Computing on Demand PC News & Reviews
The exterior of the chassis is very simple. As you make your way around the exterior you notice the 120mm fan on top, the 120mm in the back, the inverted motherboard getup’, the light and effective front door, the front connections (2x USB 2.0, 1 Fire wire, Audio IN/OUT, and a Key Lock), and the sleek black finish. I was a little disappointed at first that the side panels and door feel like they are made of plastic but later realized that these are made of sound deadening material that REALLY works well. The side panels and front door are constructed in a 3 panel process which starts with 2 slabs of aluminum and plastic holding them together. The front panel is attached with a double hinge system that allows you to completely open the front door up to 270 degrees leaving you with an exposed front and a door you don’t have to worry about punting across the room.
I still have not figured out the main reason behind the added fan shield on the top. It might serve to remind you not to rest anything on the top of the chassis. I personally see it as something that simply adds to the character of the chassis while not providing any real measure of usefulness, much like the fake hood scoop on the Ford Mustangs a few years ago.
One of the greatest features of the exterior may be easily overlooked. The back panel of many chassis today only allows you to mount the power supply in one particular manner. This can sometimes lead to issues with power supplies that have fans on the bottom or top and depending on the position in your chassis can be starved of valuable fresh moving air because the fan is obstructed. With the P180, Antec decided to go the extra mile here and pre-cut mounting for the power supply that will allow you to mount it in either position, optimizing your airflow.
