Antec P280 Review: When Enthusiasts Are Engineers
by Dustin Sklavos on November 15, 2011 10:20 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Antec
- P280
Noise and Thermal Testing, Overclocked
Here's where we separate the men from the boys. Our overclocked test bed has proven to be very stressful on "less prepared" enclosures, and this is hopefully going to produce some more decisive results. So far, Antec's P280 has put in a strong performance, offering decent thermals with low acoustics, but it's still competing pretty squarely with Fractal Design's Define R3, an enclosure that costs between $30 and $40 less. The R3 lost a lot of steam in our overclocked testing, though. Can the P280 pick up the slack?
Unfortunately, while most of the other components are running pretty frosty, the P280 has a hard time dealing with the substantially increased thermal load of the overclocked i7-875K. What we can glean from the results is that it's able to mostly manage overall ambient temperature, and the GeForce GTX 580 runs nice and cool compared to some of the other cases, but the processor may just not be getting enough cool air running through it. The P280 supports 240mm radiators, and getting one in there may not be a bad idea.
Once again it's hard to justify running the fans at their high setting. At their low setting the P280 is nice and quiet at idle, though load performance is dicier. Once again the P280 is in the same general ballpark as Fractal Design's up and comer.
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Zoomer - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Antec should consider including an insert to cover one of/both the top 120 mm spaces. This will help with reducing noise, while leaving open the radiator option.I was also surprised that given the height of the case, an additional 120 mm front fan couldn't be squeezed in. This will probably help with cpu temps, as it can get more cool air. Perhaps even accommodate 38 mm thick fans. These are quite efficient. From all the cutouts in the case, these two things will be needed to even have a semblance of a positive pressure case. Copious tape will probably help, and I suppose I could swap out the expansion slot covers.
Davidlim - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
I'd be happy to win one of these.matchan1 - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
This case rocks. Watchout cooler masterSabresiberian - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
What I want from Antec is a Lanboy that will hold a 10-slot mainboard.A redesign of the Skeleton might get me, but it would have to be a serious re-think, as the Skeleton was an enthusiast's wannabe, which ended up hampering access that it should have made easier. A 10-slot capable Skeleton redesign could be interesting, to me.
;)
auralcircuitry - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
This is actually the case I have been hoping Antec would make for several years now. I love most of their features, but am hesitant to spend $200+ on a housing for my PC.I just built a PC about two months ago and ended up using a cheap NZXT that already has dead fans and is falling apart. Lesson learned, spend the money and buy a real PC case! If this model existed two months ago I would have bought it without hesitation.
KUColBond - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Looks like a real step up from the Three Hundred I've got now.hudey123 - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
My many, many years old Super LanBoy is really starting to show its age. Even though I love the size and the brilliant little tool drawer under the front door, I'm ready to move on. I LOVE the looks of this case, and that to me is mostly what a case is all about. Great review, thank you!pentijum - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Great case... I want to build a 100% silent PC and I am 100% sure that this will be the case I will use...confused one - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Water cooling is becoming mainstream, with both processor manufacturers offering water cooling as a factory option. You mentioned the case is designed to accept a cooler but you don't test the fitment. I know you can't try all the options; but, I though you all might start test fitting oem radiators and letting us know how well (or not) they fit. Thanks.knurdtech - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Looks perfect for a server build