Antec Performance One
by Purav Sanghani on February 13, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Inside the P160
The P160 provides us with a few surprises inside, not that we're surprised anyway with any of the great features that Antec provides in many of its products. One of the main areas packed with features is the front end of the case.
There are three types of drive bays in the front section. The top 5-1/4" drive bays do not have screw holes, but use drive rails only. The first set of 3-1/2" drive bays, however, does not use drive rails, but Antec has holes drilled to allow standard screw installation. To install drives in either of these bays, we need to remove the front bezel by pulling it off from the bottom, as many other cases allow, and slide in the drives with attached rails through the front.
The bottom set of drive bays are for hard drives only. As we can see from the picture, there are four slide-out drive-trays with rubber grommets, which will help cushion the drives as well as allow us to secure them to the trays by screwing them in from the bottom. The trays are slightly wider than any 3-1/2" hard drive, so there is no chance of scratching the sides of the drives.
We also notice how much space is left over at the bottom of this drive cage. It seems like wasted space and could have easily allowed an extra drive to be installed.
From the 5-1/4" drive bays, specifically at the height of the third bay from the top, there is an aluminum support bar that extends all the way to the back of the chassis just below the power supply mounting area. It is obvious from the power supply cutout at the back of the case that there is much more room between the power supply and the roof of the case. We shouldn't have any trouble installing the PowerStream unit into the P160.
Down at the bottom of the backside of the P160, we see seven expansion slots with steel covers on them. The covers are secured to the slots by thumbscrews, which carry the tool-less design.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
53 Comments
View All Comments
sdgserv - Wednesday, February 15, 2006 - link
Have owned the 160 for sometime now..Pro..Easy to set up. Great working case
Cons..Not enough room for the HD molex connectors and ribbons in the back of the case
Thoughts..I hated the window so I had a new Plexiglass one made. $30.Light blue and it look great.
I have owned a lot of cases in the 17 years with computers and this one is the 8/10
bnorton - Monday, April 11, 2005 - link
Your sound benchmarks do not include the Antec Sonata. Shouldn't any sound benchmarks include this case as a reference?bnorton - Monday, April 11, 2005 - link
Your sound benchmark does not include the Antec Sonata. Shouldn't this case be included as a reference?bnorton - Monday, April 11, 2005 - link
Your sound benchmarks do not include the Antec Sonata. Shouldn't that be the reference?pwjone1 - Sunday, March 27, 2005 - link
I would like to second the request for a P180 review. That looks like a lot better case, in terms of air flow and cooling, than the P160.One thing I found strange, is that while Anandtech found the P160 the second quietest case, it's not even on SilentPCReview's (SPCR) recommended list. They rated it, and said it was noisy, though they don't much like Al cases in general. Still, odd the different results. Here's the SPCR review URL: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article128-page1.htm...
Also, they like Antec cases, a lot, so it's not an anti-Antec thing.
L3p3rM355i4h - Thursday, February 17, 2005 - link
Nice to see anandtech review something that isn't made for the "L337 H4><0rz" crowd.matrix2 - Thursday, February 17, 2005 - link
sdgfish - Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - link
I have built 2 system with this case and once you get to know it well, it would be hard to buy another. Mine came with 2 fans from Newegg.Ideal for SATA
Cons..
Tough to use round cables on the HD's not enough room on the back side of the drives.
akugami - Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - link
This case had a few points that I was looking for in a new case.1) Front bezel is an acquired taste for some but it's not that bad. I wanted something with matching drive covers so you don't see the ugly as heck CD/DVD drives but rather a uniform and pleasing design. The oval fan grill design is not that great but it's really not that bad. I would have preferred a plain Jane mesh grill design though. I would have also loved for it to be all metal even steel.
2) Firewire and USB ports on the front. I do like the way they are positioned and while it's not the most solid feeling device I don't think it feels too cheap.
3) Large intake and exhaust area. Yeah, you can put a place for 120mm fans but if you cover 80% of the coverage area with a useless design or some tiny holes then it does jack and sh_t for you. You might as well have a 80mm hole in that case cause you're probably pushing the same amount of air. It always drives me nuts when case designers get a brainfart and choke off the intake and exhaust areas with a useless design or tiny holes. Usually on an otherwise nice looking case too. 120mm fans also are great for good airflow at lower noise.
3) Roomy interior. This is not exactly the most roomy case I've worked in but it's hardly tiny.
Overall I felt I got what I paid for in this case. Are there better cases out there? Sure, and with a higher price tag to match it. I would have liked an integrated PSU but they most likely would have given you a 350-400 watt one. I have opted for a 520w PSU for future proofing myself so it wasn't a huge minus as I would have very very likely removed that PSU anyways.
LoneWolf15 - Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - link
I love my Antec P160 as well. Note that although Anandtech didn't mention it, there is a model with a side window, which is the model I have. That model comes with two 120mm fans stock (I have added a custom blowhole to the top of my case for a third 120mm unit). Even if it didn't though, I think true enthusiasts like to choose their fans based on noise/airflow requirements, and the important thing is having 120mm mounts for high airflow at low noise, which this case does well.Kudos to Anandtech for their first review (in awhile) of a high-quality, good looking case that combines function and form.