Antec P100 Review

Performance Analysis

Low noise and cooling very rarely go hand in hand with an out-of-the-box case so it was no surprise to see the P100 languishing a little in our graphs. The CPU delta T of 51°C with its fans at full speed is far from terrible, though, and puts it 1°C ahead of the NZXT Source 530 and only a couple of degrees behind the Corsair Graphite 230T. It also easily eclipses the Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 and Deep Silence 2 at their maximum fan speed settings. The GPU delta T at full speed was perhaps the most disappointing result; at 56°C this is close to being a bottom table result, even if half the cases on test also posted GPU delta Ts over 50°C.


Tuning down the fans saw the CPU delta T rise 3°C to 54°C, while the GPU delta T equalled the worst result we've seen of 59°C. It's not great results in the cooling department then and this is for several reasons. Many other cases sport side vents or some other form of additional ventilation, while the P100 also has to contend with an airflow-starving front door with just one 120mm fan as standard. The roof vent is also covered with noise-absorbing foam. Thankfully, there is one benefit to all this, which is that the case is remarkably quiet, and coupled with a low-noise CPU cooler and graphics card, you'd struggle to notice the PC is on at all.

Conclusion

The P100 is very much a case you need to take in context. Our primary concern is the cooling, which is average at best but then there is one free fan mount plus two more if you remove the noise-absorbing foam in the roof so there are at least some ways to improve things. As standard though, it's certainly not our first choice for a home for a high-end, overclocked system - Corsair's Graphite 230T and NZXT's Source 530 both cost around the same (the 230T is actually a fair bit cheaper) but offer much better GPU cooling. Equally, we preferred the look and feel of Nanoxia's Deep Silence 2, although while it offers better GPU cooling, it was poorer than the P100 with CPU cooling.

So there is competition, even in the quiet case category at the same price although it should be noted that the Nanoxia Deep Silence 2 is also much deeper. It's also worth remembering that not everyone overclocks their hardware and as our overclocked gear shows, yes it will run hotter than other cases but it's far from dangerously hot. As such, if low noise and simplicity turn you on more than cooling, then the P100 starts to look much more appealing, especially at less than £80. However, we can't take sides here and that decision is ultimately up to you and your wallet, but the P100's mediocre cooling does, sadly, mean it loses more than a few points here.