Antec P193 Review

1. Introduction2. The Antec P193 (External)3. The Antec P193 (Internal & Installation: 1)4. The Antec P193 (Internal & Installation: 2)5. Testing Methodology and Performance Results6. Acoustics Testing7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

The PC chassis market now is inundated with models from a plethora of manufacturers, so it gets harder and harder for a design to get noticed, especially by the demanding enthusiast audience.

The size has to be right, the airflow has to good enough to cool the latest hot running components and there has to be enough space inside to ensure a painfree build which supports the latest components.

We have reviewed several Antec products recently and one of our favourites was the Dark Fleet DF 85 chassis. A case which seemed to split opinion with our readers, no one argued it had fantastic airflow properties, but many thought it was rather ugly. The pictures didn't do it justice, as in the flesh I thought it was sinister, yet sexy.

Today's product is sure to appeal to a wider demographic, those who don't like LED lighting … but an audience who still demand a high level of airflow. The Antec P193 is the updated version of the P190, a fantastic EATX chassis which offered a class leading combination of features. The P193 price has been significantly lowered, but more on this later.

Before we look at the chassis, here is a full specifications list.

Features:

• Dual chamber design isolates heat and noise: the power supply resides in a separate chamber to isolate heat and reduce system noise
• Fits heatsink fans up to 140mm: the P193's superior cooling eliminates the need for larger heatsinks
• No power supply included
• Power supply option: comes with a power supply mounting adapter to mount either a standard size power supply or Antec's exclusive CP Series power supply
• Innovative two-layer, sound-deadening side panels (steel, polycarbonate) and three-layer front door (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) dampen noise and ensure Quiet Computing™
• 11 drive bays
• – External 4 x 5.25″; 1 x 3.5″
• – Internal 6 x 3.5″ for HDD
• – Internal 2 x 2.5″ SSD drive bays

Cooling system:

• – 1 rear (standard) 120mm x 25mm exhaust TriCool™ fan
• – 2 top (standard) 140mm x 25mm exhaust TriCool™ fan
• – 1 lower front chamber (optional) 120mm fan for HDD
• – 1 side (standard) 200mm fan for dual graphics cards
• – 1 upper front (optional) 120mm fan for HDD
• – 1 middle (optional) 120mm fan for graphic cards

• CPU cut-out allows for easy installation of CPU coolers
• Cable organizers behind motherboard tray minimize cable clutter

Front-mounted ports provide convenient connections:

• – 2 x USB 2.0
• – 1 x eSATA
• – Audio In and Out (HDA and AC'97 compatible)

• Double hinged door opens up to 270°/li>

• 7 expansion slots
• 0.8mm cold rolled steel chassis for durability
• Maximum video card size: 19″/483mm (Note: some video cards may require removal of the adjacent hard drive cage)
• Compatible Motherboards: Mini-ITX, microATX, Standard ATX and Extended ATX
• Net weight: 35.8 lbs / 16.25 kg
• Gross weight: 41.7 lbs / 18.9 kg

Case dimensions:

• 20.25″ (H) x 8.1″ (W) x 23.25″ (D)
• Actual clearance needed for width is 9.5″ due to the side panel fan
• 51.4 cm (H) x 20.5 cm (W) x 59 cm (D)

Package dimensions:

• – 13.25″ (H) x 25.8″ (W) x 28.75″ (D)
• – 33.7 cm (H) x 65.5 cm (W) x 73 cm (D)

What’s new in the P193

• Front door vents, as well as wider vents along the door frame, improve airflow into the chassis.
• Filters and filter doors are integrated as one unit. The doors themselves have been modified to provide greater airflow, resulting in cooler system temperatures.
• Drive bay covers are vented and include air filters to provide better airflow.
• Lower chamber fan is now located in front of the hard drive cage, allowing for installation of longer PSUs as well as easier cable routing between the lower HD cage and the power supply.
• The Big Boy 200, a 200mm fan, is moved outward to give more clearance for taller heatsinks. Externally removable washable air filter allows for easier maintenance.

The Antec packaging is extremely heavy – weighing almost 20kg. Those with lesser physical strength will have an issue moving it from place to place.

The chassis is firmly wedged between two thick pieces of styrofoam. It arrived completely unmarked, even though it travelled internationally from Antec HQ.

The P193 itself is extremely attractive with a rather simplistic looking front panel, which has several complex cut out panels on the right side for aesthetic appeal. It isn't quite as simple looking as some other cases in the ‘Performance One' range of chassis, but we feel it won't offend people who found the Dark Fleet DF 85 an eyesore.

While it looks as if aluminum is used, its mainly plastic on the front, but Antec have disguised that well – it has a metallic sheen to the finish. There are 2 USB ports, as well as eSATA, microphone and audio out on the right side. There is also a keyhole to open and lock the door if you are safety conscious.

In the same manner as the P190 before it, the P193 has a fascia which can be opened on a double hinge system meaning it rests level with the side panel. This is the ideal system in our opinion as it proves to be a solid, strong system which is not easily broken by accidentally walking into it.

There are two 120mm fan mounts in this area and support for four external 5.25 inch drive bays and a single 3.5 inch bay. All of these are removable bezels – easily accessible by the front of the case and have dust filters installed which also remove easily.

The side panel is home to a 200mm (tricool) fan which is marketed by Antec as the ideal cooling solution for a dual graphics card configuration. The top has 2 x 140mm TriCool fans for exhausting out excess internal heat.

The rear houses a single 120mm Tricool fan and there are also two protected holes for watercooling already cut into the chassis. The 200mm side fan has a bulky dust filtration system which we will look at later.

At the top there are three sets of switches which control the chassis fan speeds across Low, medium and high settings.

Both of the heavy side panels are secured by two sets of painted thumbscrews which can be removed easily by hand. When I say ‘heavy' by the way, I mean do mean heavy. One of these side panels is as heavy as a Lian Li Aluminum chassis.

The insides of both doors are lined with an extra layer of plastic which is bolted onto the steel panel. The door with the 200mm ‘Big Boy' fan weighs almost 3.5 kg !

The inside of the case is not painted black, like many cases we review today and while I would generally class this as a negative, without a windowed side panel you won't be looking at it anyway. There is a section cut for motherboard mounting and back plate replacement – at the top we can see the two 140mm fans and the 120mm rear fan.

The case itself is divided into three main sections. At the rear, down at the bottom is a position for the power supply. The section between the top and bottom areas has a ‘trap door' system for cabling routing.

One of the two hard drive caddies is also here and we are pleased to see that Antec removed the dual PSU mount, replacing it with a single unit mount instead.

Above this are the rest of the drive bays, including the 5.25 inch bays. The removal of the drives is a simple system as each of these bays is easily removed from the case by an ‘unscrew and pull system'. As they are removed parallel to the chassis this alleviates any potential issues with oversized graphics cards.

The top bay can house two 3.5 inch devices while the lower one can fit a further four hard drives which bolt directly to the casing rather than having their own removable trays – it is also good to see rubber grommets at all the screw in points which will help eliminate any vibration. Antec have not fitted any intake fans at the front which is a rather unusual decision. We would like to see at least one fan fitted here as standard because while the 200mm side fan will compensate for air flow, the front section of the chassis will not receive any directly over the drive areas.

The main area is spacious and allows for the fitting of EATX motherboards. There are also holes cut at the top of the chassis to make wiring easier, especially as the fans in this area all require a molex power connector.

The 200mm side panel features a removable dust filter, which sits outside the case. It moves a significant amount of air, so this will need to be cleaned on a fairly regular basis.

The rear of the chassis features mounted plastic cable ties to ensure wiring issues are kept to a minimum.

Most of the cabling is directed through one area at the front, which means routing does not need manual intervention until you reach the rear of the case.

Antec supply a plethora of screws, drive mounts and extras to ensure the system build is as smooth as possible.

Attaching our Thermaltake ToughPower XT 675W PSU took literally a minute and the cables can be routed up through a hole between the lower and upper sections. The PSU rests on rubber stoppers to make sure no vibration passes through the chassis.

The HIS 5870 iCooler Turbo fitted along with the ASRock Extreme 4 motherboard and Coolink Corator DS. We unfortunately found that the Corator DS pressed against the internal 200mm Fan housing – it is 155mm in length. The door would shut, but it was a little bit of a struggle to get it closed with the screws. The fan thankfully was still spinning, but we would like to see a little more space here, even if it has been improved from the P190 design.

This main chamber is big enough to fit two large graphics cards such as nVidia GTX 295's with the big side fan ensuring they get good airflow directly over the PCB's.

The rear delivers many options for routing cables out of sight, but with all the fans requiring molex connectors there can be quite a mess on this side. Taking a little bit of time reaps dividends later as the door will sometimes not shut correctly if a molex connector is in the wrong place.

For testing today we are using an AMD Phenom 1055T based system.

Antec Dark Fleet DF 85 Full Tower Case

KitGuru AMD reference gaming system:
Processor: AMD Phenom 1055T
Cooler: Noctua NH C12P SE14 Cooler
Motherboard: MSI 890 GXM-G65
Graphics: eVGA GTX460 Superclocked
PSU: Coolermaster 700w
Hard Drive: Intel 80GB SSD
Memory: Kingston 8GB DDR3 1600mhz

Windows 7 Ultimate Edition 64bit

Thermal Diodes
Raytek Laser Temp Gun 3i LSRC/MT4 Mini Temp
Digital Sound Level Noise Decibel Meter Style 2

Firstly let us have a look at the chassis design and airflow, as it comes ‘out of the box’.

As Antec don't include any front mounted fans as standard we are left with an dead zone at the front of the chassis. This won't really prove much of an issue if you are using an SSD or single 7,200 rpm drive, but for those of you with multiple drives and perhaps a few 10k Raptor units, this area could quickly heat up when under load.

All intake duties are handled by the 200mm Tri Cool fan at the side which pushed air directly over the graphics cards and motherboard. The remaining 2x 140mm and 1x 120mm Tri Cool fans handle exhaust duties.

We have placed thermal diodes in 5 case positions – 1; top optical drive bay position. 2; hard drive position. 3; top area between CPU and fan exhaust positions. 4; above PSU, graphics card (s) area. 5; motherboard central ‘dead zone’ area.

We test with our AMD 1055T at reference clock speeds and voltages. Nothing else is overclocked. Room Ambient temperatures in our labs are maintained at a constant 25c with air conditioning. Load is measured by running Cinebench R11.5 in a loop with Furmark, worst temperatures are recorded through a duration of 20 minutes.

All case fans were set to med way settings to keep noise to a limit (more on this later).

The case maintains internal ambient temperatures with our diodes at room temperature which is a great set of results. As expected the ambient air at the front 1/3 of the case raises a few degrees however the exhaust fans are powerful enough to ensure that still air won't hang, even this far forward.

We installed a 120mm fan at the front of the case – The SwiF2 1201 which we reviewed a while ago.

Several of the diode temperatures dropped by a single degree, specifically those at the front area of the case.

Next we cranked the system speeds, increasing core voltage on the 1055T and overclocking it to 4ghz. We left the additional 120mm fan installed at the front.

These are a good set of results only slightly higher than the DF85 we reviewed a while ago.

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

Today to test the Antec chassis we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our Digital Sound Level Noise Decibel Meter Style 2 one meter away from the case. We have turned off the Coolink 120mm fan we installed in the front of the case as we want to measure noise from the chassis, just as people will buy it ‘out of the box’. The room rates as 21dBa before powering on the system (air conditioning unit in the far corner of the room causes this).

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

We have removed the GTX460 and replaced it with a Sapphire HD5670 Ultimate edition. The only fans now running are the 140mm Noctua fan on the CPU cooler and the case fans supplied by Antec.

At maximum settings, the case is generating around 46 dBa of noise which is easily noticeable, switching to medium reduces the noise to around 37dBa. Finally the low setting rates at 34dBa which is barely noticeable.

With fans on high, I find the noise of this chassis very noticeable and rather annoying, I could not live with this case at those settings. Medium is not as painful, however I prefer the low setting. This only has the effect of raising most of the temperatures in our testing by 2-3 degrees however if you were using a high powered graphics card such as the GTX480 you could always just set the 200mm ‘Big Boy' side panel fan to medium settings, while leaving the remainder on low. The Dark Fleet DF85 moves as much air on low as the P193 does on medium settings.

The 200mm fan pushes 83 cfm at low, 108 cfm at medium and 134 cfm at high. Without it, there is no intake at all, so we would advise that people manually fit a 120mm front intake fan and keep the 200mm fan at low settings.

The P193 is an excellent chassis which is set to make a mark in the historical line up of Antec Performance designs. We also like the fact than when compared to the P190, the price has dropped by around £100.

The build quality as with all Antec products is first class and the chassis is literally the ‘tank' of the chassis world, with the side panel alone weighing 3.3kg! You will not be lugging this around to your LAN parties on a regular basis, that is for sure.

The P193 however might offend followers of the P190, as the design is a little more aggressive  in areas and generally not as subdued. The side panel mount for instance is sure to divide opinion as it protrudes noticeably from the chassis and the insides are still slightly limited when fitting the tallest CPU coolers on the market. When we fitted our Coolink Corator DS it barely allowed us to close the door for instance.

While the two cases are targeting a different market, I prefer the Antec DF 85 Dark Fleet. There are many reasons why … the cooling system is more balanced and better implemented, while maintaining slightly quieter levels of performance at similar air flow levels. The painted internal looks better and it comes with a side panel to show off your handywork. The top caddy system is useful and works great for backups and transferring files. Bigger coolers are also easier fitted and the side panels aren't so heavy.

At the end of the day however, whether the P193 appeals to you is down to individual taste – it wouldn't personally be at the top of my list, but there is no denying that it does a very good job and is built to the highest of Antec standards. It currently costs around £126 inc vat.

KitGuru says: The P193 is another quality product from Antec.

Become a Patron!