Antec P193 Case Review

Posted by: James Clewer (gt_junkie) on: 05/10/2009 03:02 PM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]

Exterior:

As far as computer cases go I can safely say that the P193 arrived in the largest packaging box i have ever seen. The overall design is very attractive showing a front and 3/4 view of the case within. Each end of the case contains the technical specs of the case in a selection of different languages.

Once opened i was greeted by the monolith that is the P193 cradled within its foam supports. The case itself was completely surrounded by a plastic bag and a basic instruction sheet, cable guide and certificate for Antec's Quality 3 Year Warranty were contained in a zip bag.

It's nice to see that the case is so well packed as something this large (and heavy) could be easily damaged in transit.

When i'd defoamed and debagged all that was left to remove was a large plastic protective sheet on the P193's door.

Considering the P193's door first i can see that it is very similar to my old P180. It opens 270 degrees to sit neatly against the side panel which is very useful since most tend to flap around in the way. The front panel section that is visible regardless of an open or closed door contains headphone and mic plugs, a couple of USB sockets, an ESATA connection (an addition over the original P180) and the door lock.

Behind the door we see four 5.25" bays and a single 3.5" bay straddled by two 120mm intake holes. All of these installation points and the fan intakes are fully filtered by the blanking plates so any incoming air doesn't instantly fill the case with dust. A very useful feature and (as far as the drive bays are concerned) an improvement over the P180's original design. The drives themselves are installed using Antec's rail system which allows the system builder to simply slide the drive into the bay where it clicks into place. Removal is just as easy too!