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About eight years ago, Antec was one of the leading manufacturers of innovative computer chassis in the mid-price segment. But in 2014, the slump in the desktop market hit them too hard, and, to my deep regret, the brand was forced to curtail its activities in many areas. Disappeared their products and from local stores. I don’t know if it was possible to return the lost positions completely, but now Antec has reappeared in local price lists. And we even managed to get one case – P5 for our review.
Characteristics
| Model | Antec P5 |
|---|---|
| Product page | antec.com |
| Type of shell | Mini-Tower |
| Dimensions, mm | 395 (H) x 195 (W) x 475 (D) |
| Material | Steel, plastic, soundproofing |
| Weight, kg | 6,5 |
| Color | Black |
| Form Factor | MicroATX, Mini-ITX |
| 5.25″ devices | 1 |
| Devices 3.5″ external | – |
| Devices 3.5″ / 2.5″ internal | 2 / 4 (two more 2.5″ can be put in place of 3.5″) |
| Supported number of expansion slots | 4 |
| Fans | front – 2 x 120 mm or 1 x 140 mm (installed) rear – 1 x 120 mm (installed) |
| Interface connectors | 2 x USB 3.0, two 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks |
| Other | Built-in soundproofing front and side panels. Front door, dust filters in front and under the power supply |
| Average cost, $ | 80 |
Packing and scope of delivery
The case box is decorated with monochrome printing. There is a picture of the case with the front door closed and open, specifications in eight languages on the sides of the package, and carrying handles. Against mechanical damage, there are foam dampers and a polyethylene bag inside.
The package includes:
- assembly instructions;
- two solid plugs for expansion slots;
- five disposable plastic cable ties;
- three-pin power splitter for three fans from one molex connector, 300 mm long;
- two rubber plugs for USB ports and two more for 3.5 mm audio jacks;
- two rubber dampers for drives;
- three motherboard racks;
- four case screws for the power supply;
- 8 long screws for 2.5″ drives;
- 16 short screws for motherboard, 2.5″ drives and 5.25″ devices;
- 8 screws for fixing 3.5″ hard drives.
Appearance
The design of the Antec P5 is quite simple. The most notable element in it is the design of the front panel. It is a slightly protruding door due to bevelled edges, which looks like brushed metal, although in reality it is, of course, plastic. The company logo is affixed to the bottom.
The door opening angle is 90 degrees, exclusively to the right side. It is held on two loops and two magnets (in the closed position). On the back of the door there is a dense layer of sound insulation. And directly on the front panel there is one 5.25″ compartment, covered with a solid plug and a removable plastic ventilation grill. There is no gap between the front and the door, it closes tightly.
A dust filter in the form of a fine mesh is fixed behind a removable plastic grille on the reverse side. Its recess is made in such a way as to adjoin the metal part of the front panel, where the fan grille is located. Thus, when the door is closed, air enters the inside of the case through the side edges and the hole from the bottom. And when open, direct flow through the front panel.
External ports are located on the top edge of the front panel. There are two 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks, a small reset button, a round PC start button with a white paired indicator for power and drive activity around the perimeter. Two USB 3.0 ports are located on the right. For all openings in the kit there are rubber plugs against dust accumulation.
The left door is solid, held on by two plastic knurled screws and has a handle for easy disassembly. Interestingly, there are square ventilation holes in the side face of the front panel only in the lower part, and all other squares are purely decorative.
On the reverse side, the left side panel is glued with a 3 mm layer of bituminous sound insulation. The stiffening ribs give it additional strength. Removed by sliding back and to the side.
The right sidebar is a mirror image of the left. However, since their mounting screw holes are at different heights, the doors cannot be swapped.
On the reverse side of the right door there is also a layer of soundproofing material.
The top panel is solid. Nothing remarkable. But it is easy to wipe off the dust.
The back panel of the case is made as standard. One 120 mm fan is fixedly mounted on the exhaust ventilation grill from the inside. There are four PCI expansion slots, all of them are closed with solid plugs. The top two are reusable, and the bottom two are disposable, breakable. To the right of the slots there is another small grate. Mounting holes on the bottom seat of the power supply allow you to put it with the fan down or up.
There are four legs on the bottom panel. The PSU ventilation hole is closed from dust by a metal filter mesh. There are four screws in the middle that can be removed to adjust the position of the hard drive cage by moving it forward or closer to the power supply. A hole for removing the front panel is made in its lower edge. In combination, it performs the role of additional ventilation.
Plastic legs in a metal cage have a soft felt base and a height of 17 mm.
Let’s look at the interior of this chassis.
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