Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/06/28/review_antec_p150/
Review The way we all see our PCs has changed over the last three years. It's not all just the performance inside that matters, it's also about what's on the outside. The change in the chassis manufacturers' portfolios has seen the introduction of HTPC case as well as the newer generation BTX format...
So what does that mean for the consumer? Basically, the introduction of these new formats has brought to the forefront factors that were previously considered secondary: thermal and acoustic properties.
Antec introduced the P160 chassis at the very end of 2003 and followed it up with its larger brother, the P180, which was specifically designed for thermal and acoustic excellence. Now it's the turn of the dedicated quiet case. The Antec P150 Performance One chassis has appeared on the market with a RRP price around £100, but for that you do get a high-end chassis with a quality PSU, so let's take a look at just how good it is.
Following in the footsteps of many Apple clones before it, the P150 features a brushed aluminium and white colour scheme, but unlike a lot of the clones that have come from the Far East, the P150 is very well-executed, featuring high-quality plastics and a clever design.
It features the usual suspects on the front panel: two USB, one FireWire400, microphone and speaker ports. The power button incorporates the power light indicator on the front, while the HDD activity light is located on the other side of the front panel.
Unclipping the front panel allows the swing-out front to reveal access to the four 5.25in bays. The P150 comes with two pre-fitted drive covers in the top 5.25in bays. There's no separate 3.5in bay, but a 3.5in device can be embedded in the lowest 5.25in bay.
Around the back of the P150 we find the usual ATX layout configuration with a single 120mm fan mount. However, neither the PSU nor motherboard can be removed through the back of the case.
The paint finish on the outside of the P150 is of a very high quality, featuring a mirror finish which is very well-matched to the high-quality plastics on the front panel.
Both side panels can be removed from the P150, and while the motherboard-facing side features quick-release screws, the other side features regular screws, which, given the market Antec is aiming at with this case, is disappointing. So too is the lack of a removable motherboard tray. At this price point, that seems a very odd decision.
The only place you will find any aluminium in the P150 is on the front panel. The rest of the chassis is high-gauge steel, which does explain the chassis' high weight when empty.
The P150 is touted by Antec as being a "quiet" chassis and, as such, you'd expect some sort of acoustic material to be fitted inside the chassis. The P150 does indeed ship with such material, but it's surprisingly thin and quite a hard material.
One upside, however, lies with the Antec-branded PSU. Antec is renowned for the quality of its power supply units, and the enclosed PSU is one of the new Neo High Efficiency Modular units with a 430W rating. It alone, we reckon, would cost around £50.
Antec provides you with a very basic user manual together with the obligatory bag of screws and the necessary modular connectors.
You can use any of the four rubber-mounted HDD trays, which use the screw mounts under your drive to provide protection and noise absorption, or, alternatively, you can mount three drives using a new HDD suspension system. This consists of two hooks either side of the chassis with a large rubber band fixed in between them. Put simply, you slide your drive through the centre of the bands, one at each end of the drive.
Having tried both systems the HDD suspension system results in a slightly quieter drive when in use, but, using common sense, it's highly recommended that you never move your chassis when using the new HDD suspension system.
To evaluate the thermal performance of the P150 we ran a loop of Futuremark's 3D Mark 2005 for 20 minutes before taking temperature readings at various locations. The ambient temperatures on the day was a balmy 29.5°C. We also ran the same tests, on the same day, against Antec's own P180 and a larger Akasa Eclipse 62.
This temperature was taken in front of the fan on the Arctic Cooler Freezer Pro 7 fitted to the CPU.
This temperature was taken from approximately 3cm from the back of the rear 120mm exhaust fan
This temperature was taken through the front panel of the chassis, in between the installed hard drives.
The P150 performed remarkably well in the thermal tests given its small dimensions. In some of the tests it even outperformed its bigger brother, the P180, though it suffered in some tests against our old, faithful Akasa Eclipse 62. The test of note here was the one relating to the CPU, with the P150 leading by a few degrees below the other chassis used in the comparison.
The Antec P150 performs well, but the lack of removable motherboard tray and the sheer space restrictions its presents are disappointing. This is a case that would ideally suit someone who wants to builds a system and not tinker with it afterwards.
The P150 is a very good all-round package for system builders and OEMs. At the same time, if you're looking for a no-nonsense chassis, the P150 really should be on your shopping list.
Overall, a good effort, and given the package includes the latest series of Antec's popular PSUs, it gets our classic good value award.
Review by
(http://www.hexus.net/)
 |
Antec Performance One P150 |
| Summary | Not for the incessant tinkerer, but a good case for your first quiet PC... |
|---|---|
| Rating | 80% |
| Price | £100/$180 |
| More info | Antec's P150 page (http://www.antec.com/uk/productDetails.php?ProdID=09151#&www.reghardware.co.uk) |
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