Hardware Geeks

Typically, if you want a nice-looking case with loads of features, the problem you’ll face is that they’re all huge. However, there is always the exception to the rule, and the Mini P180 from Antec is definitely that. Not only is the Mini P180 a stylish, great-looking case that would make any computer enthusiast like myself drool, but it is also loaded with features and, like the name says, it’s mini.

The case is perfect for someone who wants to build their own Windows Home Server (which is what I used mine for). The case has 8 drive bays, three 5.25 inch bays, and six 3.5 inch hard drive bays. That should be more than enough hard drive bays for any Windows Home Server or traditional desktop.

The case was also designed for great cooling. It has one 200mm fan on the top of the case that sucks the heat from around the CPU out of the case. It also has two front 120mm fans that keep your hard drives cool, and a 120mm fan in the rear. There is an external switch in the back that lets you set the speeds for the top 200mm fan and the back 120mm fan. (Low | Medium | High).

When a case like the Mini P180 has a lot of fans keeping it cool, you might tend to worry about dust being sucked into the system. Well, while you do have to worry about it, the fan grills all have filters on them (with the exception of the top fan and rear fan which blow outwards). The grills keep the majority of the dust out and, if you have the Mini P180, I recommend you dust them off every three weeks or once a month, depending on how dusty your workspace is.

Another feature that keeps the inside of the case cool is the location of the power supply, at the bottom of the case, and the way the case allows you to organize the cabling inside. A cool system makes for a happy system.

Something really cool about the P180 is that four of the hard drive bays can be removed from the system for easy installation of the hard drives. CD/DVD drives and other drives have rails that can be attached to them for easy insertion and removal from the case, making your life a lot easier when you want to replace a bad drive.

Did I mention the case is really nice looking? It’s black with a Charcoal gray door that opens and, unlike other cases with doors that I have dealt with in the past, the door on the Mini P180 swings completely out of the way. If you wanted to, you could leave it open and not worry about banging into an open door and breaking it.

For the most part, I really love the case, but there is something I do dislike about it. The case has USB, audio, and an eSata port on the front of the case. While I don’t mind the USB and audio ports, the eSata port in my opinion would have served a better purpose in the back of the case. I don’t know about you, but I like to connect most of the eSata external hard drives that I use to the back. I think of eSata as a port that would be permanently used by one device and I don’t want any cables constantly sticking out the front of my case.

But aside from that, I love the case, so we here at HardwareGeeks.com award it our 4 Star Must Have award.

The P180 is available in Black and White, the Black will cost you about $159.99 at Newegg and the white about $139.99.

Post Tags: antec  cases  reviews  p180 mini 

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