| Antec P1000 Computer Case Prototype |
| News - Featured Website News | |
| Written by Olin Coles | |
| Tuesday, 13 January 2009 | |
Antec P1000 PreviewAntec has been the top choice for system builders and hardware enthusiasts for almost a decade now, which is quite surprising when you consider the competition. But the good old days of beige box computer cases with plenty of fans lining the inside are long gone. To achieve market dominance in 2009, you have to manufacturer a product that features everything more would consider desirable. While visiting with Mr. Han Liu, Antec's product development director present at the 2009 International CES, Benchmark Reviews discussed the Antec P1000 gaming chassis prototype. The P1000, which is expected to join the the ranks of other gaming and Performance One series products, fills a void in the Antec product line. That void, best described as original design and styling, has been the Achilles heal for Antec over the past two years. Benchmark Reviews tested Antec P180B in 2006, and at the beginning of 2007 we reviewed the nearly-identical Antec P182 which did nothing more than address some glaring problems with the first design. Of course Antec couldn't resist over-exploiting the design, and months later the Mini P180 was born. Making a long story short, it's refreshing to see that Antec is moving forward with fresh designs heading into 2009. There are several new innovations found on the prototype P1000 we examined (shown below). In essence, the Antec P1000 introduces a more component-based architecture. The compartmentalized design extends from integrated fan speed dials to integrated power-wire looms. The final blueprint is yet to get a stamp, but from the design we handled it was nearly ready for production.
About the company: AntecI've used Antec case and power supplies for several years. In fact, my primary desktop rests safely inside an Antec P182 mid tower case. Not all of their products are an instant hit, but you can always expect high quality parts and product design that reflects a thorough understand of an end user's needs. Here is what Antec has to say about themselves:
"Antec, Inc. is the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in the industry and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of quiet, efficient and innovative products. Antec has also achieved great success in the distribution channel, meeting the demands of quality-conscious system builders, VARs and integrators. Antec's offering of enclosures includes a wide range of cases, such as its advanced Performance One Series, economical New Solution Series and VERIS family of media components designed for the home theater PC market. Antec's products also include front line power supplies, such as its premium Signature Series, powerful TruePower Quattro Series and EarthWatts, one of the most environmentally friendly power supplies available. PC gamers are an increasingly significant consumer of performance components, and many Antec products are designed for the gaming demographic, like the premier gamer enclosure: the Nine Hundred. Antec also offers a line of computer accessories comprising many original products, including its patented LED fans and notebook cooling solutions. Antec is headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, as well as in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China and Taiwan. The company's products are sold in more than 40 countries throughout the world. Please visit www.antec.com for more information. As part of its commitment to the gaming industry, Antec is a member of the non-profit organization PC Gaming Alliance, with Senior Vice President Scott Richards sitting on the board of directors." Antec P1000 DetailsAntec had plenty of products to show us at their off-site presentation inside the Wynn hotel, with the Antec P1000 computer case capturing our attention from the very start. Although this is an early pre-production prototype of the gaming enclosure they hope to soon market, I was told that many of the features seen here will be found on the final retail product. Overall, what consumers can expect is a full-tower ATX computer chassis with more than a few industry-first innovations. Antec has also started to market a series of special power supply unit products geared towards the P1000. One particular model is their CP-850, which is an extended form-factor power supply intended to offer silent yet cool and efficient computing. The P1000 can house a standard (or extended) ATX power supply unit, but Antec is really working hard to pair the P1000 chassis to the CP-850 PSU. Not only is the CP-850 a 1.5x height power supply which will fit the oversize bay, it is also one of the few units that will be designed to integrate with the central power distribution block and wiring looms (similar to the Ultra m998 ULT40069). I am not particularly impressed with oversize power supply units, especially when equally silent versions are available in standard ATX form factor, but time will tell which way Antec goes with this design. Similar to the P180/P182 series, the power supply resides in a nearly-sealed chamber. This isolates thermal radiation, but it also channels airflow directly through the storage drives (first) and then the PSU (last). With a fan positioned in front of the drive bay cage, there won't be a repeat of the pesky middle fan that would often cramp PSU cables. 
Two particular features jumped out at me when I inspected the P1000. The first standout item was integrated fan speed control dials. At the lower-right corner of each fan was a small pencil-eraser sized knob for changing the fan speed. The old design, which I will admit was far from ideal, featured wires and tethered control blocks. The new design save a lot of clutter, and makes each fan tunable directly from the exterior of the computer case. The second item was the lack of a CPU cooler motherboard tray knock-out for mounting the unit without removing all of the hardware. When I explained that the Cooler Master ATCS 840 owes a portion of its success to this feature, Mr. Liu exclaimed that not many people change their CPU cooler after building the computer. I politely argued that the very person who buys a case like the P1000 will be the person who also changes hardware more frequently than the average casual computer user. This is why we are referred to as enthusiasts, and why Antec will keep selling products. In the end, there's no telling what to expect from Antec. I concede that they rule the industry, but not before wondering how they've done it. They make good products, but not enough to keep a repeat consumer base coming back. Perhaps the P1000 is exactly what they need. Questions? Comments? Benchmark Reviews really wants your feedback. We invite you to leave your remarks in our Discussion Forum.
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