Antec Performance One
by Purav Sanghani on February 13, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Final Words
The P160 has some great features including the tool-less drive bays and expansion slots, the rotating auxiliary module with the integrated simple temperature monitor, as well as the security features that will appeal to almost all enthusiasts out there.
The P160 performed well in our thermal benchmarks, producing an average of 29-30 degrees of ambient heat. With the added 120mm fan at the front, the range of temperatures between 27 and 33 degrees was reached throughout the case. The individual components also ran, on average, 1-2 degrees cooler than those of the past few cases, including the Nemesis series from NZXT as well as the MGE Viper and the Gaming Bomb II from Chenbro.
Even with the added fan, sound performance did not suffer at all. On average, the fans produced about 44-45 decibels with the sealed chassis. The P160 did just as well as the Gaming Bomb II's sound performance.
The external look was also easy on the eyes and we believe that many will accept this model over any of the pre-mod cases that we have reviewed. By far, Chenbro's Gaming Bomb II appealed to us the most with all of the SilverStone cases coming in at second in aesthetics. Though the P160 doesn't have the curves that the Gaming Bomb II had, we are getting exactly what we pay for - we're not dropping over $200 for a case when we can get the P160 for only $125.
Given the combination of features and looks as well as the price for a 1.2mm aluminum chassis, the P160 is a great value for novice users all the way up to the enthusiast class who desire the high quality that Antec can provide. We recommend it over the higher priced aluminum models out there as well as the pre-modded cases that we have looked at in the past.
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LX - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - link
Will the 180's price be comparable?AtaStrumf - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - link
Nice: cables connected, screws in place :-)I even know now why it takes you so little time
to put it together. Because you already have mobo, RAM, CPU, HSF assembled and everything else is already out of the box. Not a typical situation whenever I was building a PC though.
Anyway, I have a couple of suggestions for future case reviews:
CHIEFTEC Dragon DX-01BD-U or similar
http://www.chieftec.com/products/Workcolor/Dragon....
Thermaltake Tsunami
http://www.thermaltake.com/XaserCase/tsunami/tsuna...
cHodAXUK - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - link
Damn, some of the Antec P180 previews make it look damn good, think I might be upgrading soon :DLive - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - link
Nice review of a decent case for a change. Hopefully you will get your hands on the upcoming P180 as it looks to be a great case. I would love to see more reviews of Antec cases as I see them as the ones to beat. So if a case is better and cheaper then Antec case you know your on to a winner. So while you wait for the P180 and the Sonata 2 take a look at the budget SLK 3000B and the rest of the 3XXX series.FearlessUser - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - link
I got this case from Newegg for $110 with a clear side window, the one without the window is like $15 more. And I've read many places that the case only comes with 1 120mm fan, but I got 2. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?desc...Nice looking case, I just have to get a few more things to put the rest together.
cHodAXUK - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - link
How about a review of the Asus Vento 3600? ;)Have a look...
http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=603913
Thinking of building a PC in one of those for my 11yr old nephew, hopefully it will be *BLING* enough for him :)
IKeelU - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - link
Nice review.btw do you guys plan on reviewing the lian-li V1100? I heard it's really quiet, and I wonder how it compares to this one in terms of usability, sound, and temps.
IKeelU - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - link
bupkus - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - link
#17 said: "..at it's price point ($115) it is by far the best constructed aluminium case around..."I got an all AL Cooler Master a couple years back and was floored with the quality. Unlike the P160, it was a real work of art. It was a newegg refurb so it was real cheap and flawless! ;) Of course, by today's standards, the 80mm ceiling fan just doesn't do it, but that was then.
#18 - Ditto. Although I do like Al, I like the value I have with my Sonata as it comes with a True Power 380W PS for less than the P160 without.
#21 - I agree about the rubber fan mounts. Yesterday, I removed the 120mm fan as it kept slipping off two of it's rubber inserts. I'm thinking of remounting with some metal screws and rubber washers from Home Depot. The fan itself vibrates more than it should, so it's not balanced very well.
ElFenix - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - link
"The external look was also easy on the eyes and we believe that many will accept this model over any of the pre-mod cases that we have reviewed. "hahahah