Antec P280 Case Review

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Always amongst the first few choices of an enthusiast’s shortlist when style and silence are of primary importance, Antec’s Performance One series has been a synonym with style and silent computing for many years. It has been a long while since the company replenished this particular series, until the recent release of the P280 case. The P280 is not a case designed to replace an older design but to enrich the series and become its new lead model. Antec’s engineers must have been very busy because the new P280 not only claims the ability to offer silent computing and unparalleled quality but outstanding thermal performance as well. Is it actually possible for quiet computing and high thermal performance to be combined, in a steel case no less? We will find out in this review.Manufacturer features and specifications

• 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

Read more: Antec P280 Case Review by VR-Zone.com

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Antec supplies the P280 case inside a dark, fairly large cardboard box. The main attraction of the artwork is a picture of the case itself. Inside the box we found the case protected by two polystyrene foam slabs and wrapped in a nylon bag.



A minimalistic bundle awaits those that will purchase the P280 case. Antec only supplies a set of the necessary screws and stand-offs, a spare rubber anti-vibration disk mounting spacer, a very simple black and white leaflet and a few small black cable ties. Those who require a full manual can download it online. Antec also includes an USB 3.0 internal header to USB 2.0 header adapter, a very useful cable for those who do not yet own a motherboard with an internal USB 3.0 header. Unfortunately there are no quality cable straps or any other cable management material, which would be a welcome addition in a case of this class.

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From a simple glance at the case a seasoned enthusiast can tell what the P280 is all about. Antec designed a very simple and yet particularly elegant chassis, granting the product a serious, majestic appearance. It is interesting to note that the P280 is not black like most of Antec’s Performance One cases but the chassis is sprayed with a dark grey color while the faceplate is aluminum silver. Despite the inconspicuous design the P280 is a sizable case, measuring 52.5cm high, 56cm deep and 23cm wide.



The silvery faceplate of the P280 is almost entirely plain, with the exception of the company’s logo subtly engraved towards the bottom of the case. Even though the front side of the door is covered by an aluminum sheet, the main body of the door is made out of hard plastic. There are no ventilation holes or any openings, obviously in order to maximize the case’s thermal performance. What is interesting however is that there are no ventilation holes at the sides of the faceplate either; Antec’s engineers designed the front panel so that the front intake fan will draw in air from the bottom of the case.



Antec placed the power on and reset buttons at the top of the case, near the faceplate. The otherwise simplistic round buttons appear to be well made and of high quality. Near the top of the faceplate the company installed all of the front I/O connectors; the standard headphone 3.5mm jacks, two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports. There is no eSATA or a firewire port, an omission most users will not care about since USB 3.0 is by far the most common interface for high speed transfers today, yet it might trouble users who already own a sensible number of eSATA and/or firewire based hardware.



Opening up the front panel door reveals the three 5.25” device slots and a massive dust filter. The dust filter is easily removable and cleanable for regular maintenance. A quality sound dampening material (foam) can be seen covering every inch of the door’s inside.

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Two openings for 120mm cooling fans can be found at the top panel, near the rear side of the case. The openings form a graceful honeycomb mesh and are carefully designed to house a dual watercooling radiator if the user wishes to install one. Unfortunately, because of their location and minimal shielding, these fans are destined to become the primary source of noise.



The rear of the Antec P280 case is black, indicating that the entire chassis has been sprayed with the same paint. One can easily discern that Antec, like many other manufacturers, moved the PSU compartment at the bottom of the case.



Two rubber grommets cover the round holes Antec opened for those wishing to route watercooling hoses to the outside of the case.



A very basic fan controller can be found at the near the top of the P280’s rear side. It can control the speed of all three installed 120mm fans, although users only have two settings they can choose from, high and low speed.

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The side panels of the Antec P280 are entirely flat and plain, free of any engravings and holes. Antec however installed a thin 0.8mm layer of sound absorbing polycarbonate on the inside of both side panels, partially blocking the sound generated by the PC components from escaping to the outside of the case.



The interior of the Antec P280 case is very roomy and heavily tuned towards easy assembly. The area behind the CPU is cut open, a tactic which many manufacturers now follow in order for their designs to allow the installation of large CPU coolers without removing the motherboard. In an attempt to maximize the compatibility with motherboards and coolers, Antec made this opening as large as possible. The motherboard tray is large, able to support up to XL-ATX motherboards, while large rectangular openings covered with rubber grommets for cable routing can be seen surrounding it. With the entire chassis sprayed black and such cable management options, it is a shame that this case does not have a windowed side panel.



At the bottom of the case lies the PSU compartment, designed so as to allow the power supply to draw fresh air from the bottom of the case. Antec cleverly placed a filter for the power supply, designed for the user to be able to remove it without opening the side panel but it also comes off from the side of the case and not towards the rear, offering convenient access to those who cannot move their case.



The expansion slot covers are mostly cut open, allowing small volumes of fresh air to enter (or, depending on the configuration of the cooling fans, exit) the case. Thumbscrews are used to hold the expansion cards, although a screwdriver should be used for firm long term installation of heavy cards.



Antec installed three 120mm fans in the P280, two at the top panel and one at the rear of the case. All three fans are identical, rated at 1500RPM but their speed can be dropped down to 900RPM from the simple fan controller of the case. A small PCB with four 3-pin fan headers powered by a single 4-pin Molex plug can be seen right above the rear fan of the case, which is where the 3 case fans are being powered from.

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A total of six HDD trays are present at the lower front part of the case, at the top of which a smaller non-removable compartment for 2.5” SSDs can be seen. The trays are facing sideways, allowing the easy removal of disk drives even when long cards are installed. Antec includes the plastic frames for two 120mm fans to be installed right in front of the HDD cage if the user wishes to improve the thermal performance of the system. It is interesting to note that the bays are not cramped together as with most designs but there is a significant distance from drive to drive, which limits the number of 3.5” drives this case can house down to 6 but dramatically improves the cooling properties of the cage.



The HDD trays are plastic but they are tough and well designed, with large white rubber grommets to minimize vibration noise. They also support the installation of 2.5” drives (laptop HDDs and SSDs) as well.



The rear of the motherboard’s tray is very clean and spacious, allowing for the easy management and routing of cables. Antec left a massive 3cm clearance between the tray and the side panel, ensuring that any kind of cable can easily fit. There are also numerous points for attaching cable straps for more secure and tidy installations.



Our ICTT system easily fits inside the large Antec P280 and our Flex-ATX size board is not large enough to even cover the opening for installing CPU coolers. Only an XL ATX motherboard would end right where the rubber grommets are, while a standard ATX motherboard would stop 4-5cm before the cable routing holes. Long GFX cards will easily fit inside the P280.

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In order to assess the thermal performance of the case we will be using our Integrated Casing Torture Test (ICTT) system to take readings over a period of one and a half hour. All of the case fans are operating at their maximum speed during the test and both side panels are closed. The exhaust temperature probe was placed above the rear fan of the case.



While it might not be able to compete with beasts specifically designed for optimal thermal performance, the performance of the Antec P280 is surprisingly good for a case primarily designed with quiet computing in mind. Despite the use of extensive noise reduction measures, it would appear that the case could easily handle the load of a stressed, highly overclocked processor and a couple of powerful GFX cards, which are more than the largest percentage of enthusiasts would actually use.

With its fans running at full speed, the Antec P280 could not manage to stay entirely quiet. Most of the noise comes out of the top panel fans, much like we predicted. Still, with its fans running at maximum speed we registered only 32.9dB(A), a very comfortable level of noise for most users. For users who care more about acoustics than thermal performance, switching the fans to low speed dropped this figure down to an inaudible 26.3dB(A).

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Quality (30% of the total score)

Quality is by far the most positive aspect of the Antec P280 case. One can easily tell that the company’s engineers spent a fair amount of time designing and optimizing this case. The structure of the case is virtually indestructible while a great deal of attention has been given on details; as a result, the P280 is immaculate, not only without any design flaws or manufacturing imperfections to talk about, but setting the standards on how a quality chassis should be made. Furthermore, the well contemplated design and fair size of the chassis make the P280 a highly versatile, functional product.

Quality Score 10/10



Performance (30% of the total score)

With the P280, Antec took an optimistic venture to combine style, acoustics performance and thermal performance. We can claim that this was a partial success for Antec, with the P280 allowing the user to choose between a low level of noise and outstanding thermal performance or inaudible operation at the cost of a few temperature degrees. Installing a watercooling solution would bring inaudible operation and outstanding thermal performance to users unwilling to compromise, which however would also increase the overall system cost significantly.

Performance Score 8.5/10



Aesthetics (30% of the total score)

Despite the relatively simple and uncomplicated design, the P280 is undoubtedly a very stylish and elegant product with a timeless look. Users who enjoy fancy designs will probably look elsewhere but professionals and users wishing to add a computer to their stylish, clean environment are certainly not going to be disappointed by the P280. It might be the perfect addition to a professional environment or designing office when a powerful computer needs to be added.

Aesthetics Score 9.5/10



Value (10% of the total score)

Retailing for 129.99$ USD (about 160$ SGD) at the time of this review, the Antec P280 is not a very cheap product but offers very good value for money to those willing to purchase a classy computer chassis. The versatility to choose whether to sacrifice some acoustics performance in order to improve the thermal properties of the case is a very welcome addition, while the quality of the case ensures that it will last for many years; perhaps even for a lifetime. With that a mind, the asking price of the P280 appears to be more than fair and will certainly make the case highly competitive in today’s market.

Value Score 9.0/10