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Antec P70 ATX Mid-Tower Case Review

Antec’s latest low-cost chassis carries the company's gaming hardware-oriented “Performance” moniker, but can it really perform? We find out.

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Exterior

Antec's replacement takes the identically-priced Three Hundred's minimalist appeal to a new level by hiding air inlets on the side of the face panel. Those side vents eliminate the direct noise path found on mesh-front cases. They also prevent “blinging out” the front with lighted fans. 

The P70 still appears to have three 5.25” bays. But unlike the Three Hundred, the P70’s lower external bay is permanently adapted to 3.5” drives.

This case also adds a pair of grommet-covered holes to ease external liquid cooler installation, but is still limited by only exposing seven expansion slots. The lack of an eighth prevents you from installing a graphics card with a double-width bracket in your ATX motherboard's bottom slot. All seven slot covers are non-replaceable break-outs, and the installation kit doesn’t include any replacements. 

The rear panel also features a row of vents next to the graphics cards, a 120mm exhaust fan and a latch for removing the slide-in top-fan cover. The fan grill back there is drilled to accept 80 and 92mm fans. 

Different from Antec’s published specs, two USB 3.0 ports and two audio jacks comprise the entire set of top-panel connectors. All of these feature rubber covers to prevent dust intrusion, though we know most enthusiasts will probably remove and lose them. Behind the ports and power/reset buttons, a trio of three-position switches control top, front and rear fans at two different speeds. 

The P70 front panel supports two fans, but both must be installed between the snap-away plastic and steel portions. A removable dust filter is also accessible only with the entire face plate removed. 

The power supply air inlet has a filter that must be bowed away from a barb on the metal chassis to remove. A screw and spacer act as a forward stop, preventin the filter from sliding in too far. 

Top fans are properly spaced for a radiator, but the P70 doesn’t have room between the panel and motherboard to install an internal liquid cooling radiator. Enthusiasts who opt for closed-loop coolers may instead use a 1x 120mm unit on the rear fan.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
29 Comments Comment from the forums
  • SinxarKnights
    Hmm I just got rid of my 300 about a month ago. Is this really the 300's replacement? The 300 lacked any 2.5" bays but had great cooling with only the 2 included three speed fans. It seems they made the same mistake twice by sitting the motherboard too close to the top so it is practically impossible to mount a rad on the inside there.

    Considering it is a $70 case, surely there must be much better options than this for budget builders.
    Reply
  • JeanLuc
    Argh, what's wrong with the site?? All the alignment is out. I was reading through the price list and the case came up at $46.99 now it says $70.
    Reply
  • SinxarKnights
    15864394 said:
    ^^ It's not a $70 case you can pick it up for $47.

    It is 47 because it is on sale. It is a $70 case.
    Reply
  • Plyro109
    I'm rather sad Antec still doesn't seem to want to make fan filters easy to access. That's why I replaced my 902, and why I've been steering people away from their cases for a while.

    To clean the filters on the 902, it required removing 20(!) screws, and this case requires the removal of the front panel, and thus, both the side panels also. At the least, it looks like the top and rear filters are a bit easier to access, which is a step forward.

    Probably not a case I'll be recommending for others to use, even if it is inexpensive.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    15864007 said:
    Hmm I just got rid of my 300 about a month ago. Is this really the 300's replacement? The 300 lacked any 2.5" bays
    The 300-2 had one 2.5" spot at the bottom and another behind the motherboard tray.

    I own both a 300 and 300-2. My biggest pet peeve about them is having to unplug everything I may have plugged into front jacks and open the side panel to un-clip the front panel so I can remove it every time I want to clean the filters. Another problem with the 300s is that the filter sits so close to the front mesh that dust accumulates directly behind the front mesh' holes - there is not enough space for airflow to spread out evenly across the filter. I would probably need to clean the filter half as often if there was even only 1mm of extra clearance here.

    Yet another filter-related pet peeve is the PSU filter: half the dust gets scraped off the filter and sucked right back in when the filter is removed for cleaning. IMO, the 300-2 would have been better off without it, letting the PSU draw from case air like it did in the original 300.
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    I think that Antec has been left behind in terms of case design. I do remember when I wanted a 900 but most of their cases are just now coming with features that others have had.

    I find it strange that this is lacking side fan mounts. Even the Corsair 200R has those and that is a $60 dollar case right now.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    15865011 said:
    I find it strange that this is lacking side fan mounts. Even the Corsair 200R has those and that is a $60 dollar case right now.
    The 300-2 had side fan mounts on both panels. On my case though, both of them are taped shut to limit dust ingress. In an ocean of cases with goady side panels. There is no point in having windows or side vents when the case is wedged between a desk and a wall. The top fan is unplugged and the vent taped shut to prevent screws and whatever else I might have on my desk dropping into my PC through the top fan.

    Sometimes, less is more. I would pay $10 more than I paid for my 300-2 for an otherwise identical case that had no side vents, no dedicated PSU filter/intake and no top vent for me to worry about but had direct access to intake filters.
    Reply
  • jjb8675309
    Why would someone bother to review such a mediocre product?
    Reply
  • ykki
    ^Tech reviewers duh!
    Reply
  • aldenf
    I'll assume, since it is not mentioned in the article, that the two top fans are configured for exhaust. Three exhaust and no intake fans seems completely inappropriate for hot hardware. Since the option is provided "out of the box", I'd like to see the top fans moved to the front as intakes and the plug/panel installed on top. This should show very different numbers in testing. I'm rather surprised it wasn't attempted initially by the builder/reviewer as it seems rather obvious.

    I'm not sure how many users would be trying to squeeze an extended MB into an inexpensive case. I don't see it as a con at all. Many enthusiasts look for more compact cases for ATX/m-ATX builds. If the P70 will often be on sale for <$50 and moving the two top fans to the front as intakes shows better all around performance as I expect, methinks the P70 could be a killer option for moderately priced gaming rigs/workstations.

    I'll wait for a more thorough review of the product before making any final judgements...

    Reply