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Antec P183 v3

Antec P183 v3

Introduction

There are some designs in the case world that are iconic, the original Coolermaster Stacker, NZXT’s original Lexa Blackline and certainly Antec’s P183. Today we look at the latest revision of this classic design, the v3. It comes with the same USB 3.0 and SSD mount features as the P193, Nine Hundred and Twelve Hundred, but is this design modern enough to hold its own?

Lets see.

Features and Specifications

  • Dual chamber design isolates heat and noise
  • Power supply option: Comes with a power supply mounting adapter to mount either a standard size power supply or Antec’s exclusive CP series power supply
  • 11 drive bays:
    – 4 x external 5.25″; 1 x 3.5″
    – 6 x internal 3.5″ for HDD
    – 2 x internal 2.5″ for SSDs
  • Advanced cooling system
    – 1 rear 120 mm TriCool™ fan
    – 1 top 120 mm TriCool™ fan
    – 2 front (optional) 120 mm fan for HDD
  • Cable organizers behind motherboard tray minimize cable clutter
  • CPU cutout allows for easy installation of CPU coolers
  • Three-layer, sound-deadening side panels and front door (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) dampens noise and ensures Quiet Computing™
  • Double-hinged door opens to 270°
  • 7 expansion slots
  • Built-in washable air filters inside front panel
  • Front ports
    – 2 x USB 2.0
    – 1 x USB 3.0
    – Audio In and Out (HDA and AC’97 compatible)
  • 0.8 mm cold rolled steel for durability; 1.0mm cold rolled steel around 4 x HDD area
  • Motherboard: Mini-ITX, microATX, Standard ATX
  • No power supply included
  • Unit Dimension
    – 514 mm (H) x 205 mm (W) x 507 mm (D)
    – 20.25″ (H) x 8.1″ (W) x 19.9″ (D)
  • Package Dimension
    – 635 mm (H) x 305 mm (W) x 610 mm (D)
    – 25″ (H) x 12″ (W) x 24″ (D)
  • Weight
    – Net : 31 lbs / 14 kg
    – Gross : 36 lbs / 16.3 kg
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    11 responses to “Antec P183 v3”

    1. InaudiblePC avatar
      InaudiblePC

      As many have said, you missed it. This case was designed for silence. It uses a negative pressure cooling method. There are no vents anywhere except in the front, and the back. The reason there are no intake fans is that by using exhaust only, you keep a negative pressure system, and you keep the fans away from the user. The air flowing out creates negative pressure, and air wil come in where it can… The front. Right through the dust filters. Case design is not about cramming fans into a system, it’s about controlling airflow, and this case is amazing at doing just that. I’m not sure how a case can show it’s age, it’s a relatively simple item, and the only changes recently are by Silverstone, but the Raven and siblings are massive compared to this case. I’ve attained better temps with this case, in a negative pressure design than with any other case, and was able to do it with less noise from the system.

      Reply
    2. Frizz avatar
      Frizz

      no :)
      external means accessible from outside (as opposed to internal 3.5″ mounts) while the door is open. You need an internal drive.

      Reply
      1. Count Duku avatar
        Count Duku

        Thanks, ya I’m glad I found out before I returned it for an external one :).

        Reply
    3. Count Duku avatar
      Count Duku

      I’m confused about the 4 5.25 external drive bays. You have to get an external dvd drive instead of an internal one?

      Reply
    4. Adrian avatar
      Adrian

      The case is excellent. It brings the P182 and P183 to modern times, with SSD suport and cable management. I am also using a P182 and thought about modding it but now I will switch to this new case. I have owned and seen different cases from HAF X, to FT02, Define XL and Bitfenix Collosus. Only FT02 comes close to the quality of the build involved but its louder.

      Take one P183 v3 (182 in my case), get rid of stock fans. Buy 4 Enermax TBSilence fix rpm (11db). Install 1 in the back and 3 in front (used 1 KamaBay). Cover the upper fan space. Now I have an i7 2600K with fan-less Noctua NH-D14, 8gb 2133Mhz G.Skills, GTX580 with Accelero Extreme Plus fan, 2SSDs + 1 HDD. The system is virtually silent (17db) and powerful. If you can mod and move the front fans 3 cm inside the case probably the noise will go down to 14db.

      Reply
    5. Silence avatar
      Silence

      I am sorry to say that you totally missed the point of this case the P18x series represents the top end of silent PC cases for high end users the reason for “redundant front dust filters” is to dampen sound as well as filter dust as the air flows from the front to back drawing noise away from user. the original was developed with input from silent pc guru Mike Chin and with the correct set-up you can have a whisper quiet gaming rig packed in here or a total silent high power desktop. the price point represents the high quality of materials used in the construction as you will easily see the higher level of quality when compared with some of the competition some use silicon grommets for HDD enclosure that are almost like hard plastic while P18x use super soft ones. performance one series is focused on silence and you missed it.

      Reply
      1. Whoopty avatar
        Whoopty

        I appreciate that this is a case designed with silence in mind, but the P183 is simply showing its age at this point. It’s not a new design by any means, and to not include any intake fans for £120 is a bit much. Likewise, there’s no interior paint job and it almost exclusively uses traditional screws. Not a thumb screw in sight.

        It’s still a good case, but it’s outshone by modern rivals.

        Reply
        1. russian guy avatar
          russian guy

          The absence of intake fans is arguably a flaw, since most of users prefer to install the ones of their own choice. Again, what use is an interior paint in a completely closed case like this, which is designed to be a solid and ultimately silent solution? :)

          Reply
          1. Whoopty avatar
            Whoopty

            It’s a personal preference, but when I’m spending over £100 on a case, I want fans in the front and I want an interior paint job.

            Reply
            1. Chris avatar
              Chris

              I bought a P180 way back, which I’m still using. That puts me firmly in the firing lines for this case. The cooling in the top chamber is absolutely spot-on, with three (one intake, two exhaust) Silent Eagle 1000s. What we actually need with cases like this is for the manufacturer to stop bundling fans altogether, as the sort of user who actually buys this case (as opposed to just reviewing it) will want to fit their own Silent Eagles or Scythe Gentle Typhoons. Bundled fans are for the same market segment as bundled power supplies; top-quality cases come without.

    6. Cable Management in Mississauga avatar
      Cable Management in Mississauga

      Thanks for the review. This is the best case out there and we use it for most of our system builds, nice to see the V3 having SSD and USB 3 ports finally, this one is living up with the times.

      Reply

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