Antec P-160 Build and Review

[itshondo]

UPDATED July 9, 2007

After buying myself an Antec P-160 full tower case for Christmas, I'm finally getting around to this build/review.

I bought it at Newegg and it arrived in perfect condition. Here's a link if you want to check the price or look at the stock photos-

Edit- no longer for sale.

The first thing I had to do was the wiring for the Torin Blower. It uses 24v from a transformer, that is switched through a 12v automotive relay (it closes when the PSU comes on).

Here's the relay-

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/5311/img95812wf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I installed the relay at the top of the hard drive cage and the rheostat (to control the voltage to the Torin) in the side of the 3 1/2 drive bay.

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5307/img97819mu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

Then I tucked the wiring that goes from the relay to the back of the case into the support crossmember-

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/5430/img95800ut.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

A small hole drilled in the back of the case was made and the 2 prong connector installed. This goes to the transformer-

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5963/img96025se.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

The case came with 120mm fans- both are 2 wire fans, the rear fan with blue LEDs and the front without any. They are good Antec fans, but I wanted to make this rig as quiet as possible.

So I ended up buying 2 Coolermaster 120mm Blue LED fans, they are very quiet at full speed and silent when set to 7v by the Coolermaster Aerogate 1 fan controller.

I bought the fans and controller at SVC-

Fans - http://www.svc.com/tlf-s12-eb-19.html

Aerogate 1 - http://www.svc.com/ald-v01-u1-19.html

The front fan mounts in a tray that slides into the front of the case (rt side of pic) blowing intake across the hard drives.

you can also see that I mounted my speaker on the bottom, on double sided foam tape. Also in this pic you can see my hard drives in thier rubber isolated trays.

http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/8075/img97937ja.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

I always seal up any holes in the front of the case frame with aluminum tape-

Also, I put a small strip of tape at the bottom of the front fan (there's a slot) to reduce vibration

As you can see, I'm using a beige floppy- doesn't really matter as you can't see it with the front case bezel installed.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/9611/img97860og.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

I had an extra blue LED so I taped it to the top of the case and pointed it at the Torin-

http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/2687/img97838jz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

The case has a removable/washable dust filter in the front of the bezel- very nice!

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/3448/img97942vi.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

But the bezel has a small open area at the bottom, (I asuume for a finger hold during bezel removal) that, if left open, allows unfiltered air to bypass the filter and go directly to the intake fan.

A little aluminum tape sealed it up nicely-

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/3530/img95868hi.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

Most of the excess wiring can be tucked away, out of view-

I used an Antec PSU Vibration Isolator/Gasket to help reduce vibrations. It's made of silicone and makes for a tight fit.

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/7595/img95931dh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

here's a pic of the "toolless" PCI slot area- I still had to tighten them with a screwdriver-

I applied a aluminum tape to much of the case interior to help reflect the lights-

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/9674/img97900ty.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

My Plextor 708 drive tray was hanging up on the drive door when closing. The trays' bezel/lip was hanging up. So I removed the bezel on the cd tray and it worked perfectly-

here's the drive door-

http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/6614/img97962ob.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

here's the drive with its' tray bezel removed -

Also, I taped up all of the small rectangular slots going around the front bezel to reduce noise and ensure that all intake air goes through the filter-

http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/3673/img98024gj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

a view with everything installed except the front bezel and doors-

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1644/img97771ir.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

Here's the Torin installed, with it's extra support- a peice of aluminum roof flashing. I made 2 pins that secure the blowers' mount to the SLK-900A, and the extra support stops it from pulling the heatsink away from the cpu.

I painted the Torin fluorescent green- it's so big that I thought I'd call it The Green Monster-

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7255/img97820wn.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

The rotating top bezel has 1 firewire, 2 USB, mic/headphone ports, Power LED, HD Activity LED, as well as a power switch, reset switch, and a digital readout of the 2 temperature probes.

My temperature display quit working and I'm awaiting word from Antec on a replacement.

Here's that bezel, with my Lexar memory stick plugged into a USB port-

http://img506.imageshack.us/img506/8462/img98038jt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

The Temp readout panel has a small square switch used to select either farenheit or celcius. I found a small square hole inside the case (by the floppy cage) that almost fit the switch- a little filing and it was a nice, snug fit-

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/7392/img95908nf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

Here are a couple of daylight views of the completed rig- you can see how well the Aerogate 1 fan controller (color set to blue) matches the case-

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/7175/img97998xn.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/8741/img98003zc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

And here's a night shot-

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/5923/img97349eb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[itshondo]

Here are my thoughts on this awesome case-

Pros-

- Excelent Airflow, 2 120mm fan positions, unrestrictive grills
- Great fit & finish, no sharp edges to speak of
- Front connector ports and rotating bezel with temp probes (2)
- Hideable drive bays, very clean look
- Lockable side door
- VERY Light - All Aluminum
- Hard Drive Trays with rubber insulators
- Removable Motherboard Tray

Cons-

- Temp sensor has failed
- Power / Reset switches easily hit by accident- not recessed enough
- Came with 2 120 fans, rear had blue LEDs, front did not- both relatively quiet

Overall, I highly recommend this case!

[itshondo]

I forgot to include this pic of the doors' locks - very nice design-

http://img438.imageshack.us/img438/4435/img97976ko.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[LordDarik]

Great review itshondo! Beautiful case as well, this really makes me think about getting one for my next build.

[itshondo]

Thanks- I thought everyone ought to have the chance to look at the case, I like it that much.

[adamwinn]

omg, huuuge props. that case looks flipping amazing. its busy, but not cluttered on the outside. its very very nice looking. A++++++

[Thumdar]

Nice work again! Exactly what I expect, even if you do like to use the word "bezel" a bit much :p

I gotta get me some of that tape!

[itshondo]

Hey Bro, I gotta bezel for ya!

I just got off the phone with Antec, a real person answered the support line on the second ring- unbeleivable. So I should have a replacement BEZEL next week.

[ReD.SkY]

lol, awesome case, i would definatly get it if i didnt get a killer deal on my PC-75

[itshondo]

The PC-75 was a runner up when I was deciding on a case-

[darksparkz]

Nice job with the reflective aluminum for the blue lights. Very neat case, props on it.

[Nathan0490]

Very nice review and setup, my p-160w will be here monday :D!

Couple questions...

Where did you get the Alumiunum Tape?

Do you use any cathodes in this case?

What do you mean the temp sensor failed? Is it not replaceable?

Can you take a pic of where the door locks?

Thanks again man & props,
Nathan

[ReD.SkY]

i want one :drool:

[itshondo]

Hey Nathan-

The temp display for my case just quit working. I checked all of the connections and they were good, so I called Antec Support. I didn't have to wade my way thru a bunch of phone prompts- a service rep answered the phone. That was refreshing!

I had to email a copy of my Newegg receipt and they have ordered the part.

You can buy the aluminum tape at Home Depot in the plumbing/heating department. It is made to seal up heating/air conditioning ducts.

I don't have any cathodes in the case. The blue light is from the 120mm fans, the 1 LED I put at the top of the case, the Iceberq cooler on the northbridge, and the lights in the front bezel. The red light is the power LED on the Abit NF7-S mobo.

The door lock is pictured above, in the center rear door handle.

[itshondo]

I decided to clean up the appearance of the case, as seen thru its' window.

So I taped up the side of the 5 1/4 drive bays to cover the holes.

And I removed the stickers from the side of the Fortron PSU, so that it's nickle finish can shine-

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/79/img98051le.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Turtle Shell]

:drool: makes me want to get one nice review.

[itshondo]

Thanks-

[Misto]

That's the best looking setup I've seen. This makes 2 great boxes you've made recently, including the "mini"!
Keep up the great work...we can all learn something from you :cool:

[josh478]

let me ask you something, do you think this case has room to put a second PSU, and a watercooling setup? i need a case big enough to fit that, and dont want a huge server case thats beige and ugly.

[itshondo]

Hey Misto!

Welcome to the Forums!

Very happy to see you finally joined my friend!

[itshondo]

Adding a second, standard PSU would make it a tight fit. If you mounted a small, 180 watt Fortron Micro ATX PSU (like this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104981 ) you might be able to pull it off-

[paupton]

Thanks for taking the time for this review. I had an Antec Lanboy for a year. I just sold my system and have spent hours looking at websites for a suitable case. I found a site with a good views in pics and liked what I saw. I ordered from Securemart.com for 88.00 with a 15.00 rebate. Should be here tomorrow. Your post makes me anxious to get it here and get started with the build. Your case looks great.
Happy computing

[itshondo]

you won't be dissapointed!

[paupton]

I got it in and man do I like this case. This has to be the best case I have ever owned or built a computer in. The planning put into this thing is amazing. Ease of use, set up and quality. I will post pics later. I have some ideas for a few mods to this thing already.
Tarantula

[ReD.SkY]

if i didnt want a triple Radiator setup for my system, i would have this case and would be kissing it right now ;)

[itshondo]

Let's see some pics- or a build thread on your rig-

[WhatTheSchmidt]

I got this case too and it's awesome, mine isn't flashy because I don't want all kinds of lights in my room on my comp...but I installed watercooling fully inside mine, I'll get pics of mine sometime soon...I gotta work on cleaning up my cables some time though.

[itshondo]

Hey WhatTheSchmidt-

How about those pics?

[Helius]

Very nice dude! :attn:

[Jacobman]

Thats a sharp looking case, I really miss having a window to view all my stuff and a full tower as well. Might have to get it in the future! :D

[itshondo]

Time for an update!

First thing I did was remove all of the old parts, including the wiring for the Torin. So long pal!

The only parts I reused were the 120mm fans and the Coolermaster Aerogate fan controller.

I upgraded my main rig with these parts-

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 rev 3.3 Mobo
Conroe E6600 - Lapped
Coolermaster RR-CCH-L9U1-GP HSF - Lapped
2 X 1gb GSkill PC2 6400
GIGABYTE GV-NX86T256D 8600GT (fanless heatpipe)
Rosewill RP550-2 550W PSU
WD 74 GB Raptor, 1ea Maxtor 120gb & 80gb IDE HDs
Sony NEC Optiarc SATA DVD Burner

The speed is great, currently running at 3.0 Ghz, and mem at 1,00o.

But the internal temps are higher than I want, so it looks like I will be adding a PCI slot cooler right below the 8600GT (it's hot) to help drop the temps.

But I still love this case!

Here are a few pics-

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/5620/img0148kb1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Lights off-

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/3766/img0150vg5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Case opened-

http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/338/img0157jx2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The Coolermaster HSF-

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/1765/img0158ax6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

A closer view of the internals. I have a little bit of wire management clean-up to do yet-

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/9430/img0159ud0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[WhatTheSchmidt]

well I guess those images were on imageshack and they are nowhere to be find...RIP pics of old setup.

Here's my new setup if you are interested:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/whattheschmidt/Stacker/DoneWindow.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/whattheschmidt/Stacker/Done.jpg

sorry for losing the old pics ><

[itshondo]

Looks great!