P182 vs 900

alex24

alex24

alex24

Soldato
Joined
1 Jan 2008
Posts
11,421
OK, so what are your opinions on these cases as a direct comparison? There is a lot of info about them on this forum already, particularly the Antec 900 (though not all good!).

I basically have a price range of about £50-80. I'm currently using an Akasa Zen with E6750 @ 2.66 on a Noctua NH-U12F with a meaty-sized BFG 8800 GTS OC2 that seems to kick out a lot of heat. At the moment my setup idles between 35-40C, and I know its case limited as with the side off it drops to 25C easily. Oh, and it's worth mentioning I only have one HDD and one DVD-RW, which is SATA.

CA-065-AN_400.jpg

As for the Antec 900, it seems like it's great for cooling, just a bit worried about noise, dust and comble management. Does anyone know if with the fans on low if its quieter than the Akasa Zen? Dust shouldnt be a problem, filters can be fitted, but cabling seems like a pain. I doubt my Corsair 620W power cable would reach nicely, though i'm not averse to a bit of modding.

CA-070-AN_400.jpg


The P182 seems more of a professional case, but i've seen reviews where people have said the quality was not so good (front panel snapping etc), can anyone confirm this? It looks a bit better than the 900, but it's bigger, and I assume a lot heavier, though it shouldn't be being moved much. The cable management really appeals, and as long as the cooling is on a par with the 900 it seems like a good deal, if stretching my budget a little.

Any opinions on which is best? I think i'm more likely to upgrade before I seriously overclock.
 
its very quite case. and loosk much nice than the 900 IMO. cools well, not as much as the 900, but does a good job. all around, for the price, its the best case.
 
i love my P182. its so similar to the Monolith from 2001 that you can't help not adoring it. it sits on my desk like a black slab of pure gaming power!

the Antec900, on the other hand, looks like the result of combining surrealism and geometry on a PC case...
 
The weak front panel was a problem for the early p180s, but was fixed after a short while (and antec send out replacement doors for free when theres a problem). All p182 have the issue resolved. The p180 is one of the best cases I've used even if its a little vanilla. And the price is very good for what you get.
 
I've looked at both of them too, and while obviously the P182 is better on the looks side of things, frankly I'm not convinced it has enough airflow compared to the 900. The last thing I'd need is a second case in a row with not enough airflow... :(
 
Theres plenty of airflow with the p182 - the front intakes provide more flow than you would think, and the top front 120 can be unobstructed if all your hd's are in the bottom chamber, which means cool air directed straight to the graphics card(s).

The rear/top configuration can be set either both as exhausts, or rear intake/top exhaust if that would better suit your cooling.

And of course theres the provision of holes for watercooling, a swiftech spacer would allow a single, dual or triple 120mm rad to be mounted on the back of the case.

Whilst there may be more free flowing cases you will pay for that in noise and dust build up. The p180 is able to cool just as well by providing the right layout and smart design, whilst keeping the case quiet.
 
I have the 900. It's great. Very easy to work with, set all the fans to minimum speed (they all have three speeds) and it's quiet with great air flow. Coolest case I've ever had.
 
Got a P182 (HTPC) and a Stacker 810 (gaming) The P182 is a good case but I think for a gaming I'd go for the 900. P182 is a little bit cramped if you're fitting loads of HD and higher end GPU's.
 
hiroofheroes, well, it's I believe three fans (for the main compartment) on the P182 compared to two on my Hush, and I don't think the difference would be that big on low fan speedsetting - and higher settings are just too noisy. By comparison, the 900 has more fans to begin with and the option for a side panel fan as well.
 
be aware if u have a heatsink ie the tuniq tower or any other highend cooler the 120mm side fan cant fit....

Had to take mine off just so the side panel can go actually on !
 
Cooling wise the 900 beats the 182 hands down.

Looks wise the 182 beats the 900 hands down.

What is more important to you? form or function?
 
I have the P182, and it is a excellent case. I have replaced all the fans with 18db or less 120mm fans.
Very good on cooling and space.
Hard Gamers may want some else, as the P182 is very much a stealth case
 
Definetly a P182... If you like a case thats cramped, dusty and you've got no cable management go for the Antec 900....:D
 
Depends what you want from a case tbh.

If you are the type of person who likes a case to sit pretty and provides adequate cooling than go for a 182 which also gives you more room inside, a more 'formal' look and a quieter sounding pc case than the 900.

If you are the type of person who is concerned about the temperature of your system than go for the 900. The case can get a bit cramped, but if you dont have much hardware and want a cold system at the expense of a fair bit of noise, cleaning out some dust and the possiblity that future hardware will make things even more cramped than go for the 900.

Personally I would go for the nine hundred but thats just because I would rather have a nice cold noisy system than still being able to hear the sounds of a pin dropping, birds chirping and children singing and laughing like some people when I turn on my machine. Its up to the individual, both cases are great and I do not think you will be displeased regardless of whichever one you buy.
 
Personal Preference. I also chose between the two. On the P182 i see little ventilation and airflow. I'm surprised at people saying the 900 is cramped as if it were any bigger i'd have to move house or sell my bed. I love the look of it, because my PC's are for gaming mainly and the case gets that message across. If i was an accountant, then i'd go for the look of the P182. Build quality on both is awesome.

With the components going into my 900, i wanna see them, i've never had a side window before, it's also useful. Pure preference. Though for OCing i'd choose the 900 everytime.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom