Computex 2011: This is the Antec P280
by Anand Lal Shimpi on June 1, 2011 1:10 AM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
- Antec
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- P280
- Computex 2011
Antec was eager to share with us its upcoming P280 chassis. The case we were shown is still a prototype but it's going to be Antec's flagship when it comes out later this year. The P280 will be priced at around $169 $140 ($160 MSRP), similar in price to the P180 it will replace. Power and reset buttons are behind the front cover, while the rest of the front panel IO was relocated further up the case.
The front of the chassis has two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports, all of which are driven off of motherboard headers.
The P280 has three tool-less 5.25" drive bays, just depress the release lever and slide the drive out:
There are two 2.5" and six 3.5" bays inside the chassis. The 3.5" trays don't accept 2.5" drives by default unfortunately.
All fans in the case can be driven by a collection of 3-pin fan headers at the very back of the case. A single molex connector feeds power to the fan header PCB.
Antec improves cable management by offering even more room behind the motherboard tray to route thicker cables:
Check out more pictures of the upcoming P280 in the gallery below.
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MadAd - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
every day they look more and more like a dinosaurmy friend bought a pc back we built for him ~2002, explaining how everythings changed i said, "well you can still use the case"
iahawkeye - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
I have an original P180, and have had it for a good 5 years or so. Great case, whisper quiet with the right fans, can fit 2 full size video cards, etc. There are two things are missing on this version of the P280 that I think helped to make the P180 so great.1) The divider that creates the upper and lower compartments. It increased airflow in the upper compartment (I had the top drive cage removed, and a fan installed)
2) Removable/configurable drive bays.
I do like the extra cable management (I still dread cracking my P180 open to perform surgery). It looks like they have acoustic foam on the side panels to help deaden sound and reduce weight, I like that as well. Even as it stands, I will be giving this case a good look when I purchase my new build.
Doltmoopsie - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
The foam in the doors is too thin, and is not textured or layered. They steel of the doors and the back case are also thin. While thin is cheaper to make and to ship, it is not going to stop component noise from getting out of the case.The P180 was also plagued by thin steel. The NZXT Whisper is not promoted well, but it has 10mm textured foam and thick steel. If you are not going to LAN parties all the time, then you will not care the the NZXT Whisper weights 7 lb. more then the P180.
Thick and heavy will always cut more noise then thin and light.
spidey81 - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Not sure if it's just me, but one of the things I liked about the P18X line was the fact the only air intake was in the front. The only filters you had were right there and easy to access. Why do case manufacturers insist on putting an inlet below the PSU. The way Antec had it with their performance one line was perfect if you ask me!Also, as some of you have pointed out, the removable cage allowed for extended length pci-e cards to be installed. Doubt if that will be easily done if at all with this redesign.
As for the removal of the "chamber" design, I am one that liked it. It may have been a hassle with routing, but it created a airflow chamber for the hard drives and psu. But this is just my two cents.
slick121 - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
SPCR folks will be up in arms over the top holes.riottime - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
..i got a P183 outfitted with amd's hexa core monster in it and 4 wd hdds at 2 gb a piece and a devilish 2gb hd 5850 card. all that and the case is super quite and cool. i plan to get the P183 v3 with it's special 2.5" spot for ssd drives and stick a sb 2600k i7 system inside if bulldozer doesn't materialize soon. ;)MamiyaOtaru - Thursday, June 2, 2011 - link
ON MY FACE