We have reviewed two cases from Antec in the last couple of months, but the one we received for review this week is the most anticipated so far; the Antec P180.

Features:

• Unique upper and lower chamber structure The power supply resides in a separate chamber to isolate heat from the system and lower system noise
• Innovative three-layer side panel (aluminium, plastic, aluminium) dampens system generated noise, making this one of the quietest cases available
• Cooling System:
- 1 rear 120mm Tricool fan (standard) with 3-speed control to balance quiet with cooling
- 1 top (standard) 120mm TriCool Fan
- 1 lower chamber (standard) 120mm x 38mm (thick) TriCool Fan
- Antec Quiet Computing Air Duct for better, quiet cooling of the graphics card
- 1 front (optional) 120mm fan
- 1 80mm fan (optional) for graphics cards
• 11 Drive Bays:
- 4 x 5.25" external drive bays
- 1 x 3.5" external drive bays
- 6 x 3.5" internal drive bays
• Front mounted USB, IEEE 1394 (FireWire®,i.Link®) & Audio ports
• Double hinge door design: allows the door to open up to 270º
• Material: 0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through the majority of chassis, 1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4x HDD area.
• Built-in washable air filter keeps harmful dust out of your case

The P180 Exterior:

The Antec P180 comes supplied in a modern stylish box with many pictures of both exterior and interior. It is well packed and seems sturdy enough to handle even the roughest mail courier.

Antec have gone for the sleek, minimalist design for the front of the case and I for one appauld them, after all do we really need demon teeth and glowing eyeballs on the front of our case?

When I opened the front door I discovered four 5.25” slots and one 3.5”, in this picture you can also see the regular I/O features two USB ports, one Firewire and the usual microphone and headphone connections. You also see the dual 120mm fan grills.

If you push on the fan grills you hear a click and they swing open to reveal the washable fan filters.

It has a double hinge door that allows opening to a 270° angle; this is very practical since it helps to prevent damage if you accidentally push the door past its tolerance levels.

If we look on the side of the front door we can see that there are ventilation holes, so that the fans can get air even if the door is closed.

Here’s a shot of the left side of the P180. In this picture you can also spot the top 120mm exhaust.

And the right side, as you can see both are identical.

In this picture you see that the back of the P180 don’t have the "conventional" look, the PSU is located in the bottom section of the case. And as you can see it also have a 120mm honeycomb shaped exhaust.

The P180’s feet are made in a silicon material that should help keep the vibrations to a minimum.

Next: The Interior