A lot of rigs are set up to garner as much attention as possible. That's why some companies use bold designs for their pre-built systems, incorporate unnecessary flourishes in their components and cover near everything imaginable with RGB lighting. Antec has designed its latest case, the P101 Silent, announced this week, for those who prefer it when the only evidence of their PC's existence is their ability to get things done with it.
The P101 Silent is a mid-tower ATX case that Antec has not-so-subtly dubbed "The Silent Guardian." What's it guarding? Eh, that doesn't matter. The important part is that Antec included sound dampening foam in the top, front and side panels to muffle any noise coming from the system inside. It also included three 120mm low-noise fans in the front and one 140mm low-noise fan in the back to make sure cooling the system is also fairly quiet.
The case itself measures 527 x 232 x 506mm (D x W x H) and can accommodate 450mm-long graphics cards, 180mm-tall CPUs and 290mm-long PSUs. Those PSUs can be installed from the back panel too, for easier assembly. Removable dust filters on the top and bottom panels are supposed to help those of us who have to contend with a lot of dust make sure our PCs stay clean-ish.
The case also has room for up to 11 storage drives with one 5.25-inch ODD bay, two dedicated 2.5-inch SSD slots and eight slots that can be used for 3.5-inch HDDs and 2.5-inch SSDs alike. An I/O panel on the top offers easy access to a power button, reset button, fan speed controller, HD audio out and mic in, as well as two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 slots (all four of which are lit with white LEDs to make it easier to connect your peripherals in the dark).
Rhe P101 Silent is currently available in the U.S. with an MSRP of $110; you can find it on Newegg. The company didn't reveal availability or pricing information for other parts of the world. Still, with so much focus these days going to manufacturers that want systems to be as ostentatious as possible, it's refreshing when a company releases a case that lends itself well to the idea that PCs don't have to be seen or heard.
