Most custom-built PCs today have gaudy cases, with flashy blue neon lights, and LED fans. Antec is taking a different approach with the new minimalistic Mini P180 mini-tower case, which builds on top of their award winning P180 and P182 cases in a compact design, perfect for LAN parties. How does it perform? Is it worth the money? Find out after the jump.

Antec has had the “Perfomance One” series for a while now, with huge critical acclaim. The Mini P180 is the newest case in this superb lineup. This is the smaller version, but don’t kid yourself that it is a tiny case compared to most more expensive products.

While most cases seem to be made of cheap, thin steel, the Antec Mini P180 feels like the most solid case I have ever used. The side panels are coated with a three-layer system (Aluminum, Plastic, and Aluminum). This helps to substantially cut down on the sound. Also, there is a 200mm fan on the top of the case, which not only improves the air flow, but runs quietly, due to the size. The ratio of heat to sound can also be controlled by a fan controller on the back, with separate switches for the top 200mm fan and the rear 120mm fans.

The Mini P180 also features 8 drive bays, including two removable 3.5” sections with 5 slots in total. These can be moved around to accommodate full size ATX parts, such as a graphics card in a MicroATX case. The front of the case has a 270 degree swinging hinge door, which hides the optical drives, fan filters, and power buttons. This door does not seem nearly as intrusive or useless as other cases I have seen. The front of the case also features 2 USB ports, audio out and in ports, and an eSATA port. The eSATA port comes with a converter cable to just plug into your motherboard’s SATA port, without any specialized hardware.

The interior of this case is where the Antec design really shines. The interior is complete flat black (in the black edition, which we reviewed), which while it looks great, isn’t the main point of focus. All of the design that went into the functionality of this case is immense. The removable hard drive bays make it simple to change a hard drive, and don’t require any screws. The drives are mounted on removable trays, with silicon grommets to help reduce the vibration coming from hard drives to prevent wear on the drive, and sound coming from the case. The cable management system is also great if you are obsessive about obtaining maximum airflow and looks by routing every cable meticulously.

While this case does not include a power supply, Antec shipped us this case also with a NeoPower 650watt power supply. This is a great power supply from my testing. Unlike other manufactures that don’t deliver the labeled amount of power, Antec pulls through. There is a modular cable system that allows you to plug in only the cables you need, which also reduces clutter and improves airflow. This power supply is also nVidia SLI certified, so it will work with dual video card setups.

Overall, Antec really has a great thing on their hands with the entire “Perfomance One” P series line of cases. Between the simple and elegant look of the case, and the great internal design, I would recommend this case to anyone looking to build a MircoATX computer.

The Antec Mini P180 currently retails for $160 without a power supply, and comes in white or black. Find it at Amazon.com here.

Pros

• Excellent cable management.
• Nearly silent.
• Stylish black interior.

Cons

• Price.
• No included power supply.

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