HEXUS.winners win4FREE competitions: win an Antec Mini P180 chassis and TruePower PSU

[Nelsaidi]

** Note, I’ve only used one antec chassis (300) **

What I like about Antec chassis

1. The build quality in general is very good, the case feels solid almost everywhere, and the any plastic on it doesn’t feel ‘plasticy.’ Hard to explain what it means, but the plastic feels solid, it doesn’t feel like plastic, more like a metal. Infact, the every part in the case is as solid as every other, thats the way I find it.
   
2. They look much better in real life than in the photos, I bought my antec 300 with the intent of replacing it, its so great and doesn’t look as plain as it does in photos/reviews that I want to keep it
   
3. Easy wiring, found it very easy with the help of ~40 cable ties , I’m not the one to judge whats good or not since I’ve only done it once, however it is quiet good, its pretty much call clear.
   
4. Reasonably/Competitive priced. The Antec 1200 is priced similar to other cases in its ‘league, likewise with the antec 900. The Antec 300 on the other hand is very well priced in my opinon, I’d stick it in the same ‘league’ as the antec 900!
   
5. Excellent cooling, then again, I haven’t had other cases to test this against, but for a cheap £35 case (well was) provides excellent cooling
   
6. The dust filter included with the Antec 300 works really well, until I stuck a sidefan there was hardly any dust inside the case
   
7. Excellent cooling, especially with a sufficient amount of free fans included. Airflow seems good, no comments on that as it keeps my PC cool.
   
8. Well presented packaging
   
9. Extremely easy to build in it, for a first build I was done within about 2 hours, that is with not much prior knowledge other than how to add/remove ram and PCI cards.

What I dislike about Antec chassis

1. Despite what I said above about the plastic, just I find the buttons on my case get stuck in sometimes, not very smooth
   
2. Plastic hinges on the P18 series, I wanted to buy one at first, but I didn’t want the doors hanging on plastic, its kinda worrying that they will eventually break, which is why I didn’t get it, then the hassle of RMA and stuff
   
3. Installing washers on the 3.5” bays is pretty much impossible, my harddrives cause alot of vibrations, so would have been nice to do that. Not sure if its possible on the more ‘higher end’ cases.
   
4. As said above, an extension for the 4/8pin extension would be awesome, but thats more of a thing you would purchase separately or should be included in the PSU.
   
5. Dust filters should be provided on extra fan places, such as locations for sidefans, which are commonly used to blow in. If decided to be used as an exhaust fan, then can be removed, but it works really well.
   
6. The manual provided with the case is hardly any help, doesn’t make alot of sense to be honest, made building a pc inside the case a wee bit harder
   
7. A removable motherboard tray would help alot, I would rather build a pc outside the case, as the majority of the time I spent was actually fitting the components in there, not enough space. So the ability to screw your motherboard on, stick everything onto it, stick it into the case is great in my opinon. In fact, my motherboard has one less screw I think, it was impossible to fit the one inthe corner for me :S
   
8. PSU Cant be fitted with the main fan on it blowing out. For me its blowing hot air onto my graphics card, which is using its air, and for an already hot running graphics card, not too good, however the cooling
   
   
9. Tricool fans arent 3pin, wanted to get a fan controller, but a hassle to get the converters from molex to 3 pin. Would make more sense to be 3 pin in my opinion as the majoirty of motherboards now have quiet a few 3pin fan headers. Or a 3pin to molex already included would be good.
   
10. Dont know if its design or not, but the top of my Antec 300 isnt smooth, don’t quiet like that.
    
11. No drinks holder, I put my drink cans on my case usually, and if that spill someone is gonna be annoyed! (note, this is more of a joke thing, but in all seriousness I do place drinks on my case)
    
12. Theres a lack of of range of prices, for example it goes from £40 to about £90, not much inbetween for lower budgets.

[simonw]

*Likes*
Antec is one of the top brand names for PC chassis, and when buying one, you are getting a quality product. Products are well constructed with good features and functionality.

*Dislikes*
Some of their chassis are quite heavy, I wish Antec would make aluminum ones to lower the weight even though the cost may be higher.

[StuAff]

Pros: High end Antec models like the P182 are among the options I'd strongly consider if I was building my own system. The attention to detail and performance- things like the separate PSU chamber, cable management, grommets etc for water cooling- is excellent.
Cons: Not many. The cheaper lines don't seem to have the same attention to detail. And why, if the Mini P180 is aimed at 'gamers on the move', doesn't it have handles, caster wheels, or both, at least as an option?

[higgamo]

What I like most about the Antec Chassis?

cooling feature
separated psu compartment
size

What do you dislike about Antec chassis?

no removeable mobo tray

[moogle]

1) I like the price and the features. Not to mention the nice contemporary looks on the P18x series chassis.

2) The cases aren't deep enough, when the PSU is mounted at the bottom there is no bottom vent so that the PSU can operate by pulling cool air from below in and venting the warm air out the case.
Not all of the cases are painted black inside.

[danroyle]

What do you love about Antec chassis
antec cases are usually very high quality build and spacious. Also the bigger cases are usually designed well so that you can install watercooling if thats your thing

What do you dislike about Antec chassis
most antec cases are very similar looking and while alot of people find them stylish i feel can be very plain, A little more variety in shape and colour would be cool like maybe metallic versions of the the p18x series would love metallic red or blue case.

[CrazyMonkey]

What do you love about Antec chassis?
I like the bang for your buck that Antec offers. There cases are always priced fairly, they have a wide selection on offer. The build quality on the Antec's which i have seen is very good. Cooling is often well thought out and very effective. I have heard only good things about Antecs RMA and Customer support, which is appealing to customers in this difficult climate.

What do you dislike about Antec chassis?
Alot of there cases are made out of plastic which i dislike. Im not a fan of certain styling which is seen on the Antec 900 and similar ranges. Other than that, they are held highly in my eyes.

[IanM]

1) What do you love about Antec chassis?

• Quiet operation!
• Clean styling (P180/P182) is more grown up than a lot of other products.
• That the restricted airflow & tricky cabling issues have been addressed in the updated P-series models.

2) What do you dislike about Antec chassis?

• Heavy weight (perhaps inevitable with the quiet design) but I always wished my P180 had optional castors.
• I don't like the trend toward less sophisticated 'gamer' oriented styling.
• Stock fans & PSUs aren't quiet enough, I always prefer Noctua.

[razor92]

I love the the sturdy design and cleaverly designed interors that allow for cables to be easily tucked away and rounted around key componets. I also love the flexibilty of the cases with there silent and often multi purpose designs. As well there very well priced with great value for money. The last thing would be the name, when you by an Antec case you know thats its going to be good quality.

What do i hate, erm not much, except the lack of removeable motherboard tray which can make installing the m/b a pain.

[Biscuit]

1) What do you love about Antec chassis?

I have had quite a bit of experience using Antec chassis for builds and so far i have been very very impressed with the attention to detail and build quality which is spread throughout the entirety of the range. Building a new PC and walking away without sliced up fingers is always pleasant.
The looks always tend to be be quite comfortably subdued with quite subtle lines and i have found that pictures never does them justice.
Value is another aspect which i have found antec tend to excel at, they seem to price things exceptionally reasonably which is always nice too see, especially when you consider the above points.

2) What do you dislike about Antec chassis?

Tricool fans... what the hell are they all about, always the first thing to go when i get an antec case. They are either too noisy or they just dont move enough air.

[walk1992]

Likes - Antec Chassis looks sturdy and built to last

Dislikes - Quieter fans would be useful

[Time Bandit]

Welcome to Hexus!

(1)Love:
- My 300.
- Understated, not everyone wants a case that looks like the mothership from Close Encounters.
- When you are really good at something there is no need to SHOUT about it, Antec let the quality in the design and finish do the talking (owners can pimp it later if they wish.)
- Antec leaves no sharp edges so it saves on the elastoplast.

(2)Dislike:
- Can't afford P180 mini.
- TriCool fans. Nice idea but not cool when turned down and too noisy when turned up. I'd prefer a better fixed speed fan if cost is the issue. (I havent heard one but does the P180 mini need a 200mm TriCool?)

[ashwinc1]

LOVE:
-Silent design in the high end cases, e.g muffling case fans, non vibrating mounts, sturdy case design against vibration
-Layout and design - making it easy to work with.
-The damn sexy non bling looks.

HATE
- Plastic hinges/hooks that snap off too easily.
- wasted space that can be used to accomodate larger hardware e.g drive space/mounts or psu space mounts
-Not a fan of the supplied fans

[Humph]

I like the cool looks but think the price is a bit of a drawback

[subucni]

The mains ones for me are:

Love:
The effort and thought put into the case design
i.e. The attention to sound dampening, in particular the the 3layer side panels. Also little things like the removable front fan holders on the 300 to make installing easier, and the fact that as nice as doors can be on a case, when they're down by your legs under a desk they can be a pain in the ass. The 270degree doors on the p1XX series cases is a great solution and will give you a door when you want one and keep it out of the way when you need to access the drive a lot. Quite annoying when burning a disc and expecting the drive to auto eject only to find your door has swung shut when you hear a nasty clunk when the drive tries to eject.


Hate:
Really not a fan of Tri cools, i love the fact that the thought has been put in to give the customer a little extra, but with most mobo manufacturers bundling in some kind of fan control software i'd much rather connect to the mobo's 3pin connectors and regulate the fans speeds from there rather than a physical switch in/on the case. As far as i'm aware all the standard tricools in Antec cases are molex only connections (please correct me if i'm wrong) and when you're paying over £100 for a p1XX series case, the last thing i want to do after buying it is to have to go out and replace the fans straight away. As others have said add a 3pin connection or swap the molex for a 3pin with a 3pin-molex adapter would be better.

I understand the thought process of wanting to keep molexs on the fans so not to alienate potential customers who don't have 3pin connection capable motherboards, but lets face facts it's easily possible to have both (as shown above).

[EyeSpy]

Pros: Stylish, cool and spacious. Personally i prefer simple things as they turn out to be the most effective. The Antec cases are simple looking but perform well. I dont see them going overboard in terms of appearance and design like some other cases do. I would suggest keep them that way.

Cons: cant think of any, but since being on tight budget like many would be on here, i'd say the price is little high. Apart from this, i dont see any major disadvantages.