Final Words

Evolution and innovation drive all fronts of technology, and in the computer case business that translates into a constant battle for finding a perfect blend of functional usefulness, aesthetic acceptance, performance in regards to both temperatures and sound levels, and pricing to match competitors' similar offerings. Antec has already found great success with the original P180 and for years to come it will be a desktop case others are measured against. Its creative use of plastic, aluminum, and steel translated into some of the lowest noise levels yet on a desktop PC case without changing it at all from the way it comes out of the box.

At first appearance, there might not be much attracting a potential purchaser of a PC enclosure to the P182 SE over Antec's other offerings aside from the out-of-this-world paint job, but the work/showcase spotlight might be just the kind of accessory which nudges an interested party over the edge to choose it over the normal gunmetal gray P182. Choices are always good though, and in this sense the P182 and P182 SE make great additions to Antec's line.

The "vanilla" P182 is a nice choice; for around $170 online one can get almost all the same features as the case we reviewed, with a still very attractive dark gray finish. For the user who demands the "best", the P182 SE's still-killer noise performance - one of the best in its class - is available with the addition of the flexible work light, all black interior, and super-shiny mirror finish for a pretty substantial increase in price.. we've seen the P182 SE available for around $230 online. The special edition will be a limited offering, however, so if having the ability to see your reflection on the surface of your case is something you've always wanted, you'll want to jump on it as soon as it's available - but be aware of the fact that it's going to leave a bit of a dent in your wallet.

Benchmark Setup, Heat and Noise
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  • crimson117 - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link

    I believe a hole in your otherwise very well-done review is that you used a mATX board, which does not push the case's internal capacity to the limit.

    I have a P180 and use a regular ATX board (Asus A8V Deluxe), and let me tell you - it gets VERY crowded down at the bottom of the motherboard...

    I have: power supply cabling coming up from the bottom, a PCI TV Tuner card installed in the lowest PCI slot, the front-panel case cables coming in to the motherboard port, and the lower hard disk's cables coming up to the motherboard.

    It's very very crowded and difficult to work with.

    I personally would not use a full sized board again with the P180; I'd find another classy case or just use a mATX board.
  • Johnspree - Saturday, December 26, 2009 - link

    To all of you who wants to build a new pc with this Case, Antec P182. I got one my self and I think I have a lot of rooms to work with. All you have to do is run most of you cables thru the other side of the case.

  • JoshuaBuss - Thursday, April 12, 2007 - link

    Certainly in my experience this case has one of the best potentials for building the quietest PC possible..

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