Antec P280 Performance Mid-Tower Case

When we first started reaching out to companies that make cases, the very first one we approached was Antec for the simple fact that during those times they were the ones churning out a hefty number of gaming-targeted chassis, most of which are flashy and have very bold stylings to them. Antec does however have an extensive port folio of products which includes the Performance One family of chassis which is targeted for silent-computing enthusiasts and fans of monolith-styled cases. Today we have the latest entry into this prestigious product line in the P280. With the distinct simplicity of the Performance One line, the P280 is a huge leap from its older brother in its product line has been needing a refresh for some time now. Has Antec created a case worthy of the Performance One pedigree?

Antec is no stranger no making cases having been in the business for a long time now, they have witnessed the growth of personal computing and have built a legacy off this market with their wide port-folio of products ranging from their chassis, cooling solutions all the way up to power supplies. Antec is probably best known for their cases, and for us gamers, the LanBoy Air and DarkFleet series are probably our dream cases. Some of us though dream of their other case offerings, one of which is what we have for review today which is the P280; a discrete-looking enclosure, dubbed as a super mid-tower by Antec aimed to maximize your computing experience. Let’s check out some specs first.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Model: P280
• Case Type: Super Mid Tower
• Color(s): Black with gunmetal anodized aluminum front door
• Cooling System:
  • 2 x 120 mm top TwoCool™ exhaust fans
  • 1 x 120 mm rear TwoCool™ exhaust fan
  • 2 x 120 mm internal intake fans (optional)
  • 2 x 120 mm front intake fans (optional)
  • Fan power hub allows you to connect four 3-pin fans to a single Molex for improved cable management
• Drive Bays:
  • 3 x 5.25” tool-less drive bays
  • 2 x 2.5” drive bays (dedicated)
  • 6 x 3.5” / 2.5” drive trays
• Front Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 with internal motherboard connector 2 x USB 2.0 Audio In/Out
• Expansion Slots / video card size:
  • 9 expansion slots
  • Maximum video card size: 13” / 330 mm
• Maximum CPU Cooler Height: 6.7″ / 170 mm
• PSU: No power supply included
• Motherboard Support: XL-ATX [13.6” x 10.3” (345 mm x 262 mm)], Standard ATX, microATX, Mini-ITX
• CPU Cutout: Enlarged CPU cutout
• Cable Management: 30 mm of cable routing space behind motherboard tray
• Side panel features: None
• Dimensions:
  • Unit Dimensions: 526 mm (H) x 231 mm (W) x 562 mm (D) / 20.7” (H) x 9.1” (W) x 22.1” (D)
  • Package Dimensions: 575 mm (H) x 290 mm (W) x 630 mm (D) / 22.6” (H) x 11.4” (W) x 24.8” (D)
• Weight:
  • Net Weight: 22.3 lbs / 10.2 kg
  • Gross Weight: 26.5 lbs / 12.0 kg

IMAGE GALLERY & PRODUCT WALKTHROUGH

[tabgroup] [tab title=”Packaging”] [singlepic id=7268 w=550 h=600 float=center]

If there’s any indication of how large the Antec P280 is, then the printed box it comes in is the first thing that’ll give you that idea. Antec is one of the companies that still uses full-colored packaging for their casings and this one is no different. A large mood shot of the product is displayed in the center of the box with minimal text on it.

[singlepic id=7269 w=550 h=600 float=center]

Forgive us for the blurry photograph of the back of the box, irregardless of how much we do not pay attention to the marketing details on packaging materials, we’d certainly enjoy reading them though so we assure you that this is not intentional. Going back to the image, lots of marketing text here with images and text describing the features of the P280 are displayed here.

[one_half][singlepic id=7270 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half_last][singlepic id=7271 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half_last]

The sides are as simple as the front with a shot of the case on one side and another shot with the internal on the other side.

[one_half][singlepic id=7272 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half_last][singlepic id=7273 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half_last]

The top of the box lists specifications in multiple languages.

[singlepic id=7274 w=550 h=600 float=center]

Now we get to the unboxing. As we can see in the images above, the Antec P280 is protected by a thick plastic bag and cushioned by styrofoam on 2 sides to support the case during transit. Everything seems to be fine and working as the case arrives to us scratch-free as you’ll see later.

[button color=”green” link=”#gallery”]Back to Gallery Start[/button] [/tab] [tab title=”Closer Look”] [one_half][singlepic id=7275 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half_last][singlepic id=7276 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half_last]

We’ll start off with the sides of the case. And as you can see, the sides are as bare as can be. This is typical of cases that follow these styling. The other side is an exact duplicate of the one before it. The entire case is coated in matte black with a very nice matte finish and solid texture which just exudes quality.

[singlepic id=7277 w=550 h=600 float=center]

If you’re still looking for any kind of flashy design, you won’t find it here. The front of the P280 is a sleek, dark gunmetal surface with every front connectivity on top. A simple engraved Antec logo is on the bottom of the front cover which is lined with a thin plastic film to prevent from scratches.

[one_half][singlepic id=7278 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half_last][singlepic id=7279 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half_last]

Opening the front cover, we see the front cover is lined with noise-dampening foam which muffles noise from this part of the case. Looking on the main side, we see we have three 5.25″ drive bays available for us. Below this we see the removable mesh filter that covers up the drive bays inside. A total of two 120mm fans can be installed on the front of the case.

[singlepic id=7280 w=550 h=600 float=center]

The back of the case has a bit more detail to it, up top we see a 4-port switch which is actually a fan controller hub for Antec 2-speed fans, 3 of which are already populated by the rear and top exhaust fans. A total of 9 expansion slots are available as this case supports up to XL-ATX form factor motherboards so this is a very good consideration for people looking to house large motherboards. Next to these are holes lined with rubber grommets for users who still use external components in their liquid-cooling loop. Conventional bottom-mounted PSU placement is in use here which support standard ATX form factor PSUs.

[singlepic id=7281 w=550 h=600 float=center]

The top of the case has provisions for two 120mm fans which can also accomodate a 240mm radiator. Totally absent for this case is the support for 140mm fans. The power and reset buttons are found on the top of the case near the front.

[singlepic id=7282 w=550 h=600 float=center]

The upper side of the front of the P280 is where we’ll find our front panel connectivities which include two USB2.0 ports, two USB3.0 ports which run off internal headers and a pair of audio ports for headsets.

[singlepic id=7283 w=550 h=600 float=center]

Here’s a closer look of the controller hub found behind the case. The panel is numbered 1-2 signifying high and low for Antec 2-speed fans. We also see a thumbscrew, 4 of which secure the side panels of the case.

[one_half][singlepic id=7284 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half_last][singlepic id=7285 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half_last]

The front mesh cover pops off easily by pushing on the hinges and pulling. This mesh covers up the drive trays and filters dust and other specks from entering the case. Front fan allocations can be seen here and we have space for a pair of 120mm. You can fit a 240mm rad in there but it’ll require extensive modding as the drive trays sit next to the fan mounts.

[button color=”green” link=”#gallery”]Back to Gallery Start[/button] [/tab] [tab title=”Inside the case”] [singlepic id=7288 w=550 h=600 float=center] [singlepic id=7288 w=550 h=600 float=center]

Checking out the space inside the P280, we can see that we’ve got plenty of room here. Immediately noticeable are the rubber-lined cabling holes which is a very nice touch. A large cut-out is also available on the motherboard tray which makes removing back-plates for aftermarket cooler an easier ordeal. There are a total of three 5.25″ drive bays as mentioned already, then we also have room for 6 drive trays and space for two 2.5″ drives just above the top drive tray. And no, we’re not missing a tray, we’ll show you where that tray went later.

[singlepic id=7289 w=550 h=600 float=center]

Here’s a view of the other side of the P280 behind the motherboard tray. Plenty of room for cable routing and aside from the grommets, the P280 also has provisions for zip-ties to to tie down your cables. There is a touch above 1 inch of space in between the motherboard tray and side panel so we have plenty of room for cable management.

[one_half][singlepic id=7290 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half_last][singlepic id=7291 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half_last]

The Antec P280 uses tool-free securing mechanisms for its 5.25″ drive bays. We can also see spaces for 2.5″ drives like SSDs and you can put 2 of these in the space in-between the drive trays and 5.25″ drive bays. Speaking of drive trays, there’s that missing one tray we were talking about. As you can see, there’s no tool-free mount for the HDD trays and you have to screw the drives via the silicone mounts.

[one_half][singlepic id=7286 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half_last][singlepic id=7292 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half_last]

The in-take vent for the PSU is filtered and the mesh filter easily slides out from the side so no need to remove the side panel when cleaning the filter. Worth noting is that there’s no other space for fans in the bottom of the P280.

[one_half][singlepic id=7293 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half_last][singlepic id=7296 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half_last]

Here’s a shot of the rear-exhaust and motherboard tray cutout. The rear exhaust used is 2-speed Antec fan rated at 1200RPM at high setting and half of that at low speed. The cutout is large enough to maneuver some large backplates for gigantic coolers but is just right to still maintain the tray’s rigidity.

[one_half][singlepic id=7294 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half_last][singlepic id=7295 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half_last]

Another angle from the back of the motherboard tray, we see plenty of raised portion for cable management.

[singlepic id=7297 w=550 h=600 float=center]

Included in the package are screws of different sizes for securing your drives, fans and everything. There’s so many of them I gave up counting. There’s also a product sheet as well as a zip-ties for helping you fasten your cables and reduce cable mess.

[one_half][singlepic id=7298 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half_last][singlepic id=7299 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half_last]

The P280 uses an all-steel body to dampen noise and the side panels are lined with a thin polycarbonate sheet to further increase noise dampening. Here we a side by side show of the P280 side panel with the CoolerMaster Silencio’s dampening material which is corrugated foam.

[singlepic id=7300 w=550 h=600 float=center]

Here’s the case populated with components. Notice that there’s still plenty of space around the case. Also note that we intentionally left the cables on the bottom but there is plenty of space behind the tray to hide those cables as you’ll see in a bit.

[singlepic id=7305 w=550 h=600 float=center]

There is a bit over an inch of moving space between the side panel and the motherboard tray rear so that’s actually plenty of space to route cables and cram them around. Provided your cables are long enough though, our Antec EarthWatts Platinum PSU’s ATX12V line was a bit short so we had to route it in front of the board. All in all though, extensions will save you in these kinds of situations but if you have a higher end PSU, it’ll have longer cables most likely.

[singlepic id=7302 w=550 h=600 float=center]

One of the best feature we’ve seen from the P280 is its tool-less fan mounts on the inner side of the drive trays. This area can accommodate two 120mm fans without screwing them in. Clips on both sides lock the fans in place while small notches line them up.

[singlepic id=7304 w=550 h=600 float=center]

The front panel header connectors are standard fare: USB2.0 and 3.0 connectors and audio as well as the LEDs and switches.

[button color=”green” link=”#gallery”]Back to Gallery Start[/button] [/tab] [/tabgroup]

CONCLUSION

When manufacturers create simplistic and discrete chassis, they have the deal with selling a non-flashy product. Despite the fact that these kinds of cases are usually marketed to different individuals, business is still business and you have to offer something nicely if you want to improve business. That’s where features come in and in the case of the Antec P280, its plain loaded. Starting off with the solid steel construction, clad in silent black and a smoke silver front, this latest addition to the Performance One line is worthy of its family name.

[singlepic id=7301 w=550 h=600 float=center]

Now as with any case, visual aesthetic is very subjective and in our case (pun intended), the P280 falls nicely in our taste. Its big but doesn’t scream out bulk and everything is simple. With other solutions in this segment aiming for size or value, the P280 offers noise-dampening and fan controls as well as dust filtering to round out a case that comes in at around US$115 or Php4800. No word on local availability yet but with the recent announcement of Antec’s local partner and distributor here in the country, its just a matter of time before we see it in our local shelves.

With solid features, extra room and quality construction, we highly suggest the P280 for people into these kinds of case stylings for your consideration.

[singlepic id=7251 w=300 h=225 float=center]