Antec P50 Window Review

Antec P50 Window Review

Manufacturer: Antec
UK price (as reviewed): £45.02 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): $69.99 (ex Tax)

The Antec P50 Window is one of the company's latest releases, and it's a budget-friendly micro-ATX chassis with a dual chamber design. It's available in some regions without a window but the UK market seems only to have the P50 Window floating about, and it comes in at under £50. In fact, at the time of writing, Scan has it on sale for just £40, albeit on pre-order.


The P50's panelling fits together very well, and while there is some flex to the front and side panels, the case as a unit is definitely solid enough given the price. It's quite light, but it doesn't feel too cheap or tacky anywhere. One thing to note, however, is that it lacks a set of rubber feet, so it slides around fairly easily on a smooth surface.

The IO ports are built cleanly into the area where the front and roof panels meet, ensuring easy access regardless of whether the P50 is floor or desk-bound. It's well-equipped thanks to a pair each of USB 2 and USB 3 ports and the power and reset buttons have a firm action. You even get two fan control sliders with three speed settings (fast, slow and off), which is awesome to see in a sub-£50 chassis.


Other than the single 5.25in bay cover, the front panel is solid for a clean look, but has ventilation down the sides. This provides an air inlet for the dual 120mm intake fans that serve the main chamber on the left. There is also a third fan mount up front; an 80mm one that's empty but can be used to provide additional cooling to the secondary chamber. The whole intake area is protected with a single, large dust filter, though you'll need to remove the front panel to gain access – thankfully this is as simple as a firm tug from the bottom.


As the name of the case suggests, the left panel has a large clear window to give you a good view of your core hardware. On the opposite side, there's a ventilation area with an internal dust filter that guards the PSU intake fan. There is no ventilation on the underside of the case, so your graphics card will be relying solely on the front intake area for cool air.

On the roof, we find a plastic, ventilated mid-section which is easily released via a simple clip on the back. You then slide and lift it out, which grants access to the dual 120mm fan mounts below. This is a very good design, although we'd prefer the vents to also have filtering material built in – there are no roof exhaust fans installed by default, so for many users this will just be an easy way for dust to enter. If you feel like jazzing up the all-black exterior a little this mid-section can also be replaced by optional coloured alternatives, available in red, green blue and white for under £5.


Lastly, a look round back reveals a pair of empty 80mm exhaust fan mounts and four expansion slots, meaning that the use of a dual-slot expansion card in the bottom slot of your micro-ATX motherboard won't be possible. There's also a third 80mm fan mount, and this one comes fitted with a fan, acting as the sole source or airflow for the secondary chamber (other than the isolated PSU). It provides cooling for the three-bay HDD cage that's just in front of it, and which you can access by undoing the two thumbscrews holding the fan mount in place.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 260 x 355 x 355 (W x D x H)
  
• Material Steel, plastic
  
• Available colours Black, black and red
  
• Weight ~3.5kg
  
• Front panel Power, reset, 2 x fan controllers, 2 x USB 3, 2 x USB 2, stereo, microphone
  
• Drive bays 1 x external 5.25in, 3 x 3.5in/2.5in, 2 x 2.5in
  
• Form factor(s) Micro-ATX, mini-ITX
  
• Cooling 2 x 120mm and 1 x 80mm front fan mounts (2 x 120mm fans included), 3 x 80mm rear fan mounts (1 x 80mm fan included), 2 x 120mm roof fan mounts (fans not included)
  
• CPU cooler clearance 130mm
  
• Maximum graphics card length 300mm
  
• Extras Removable dust filters