Antec P182 vs. Coolermaster rc690; which should i order tomorrow?

[0gab0ga]

my new system needs a case and i am looking at the antec P182 (100$ after mir) and the coolermaster rc690 (85$), but i dont know which one to get.

i dont mind the price difference so dont consider that.
i like the looks of both. i dont want a side window so no antec 900. i havent seen either in person, just on pictures, which may be decieving. if anyone could share their opinions and experiences with them that would be great.
which one is easier to work with, cooling, build quality and stuff like that. basically i just want your opinion to help me decide, a simple reply with the model is enough (even though i would appreciate a reasoning)

this is what will be going into it:

abit ip35 pro
q6600
g-skill 2x2 gb
msi 8800 gts 512
seagate 7200.10 250gb
samsung burner
corsair 650tx psu---- are the wires long enough?

thanks

by the way, if you have a suggestion of a new case altogether please let me know. 100$ max though (and no side window)

 

[fhd351]

I can't give any personal experience about either of those cases although I plan on ordering the P182 with my next system. I've head good things about this case. You can find a review of it here:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article741-page1.html

Also, if you plan to buy at Newegg, which I'm assuming since it's $100 after rebate, the rebate expires tomorrow and unless you want to do overnight shipping, you won't get the case in time to mail in the rebate.

 

[jormm]

well i have the same board as you same psu and same HDD i have he 8800gtx card not sure if there the same size as yours..
but i did go with the antac p182 and i just put it all togeather "first build ever"
and i got to say i couldnt of picked a better case i just loved it from day one.
so to answer your question yes your wiers will be long enough for that case just know that since some of the cables are so thick if you hide them from the back of the mother board when you try to put that side door back on there is a "very" slight bulge. or how ever you spell it -.- lol.
but if your card is the same length as mine then you will have to use the HDD cage in the bottom cuz the one in the middle will be mostly coverd by the gfx card not a huge prob cuz if you thank about its better to put the HDD in the bottem since there is a fan down there too!!!

so if i didnt make a hole lot of since it all comes to you "CANT" go wroung with the antac p182. btw i got the gun metel one and omg is it nice!!!

-jormm

oh p.s. if waight is a desiding factor for you the atanc p182 is a monster its very BIG and ways a ton when the ups gave it to me i thought i was carrying a tank downstairs =)

and if you have a nother question about the antac just asked i have played with this baby since day one and i know it from head to toe lol

 

[0gab0ga]

yeah i like the look of the p182, but i have a few concerns,
as fhd351 said, the rebate expires sunday.
does this mean that i can still place my order sunday and get the rebate, or will newegg processing time on a sunday be so slow the order wont get verified until monday so i lose the rebate. i should get the rebate based on when i place my order, not when i recieve the case, or newegg ships the order, right??

secondly the p182 seems to make things warmer with the vacuum effect, little air intake and whatnot. is this a big issue, or are we only talking 3-5 C more?

 

[fhd351]

yeah i like the look of the p182, but i have a few concerns,
as fhd351 said, the rebate expires sunday.
does this mean that i can still place my order sunday and get the rebate, or will newegg processing time on a sunday be so slow the order wont get verified until monday so i lose the rebate. i should get the rebate based on when i place my order, not when i recieve the case, or newegg ships the order, right??

secondly the p182 seems to make things warmer with the vacuum effect, little air intake and whatnot. is this a big issue, or are we only talking 3-5 C more?

I think the rebate requires that you submit the UPC bar code off of the package, which means that you will need the case in your possession in order to send in the rebate. Sometimes you just have to send in something that shows you bought the product within the certain time limitations of the rebate, but it looks like this is not the case.

As for the vacuum effect, I think you should be fine. I can't imagine that you would experience any heat problems. This case is supposed to cool very well.

 

[Beechmunky]

Its funny you post this today. Just yesterday I went down to my local Fry's to get a hands on both of these units. Keep in mind I haven't done a build with any of these so my comments are based on just handling the bare cases that were on display.

Just to summarize my experience I think they're both very capable cases and the build quality seems excellent.

If cost was a primary concern I would say go for the RC-690. Its far more utilitarian of a case, meaning its not a work of art. But it has all the features I'd be looking for at a price that makes it a real bargain. I liked the top mounted usb/audio ports as I keep pc's on the floor.

But if price was of no concern I would have to recommend the P182.
Its just a drop dead gorgeous case with no corners cut on its functionality. It feels very high quality and its reviews have been excellent.

BTW - $99 is a steal for that case. but watch the shipping charges. You may do better buying from a place nearby or that has free shipping ala Amazon. For example buy.com has the p182 for $136.00 with free shipping.

I can get my RC-690 from zipzoomfly for 69.99 +8.55 shipping. or buy.com for 85.00 and free shipping.

 

[two bit hit]

I have two friends who have those cases, and I'm trying to decide which one to get too. The 690 is far better for cooling I think, and it's a tad smaller than the P182. (well, it looks smaller, I daresay the dimensions will rpove me wrong)

However, the finish of the P182 is brilliant, and I love front panels. The P182 is compartmentalised and there are 5 fan spaces I think, which should suffice with your system, although I believe that only 2 or 3 come with it. I'm personally going for the Antec, I think. It's just a nicer case overall. I agree with you too, the Nine Hundred isn't a great looking case.

 

[monst0r]

I have the P182, using it right now. I've never seen the 690 in person. I can tell you that the P182 case is SUPER QUIET and stays cool because of the way the airflow pressure is designed.

The P182 is worth the 100+$ to me, but I can't give you a review of the 690

 

[0gab0ga]

i guess my question when it comes to the rebate is more if the sales reciept will be dated april 6 or april 7.
in order to get the rebate the reciept has to be dated april 6 (sunday)
so the question is whether or not newegg considers the date of purchase to be when they process it and ship it, or when I actually hit the button.
you dont have to mail in the rebate until a month later, so when i get the case doesnt matter, you just have to have purchased it within the rebate time frame.

that said i am still unsure. i have to know if i can get the rebate before i decide. any one know anything about when newegg will date the purchase?
thanks for all replies and keep the comments coming

 

[0gab0ga]

and also, i must say, the p182 is a far better buy today, considering its 70$ off what it usaually is, while i have never seen the cm690 as expensive as it is now. 85$! it used to be 50$ a couple of months ago

 

[T8RR8R]

I had the same 2 cases picked out last month and had a hard time choosing as well. I since purchased the CM 690 and it's awesome. I don't think you could go wrong either way. The 690 does have a factory made window out there for about $30+shipping, I got mine at directron.com because newegg never has it in stock more than a day. Although you could just mod your own window into either case, I'm just not that full of energy or that talented. If you're not into case windows and prefer silence over everything else, I'd go for the P182. What swayed me into getting the 690 over the P182 is that you can have up to a 12" long PSU in the 690. I'll probably never have one that long but PSU's don't seem to be getting any smaller and the P182 does have a size limitation as far as PSU's goes. Also the 690 allows you to use more fan and up to 3*140mm fans which are becoming more popular. Either way though I think the grass will always be greener on the other side so whatever one you choose you'll always wonder what it would have been like "if"...

In the end I guess it really depends on what you're going to do with the case, how complex your system will be and what kind of look you're going for. Both are about the same quality and have similar features, but they are also unique in their own way with different capacities and abilities. I couldn't be happier with my purchase, but to each their own.

Good luck.

 

[geofelt]

With the small amount of stuff you have to put in the case, may I suggest the Antec Solo. $79.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129018
It is currently my favorite case.
It is smaller than the P182, and does not have front doors which I don't much like.
Filters on the front intakes and sound deadening like the P182.
It is very quiet, and cools well.
The 8800gts-512 fits nicely. To hold a 8800GTX would require a small drive cage mod if you had any such plans though.

Otherwise, I would vote for the P182.

 

[fhd351]

OK, I was reading the rebate and disregard what I said earlier. I still think though that you might need the case before Sunday. The rebate says you need a "Copy of store identified receipt..." I think this means that you would need the conformation that is sent with the package, not a receipt that you print out. I'm not sure though. You might want to call Newegg or even Antec if you really want that rebate. Otherwise I would go with buying it at buy.com and get it for just under $20 more with free shipping. Either way you're still paying over $100.

 

[0gab0ga]

i looked at the solo, but discarded it just because i can get the 690 for the same price with much better cooling. thanks for the suggestion though.
i do plan on overclocking in a couple of months, after i get a cooler for the cpu. so cooling is pretty important. thats why i am leaning slightly towards the 690, even though the p182 looks better. if i can save 15$ doing it + no mir to worry about, i wont say no.

 

[geofelt]

For Antec, a copy if the newegg receipt, showing the date it was ordered is all you need. I have done this before with no problems.

 

[0gab0ga]

yeah that mir is sketchy, but i am pretty confident if i order tomorrow, ill get the rebate. the receipt in the shipping box, will be dated for the time of order i think.
another thing i just thought of was how i will have to open the front door everytime i start the computer (like geofelt said) which although isnt a major issue, doesnt sound too inviting.
i keep leaning towards the 690, but when i see a picture of the p182 i am as unsure as i was before....

 

[0gab0ga]

@geofelt
thats what i thought too
glad you could confirm it

 

[geofelt]

The Solo is not a poor cooling case, particularly if you care about noise.
I keep my fans on low with no problem.

Read this review of the Antec 900, and a comparison with the Solo and the lian-li G70. Look at the last page of charts where it shows that all three cases cooled equally well at the same noise level.
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=996&pageID=2747

 

[Northernheat]

I currently own the CM-690 , and i love it , tooless design makes swapping gear uber easy and painless.The included 120 fans are relatively silent and move a good amount of air , so cooling is not a problem.It's relativly light , has room for just about anythiing (like water cooling or a massive Cpu cooler) also build quality is suprisingly good for the price , I paid 70 bucks with 10 buck shipping.

The only beef i have is the provided holes in the motherboard tray are too small and placed in the wrong spots.Also my PSU 24v lead was a couple inches too short to route it around the case.But it aint a huge issue as this thing has no window.I am overall very pleased with the case tho the p-182 is a good case it all depends on what you are doing with yer gear.Do you swap stuff out regularly , and do you want room for future upgrades like a bigger PSU or even watercooling.


Theres my 2 cents cheers and good luck with your decision.

 

[evilshuriken]

I think the 690 is a great case.
I have used it on 2 different computers I built this year.
It's a very simple, very easy to work with case. There is enough room to work comfortably. Cable management is a breeze since you can run most wires through the back using the slots right below and above the motherboard.
Cooling in this case is very good, there is plenty of airflow. The tool-less installation hardware is very well done.

I might be a little weird but, I actually like the looks of the 690, and the fact that it doesn't have a door.

 

[swifty_morgan]

That particular Antec case is too crampy to work in. And that's the nicest thing I can say about it.

The other one is better IMO. It also has a fan that you can use behind the motherboard which helps keep the processor cool. It actually works too.

 

[roadrunner197069]

If you pay by credit card you will get a instant invoice. Print it out and you get rebate. 100% sure. You will need UPC code later put you printed invoice will prove you were on time. Newegg has a option for rush processing for like $2.50, you might want to do it or your Credit card might not be processed until monday. Its happened to me a couple of times.

 

[0gab0ga]

ok, i think i am going for the 690
but i know it doesnt have a case speaker, so i was wondering if i would hear the startup beeps if i just connected a regular set of speekers to it. will that work or will only a case speaker work?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I'd Add that Antec TS is great

 

[Northernheat]

some newer boards have a speaker soldered on the board so it shouldn't be an issue , but if yours doesn't hit up a local Comp shop and theyy'll give yah one for cheap or free Far as i know it wont post through normal speakers via yer sound card , but don't quote me.