Concerns regarding an Antec P190

[MilkmanAl]

I'm going to be building a new system soon. It's been about 7 years since my last new computer, so needless to say, I'm a bit out of the loop. Anyway, I've decided that I want to build my system in a P190, and I have a few concerns:

1) I've read that running the motherboard and hard drives on separate power supplies can lead to a dramatically increased rate of disk failures and data loss. Has anyone had these problems with this case?

2) The 200mm fan protrudes into the case very far. Will I be able to run an SLI configuration and stick a Zalman 9700 on my PCU despite the wasted space?

3) OMGWTFPRICE. This case is freaking expensive, but it seems to be exactly what I want (a giant case with great cooling). Are there any alternatives I should consider? It seems to me like the dual PSU configuration is a very effective way to power a system, but I'm not averse to buying a nice case and putting a single PSU in it if that's the way to go.

Thanks in advance for any information you may have.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

What other components are you going to be using to justify the use of the P190?

 

[MilkmanAl]

If I had to build it today, I'd run the following:

Q6600 (with moderate overclocking)
8 GB PC-6400 RAM
some 780i motherboard (probably ASUS)
2 8800 GT's in SLI
maybe a nice sound card
2 500 GB hard drives (probably the 32 MB cache one from Seagate)

I'll almost certainly wait until the G92 refreshes of the 8800 GTX/Ultra and Intel's 45 nm processors come out, and I'd also like to see how the whole 3-chip thing works out for the 780i boards as far as long-term reliability goes. I'm interested in how the other 700 series boards look, too.

I'm aware that the P190 is probably overkill in terms of power and space for what I'm running, but I'd rather buy something great and have no regrets than cut a few corners and wish I'd shelled out a bit more for the top-end item. I also want to leave myself plenty of room (physically and power-wise) for future upgrades.

 

[TemjinGold]

I'm going to be running close to what you are running but w/ only 1 GFX card. The P182 I'm getting should work fine for you.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

For that matter any of the p180 series would work quite well.

I'll also suggest you look into some Lian Li's given you budget and the styling and performance of the one you've asked about. Specifically the PC-A71 or the PC-V2000 series or PC-V1000 series. The PC-A71 is an awesome case with tons of cooling potential and the 2000 series are a similar design to the anted 190 with some obvious brand differences while the 1000 is nearly identical to the 2000 just smaller.

 

[CurseTheSky]

For what you're running, a smaller case should be fine, UNLESS you're planning on watercooling, adding tons of hard drives or DVD burners, or really hate cramped spaces. Look into the larger midtowers like other suggested. The P182 (which I just ordered) seems to be a great case.

The P190 looks like a hell of a case, but it's far too expensive for my tastes. A single, decent-wattage, high-quality PSU should get the job done; the 1200ish watts of power in the P190 seems like a waste to me, unless you're planning in triple SLI, huge RAID arrays, etc.

Otherwise, look into some other fulltower cases. The Silverstone TJ-07 is highly regarded. The CoolerMaster Cosmos, Thermaltake Armor, and many Lian-Li cases are also great options.

Edit: just curious... why 8GB? For years I've bought the best I can possibly afford all at once, and upgraded 1.5-2 years later. Now I've come to the conclusion that it's more efficient (except time wise) to buy mid-range internals and upgrade when something revolutionary comes out. For example, I love my 8800GTX, but I sure will be itching when the next generation of cards come out. Not trying to sway you either way, just curious.

 

[PCTC2]

If you sort of look at it, it's really only a $250 case, much like the other P18X series, but it has two mediocre power supplies to boost the price to $400, but you can get it for around $330 now.

I run basically the same setup in my current P182, but with more drives. I think you'd be fine, if not better, buying a P18X with a better single power supply.
I myself am getting a P190 and replacing the 650W PSU with a PSU of my choice because I'm going to watercool, using the 550W to only power fans, the pump, and any lighting I put in (I'm putting in a custom window). But I would personally run my computer on a single PSU.

I say the P182 would be a better bet.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Wow, thanks for the input, everyone. It's all very helpful.

For what you're running, a smaller case should be fine, UNLESS you're planning on watercooling, adding tons of hard drives or DVD burners, or really hate cramped spaces.

I'll probably have 2 burners in there, but I'm definitely not going to watercool. I doubt I'll ever be doing anything with my computer that would require that much cooling and, frankly, I don't trust the cooling system to not leak or drip condensation over the ~5 years I plan on having this system. Maybe that's paranoid, but if watercooling is not absolutely necessary, I'd rather not take the risk.

just curious... why 8GB?...I've come to the conclusion that it's more efficient (except time wise) to buy mid-range internals and upgrade when something revolutionary comes out.

Because good memory is cheap at the moment and I'd rather get everything I want when I'm building the system than tinker with it repeatedly. My technical expertise is...uh...a bit lacking, to say the least. I'll be doing well to overclock the CPU without frying something. I'm also sort of trying to combine the two approaches you mentioned. That is, I'll be buying the midrange to high-end revolutionary parts. That's a big reason I've held off so long; I want a 45nm processor, assuming the new line is of comparable quality to the recent Intel efforts.

The P190 looks like a hell of a case, but it's far too expensive for my tastes. A single, decent-wattage, high-quality PSU should get the job done; the 1200ish watts of power in the P190 seems like a waste to me, unless you're planning in triple SLI, huge RAID arrays, etc.

Yeah, I know 1200 Watts is far more than I'll probably ever need, but that's not much of a concern to me. I'd rather have far too much than plenty if the difference is only ~$50-100. I do worry about the quality (mainly in terms of reliability and efficiency) of the power supplies, though. It seems like everyone agrees that they're mediocre at best, and that's not exactly thrilling.

I've looked through the cases you all suggested, and the P182 is certainly very high on my list of alternatives to the P190. The Lian Li cases are great, but I feel like they're priced too high for what they offer. The Antec 900 has great cooling, but it's apparently pretty noisy since it lacks the sound-dampening wall the P182 and P190 have.

The only thing I worry about is cooling with the P182. I know it has 3 120mm exhaust fans, and there is space for 2 front-mounted fans, too, correct? That's pretty substantial, I suppose, but I'm really going to be a stickler about keeping this system cool. If my electronics class taught me anything, it's that excessive heat in circuits decreases efficiency and operating life dramatically. Combine that fact with my technical ineptitude, and the cooling is pretty much the only thing I feel like I can competently control. If 2 "push" and 3 "pull" fans can provide excellent cooling without making too much noise, let me know. I sure will miss that sexy 200mm side exhaust fan, though.

 

[dealmaster00]

Originally posted by: MilkmanAl
Wow, thanks for the input, everyone. It's all very helpful.

For what you're running, a smaller case should be fine, UNLESS you're planning on watercooling, adding tons of hard drives or DVD burners, or really hate cramped spaces.

I'll probably have 2 burners in there, but I'm definitely not going to watercool. I doubt I'll ever be doing anything with my computer that would require that much cooling and, frankly, I don't trust the cooling system to not leak or drip condensation over the ~5 years I plan on having this system. Maybe that's paranoid, but if watercooling is not absolutely necessary, I'd rather not take the risk.

just curious... why 8GB?...I've come to the conclusion that it's more efficient (except time wise) to buy mid-range internals and upgrade when something revolutionary comes out.

Because good memory is cheap at the moment and I'd rather get everything I want when I'm building the system than tinker with it repeatedly. My technical expertise is...uh...a bit lacking, to say the least. I'll be doing well to overclock the CPU without frying something. I'm also sort of trying to combine the two approaches you mentioned. That is, I'll be buying the midrange to high-end revolutionary parts. That's a big reason I've held off so long; I want a 45nm processor, assuming the new line is of comparable quality to the recent Intel efforts.

The P190 looks like a hell of a case, but it's far too expensive for my tastes. A single, decent-wattage, high-quality PSU should get the job done; the 1200ish watts of power in the P190 seems like a waste to me, unless you're planning in triple SLI, huge RAID arrays, etc.

Yeah, I know 1200 Watts is far more than I'll probably ever need, but that's not much of a concern to me. I'd rather have far too much than plenty if the difference is only ~$50-100. I do worry about the quality (mainly in terms of reliability and efficiency) of the power supplies, though. It seems like everyone agrees that they're mediocre at best, and that's not exactly thrilling.

I've looked through the cases you all suggested, and the P182 is certainly very high on my list of alternatives to the P190. The Lian Li cases are great, but I feel like they're priced too high for what they offer. The Antec 900 has great cooling, but it's apparently pretty noisy since it lacks the sound-dampening wall the P182 and P190 have.

The only thing I worry about is cooling with the P182. I know it has 3 120mm exhaust fans, and there is space for 2 front-mounted fans, too, correct? That's pretty substantial, I suppose, but I'm really going to be a stickler about keeping this system cool. If my electronics class taught me anything, it's that excessive heat in circuits decreases efficiency and operating life dramatically. Combine that fact with my technical ineptitude, and the cooling is pretty much the only thing I feel like I can competently control. If 2 "push" and 3 "pull" fans can provide excellent cooling without making too much noise, let me know. I sure will miss that sexy 200mm side exhaust fan, though.

I think that 5 fans would most definitely be sufficient for your proposed system setup.

Also wanted to add that getting 1 good power supply is better than getting 2 mediocre power supplies, even if the 2 PSes have a higher combined power rating.

 

[shabby]

1) i've seen some small blurbs on this, but havent noticed this
2) definetly wont fit, but you can sort of "fix" this like i did http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5574/p1902ff6.jpg
3) nice things cost money, spoil yourself

 

[mageslayer]

Linkyforget the antec. get this!

Get this power supply-link

 

[Quiksilver]

Wait... isn't the P182 the same exact thing as the P190, the only different being that the P190 comes with a power supply? or I wrong somewhere

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: mageslayer
Linkyforget the antec. get this!

Get this power supply-link

The stacker just doesn't stack up against cases like the antec p18x and 190 cases or the highest end lian-li's like the v1xxx and v2xxx or the silversont tj-XX, sorry. It's a great case but, just not on the same playing field as some.

That power supply doesn't look bad, I love the single 12V rail but, I'd like to see what it's functional efficiency is by a 3rd party like AT because >80% at full load is not only not up there with some touting >85% but, it will very rarely ever be at full load where it's efficiency is the highest, it's the scale that really matters, what's it efficiency when everythings at idle and only sucking up 300W?

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1
Wait... isn't the P182 the same exact thing as the P190, the only different being that the P190 comes with a power supply? or I wrong somewhere

very very close but, not quite look really close at the pictures on newegg and you'll find a couple subtle differences.

 

[PCTC2]

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1
Wait... isn't the P182 the same exact thing as the P190, the only different being that the P190 comes with a power supply? or I wrong somewhere

The P190 is the SAME as a P180B, except
1) Has 2 power supplies: a 650W and a 550W
2) Is extended so it supports EATX boards = more room
3) Has 2x 140mm Exhaust Fans

and that's about it.

 

[MilkmanAl]

All right, It looks like the P182 is what I want, then. The extra couple inches probably won't make that much of a difference, anyway, though I'll miss that giant fan.

I was thinking about using this PSU or perhaps the 1100W version. I've heard good things about Tagan and those PSU's in particular, but, again, I'm open to suggestions.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: MilkmanAl
All right, It looks like the P182 is what I want, then. The extra couple inches probably won't make that much of a difference, anyway, though I'll miss that giant fan.

I was thinking about using this PSU or perhaps the 1100W version. I've heard good things about Tagan and those PSU's in particular, but, again, I'm open to suggestions.

The first one should do quite nicely unless you go too nutso with the computer, I ESPECIALLY like the single 12v rail. There is a reason high end server powersupplies still use single 12v rails.

 

[Quiksilver]

Originally posted by: PCTC2

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1
Wait... isn't the P182 the same exact thing as the P190, the only different being that the P190 comes with a power supply? or I wrong somewhere

The P190 is the SAME as a P180B, except
1) Has 2 power supplies: a 650W and a 550W
2) Is extended so it supports EATX boards = more room
3) Has 2x 140mm Exhaust Fans

and that's about it.

yeah, I was looking at the newegg pic's thought it looked bigger, the additional fans are nice but for the price I wouldn't pay it. Antec should sell it for $200 without the 2 power supples, which would be a much better deal.

I was thinking about using this PSU or perhaps the 1100W version. I've heard good things about Tagan and those PSU's in particular, but, again, I'm open to suggestions.

For your setup your not going to even need a huge PSU like that, just about anything over 750W is overkill(and thats after adding a some power padding). If anything, I'd just get this PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817608007

(There's a 750W version I think $30 cheaper, but I'd just get this one anyway for its about the same price as other good 750W PSU's)

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1

Originally posted by: PCTC2

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1
I was thinking about using this PSU or perhaps the 1100W version. I've heard good things about Tagan and those PSU's in particular, but, again, I'm open to suggestions.

For your setup your not going to even need a huge PSU like that, just about anything over 750W is overkill(and thats after adding a some power padding). If anything, I'd just get this PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817608007

(There's a 750W version I think $30 cheaper, but I'd just get this one anyway for its about the same price as other good 750W PSU's)

Who makes etasis? Tagans are much more reputable, I'd trust my system to one a lot sooner than to an off brand, especially one that inexpensive. you get what you pay for.

 

[Quiksilver]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1
I was thinking about using this PSU or perhaps the 1100W version. I've heard good things about Tagan and those PSU's in particular, but, again, I'm open to suggestions.

For your setup your not going to even need a huge PSU like that, just about anything over 750W is overkill(and thats after adding a some power padding). If anything, I'd just get this PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817608007

(There's a 750W version I think $30 cheaper, but I'd just get this one anyway for its about the same price as other good 750W PSU's)

Who makes etasis? Tagans are much more reputable, I'd trust my system to one a lot sooner than to an off brand, especially one that inexpensive. you get what you pay for.
(Fixed broken quote pyramid)

Dunno, I just know they are used for 1U + servers and other high-end stuff. Etasis makes high-quality stuff, higher than that of tagan and that is a fact.

Review of it at JG:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=50

Their website is nice source of info (rather honest tbh) Here's that psu on their site:
http://www.etasis.com.tw/en/pr...reid=&nexid=P_00000095

 

[PCTC2]

Etasis is a good server-quality powersupply. :thumbsup:

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1
I was thinking about using this PSU or perhaps the 1100W version. I've heard good things about Tagan and those PSU's in particular, but, again, I'm open to suggestions.

For your setup your not going to even need a huge PSU like that, just about anything over 750W is overkill(and thats after adding a some power padding). If anything, I'd just get this PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817608007

(There's a 750W version I think $30 cheaper, but I'd just get this one anyway for its about the same price as other good 750W PSU's)

Who makes etasis? Tagans are much more reputable, I'd trust my system to one a lot sooner than to an off brand, especially one that inexpensive. you get what you pay for.
(Fixed broken quote pyramid)

Dunno, I just know they are used for 1U + servers and other high-end stuff. Etasis makes high-quality stuff, higher than that of tagan and that is a fact.

Review of it at JG:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=50

Their website is nice source of info (rather honest tbh) Here's that psu on their site:
http://www.etasis.com.tw/en/pr...reid=&nexid=P_00000095

good to know, thanks. Last powersupply I bought for personal use was an S12 II, besides that I'm usually using supermicro for servers and PCP&C for desktops because stupid customers think they know what their talking about and deside to give a bunch of lip to the guy they pay too much money to for computers. *shrug*