Antec Keeps Power And Heat Apart

With power and cooling taking on more—not less—importance, even desktops are getting the twice-over when it comes to energy efficiency and thermals.

There are many approaches for system builders to meet these emerging requirements head-on, from deploying new power-saving CPUs from either Intel Corp. or Advanced Micro Devices Inc., to using newer, greener components from one vendor after another.

The Ingredients: • Product Name: Antec Mini P180 • Price: $169.95 • Distribution/Integrators: Ingram Micro, Tech Data, Amax • Company: Antec Inc. Fremont, Calif. www.antec.com

When it comes to chassis and PC enclosures, Antec Inc. is also coming to market with these issues in mind. Case in point: the company's Mini P180 tower case for desktops. The Mini P180 supports microATX motherboards, eight drive bays and up to four fans. But Antec has paid specific attention to thermals with its design that compartmentalizes the system power supply away from the rest of the PC—protecting 90 percent of the system from the heat that component generates.

The Test Center has liked a number of different Antec cases we've looked at this year, and the Mini P180 is no different. While we were sort of bummed out that the case didn't include its own power supply—as other Antec cases do—the design itself made up for it.

The 17-by-8-by-17-inch form factor and glossy black case is nicely put together. Building an Intel-based Core 2 Duo desktop with an Intel board, a single HDD, DVD drive and 2 GB of memory was a snap with Antec's design. While thermal readings can vary depending on the component selection used for each PC, we found that the Mini P180's design gives system builders strong flexibility.

Despite the case's priciness, with OEM flexibility and thermal management remaining key factors, the Test Center recommends it.