly addicted to The Quest, like many of us).
Okay let me see if I can help you out with the wiring. I'll tell you how I did it.

First of all, yes the ATX12v is ran underneath the motherboard. I took some tape and taped it against the mobo tray before I installed the motherboard. To keep all the wires neat coming out of the PSU, I cable tied them all together to run up into the upper part of the case. I then ran all the wires behind the upper hard drive cage. All the wires I needed to use, I ran them from behind to there designed areas. The trick is to use alot of zip ties, and tie up any wires that are hanging around loosely.

As far as the fans, so far they aren't noisy to me. I am guessing the people on this forum are real anal with any kind of noise coming from there PC. But me I really couldn't have the most silent PC, even if I wanted too. As a hardcore gamer, and overclocker... silent, fanless PC's won't really work in my situation. So I just try to get quiet fans that push alot of air, but I really can't have my case running on just one fan, like some of you guys do.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, I'm glad to help any of you out. :)

gitto
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Post by gitto » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:37 pm

dynamiks wrote: I am guessing the people on this forum are real anal with any kind of noise coming from there PC.
This is Silent PC Review, yknow 8) So yes, we are obsessed.

Nice looking build, great cabling.

MonsterMac
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Post by MonsterMac » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:38 pm

if you could take and post some pictures that showed us where you routed cables (like behind mobo tray) and the other places you talked about i'd appreciate it.

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:39 pm

MonsterMac wrote:if you could take and post some pictures that showed us where you routed cables (like behind mobo tray) and the other places you talked about i'd appreciate it.
sure... I'll take some right now for you. I'll be back in a few minutes with them.

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:02 pm

Okay here are the requested pictures...

This is where all the hidden cables remain. :)
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Power supply from both sides of the case.
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The ATX12V ran behind the motherboard, up to the top of the case.
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2 Pics of the wiring to all the components.
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lenny
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Post by lenny » Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:20 pm

Thanks for the pics. Beautiful job!

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:30 pm

lenny wrote:Thanks for the pics. Beautiful job!
No Problem, and thanks again for the compliments and the info on the fans, I really appreciate it...

mathias
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Post by mathias » Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:50 pm

dynamiks wrote: As a hardcore gamer, and overclocker... silent, fanless PC's won't really work in my situation.
You don't have to get rid of all fans, good fans slowed down enough can be inaudible over any 3.5 hard drive, and there's still a world of difference between that and passive cooling. And then there's also watercooling.

dano1122
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Post by dano1122 » Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:58 pm

make sure to put a fan in that upper hard drive cage or those drives will get very hot. i warned you.

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:59 pm

dano1122 wrote:make sure to put a fan in that upper hard drive cage or those drives will get very hot. i warned you.
I already have a fan in there :)
I moved one of the Antec fans to that slot.

amplemind
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Post by amplemind » Sun Jul 03, 2005 7:05 am

I'm guessing taking this system apart with all that neat cabling would be a pain?

dynamiks
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Post by dynamiks » Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:59 am

amplemind wrote:I'm guessing taking this system apart with all that neat cabling would be a pain?
definately. But almost any system with cabling thats very neat would be a pain to keep assembling and disassembling.

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