Results
Strength
The Antec P183 is very robust and the metal chassis is very strong – no problems here at all. The only downside being that the case has a net weight of 14kg so probably won’t be the best for lugging around at a LAN. Integrating the top vent is definitely much better and this part of the case is no longer a weak point.
Cooling
This department is very well catered for in this case with the two pre-installed 120mm fans and room for three more to be fitted. Of course, it would have been nice to see all five provided for the user to use if they so choose to but its not too much trouble to get hold of some high quality fans.
Being able to install fans in front of all the drive cages is very good though as it allows these components to be directly cooled – many cases do not cater for this.
The metal frame too is very good for heat loss due to be being a very good conductor and therefore should contribute to keeping all the components very cool.
Noise
The two pre-installed fans are very quiet although with the addition of three more I’m sure the noise would build up a bit more. Another good point here though is the plastic pads on the hard drive cage as they prevent any vibrations from being amplified by the metal chassis. Even if they were though, the side panels are insulated very well to ensure noise is minimal.
Cable Management and Layout
This case is very well designed and so it should be after the series of revisions that the initial P180 has seen. The two chambers work well and are brilliant for cable management as cables can be fed through different gaps depending on where they need to be connected. The zip-ties at the back too are great for the power supply cables that tend to clutter up the interior.
Cost
The P183 will set you back around about £125 which at first seems quite expensive but on reflection you will receive an extremely well built, well manufactured and high quality enclosure that has been tweaked from previous designs to make it even better.
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