Quite Case

The P180: A Collaboration between Antec and Mike Chin
The P180 was the result of a year-long collaboration between Antec and me. Antec needs little introduction here. Their involvement in PC cases goes back many years, and they were the first to develop a case designed specifically for reduced noise - the wildly successful Sonata. Antec cases have been popular with PC enthusiasts long before the "silent sector" emerged, and several of their models are among SPCR's top Recommended Cases.

That's Antec. As for me, I've been involved in high-end home audio as a hobby most of my life and as a business for nearly a decade. From years of tinkering with high-end turntables and developing speaker systems, I learned something about acoustic-mechanical design. I began modifying computers for quiet operation several years ago. After SPCR was launched, and the flow of review samples began, my learning process about PC design accelerated with all the exposure to different components and cases. Ideas about a case started to percolate, a perfect case for the most powerful systems to be cooled easily and quietly. Could I bring these ideas to fruition in a manufactured product?

About a year ago, a sample of the Antec Aria case landed in my lab. This SFF case featured innovative 2- and 3-ply composite walls of aluminum and plastic skins. The material had a non-resonant, acoustically somewhat opaque quality, much like an acrylic cutting board. It seemed far superior to either steel or aluminum walls. I approached Antec to suggest we work together to develop a case that would meet the demands of both silencers and enthusiasts. Han Liu, Antec's Product development Manager, was receptive; I became the design consultant for the product, code named P180.

if you are really serious about getting a VERY VERY quiet case, don't get the P180, get the Nexus.