Antec P280 ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Review

Manufacturer: Antec, Inc.
Product Name: ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model Number: P280
Price As Tested: $139.99

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Antec.

For many enthusiasts want a quiet system, with room to spare, and a beautiful exterior the Antec P280 is exactly what they are looking for. The Antec P280 is a "Super Mid Tower" designed as an addition to venerable Performance One series. This refresh comes with a redesigned interior, exterior, and an updated port selection. These updates came without Antec disrupting the Performance One series goal of "Quiet Computing", using materials with different acoustic qualities to help minimize the amount of sound leakage. Benchmark Reviews will evaluate if the noise characteristics and build quality of the Antec P280 are worthy of the Performance One moniker that it has been given.

Depending on a user's needs cases usually fall into a couple of categories. We have the enthusiast who wants a quiet system, a air-cooled system, or a liquid cooled system. Each of these areas has its own sub-culture based on further wants and needs of a user. Using a triple layer front panel, and dual layer side panels the Antec P280 was designed for the enthusiast who wants a quiet system that can take the highest end components available. This combined with USB3.0 front panel connectors, ample space behind the motherboard tray, and beautiful design work together to make a case that has lots of potential without being overly expensive. So without further ado let us start into the process of evaluating the Antec P280.

When reviewing a case you have four major things you need to look at. First, you need to look at build quality because no one wants to spend hours putting hardware in a case only to find defects or to have parts that will fail months later. Secondly, you need to look at cooling because as the heat output of components goes up, so do cooling needs. Third, you need to look at the acoustics of your new case because as anyone who has worked on or near servers knows adequate cooling can come at an acoustic cost unless a company put expenses into preventing this. Lastly, you need to look at the ease of build, which depending on your system may or may not play a big role in your choice of case. If you like, I spend lots of time inside of your case modifying parts then you want a system that you can easily move around in while making modifications. On the other hand if you want to setup your system and leave it then this becomes less of an importance and therefore can be moved lower on the requirements for your case.

Antec P280 Features

• 9 expansion slots and up to XL-ATX motherboards
• 2 front panel USB 3.0 ports
• Advanced cooling system: includes 3 fans and 4 additional fan mounts
• Dual-layer design: 0.8 mm steel / polycarbonate side panels deaden noise
• 6 quiet 3.5” / 2.5” drive bays utilize trays with preinstalled silicone grommets
• 120 mm internal intake fans (optional)
• Triple-layer (aluminum, plastic, foam) front bezel with double-hinged door: opens up to 270°
• Grommet-lined cable routing holes with 30 mm of space behind the motherboard tray
• 3 tool-less 5.25” drive bays
• Fan power hub: 4 x 3-pin fan connector on a single Molex
• PSU intake & front air filters

Antec P280 Specifications

Previous Page - Next Page >>