-Post pics of your computer-

[Crag2804]

I used to have that monitor, it had a stuck pixel.

[Pirate Neilsouth]

I used to have that monitor, it had a stuck pixel.

Lies , i got it brand new

[SD-[Inc]]

I have a Antec P180 as well and just want to hear comments about other people's Antec P180's. Are they quiet? Mine isn't. It's pretty loud an annoying. 150 for sound proofing? Sounds the same as any regular case.

Only when I set my case fans to lowest is it barely tolerable. I think it's my PSU, I've got a coolmaster 550w PSU.

It really depends on what CPU cooler and PSU you have. I run a 120MM fan at 1500RPMs on my CPU cooler and have a Corsair PSU and my PC can be nearly silent. (I have a P182).

[caveman-jim]

Here's some of my P182b I bought this week. Thanks to Outpost.com, I got it for $45, AR. Free ground shipping got it to me in 2 days, I was expecting a 4-5 day delivery delay - pleased with that.

Haven't had a chance to fire it up yet, this took 9 hours to tear down my old setup and install in my new one because:

• Someone crapped their pants, 4 times.
• Someone lost their toy, 6 times.
• Someone spilled a drink, 4 times.
• Someone got hurt, 7 times, including 1 trip to the E.R., and 1 phone call to the Dr's Office.
• Someone was hungry, and didn't want to eat anything in the house, 2 times.
• It snowed. Snow lasted 2 hours. During this period I was getting food because someone was hungry.
• Someone took/looked at/talked about a toy someone else was using, resulting in crying/fighting/whining.

Here are the pics, fresh from the build table - or the dining room table with a beach towel on it, so cave woman doesn't

Rear 3/4 View


Front 3/4 View


Internals


Internals, again


Back, side panel removed

The only addition I made to the case was a Yate Loon 120mm fan in the upper HD bay, in front of the drive bay. This increases air intake and flow over the graphics card, NB/SB and any HD's you install in the upper chamber.

I like the case, has a very good quality feel to it. During install I found the routing holes for power/data cables to be very good, well matched with the cables on my Corsair VX 550 and the socket locations on the IP35-E motherboard.

I don't understand the purpose of the plastic shield over the upper/lower chamber separation, it seems over designed.
The front case door has a magnet to close it fully, and keep it held closed. USB & audio ports are exposed when the door is open, but air vents are not.
I like the ability to lock the front panel, because then little fingers won't be able to push buttons, but I'd like a cover over the USB/audio ports as well. A nice touch for the case was the dual HD/AC97 front panel audio connector, on the same cable. The case also features a second HD led indicator, if your mobo has two data strobes for HD activity, or you use an add-in controller.

I had to remove the top fan to connect the EPS12v connector to the IP35-E motherboard. This was because of the monster GeminiII heat sink. It's actually a good thing there was a top fan, as I was able to look through the grill to get the connector installed. Would have been a big PITA otherwise.

I installed the PSU inverted from normal position, as there appears to be a bigger gap above the PSU than below for air intake. Also I wanted the PSU switch closer to the left side, as I usually sit with the case on my right side, and this brings it closer if I want to cut off AC supply (for CMOS reset, or during T-storm etc.). This did reduce the length of the cables fractionally, but not enough to prevent any connections or cause any special routing.

I installed my Hauppauge TV card in the middle PCI slot, as installing in the lower PCI slot blocked the upper/lower chamber PSU cable passage, and rendered the card useless - TV connection will not attach to the rear inputs, because of the lower edge of the case extrusion. Look in the first pic, and you'll see what I mean - the backplane is recessed a little, which is great for protecting connections from bumping/bending when the case is pushed against a wall or desk. I do like the PCI slot backplane covers being slotted for extra airflow, as I typically remove mine for the same reason. However, this is another ingress for dust and pet hair.

The case comes with a large box of screws, standoffs, extra HDD rubber mounts, small zip ties and cable restraints. These last were very useful for the hidden routing, see rear pic above. The case is a far from tool-less design, but a lot of obvious thought has been given to accessibility and simplicity. On the back of the upper HD chamber there is a small container, for holding screws etc. A fan retention bracket for the upper HD chamber is included as well. As this precludes the use of the upper HD chamber for devices, I decided to mount a fan in the included, but empty, front 120mm fan holder.

I have set all fans to high, and will report temps/sound level when I fire it up tomorrow. The case sides are very light, but have a layer of material presumably for sound proofing.

For right now, I am very pleased with this purchase. A modern conservative look with nice features, good design and the basics for a thermally advantaged case. For the out-of-pocket expense ($95) I consider it good value for money; for the after rebate price ($45) I consider it a steal. However, I wouldn't pay $170 for it; and heres why:

To consider spending $170 on a case, the workstation inside it would be a considerable investment. For that money I would expect a high quality powerful PSU to be included, or for the case to be a little larger and support extended ATX mobo's (for dual socket setups) and have a larger/more flexible power supply chamber (for redundant power supply setups), and include extender cables for PSU's that cables didn't reach (24pin ATX power, 8pin EPS12v). I'd like for the front door and side panel to include a mesh section for air intake - but that sounds suspiciously like another Antec product...
The one other feature I think this price level case should feature now is an eSATA port or two. As it's basically a SATA cable with a socketed end, it would be a cheap addition (no electronics for straight cable, but a multiplexer wouldn't be too expensive if it depended on motherboard compatibility) but would be a major I/O bonus. There also should be low profile lightweight fan grills on all the installed fans.

If you read all that, thanks and sorry for the long post!

[Mmm_Beefy]

that is still my favorite case ever cj. and you did a great job on the wiring and color coordinating

a few points though.. the lower area plating to seperate the hard drive/ps area.. actually works as its intended.. i was talking to someone who had 3 raptors in there, and they generated alot of heat, he wired it up proper, and closed that chanel off and it lowered the ambient temp on the chipset.. so while minimal i'm sure, its a nice touch to have for the case.

as for the case being worth $170... thats personal preference, and i agree with your points.. but yeah.. i dont regret paying over (at the time) $180 for the case. considering that case will be with me for a long long time.. and many builds to come, i'll get my moneys worth out of it for sure.

i'll be posting pics of the wifes pc up pretty soon. i just built it the other night.

[Debello]

Haven't had a chance to fire it up yet, this took 9 hours to tear down my old setup and install in my new one because:

• Someone crapped their pants, 4 times.
• Someone lost their toy, 6 times.
• Someone spilled a drink, 4 times.
• Someone got hurt, 7 times, including 1 trip to the E.R., and 1 phone call to the Dr's Office.
• Someone was hungry, and didn't want to eat anything in the house, 2 times.
• It snowed. Snow lasted 2 hours. During this period I was getting food because someone was hungry.
• Someone took/looked at/talked about a toy someone else was using, resulting in crying/fighting/whining.

I see you work for Intel

Nice wiring job

[caveman-jim]

that is still my favorite case ever cj. and you did a great job on the wiring and color coordinating

Thanks! I don't really feel like it that much of an achievement, as the case made hiding the wiring so easy, and the PSU was already sleeved. About the only thing I could do now is to cover the unsleeved parts (meh) and find some black SATA cables (again, meh).

a few points though.. the lower area plating to seperate the hard drive/ps area.. actually works as its intended.. i was talking to someone who had 3 raptors in there, and they generated alot of heat, he wired it up proper, and closed that chanel off and it lowered the ambient temp on the chipset.. so while minimal i'm sure, its a nice touch to have for the case.

That's an excellent point, and one well made. Good comment!

as for the case being worth $170... thats personal preference, and i agree with your points.. but yeah.. i dont regret paying over (at the time) $180 for the case. considering that case will be with me for a long long time.. and many builds to come, i'll get my moneys worth out of it for sure.

Yeah, absolutely - this is a long term case for me too.

i'll be posting pics of the wife up pretty soon.

[traitoR]

Really nice case caveman, i`d of probably bought one as well for that price... i thought paying 49.99 plus the 20 bucks for shipping with my 900 was good.

You did a nice clean install How are your temps ? Did they improve ?

What syntax do you use to center your pics...?

[Mmm_Beefy]

i could have sworn i posted pics in this thread before.. but i guess i havnt, just went back all the way to january 07 in the thread...

heres the wifes pc i just put together the other night:

thats her office, and also doubles as my pc work area (not pictured). you can see my Antec 180 series pulling server duty, the specs are in my sig.
note her speakers... my old Monsoons.. STILL going after.. god seems like a decade now. and yes.. i removed the door from the Antec case... i'm just not keen on doors on pc's to block airflow.. and while it could be propped open.. meh, i removed it.. of course.. wife wont let me do the same for hers lol..

heres my new Antec 900 with new interior paint, and dremel work (pic from the other thread, but would like it here as well, sides pimpin your pc is cool)

[Deaderinred]

yes, we are all sure the pink one is your wifes, yes.

[dreamwalker]

In Texas, you leave guns lying around on tables, eh?

[Debello]

In Texas, you leave guns lying around on tables, eh?

I am just shocked there isnt a bottle of Jack Daniels next to it. The AA meetings are held in local bars in Texas also

[Mmm_Beefy]

well allow me to oblige your request



it was on the table, because thats where i took it out of its holster

[Debello]

Here is a couple pics of my Media Center/File server. One of these days I need to clean up the wiring or better yet replaced the PIDE raid with a SATA Raid. Currently it is weighing in at 2TB storage which 1.2TB of it is in a Raid 5.

Sorry no guns or Jack Daniels laying around.

[caveman-jim]

Really nice case caveman, i`d of probably bought one as well for that price... i thought paying 49.99 plus the 20 bucks for shipping with my 900 was good.

You did a nice clean install How are your temps ? Did they improve ?

What syntax do you use to center your pics...?

Haven't fired it up yet, will do so today and report back.

To center pics use the [center]stuff to be centered[/center] tags.

yes, we are all sure the pink one is your wifes, yes.

jealous? c'mon, show us your wifes pink bits!

edit - Debello, needs moar cables

[caveman-jim]

OK, temps are a little better for CPU core (1-4C across the cores), tCase is much better (about 5C lower), PWM is better by ~3C, system temp is down 2-3C as well. Hard drives are much cooler, but haven't loaded them up yet.

Noise is quieter than previous, despite increasing the number of fans. The whine of the 2900XT is gone, muffled by the case. I hear the fans (all set on high) but its not intrusive and less audible than before. I can't hear the corsair psu at all, as before.

[Dr. Zhivago]

I think you need a bigger CPU cooler, Caveboy. The one you got is kinda whimpy...

[moshpit]

In Texas, you leave guns lying around on tables, eh?

Yes, we do

[caveman-jim]

I think you need a bigger CPU cooler, Caveboy. The one you got is kinda whimpy...

It was $5, I ain't complaining.

[Mmm_Beefy]

you live in texas mosh?

[moshpit]

you live in texas mosh?

Right in the heart of Texas. Just outside of Austin, in Round Rock. I love it here.

[Mmm_Beefy]

Right in the heart of Texas. Just outside of Austin, in Round Rock. I love it here.

we should get together and go shooting sometime! i'll bring the jack
i live in houston.. wife works for Continental airlines though... wouldnt cost me jack to fly up

[Dr Gonzo]

well allow me to oblige your request



it was on the table, because thats where i took it out of its holster

HA, a couple of guns and a near empty bottle of JD next to a giant pink case with a pink folder :P

[Mmm_Beefy]

HA, a couple of guns and a near empty bottle of JD next to a giant pink case with a pink folder :P

heh the real funny part is.. the pink case is my wifes.. and so is the beretta 92F on the left.. and shes a good shot.. i wouldnt tease her about her pink case

[Debello]

heh the real funny part is.. the pink case is my wifes.. and so is the beretta 92F on the left.. and shes a good shot.. i wouldnt tease her about her pink case

It would be funnier if the case was yours and the wiskey/guns where hers

[Mmm_Beefy]

heh, nope.. she hates whiskey.. but man, can she pound down the tequila.. almost as good as me with jack daniels

[dreamwalker]

You guys are nuts

[rtangwai]

Since nearly everybody was on my case about my desk clutter, here's a new pair of pictures with my third Samsung 931c SyncMaster installed and most of the crap removed:



Here is a slightly different perspective with a new wallpaper - a volunteer at my work suggested that now that Nicole Kidman is pregnant I needed a new subject (he's obviously never seen Demi Moore's mag layout ):



For some reason I can't figure out it was far easier to find three vertical pictures of Jennifer Love Hewitt than horizontal pictures. With Nicole Kidman it was the reverse. No rude comments please

As you can see, the most annoying aspect of my setup is that the upper row of monitors are set farther back than the lower row. The reason for that is simple - they sit on three milk crates (no, I'm not studying in university anymore ). I've looked at various vertical mounts that would allow me to set up all the monitors properly - every one of mine has VESA mounts in the back so it is possible, but I need three of them and at an average of $250 each that's darn close to how much I paid for all the monitors in the first place. I find the milk crates far more economical Most of the time I don't mind simply because I multitask so each window normally has a process running and not overlapping between windows. My next upgrade will probably involve a quadcore Q6600

Had to change my video card setup due to the newest Catalyst drivers. I am now running an X1950Pro 256MB, an X300 128MB, and an X300 32MB w/HyperMemory. My previous setup with an Asus X1800XL, X800 Crossfire Master, and X300 128MB was having problems with certain 3D video games like Darkstar One and with the Folding@Home GPU client. They seem to be related to multimonitor since the games work fine if I disable the second and third video cards. Fortunately for me my wife plays mostly Neverwinter Nights I/II so she doesn't notice the difference in cards when I switch and she strongly objects to more than two monitor on her desk

[SSXeon]

well allow me to oblige your request



it was on the table, because thats where i took it out of its holster

The Glock 19 is sweet (atleast looks like a 19 could be a 17) but i hate berettas, i want more pics of your clock lol. I really wana get a USP expert .45 one day, those guns are pure sex. Sorry for OT. +REP.

Yes, we do

Nice .357 Magnum?

NICE! She was sooo hot in that sh*tty garfield movie.

[moshpit]

Nice .357 Magnum?

.41 Mag, Ruger Redhawk.

[Mmm_Beefy]

erm.. thats not a glock the letters dont come white like that.. i did that.. with crayola.. a year ago.. after 10k+ rounds down range the crayon job is still holding up nicely.. but it does need some touching up lol.

[SSXeon]

Ahh nice looked like a glock. Nice stuff. Thats a 9mm right?

[Mmm_Beefy]

Ahh nice looked like a glock. Nice stuff. Thats a 9mm right?

yup.. i'm tempted to get the .45 version. their good guns once you get used to the pretravel in the trigger..
damn reliable too

[DaJMasta]

My desktop in it's home.

And the new lapping job on the CPU:



I know there's little scuffs near the edges.... that's the remnants of the nickel plating on the top of it. You wouldn't believe how far I had to go to actually get it level, when I first started going it was immediately obvious where the high spots were as the copper started showing through there first.

[Dr Gonzo]

heh the real funny part is.. the pink case is my wifes.. and so is the beretta 92F on the left.. and shes a good shot.. i wouldnt tease her about her pink case

Not knocking the case, merely the juxtaposition. What is that case BTW?

[Mmm_Beefy]

Not knocking the case, merely the juxtaposition. What is that case BTW?

what? her computer case?
its this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811226025

[Deaderinred]

Since nearly everybody was on my case about my desk clutter, here's a new pair of pictures with my third Samsung 931c SyncMaster installed and most of the crap removed:



Here is a slightly different perspective with a new wallpaper - a volunteer at my work suggested that now that Nicole Kidman is pregnant I needed a new subject (he's obviously never seen Demi Moore's mag layout ):



For some reason I can't figure out it was far easier to find three vertical pictures of Jennifer Love Hewitt than horizontal pictures. With Nicole Kidman it was the reverse. No rude comments please

As you can see, the most annoying aspect of my setup is that the upper row of monitors are set farther back than the lower row. The reason for that is simple - they sit on three milk crates (no, I'm not studying in university anymore ). I've looked at various vertical mounts that would allow me to set up all the monitors properly - every one of mine has VESA mounts in the back so it is possible, but I need three of them and at an average of $250 each that's darn close to how much I paid for all the monitors in the first place. I find the milk crates far more economical Most of the time I don't mind simply because I multitask so each window normally has a process running and not overlapping between windows. My next upgrade will probably involve a quadcore Q6600

Had to change my video card setup due to the newest Catalyst drivers. I am now running an X1950Pro 256MB, an X300 128MB, and an X300 32MB w/HyperMemory. My previous setup with an Asus X1800XL, X800 Crossfire Master, and X300 128MB was having problems with certain 3D video games like Darkstar One and with the Folding@Home GPU client. They seem to be related to multimonitor since the games work fine if I disable the second and third video cards. Fortunately for me my wife plays mostly Neverwinter Nights I/II so she doesn't notice the difference in cards when I switch and she strongly objects to more than two monitor on her desk

that middle top monitor looks like it needs its colour properly calibrating to the rest of them, but apart form that i want to be your wife.

[logical]

Added another monitor:

[Deaderinred]

i see you set your surround sound speakers correctly.

[logical]

i see you set your surround sound speakers correctly.

Buy me some stands for them and I will make it so they are done properly..