P182 Special Edition - One of the best cases gets better
by Joshua Buss on April 12, 2007 1:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Introduction
Antec has been around a long time in the case industry, and as such they've learned how to do many things exceptionally well. If any sweeping statements could be made about their approach to product design, we would have to say that they always seem to aim right in the middle of marrying current demands for popular aesthetics with pushing the envelope implementing new ideas and features. This approach keeps their cases one step ahead of most of the competition - even at their competitive price points.
This balanced approach has been a great strategy for Antec and a few other case manufacturers for quite some time, but when Antec decided to be a little riskier than normal with their incredibly monolithic P180, they hit a sweet spot in the hearts of a lot of enthusiasts. With the themed and windowed cases that used to be so popular really just coming across as gimmicky to many PC builders, the P180's simplistic styling was a breath of fresh air. It was a bit of a stretch designing something so void of any character, but the design was combined with a few revolutionary yet fundamentally very simple functional characteristics. In the end, the case's fresh look helped it quickly rise to a level of popularity rarely seen in the computer case market.
Like any good manufacturer, Antec knew when they had something special on their hands. In addition to the regular silver P180, they released a black version of the case to a select few stores shortly after the original's release. Now as a follow up they have made an upgraded version of the case, coated it in a dark gunmetal gray finish, and dubbed it the P182. Additionally, they have simultaneously launched a Special Edition version which literally shines with a stunning mirror finish. Functionally, both P182 cases offer several compelling reasons to make them serious candidates for anyone's next desktop computer, either for their own unique look or their improvements in a few small areas. For our purposes Antec has sent us a Special Edition to review, but it only offers one more feature than the 'stock' P182 other than its shiny paint job, and that's just a special flexible interior spot light, so for all practical purposes this can be considered a review of the standard edition as well.
More information on the Antec P182 and P182SE can be found on Antec's website.
Antec has been around a long time in the case industry, and as such they've learned how to do many things exceptionally well. If any sweeping statements could be made about their approach to product design, we would have to say that they always seem to aim right in the middle of marrying current demands for popular aesthetics with pushing the envelope implementing new ideas and features. This approach keeps their cases one step ahead of most of the competition - even at their competitive price points.
This balanced approach has been a great strategy for Antec and a few other case manufacturers for quite some time, but when Antec decided to be a little riskier than normal with their incredibly monolithic P180, they hit a sweet spot in the hearts of a lot of enthusiasts. With the themed and windowed cases that used to be so popular really just coming across as gimmicky to many PC builders, the P180's simplistic styling was a breath of fresh air. It was a bit of a stretch designing something so void of any character, but the design was combined with a few revolutionary yet fundamentally very simple functional characteristics. In the end, the case's fresh look helped it quickly rise to a level of popularity rarely seen in the computer case market.
Like any good manufacturer, Antec knew when they had something special on their hands. In addition to the regular silver P180, they released a black version of the case to a select few stores shortly after the original's release. Now as a follow up they have made an upgraded version of the case, coated it in a dark gunmetal gray finish, and dubbed it the P182. Additionally, they have simultaneously launched a Special Edition version which literally shines with a stunning mirror finish. Functionally, both P182 cases offer several compelling reasons to make them serious candidates for anyone's next desktop computer, either for their own unique look or their improvements in a few small areas. For our purposes Antec has sent us a Special Edition to review, but it only offers one more feature than the 'stock' P182 other than its shiny paint job, and that's just a special flexible interior spot light, so for all practical purposes this can be considered a review of the standard edition as well.
More information on the Antec P182 and P182SE can be found on Antec's website.
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soydios - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Page 2: "...easy access to both 12" fan filters for easy cleaning" should read "access to both 120mm fan filters."JoshuaBuss - Monday, April 16, 2007 - link
thanks.. fixedWelshtrog - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Yes it looks very nice but I for one will not be buying as I consider that Antec have only done half a job in this case by failing to invert the motherboard after fitting the PSU atthe bottom of the case, also no removeable MoBo carrierCorbaTheGeek - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
I didn't see the brand and model number of the power supply used in the article.CorbaTheGeek - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Sorry. Just found it. Zalman ZM460-APS PSU.Richey02hg - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Is there a way to check ahead of time if your power supply has long enough cords? Of course this being if you haven't bought the PSU yet. I do not see anything on newegg that says how long PSU cords are or how long you need to have. Or have all the big PSU companies adjusted and made their cords longer over time?InuYasha - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
oh god, i can just see my finger prints all over it and i'll never wipe them offsjholmesbrown - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
A little off topic, but could anyone point me to the mATX roundup mentioned in the article?I'm building a SFF PC for my cousin, and would like to see Anand's take on several MB models.
A search for various 'mATX' 'roundup' 'micro ATX' etc. terms didn't reveal any articles, especially since the review indicated the roundup was fairly recent.
Thanks in advance.
JoshuaBuss - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
http://anandtech.com/casecooling/showdoc.aspx?i=29...">http://anandtech.com/casecooling/showdoc.aspx?i=29...chicagofilms - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link
Just a heads up, the new P180 cases are modified and have all the same features as the P182.I just got my P180b yesterday from Newegg. $129 w/$30 rebate
It is essentially the same case, with a black finish. The inside is not black though but he standard steel finish. It has the raised mobo so I routed my cables behind it, the same tri-cool fans with the switches on the outside, and the holes for water cooling.
It's a pretty great deal since you are essentially getting a P182 (without the mirror finish) for $99.