Antec Mini P180 - mini ITX

[tinners]

Am looking for a new micro ATX case to replace the Silverstone SG03 setup I have currently.

I want something small as it needs to be unobtrusive in my study, but I need something with room for at least 4 drives plus a DVD drive. Ideally I want 1 of the drives to be mounted in a 5.25 bay to allow me to use a caddy like this one .

Looking around I see ebuyer are doing an offer on the mini P180 but looking at it here next to the P180 it seems to be slight less "mini" than the name suggests.

The board I'm using is the Mini ITX Gigabyte with Atom CPU and I also wondered whether these micro ATX cases have standoffs for mini ITX or not.

What would you chaps recommend in terms of a case ? NSK3480 or the mini P180 or maybe something else ?

Thanks

[staffsMike]

Well I really like the mini P180 but as you have noticed, mini it is not.

The NSK3480 is a lovely little quiet case with good cooling options too An alternative to that is the Silverstone TJ08. Both are pretty much the same size, great for quiet builds but the Silverstone is the same price without the decent PSU the antec comes with.

AS for standoff's, I'm not entirely sure, but something will work I'm sure.

[tinners]

Yeah the mini P180 is a great case but stretching the term "mini" a fair bit
It's 43.5cm high, my main PC is in a Lian Li case and it's only 49 cm high !

Need to do some more research I think.

[inonefly]

i saw a white powdercoated p180 and it's stunnig

[Webby]

Stand off wise you will be fine it uses the same as a normal ATX/mATX board but obviously only the 4 that are in the top corner.

As Mike suggested the TJ08 can easily accommodate 4 drives and you could happily mount more on the floor of the case if needed as the mini-itx board will not be using the space.

[tinners]

Stand off wise you will be fine it uses the same as a normal ATX/mATX board but obviously only the 4 that are in the top corner.

As Mike suggested the TJ08 can easily accommodate 4 drives and you could happily mount more on the floor of the case if needed as the mini-itx board will not be using the space.

great, thanks.

Another quick question. With the new system I'll have the mini ITX board, 4 * 3.5" SATA drives running off 1 PCI card, 1 2.5" drive for the OS and 1 DVD drive. I'm wondering if I'll save power by reducing my PSU. The current one is a 520W Corsair. Should I get a smaller PSU if so which ?

Thanks

[staffsMike]

Output isn't really the concern, it's the efficency. The corsair is a very good 80+ PSU. If you want something better you will need to find a PSU which is very efficent (i.e 80+) at very moderate/low outputs. Most struggle to be great at this but some are better than others.

Tbh though I would just stick with the corsair as it's still on of the best around

[Mullet]

Should I get a smaller PSU if so which ?

Tinners.... here's a few shots of my rig which is housed in a mini-p180. I did have to get a smaller PSU - originally had a 850W RealPower pro, now using an Enermax 650W Modu+ PSU....if you are still undecided regarding PSUs and the case let me know and I'll grab some more shots of the system with the PSU in situ..

Note the size of the Tuniq Tower... was fun installing that!!

Note this image still has the 2nd HDD cage installed which makes it impossible to add a powerful (and long) GFX card...



With the cage removed..... 8800GTX installed....





System is based on a P5E-VM HDMI - case and cooler keeps my system in the low 60s on max load with the Q6600 clocked to 3.2Ghz. Note - I have installed a fan in the front of the case to blow clean air onto the GFX area....
4HDDs installed (one in uppermost 5.25 bay in Zalman cooler)

I'm pretty happy with the case.... which was a huge change for me.... move away from fully watercooled SLi rig to this....

[harshw]

Mullet, does the Tuniq have its own fan ? If not what is the speed at which you are running your case fans ?

I have a P5E-VM HDMI and a Q9300 OC'ed to 3.0 GHz, the build is pretty quiet except for the PSU. Unfortunately I opted for an Antec NeoPower 500 HE PSU, so that the fan would be on the outside of the case, since the PSU mounting in the mini P180 is a bit tricky

I notice that the 80mm fan does make quite a bit of noise, was wondering just effective the PSU cooling is with a top mounted PSU fan, given that it cannot get air except from the bottom vent

Eliminating any fan inside the case is good as it means more silence

[Mullet]

Mullet, does the Tuniq have its own fan ? If not what is the speed at which you are running your case fans ?

Hi mate, check THIS IMAGE

It shows where the fan lives!! I'm not actually using the 120mm fan which is supplied with the cooler. I'm using a 1200rpm Scythe S-flex fan. Keeps my clocked Q6600 cool without making any racket!! I'm using a similar fan as an intake fan to suck clean air into the case to cool the 8800GTX.

PSU - now, here I actually bought a new one specifically because I wanted to be able to remove and clean the airfilter located in the bottom (PSU) compartment. I use the Enermax 650W Modu82 + because it is short enough to enable access to that pesky air filter AND it's the quitest PSU I've used.

Hope that helps bud

[harshw]

Hi mate, check THIS IMAGE

It shows where the fan lives!! I'm not actually using the 120mm fan which is supplied with the cooler. I'm using a 1200rpm Scythe S-flex fan. Keeps my clocked Q6600 cool without making any racket!! I'm using a similar fan as an intake fan to suck clean air into the case to cool the 8800GTX.

PSU - now, here I actually bought a new one specifically because I wanted to be able to remove and clean the airfilter located in the bottom (PSU) compartment. I use the Enermax 650W Modu82 + because it is short enough to enable access to that pesky air filter AND it's the quitest PSU I've used.

Hope that helps bud

I should have googled for that cooler I think I too will go for the Enermax Modu82. The reviews are quite good and the NeoHE 500W is really starting to bother me in terms of noise ...

[Mullet]

I should have googled for that cooler I think I too will go for the Enermax Modu82. The reviews are quite good and the NeoHE 500W is really starting to bother me in terms of noise ...

It's a quality item - very quiet indeed! I've owned a Seasonic 600W psu in the past, was rated as quiet..... I thought it was until I bought this Enermax.... inaudible would be the only way to describe it...

[harshw]

It's a quality item - very quiet indeed! I've owned a Seasonic 600W psu in the past, was rated as quiet..... I thought it was until I bought this Enermax.... inaudible would be the only way to describe it...

Actually I was looking at Cooler Master Silent Pro 7 ... they have reduced prices and the PSU is cheaper now I think. Also the Be Quiet Dark Power was said to be quieter. I am now considering which of these three to buy ...

decisions ! decisions !