Antec P190

Nahid said:
Wow, that 190 see-through is baaaaaaaaaaaad!! Wow, I want one, wish it didn't cost so much w/ Dual PSU's, do they sell one w/o PSU's???
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Nah, I can't believe they don't! The whole thing really sounds like quite a let down to me for the price. I don't really need that much total wattage (yet, or maybe ever) but I want the extra 'wiggle room' and the other nice traits unique to such cases derived from the 180.

if they insist on including PSUs, then they should be their best PSU models (i.e. higher efficiency, truly modular) and the linking of them should be non proprietary, WTFs that all about?!? Furthermore the balance is horribly wrong between the two PSU's. It should be more like 850/250 watts.

The 190 is not the sort of case you're going to have mountains of HDD's and optical drives in (i.e. file/storage server). 250watts is more than enough for 6 HDD & 2 optical drives etc. and if you want to add w.cooling then you can forget having that many HDDs anyway.
 
jalyst said:
So Dan, If you didn't have to bother with water cooling, would you say the P190 has been the most enjoyable case you've used?
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No. Not even close. The P190 doesn't have sufficient airflow in the lower part of the motherboard chamber to run an 8800GTX in SLI very well. The bottom card was always 10-13c hotter than the top one. Without the 200mm fan in there, you can't run the second 8800GTX in there at all. I tried because the 200mm fan is huge and blocks the use of some CPU coolers and it can hit the power cables on the video cards as well if they are side mounted like the 8800GTX and Ultras are. Plus I don't like the included PSU setup and the hole for installing the PSUs isn't large enough for the bigger PSUs to fit. It was a huge pain getting mine in there.

It's not the worst case I've ever used by any stretch, but Antec could have done a far better job. This could have been the ultimate steel case, but it has failed miserably in accomplishing that goal.

(I had already outlined all of this in my other posts.)
 
Dan_D said:
(I had already outlined all of this in my other posts.)
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yeah I've since seen a lot of your feedback, thanks, think I'll steer clear of the 190! If I need the extra PSU juice in the future, I'll simply upgrade to a more powerful PSU. At this stage a 650w antec trio should be more than sufficient for my needs. Not the best PSU on the market in this class but it's up there, and I already bought it (in a rush) so I can't be bothered taking it back.

The tricky part now is deciding between: TJ07/TJ09/CM830 evo/CM832/P182/P182SE or perhaps a Lian Li?! It's more painful when you can't simply walk into a shop and expect to see all the cases you want to compare. Reading dozens of reviews is just not the same, there's so much conflicting info and opinions, it's 'soo' frustrating. :(

I do like the sound of having less hassle upgrading to watercooling if I use one of the non Antec cases listed above. However the little devil in me says 'Who cares if the 182's supposedly constrained for space, more of a challenge!' :D
 
Out of the TJ series, TJ09 is probably the best. Its got room for anything you want. Its versatility to be able to be converted from Air to Water is a big plus, PLUS the room it has to be able to handle almost any kit you decide you want.
 
XNeKoSX said:
Out of the TJ series, TJ09 is probably the best. Its got room for anything you want. Its versatility to be able to be converted from Air to Water is a big plus, PLUS the room it has to be able to handle almost any kit you decide you want.
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It's also one of the few Silverstone cases that's not ugly.
 
YoNeX said:
I think the TJ07 is more suitable for water cooling.
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I'd agree but the front of the thing is hideous in my opinion. Then again I'm far tougher to please than most when it comes to case asthetics.
 
YoNeX said:
I believed we were promised pictures, so where are them :D
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I've been too damn lazy to take them. :cool: I've been busy stockpiling guns and I've payed less attention to gaming and my computer over the last week or so.

I'll do it though. Possibly tonight as I have to break out the camera to photograph a new board I'm reviewing.
 
Guns....Bah! Dan_D doesin't need guns, I heard he crushed a man with his e-penis.
















And the car he was sitting in :eek:
 
I was just wondering about pics, because I'm considering this case with a WC setup for my next build.
 
Zefram0911 said:
I was just wondering about pics, because I'm considering this case with a WC setup for my next build.
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Well as I've said before, it can be done, as I did it, but it's not easy. I'd pick a number of other cases first. If you really like the P190, then at least I've already gone through the headache, and I've outlined what to expect in this thread.

master noran said:
Guns....Bah! Dan_D doesin't need guns, I heard he crushed a man with his e-penis.

And the car he was sitting in :eek:
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Indeed I have. :cool:

YoNeX said:
Don't think we want to piss him off :D
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Releax, I don't live in the same state as some of you. Despite my arsenal and affinity for weapons, I've never shot anyone.

I am actually at the end of a board review right now. I'll be finished tonight, so I should be able to do some pictures soon.
 
I wish I had seen this thread before purchasing the P190 -- but now I'm stuck and need some advice.

I've started buying components for my new computer... the specs are :

QX6850 Quad-Core 3ghz - not bought quite yet
4GB of whatever DDR3 stops being $400 per 2GB kit - not bought
ASUS P5K3-Deluxe/Wifi AP - bought
2x 750GB WDs - bought
EVGA 8800GTX 768MB PCIE KO HDCP (just 1, 2 in the future??)

and more frustratingly ...

thermalright ultra 120 extreme

http://www.thermalright.com/a_page/main_product_ultra120_extreme.htm



I love the P190 case so far... but am quickly realizing its defects... namely, the 200MM monsterous fan that blocks the use of 99% of the performing air coolers available... the Ultra 120 stems 160mm high and simply does not fit... in fact, it'd barely fit if the King Kong fan wasnt included...


So... now I'm wondering if watercooling is the way to go? There are certainly a number of compartments...


Dan_D ... do you think its at all possible (without a dremmel?) to find a radiator setup that would mount to the two 140MM fans up top? If not, does anyone recommend other internal radiator setups I could put in here??

I'm a bit newb to watercooling setups, but I've been building boxes since 386s and math coprocessors... I've seen the 120MM radiators -- is it just as good using two of those, perhaps one in the bottom right of the case and one in the back?

Any recommendations would rock... Ooor, any recommendations for -GOOD- air cooler that is 120MM or less in height?
 
messiuh said:
I wish I had seen this thread before purchasing the P190 -- but now I'm stuck and need some advice.

I've started buying components for my new computer... the specs are :

QX6850 Quad-Core 3ghz - not bought quite yet
4GB of whatever DDR3 stops being $400 per 2GB kit - not bought
ASUS P5K3-Deluxe/Wifi AP - bought
2x 750GB WDs - bought
EVGA 8800GTX 768MB PCIE KO HDCP (just 1, 2 in the future??)

and more frustratingly ...

thermalright ultra 120 extreme

http://www.thermalright.com/a_page/main_product_ultra120_extreme.htm



I love the P190 case so far... but am quickly realizing its defects... namely, the 200MM monsterous fan that blocks the use of 99% of the performing air coolers available... the Ultra 120 stems 160mm high and simply does not fit... in fact, it'd barely fit if the King Kong fan wasnt included...


So... now I'm wondering if watercooling is the way to go? There are certainly a number of compartments...


Dan_D ... do you think its at all possible (without a dremmel?) to find a radiator setup that would mount to the two 140MM fans up top? If not, does anyone recommend other internal radiator setups I could put in here??

I'm a bit newb to watercooling setups, but I've been building boxes since 386s and math coprocessors... I've seen the 120MM radiators -- is it just as good using two of those, perhaps one in the bottom right of the case and one in the back?

Any recommendations would rock... Ooor, any recommendations for -GOOD- air cooler that is 120MM or less in height?
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There are none that I know of. Your only shot I think would be to find a 140mm to 120mm fan adapter, but even then I doubt that it would be strong enough to support the wieght of a dual or tripple radiator and the water that would fill it. Of course your idea of using two smaller single 120mm rads might work, but you may not be able to get one in the back without cutting the lip on the back of the side panel. As I've said before the side panel actually covers two of the 120mm fans screw holes. That's where much of the pain of installation comes from. So I guess it would depend on the radiators and their mounting hardware.

The other issue is that none of the air coolers out there aside from the Ultra 120 Extreme are going to be good enough to cool the quad core CPUs down well enough to overclock them significantly. Though supposedly the new G0 quad cores run much cooler, it's hard to gaurantee you'll get one when purchasing your CPU. Even the Zalman CPNS9700LED doesn't fit with the 200mm fan and if you take that out, you'll be hard pressed to keep your video cards running cool enough. Though if you only use one it's still possible.

You might be ok just removing that 200mm fan. On my build I can't use it, so I took mine off.
 
so what's the best case for watercooling? and what's an easy kit I could pick up?

I'm looking for the quietest and best performance.
 
Zefram0911 said:
so what's the best case for watercooling? and what's an easy kit I could pick up?

I'm looking for the quietest and best performance.
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The case is a matter of opinion and it varies based on everyone's individual experiences. I assume by best case for water cooling you mean something that requires no modification to install water cooling into? There are a few choices out there, but I've only water cooled in a couple of cases so I am not an authority on this subject. As far as kits go, there are only a couple of choices that are worthwhile. Either get a Swiftech Apex Ultra H20 220 or 320 kit, or something from Petra's online. They have their own kits, and they are quite good as I understand it. Steer clear from any Coolermaster, Thermaltake, or other similar water cooling kits. Their performance isn't the best, and they also aren't the most reliable.
 
i love my P190 but it does have a few bad points
  • the led light is dumb (who works on anything while the case is plugged in)
  • the huge side fan is awesome but cant be used with hardly any hsf tower
  • the door fan should be recessed towards the outside (i wouldnt mind a large
    bump on door outside of case so fan could be used)
  • an extra fan for front of case should be included
  • should be sold without power supplies
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • the best part of this case is how quiet it is and even without the large side fan
    mine still runs at 35*c
  • running wires under mobo tray is a great feature
  • three way fan speed switches are another great feature
  • pull out drive racks work great


case1.jpg


case4.jpg
 
Someone on another forum seemed to have solved the 200mm fan clearance issue with tower heatsinks...

p1902ff6.jpg
 
i was thinking about that but i didnt want to tear my door apart in case i buggered something up while doing it. i wish antec would have had something like that done from the factory, or have a nice big raised area on the door and still have the fan on inside so it would at least be flush with the panel?

i dont see how the mesh grill is mounted tho?
 
Does anyone have a picture of the inside of the side panels? I am curious as to how they managed to improve the design over the plastic clips from the P180/P182. I realize its a totally different door, but I am just curious.
 
bicycle_wreck said:
Does anyone have a picture of the inside of the side panels? I am curious as to how they managed to improve the design over the plastic clips from the P180/P182. I realize its a totally different door, but I am just curious.
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No pictures, but it is just a metal lip like most other cases use. Just a solid lip and no bullshit tabs or clips.
 
jalyst said:
So Dan, If you didn't have to bother with water cooling, would you say the P190 has been the most enjoyable case you've used?
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Shit no. It was the biggest pain in the ass ever. I'd still replace the power supplies and that's where most of the problems are. That and the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme won't fit without removing the Big Boy 200mm fan. Finally the air flow to the GPUs blows.

Change the PSU area, drop the included PSUs, and then I could live with it. Then it would be awesome.
 
Northerner said:
i love my P190 but it does have a few bad points
  • the led light is dumb (who works on anything while the case is plugged in)
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Say what? Turn the power switch off, sure, but leave the power cord plugged in if you're working on it... that way your case stays grounded and touching the case will discharge any electrostatic buildup.
 
one hell of a bump, but what he means is that the internal USB light that is supplied only works when the PC is powered up, there is little you can do in the way of working on inside the PC like that.

Unless the light can be used if the PSU is switched on and the PC is off, but does anyone remove RAM, GFX cards and stuff like that, I don't...
 
I always felt like the light was rather worthless as it does require power from the system in order to function. It also remains on when the system is powered on as it has no on or off switch.
 
nice review Dan, now lets see your review of the Lian-Li TYR PC-X2000 :D.
 
Jutsu said:
nice review Dan, now lets see your review of the Lian-Li TYR PC-X2000 :D.

yayy pics!!
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I would never buy that case. First off, there is the cost. I'll spend money on a case, but I'm not going to spend more than $400 for one. That's rediculous. Secondly I don't like the 5 1/4 bays being located on the side of the case. So that case is a no go for me. I just picked up a Silverstone TJ-09 to replace my Antec P190 and that'll do it for me for some time to come I think.
 
Note to anyone looking to pickup one of these cases for cheap

I bought mine last weekend at Fry's in Fremont, CA for 94.00 + tax

It was an open box and the only one they had at that store, I had them open it and check it and it was still in new condition and whoever bought it before never even used it all of the front drive steel plates you have to break out were still there but bent a little bit and all cables etc. were still sealed in package

most of all the CSR put the PLU into their computer and it showed a regular price of 99.00 brand new if they have them in stock, and fremont at least did not have any but the returned one i bought for 94.00 (reduced price due to return)

So If you have a local Fry's electronics store and are intrested in an awesome case for an incredible price go check your local frys and see if they still have any of these cases in stock, its well worth the price if they do :)
 
Heres some pics of my P190 sorry for crappy images i used my cell phone (tmob G1)



 
Frito, did you say you picked up a P190 for under a hundred bucks? holy shitsbah!
i thought i got a smoken deal on mine from a review site for $175 shipped but i would
buy another one for that price and maybe two for your price! its the greatest case ever!
 
Northerner said:
Frito, did you say you picked up a P190 for under a hundred bucks? holy shitsbah!
i thought i got a smoken deal on mine from a review site for $175 shipped but i would
buy another one for that price and maybe two for your price! its the greatest case ever!
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that is correct, it was just over 100 bux out the door :)

i was shocked as well, i wasnt realy interested in buying a new case till i came across this one and seen the price, then i had to buy it lol
 
Frito said:
that is correct, it was just over 100 bux out the door :)

i was shocked as well, i wasnt realy interested in buying a new case till i came across this one and seen the price, then i had to buy it lol
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i must say im very jealous, thats a fantastic price and if they happen to have another one and you want to make a hundred bucks, keep the twin power supplies, please let me know and i will get you some cash right away! :p
 
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