- Feb 4, 2006
- 1,958
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I have read in many locations, people doing this same build out. Nobody has really listed anything about the bad side (NOT TOO MANY AT ALL) just the good. Just wanted to provide a little feedback for those considering a build with the Antec P180 and the ASUS P5B Deluxe.
A build for my Father-in-Law...
The BAD (OK not really
):
Both seem to be excellent products but I have found two different issues that are "easily easily" overcome.
Issue 1: The Manual for the case states to remember to screw in the brass standoffs for the motherboard. The manual makes it seem that you HAVE to screw them in. IN fact the standoffs (especially for the P5B) are already in place. If you were to screw in the brass standoffs it would raise the mobo too much to fit the rear of the case. (please be advised that I did not screw in the brass standoffs since the ones provided were correct for the mb I was using. (So review the standoffs by placing the motherboard in the case and verifying the hole locations and verifying that you have a preinstalled standoff in the right location, if not, then screw in a brass standoff for that hole location. (really just common sense)
Issue 2: Placement of the power supply in reference to the 4 PIN ATX connector on the motherboard. It seems that on some power supplies (Antec smart power non-modular for instance) that the 4 pin ATX connector cable is not long enough to reach the motherboard connector located all the way at the top of the of the case when the board is in place. I expect that many PSUs will have issue with the length of the cable and therefore need an extension for this connector. Other motherboards may place this in a differing location and therefore MAY NOT have this issue (look at mb power connectors and just purchase an extension if you think you will need it ~ $3.00). I could also see a potential for problems with the 24 pin ATX power connector as well on other motherboards.
Minor Inconvenience 1: The placement of the CD AUDIO connector on the motherboard has it down and to the far left (away from the drive itself) so another cable to route.
The GOOD (NEARLY EVERYTHING):
This case was a real pleasure to work on. I have what many would say are HUGE hands and I was able to work on this case easily (many thanks to ASUS for the (Q-Connectors provided with the MB).
The case is roomy with very nice rolled edges nearly everywhere (the power supply cage is the only exception so be careful here).
The drive cages are a real treat as well with the noise dampening rubber grommets and the longer screws which are provided. The rail system is classic Antec and are also truly a pleasure to work with (quick release 5 1/4" drives). The pull rings for the internal 3.5" cages were even secured to reduce noise/vibration.
The door which many have complained about is actually quite sturdy and has a very nice closing feeling with the magnetic closure.
The three (Standard) 120mm fans are nicely located and are of the tricool variant. This is nice in that it allows for a lot of control for both noise and airflow.
Cable management is crucial since if missed the power supply cables could interfere with the bottom mounted (power supply tunnel) 120mm fan.
Full length PCI-E cards (ATI 1900XT) are NOT and issue even with the second internal drive cage in place.
The ASUS P5B-Deluxe-AP comes with EVERYTHING... This was a joy to open since there is a wealth of toys in the box .
The board is well laid out and the heat pipe is also well routed. Most of the connectors were edge mounted which was both a blessing and a curse with the above mentioned case and the above mentioned hands. The power connectors are edge mounted allowing one to put a finger (as much as possible) behind the board while inserting these heavier connectors.
The front panel/multiple USB/Firewire connectors run along the lower edge of the board and required me to install them prior to securing the MB since they were difficult to reach otherwise.
SUMMARY:
Overall this combo is great to work with so far (with the exception of having to wait another day to complete the build because of the extension cable). I knew this could happen but was not THAT worried about it (figuring Antec would recognize this and correct their own products
).
I would recommend both items as long as you are not looking for a mobile PC for use in LAN parties.
I'll write an update when I have the extension and let ya know how the rest goes.
I hope this helps someone else in their decisions/build with these products.
Pretty standard build:
Antec P180B (very nice looking/functional/HEAVY case)
ASUS P5B-AP WIFI Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Patriot 2GB-667
ATI 1900XT PCI-E Video Card
Samsung 20X LightScribe DVD RW
WD 250gb SATA Hard Drive
ACER 24" Wide Screen Display 1920x1200 (I really need one of these)
If anyone has anything to add to this (issues or good things that I have missed) please let me know.
A build for my Father-in-Law...
The BAD (OK not really
):Both seem to be excellent products but I have found two different issues that are "easily easily" overcome.
Issue 1: The Manual for the case states to remember to screw in the brass standoffs for the motherboard. The manual makes it seem that you HAVE to screw them in. IN fact the standoffs (especially for the P5B) are already in place. If you were to screw in the brass standoffs it would raise the mobo too much to fit the rear of the case. (please be advised that I did not screw in the brass standoffs
since the ones provided were correct for the mb I was using. (So review the standoffs by placing the motherboard in the case and verifying the hole locations and verifying that you have a preinstalled standoff in the right location, if not, then screw in a brass standoff for that hole location. (really just common sense)Issue 2: Placement of the power supply in reference to the 4 PIN ATX connector on the motherboard. It seems that on some power supplies (Antec smart power non-modular for instance) that the 4 pin ATX connector cable is not long enough to reach the motherboard connector located all the way at the top of the of the case when the board is in place. I expect that many PSUs will have issue with the length of the cable and therefore need an extension for this connector. Other motherboards may place this in a differing location and therefore MAY NOT have this issue (look at mb power connectors and just purchase an extension if you think you will need it ~ $3.00). I could also see a potential for problems with the 24 pin ATX power connector as well on other motherboards.
Minor Inconvenience 1: The placement of the CD AUDIO connector on the motherboard has it down and to the far left (away from the drive itself) so another cable to route.
The GOOD (NEARLY EVERYTHING):
This case was a real pleasure to work on. I have what many would say are HUGE hands and I was able to work on this case easily (many thanks to ASUS for the (Q-Connectors provided with the MB).
The case is roomy with very nice rolled edges nearly everywhere (the power supply cage is the only exception so be careful here).
The drive cages are a real treat as well with the noise dampening rubber grommets and the longer screws which are provided. The rail system is classic Antec and are also truly a pleasure to work with (quick release 5 1/4" drives). The pull rings for the internal 3.5" cages were even secured to reduce noise/vibration.
The door which many have complained about is actually quite sturdy and has a very nice closing feeling with the magnetic closure.
The three (Standard) 120mm fans are nicely located and are of the tricool variant. This is nice in that it allows for a lot of control for both noise and airflow.
Cable management is crucial since if missed the power supply cables could interfere with the bottom mounted (power supply tunnel) 120mm fan.
Full length PCI-E cards (ATI 1900XT) are NOT and issue even with the second internal drive cage in place.
The ASUS P5B-Deluxe-AP comes with EVERYTHING... This was a joy to open since there is a wealth of toys in the box
.The board is well laid out and the heat pipe is also well routed. Most of the connectors were edge mounted which was both a blessing and a curse with the above mentioned case and the above mentioned hands. The power connectors are edge mounted allowing one to put a finger (as much as possible) behind the board while inserting these heavier connectors.
The front panel/multiple USB/Firewire connectors run along the lower edge of the board and required me to install them prior to securing the MB since they were difficult to reach otherwise.
SUMMARY:
Overall this combo is great to work with so far (with the exception of having to wait another day to complete the build because of the extension cable). I knew this could happen but was not THAT worried about it (figuring Antec would recognize this and correct their own products
). I would recommend both items as long as you are not looking for a mobile PC for use in LAN parties
.I'll write an update when I have the extension and let ya know how the rest goes.
I hope this helps someone else in their decisions/build with these products.
Pretty standard build:
Antec P180B (very nice looking/functional/HEAVY case)
ASUS P5B-AP WIFI Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Patriot 2GB-667
ATI 1900XT PCI-E Video Card
Samsung 20X LightScribe DVD RW
WD 250gb SATA Hard Drive
ACER 24" Wide Screen Display 1920x1200 (I really need one of these
)If anyone has anything to add to this (issues or good things that I have missed) please let me know.
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