Antec: Performance One Series P160, Continued
The front bezel of the P160 is very innovative. It includes an incredibly well crafted, three ventilation hole system that is lit by an interesting blue lighting that neatly reflects from the mirrorized finish found around the inside of the front bezel area. The front P160 bezel is constructed of plastic and aluminum. It features grilled intake slits that surround the outside of the entire front bezel. This allows for even greater intake of air that can be exhausted out of the rear of the P160. While the mirrorized pieces surrounding the outer bezel do tend to pick up fingerprints, this is not the case with the fingerprint-resistant finish on both the top and side panels of this case. Antec claims in their included literature with the P160 that with the installation of an Antec TruePower power supply, audible case noise can be reduced by as much as 80%. Because Antec does not explain this claim well, we cannot attest to this statement’s validity ; however, Antec has gone the extra mile by selecting a dual 120mm front and rear fan configuration that is grommeted to reduce vibration. In addition, the drive trays are also grommeted to reduce vibration and noise. These features help Antec make this 16-pound marvel the quietest of the cases we reviewed here.
The inside of the P160.
The P160 features a 1.2mm thickness with an anodized aluminum construction inside and outside. While the P160 exhibited some twist and a small amount of bend, it was not enough for us to consider it relevant. We would definitely like to see Antec tighten up the structural rigidity of the P160 some, but there was nothing in the P160’s construction that gave us cause for concern. The construction features a hard tooled process with smooth edges that are rolled in some areas. The P160 was exceptionally smooth on all edges that we found ; even in some of the more peculiar locations of the case we found only smooth and cleanly finished edges. Hats off to Antec for ensuring that their quality tradition continues !
As for cooling, the rear 120mm low-speed, low-noise fan was included, but we had to add an additional 120mm front fan, as this is an optional feature that was not included. These fans moved an exceptional amount of air through our test P160 case. We were impressed by the quantity of ventilation that occurred from front to rear and how it did not make much noise while doing so. While the internal configuration of the P160 was somewhat cramped inside, it was still acceptable for testing configuration, and we were able to install this with no problem.
