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Product:
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Antec P150 Quiet PC Case |
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Price:
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$138 (CDN) / $120 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Antec
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Author:
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Skaal-Tel
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Date:
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March 2nd, 2006
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Rating:
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MODTHEBOX would like to thank Antec
for sending the P150 Quiet PC Case for review.
Introduction:
The true revolution of this 21st century is not, in fact dual cores and video cards. It's a more subtle and less often
noticed change which is far more important to your personal computing enjoyment. What is this mysterious underground
movement? Computing in silence is often overlooked, until you find yourself unable to hear the telephone over your 13
screaming case fans. Various manufacturers have stepped up to offer silent offerings, or at least quieter than average
cases. For the past few years Antec pursued a silent case design strategy. With the advent of the Sonata case, with
rubber feet, large fans, rubber grommets and quiet fans, Antec had noticeably altered the options for computer buyers.
Instead of beige or bright and gaudy, you could choose a gloss black and quiet case! Today, you can find the Sonata 2
doing much the same job with new competition from within Antec, in the form of the P-180 and P-150 cases. Today in the
MTB Labs, we will be evaluating the P150 Quiet PC case, which promises to even further raise expectations for lower
decibels.
Specifications:
Provided in any colour you like, so long as it pure white, the Antec P150 is a full ATX mid-tower, with a unique hard
drive mounting system, dual layered side panels, silicone feet, "tool-less" drive bays, a high quality power supply
and more. Here are some specifications taken directly from the Antec website:
| Model |
P150
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| Case Dimensions |
17.5"(H) x 8.1"(W) x 18.5"(D) |
| Drive Bays |
| - Front Accessible |
| - Internal |
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8
3x5.25", 1x3.5"
4x3.5" or 3x3.5" with HDD suspension |
| Expansion
Slots |
7 |
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Cooling System |
- 1 rear (standard) 120mm TriCool Fan with 3-speed switch control
- 2 front 92mm fan mounts (fans not included)
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| Main
Board Size |
12" (W) x 9.6" (L) |
| Weight (net/gross) |
25.3/30.3 lbs
11.5/15.7 K |
| Motherboards
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Standard ATX |
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Special Features |
Internal mounts with rubber grommets |
| Optional HDD suspension system & Front USB Firewire Ports |
| Poly carbonate side panels to reduce noise |
Advanced cable management system
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| Package
Includes |
1
Tower Case
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1
set of screws and motherboard standoffs |
1
set of screws and motherboard standoffs |
1
NeoHE 430 installed |
| Power Supply
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NeoHE 430w, ATX12V 2.2 |
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The Antec P-150 arrived unharmed within a double box. The P-150 case box is fairly clear in its description of the case'
features, with a few good pictures. As far as durability goes the box has the usual plastic sheet cover over the case,
and for something a little different, appears to be using recycled cardboard as the end pieces for packaging. The case
was in perfect shape probably the first instance I've seen of a damage free case shipment.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Out of the box the case is very appealing to my eye and has an Apple IPOD feel to it with smooth gloss white cover and
brushed aluminum face plate. The front of the case features a smooth white recessed power button with blue LED to light
the ring around it. The reset button is not lit and is slightly smaller. The usual pass through connections are present
and functional including Firewire IEEE 1394, dual USB 2.0 and front panel audio. I think this location for the ports
would be great for a case placed under a desk or something along those lines but might be a bit irritating if placed
above the desk with your USB devices dangling from the ports. The buttons have a smooth and high quality feel to them.
I was not at all worried about breaking them off inside the case.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The HDD activity led is located off to the side and also lights blue. The Antec P150 has a single slot available for
3.5" devices on the outside of the case. While limiting placement of some aftermarket card readers, most users are
moving away from floppy and zip drives so this shouldn't be an issue. The optical disk drives (ODD) are placed inside
the frame and covered by the stealth plate to maintain the gloss white face of the case. If you have an ugly drive, or
want to use a black drive, this is great. The faceplates can of course be removed if your preferences lie elsewhere.
Also visible in these pictures is the grill along both sides of the faceplate. The case feet of the P150 are made of
the same material as the hard drive grommets either soft rubber or silicone. They are fairly tall, and though they do
squash down a bit, provide a very good vibration reduction.
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