Antec P160 Case and 430W TruePower PSU

If it's not a power supply, it's usually a case that I'm reviewing around here. Well, now I have the best of both worlds brought to me by the wonderful people over at Antec. The P160 all-aluminum case, the latest offering from Antec, along with the TruePower 430W PSU are on the chopping block for a run-through and evaluation.

I was really looking forward to taking this case for a spin and seeing what it has to offer. A case that has been comically touted as being made from "recycled fighter jets" by Antec is one that anybody would want to put under the microscope. I have had the opportunity to look at other Antec models in the past and have yet to be disappointed, but can the streak of success continue? I'll stop yapping now; you start reading.

Looking good!

I love shiny new things.

Wow that's a big fan.

This table was taken from Antec's website and shows all of the specs of the P160. Thanks to Antec for providing the table.

The inside of the case is very roomy. There is actually space between the motherboard and the PSU to work with. No more hanky panky between the HSF and PSU to deal with. I also like the fact that I can maneuver and work with components inside the PC with a little less hassle than before. The extra room helps deal with the tangled web of cables and mess that can become a pain in the you know what to any user.

Nice and roomy!

Needs a window, grab a Dremel! :)

Go ahead, open it Houdini!.

One of the best features by far in this case is the removable motherboard tray. Thank the heavens above for a case with a removable tray. I don't know how many times I have been frustrated trying to place a motherboard in the bottom of a case and get everything settled, then have to screw it down and mess with it all deep inside the case. This tray is a great one to use on top of everything. It is held in place by a small retaining bracket that easily comes off with the twist of an attached thumbscrew. Slide the tray to the right....voila!!....it's out of the case and ready to hold a mobo.

The case also features sideways facing internal HDD trays. The snap-in trays fasten to the HDD with special screws (included with case) that attach to the four holes on the bottom of your drive. The ability to place the drives in such a position keeps the pesky IDE cables and power connectors away from the motherboard and the center of the case. This of course helps out with the ever prevalent clutter of a case.

The front of the case features two silver 5.25" drive covers and a drive cover for a 3.5" down below. The lower portion of the case features three decorative bezels adorned with blue LEDs to add a little bling bling to an already strong looking case. The inside of the bezels feature a black grate that holds behind it a removable filter. Behind the filter, a 120mm fan can be attached to the front of the case for airflow.

Speaking of fans, the case does come with one 120mm fan in the back of the case. Along with the fan comes a somewhat interesting installation scheme. We will talk a little more about this later.

The front of the case also features the I/O and temp sensor module at the top. It can swivel approximately 45 degrees top to bottom to keep in eyes view. The power and reset buttons along with two USB ports and a firewire port adorn the top swivel. There are also audio hookups and a temperature monitor that displays measurements from two included thermal sensors inside the case.