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Price-Point Comparing Three-Way Case Shootout

 by Joshua Buss on January 13, 2006 12:05 AM EST
69 Comments | Add A Comment
69 Comments
Antec P150 (cont'd)

Before popping off the side of the new Antec case, we took a look at the rear and were pleased to see a large 120mm fan, especially given the case's dimensions. As always, larger fans generally are preferred, since they can move more air while making less noise. There's also venting near the expansion slots for additional passive cooling.


Click to enlarge.

To get an unobstructed view of the interior of the P150, we took out the included power supply. What we were left with was simple, but not bad by any means. Overall, the P150 feels very solid. We're sure that it would be able to protect expensive components for a long time, but one would have to be mindful of the nice paint job.


Click to enlarge.

Not including the external 3½" drive bay, the P150 has enough space for four hard drives, which is certainly plenty for most users. In this view, one can see how incoming air is directed over the hard drives, and if one wanted additional cooling, two extra 92mm fans could be installed.


Click to enlarge.

Also note the rubber bands stretched across the sides of this cavity. These can be used for suspending the hard drives to effectively isolate all vibrations entirely from the chassis. Keep in mind that this is only a solution for users who don't transport the case though - when in transit the sleds must be used as shown here. The manual even makes mention of this.


Click to enlarge.

To get at the drives in the P150, we have to open the entire front bezel. Three tabs hold it in place on the left side, then it hinges like a door for a while before being able to be lifted completely off the hinge. In another effort to truly separate this case from cheaper models, the entire area where intake air can be channeled through is covered by a double-height removable filter.


Click to enlarge.

Once the front door has been lifted away, two thumbscrews are loosened and another door swings open to the left. In this shot, we've also already removed the air filter.


Click to enlarge.

Antec P150 Antec P150 (cont’d)
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  • Tamale - Friday, January 13, 2006 - link

    Thanks for the quick criticism guys. Article updated.

    Please continue to scrutinize :)

  • Viditor - Friday, January 13, 2006 - link

    Another comment for your conclusion (which is important for those of us that do video work)...the P150 is the only one of the 3 that has Firewire connector in front (as far as I can tell). If you could list the specs of each case at the head of that cases segment, that would also help (e.g. number of 3.5 slots, front firewire connector, etc...).

    Cheers!

  • ceefka - Saturday, January 14, 2006 - link

    The P150 also features a cable organizer. If you take of the right panel, you'll see it at the right side of the internal 3,5" drive bays. This can make your cabling a lot tidier than the picture in the review shows.

    The FireWire connection is S400 on an Intel standard. Those who wish to connect AMD boards might want to call Antec for an adapter cable.

    All'n'all I think the P150 looks like a fridge. I bought it though because it made the most sense for its price.

  • Tamale - Saturday, January 14, 2006 - link

    I've heard the P180 referred to as a fridge much moreso than the P150.. hehe

    but yah, good catch on the cable organizer.

  • andrewln - Friday, January 13, 2006 - link

    i wonder if they suspended the hard drive or they used the brackets.... it makes a difference when the hard drive seeks

  • yacoub - Friday, January 13, 2006 - link

    For that matter I wonder if they had the 3-speed 120mm fan it comes with on the lowest setting for the sound tests or still ramped up to max from the cooling tests.

  • gman003 - Friday, January 13, 2006 - link

    Why only 3 cases in the roundup? Not much to compare to... :-(

    In any case, I would really love to see an Aspire case tested against these sometime. I've been building with them for a while now and IMO they look better and cool better than Antec or other so called "Gaming" cases.

    Raidmax and Antec cases are nice, but Raidmax is too chinsy with their materials at times and Antec is sooooo overpriced sometimes that one really shouldn't even consider them anymore as their go to case because of so many other competing vendors out there with high quality cases at cheaper prices.

  • mindless1 - Friday, January 13, 2006 - link

    True, Antec is often overpriced but (putting aside the possible issues with the power supply), it's expected that with the Antec one has a power supply they can use long-term. Raidmax power supplies I wouldn't even install in most systems. What would be most interesting is a P150 discounted due to no power supply until the issues with the present one are resolved.

  • oofboi754 - Thursday, March 31, 2022 - link

    This case isn't so bad. Put in some Noctua Fans in the front and back ant it keeps my 3060ti (EVGA XC) and 12700kf (NH-U12S) at a comfortable 40 Degrees Celcius when idling. The Noctua Fans combines with the quiet nature of this case keep my rig silent as possible. For it's age, the cable managment isn't bad, it just takes a bit of creative thinking. This case is great for a Sleeper PC like I made.
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