Random Review: Antec 180 + Coolermaster 650w

[mrmez]

Coolermaster eXtreme Power 650W - (RP-650-PCAR)
Rating: 4/5

Pros: Its cheap! Its 650w! Plenty of amps. Cables are long enough with lots of plugs. SLI/CF ready.

Cons: Its loud. No rly... its LOUD. I replaced the fan (120mm) but it can run a bit hot in a std case. No modular cable design.

Thoughts: No word on how this cheap PSU will throw you 650W, none the less most users will need nowhere near this sort of power. The fan IS REALLY LOUD. Was replaced with an Antec 120mm, which voids the warranty.

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Antec P180/B Tower
Rating: 3.5/5

Pros: It looks cool! It runs cool! Seperate chamber for psu/water/misc. Good ventilation/airflow sys. Good ideas on vibration/noise reduction. 3x 120mm speed adjustable fans included. Its big, lots of room for everything.

Cons: Its loud? Yup its loud . Expensive. Cant access pwr button without opening the door.. grr. Mostly useless 'dust' filters.

Thoughts: The only reason for the low score is the noise. While there are awesome features to keep the noise down, it falls back to the lowest common denominator, in this situation its the rear. The 2x exhaust fans and holes in the back allow a lot of the noise to escape.

 

[skyguy]

I suspect your P180 is loud because primarily of your very loud PSU. My rig is whisper quiet....I have to strain to hear the dull din in a room with regular conversation or the TV on......and I'm sitting right beside it. And I have 5 case fans, 4 hard drives, a highly overclocked CPU, and a not-the-quietest Zalman 9500 (though I did mod it to be quieter). So my guess is you got a stinkin loud PSU and fans going on in there......

As for the dust filters.....I need to clean mine out once a week or they're full of dirt......so they do work, and quite well. Your place must be very clean if you don't need them.

 

[Reos]

I suspect your P180 is loud because primarily of your very loud PSU. My rig is whisper quiet....I have to strain to hear the dull din in a room with regular conversation or the TV on......and I'm sitting right beside it. And I have 5 case fans, 4 hard drives, a highly overclocked CPU, and a not-the-quietest Zalman 9500 (though I did mod it to be quieter). So my guess is you got a stinkin loud PSU and fans going on in there......

As for the dust filters.....I need to clean mine out once a week or they're full of dirt......so they do work, and quite well. Your place must be very clean if you don't need them.

I read somewhere that the filters are very hard to clean because its difficult to reach them, is that true?

Do you really have to clean them every week? That sounds like alot of trouble. What happens if you dont clean them? No air gets in?

 

[akhilles]

Useless dust filters lol. Talk to me after a month.

I don't know about the P180, but my Sonata2 has a clip-on dust filter in the front bezel. The grill is metal-ish & the frame is semi-soft plastic. All black. Mine gets quite a bit dust a week. Must be cleaned with tap water & a dry cloth twice a month.

Dust is a big contributor to heat. See, dust sticks to the heatsinks & hinders cooling.