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, Stock
Despite being very enthusiastic about the design of the Antec P280, I had real concerns about performance in practice. I'm just not a fan of negative pressure designs; historically I've seen positive pressure cases produce better thermal results. Antec's reps even asked me about my experiences there, but thankfully the P280 can be configured that way and then some. I also don't like the two exhaust fans in the top; I've never liked top exhaust fans in cases, as it's always seemed like a great way for noise to leak out. So suffice to say, I entered the actual testing of the P280 with some trepidation.
Performance for the P280 is for the most part middle-of-the-road. I think its biggest competitor is probably the up and coming Fractal Design Define R3. What's worth noting is the very minimal impact running the fans at low speeds seems to have had on the enclosure's performance.
Turning down those fans results in one of the quietest cases we've tested under load, though the results are within the margin of error compared to Fractal Design's Define R3. When we let them ramp up, though, no amount of sound dampening can really save the P280. Thankfully running them at low barely affects thermals, and as a result we get decent performance from a quiet case. So far Antec is on the right track.
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phantompowerz - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Looks good perfect for my new build.Nexis47 - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
I love Antec Cases. I could really use this for the next rig I put together with my bros so we can LAN. :]gurumarkb - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Interesting design and the solid front is similar to my Solo case I've been I've been running my Core i5 660 in for a year. But recently i got to install an Antec 300 Illusion case and I have to say I really like it. While the 300 Illusion does not have and USB 3 ports up front it's not a big deal as most motherboards don't have USB 3 headers yet so plugging the USB 3 device in the back is ok for now, The primary reason I prefer the 300 Illusion case is the front is all mesh and with the 2 120mm fans you can pull in major air to keep the computer cool. The rear 120mm and top 135mm fans blow the warm air out. Setting the front fans to low speed and the rear fans to medium speed makes for a quiet but cool computer.squadbumrush - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Pork chop sandwiches!MikesHeadRoom - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
This P280 really looks like a nice piece of equipment!ribi - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Now I feel a bit sorry I bought a new case a few weeks ago. It was an almost used Themaltake Xaser V - an older case but I got it very cheap and it still is way better than what I had before. This one seem to be well worth the price increase, though. Way to go, Antec! :)Nohr - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Don't think I'd buy one, but I'd love to win one!waveblaster200 - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Great review and read. Makes me think its time to get a Antec case again, Miss my old super lan boy!!phimac10 - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
The case look so good, I have the P182, which I modded to my liking. The main reason that I like the Antec dual chamber is that I can hide my pump.ehume - Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - link
Finally Antec adds a forward top fan position. Their prior cases of this type always had one fan in the back. As if no one would ever want a top intake. It is disappointing that they only have spots for 120mm fans up there. Spaces for two 140mm fans would carry the forward fan further forward, so that more of its output can feed the face of the cpu heatsink intake fan.The forward-facing IO ports are a blessing for those who must put their case under a shelf.
I love that they went whole hog on their cpu cooler window in the motherboard tray.
But I wish they had put room for four slots in their 5.25 bay: some of us put intake fans there.
Finally: why oh why is there a rear grill? With no grill, if you run all intake fans you can let air quietly escape -- no fan needed.
Otherwise, decent case.