Worth upgrading from a P180?

[bageled123]

I'm finally piecing together a new system after 5+ years with my trusty athlon 64 build. There are dozens of new cases, but I don't see a need to buy a new one. Besides the very long high-end cards, is there any reason I should spend another 50-100 for a slightly updated case? I wouldn't be running anything particularly hot (1xgpu) and all 120mm case fans are installed.

Sadly, even a power supply cannot be reused after 5 years. The only parts you can recycle after 5 years are possibly a case and a handful of fans.

 

[Brainonska511]

If it were me: if the case is still solid and I like the styling/noise/cooling (whatever), I wouldn't bother.

 

[Cheesetogo]

I bought my P180 when it came out, and it's still going strong. It's been through about 3 system changes so far, but I really haven't found any cases that I'd rather have. IMO, it's still pretty much the best case for a combination of being quiet and good at cooling.

 

[Homer Simpson]

i have a p182 still that has migrated to my secondary system. still a nice case, but my HAF X is freaking sweet. it is large and roomy inside. so much easier to work in, much better cable management, wheels (lol, its handy cuz its so damn heavy). if a large case isnt your thing, the p180/182 is still decent. the p182 is quieter, but has fewer fans and quieter video and cpu fans than my main rig so that may skew it a bit. back when i initally did the case swap, sound levels were about even between the two but the hafx cooled better.

 

[goobernoodles]

I'd keep it. Then again, I'm biased.

 

[mazeroth]

I've had the same self debate a dozen times. I bought my P180 6 years ago and it's seen 4 builds in that time. I'd love a new case but this one works just fine. I've lost most of the hardware for it so my poor 40GB Intel X25 SSD is just sitting there, unsecured.

As for cooling I am only using the top 120mm fan and it's on low. Temperatures are still great even with only one fan barely moving.

 

[alfa147x]

I just bought a P180

 

[RussianSensation]

Depends on what CPU and GPU you are going to have in there; and if you are going to be overclocking or not. P180 has one of the worst airflows out of any case I can think of. So if you want lower temperatures, it makes sense to upgrade. Otherwise, it's good enough for stock parts.

BTW, what's wrong with reusing a 5 year old PSU? My 520 Watt is still going strong since 2007.

 

[skipsneeky2]

been using my antec 900 since 2007 seems popular for modding i liked how the p180 looked but this case has been good to me it keeps my gtx580 cool which is important even on warm days my card rarely hits over 55cel sure it can be noisy when the fans on are high but 80% of the time its folding,so rather have it safe and stable,then hot and crashing lol me i would keep your p180 case upgrades are hardly worth spending money on

 

[RussianSensation]

been using my antec 900 since 2007 seems popular for modding i liked how the p180 looked but this case has been good to me it keeps my gtx580 cool which is important even on warm days my card rarely hits over 55cel sure it can be noisy when the fans on are high but 80% of the time its folding,so rather have it safe and stable,then hot and crashing lol me i would keep your p180 case upgrades are hardly worth spending money on

So first you provide an example of how a well ventilated Antec 900 case helps to keep your card operating at reasonable temperatures while being loaded to 100% for prolonged period of time, but then you advise the OP to keep his P180, which has little to no airflow? I am not understanding your logic. :\

Alright, then I'll throw some more perspective into the thread.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2346224,00.asp

"Our last case was an Antec P182 (Buy Now), outfitted with four fans (two front intakes, one top exhaust, and one rear exhaust). It stayed around 46 degrees Celsius, except under load when it spiked to 50 or 51 degrees.

The AZZA Solano 1000 peaks at a frosty 38 degrees under load; in the BIOS before booting, it's normally around 32 degrees. That's with a pair of Radeon HD 4870's inside.

Now, the P180 (Buy Now), with all its fans, was loud. We don't have audio measuring equipment here, but we'd compare it to a refrigerator running—it was that loud."

In other words, the P18x series is simply inferior in terms of airflow to modern cases and aren't even that quiet to begin with.

If you require more airflow, you will want to upgrade for sure. Going from Thermaltake Soprano to the Azza Solano alone dropped 8-10*C off my Core i7 860 @ 3.9ghz at load. That's a lot considering the difference between top 5 air coolers is not more than 3-4*C.

There are plenty of cool cases, everything from Raven 3 to Fractal R2 (for noise levels) to Lian Li V-354B (outstanding for a compact case) or Lian Li PC-V1020 (if you want that Apple tower look). Just decide what you want the case to do.

 

[skipsneeky2]

So first you provide an example of how a well ventilated Antec 900 case helps to keep your card operating at reasonable temperatures while being loaded to 100% for prolonged period of time, but then you advise the OP to keep his P180, which has little to no airflow? I am not understanding your logic. :\

Never had experience with the p180 even tho its come across my mind as a option in previous builds.

If he wants a new case im gonna assume cause of lack of airflow perhaps i did suggest the antec 900.

Your right about many choices of cases but some people use what they know and trust.

 

[skipsneeky2]

sorry about the last post,didnt want to include everything you said in the previous post in the quote

 

[note235]

im in the same position, the thing that im looking at is the corsaid obsidian 650d

 

[bageled123]

Thanks for the help everybody, I'm going to keep the case. Another 75 bucks would be better spent on hardware. I never had a problem with temps in the p180. Most people don't seal off all the poorly designed holes all over the case, maybe that's why those test have such bad results.

Are there better cases in size as far as temp/quietness? This case used to be the best of the best when it came out.

 

[dac7nco]

Are there better cases in size as far as temp/quietness? This case used to be the best of the best when it came out.

The AZZA Solano.

Edit: The 180 is still a nice case... I like the Silverstone FT02, which is cheaper if you sell your 180.

 

[Petey!]

I bought a FT02 awhile ago and I'll be using this thing for the foreseeable future until they change something where I can't use it anymore