Antec P180 and Seasonic S12-500 / S12-600

[mubs]

The ATX motherboard cable on the two Seasonics is only 16 inches long.

The motherboard in question has the 24-pin ATX connector and the 8-pin 12-volt connector in the upper right corner.

Considering that the power supply in the P180 is at the bottom, will the length be enough? Without obstructing anything else and impeding airflow?

Anybody running this particular combo of parts? I have none of the parts so before I goof up and buy incompatible stuff thought I'd ask.

Thanks.

 

[Tannin]

Can't answer directly, Mubs, but I can't remember meeting power cables that I couldn't make reach anytime lately. I am under the impression that this stuff is rather tightly specified by whatever industry bodies decide these things these days - a far cry from the anything goes mayhem of former years.

 

[Groltz]

I am running that combo, Mubs. (P180 + S12-600)

The 8-pin harness wasn't used and I did not require an extension for the 24-pin main harness.

I did need two extensions for the 4-pin aux power harness so I could route it the way I wanted.

TEMPORARY PIC (Path and connections of 4-pin harness/extensions marked)

 

[Mercutio]

When I bought my first P180, I bought a 24-pin extension cable at the same time. I kind of fiddled about with several different PSUs (HEC, Sparkle and later Enermax). I can't recall a motherboard that has ATX power on the very top edge of the board, but in my estimation that would be the only time you'd need an extension.

Makes me wonder what kind of freakish arrangement of parts you'd need that you'd have to actually use an ATX power extension.

 

[mubs]

Thanks, Tannin.

Thanks, Groltz. What are the 4-pin harnesses used for? How is it that you didn't need to use the 8-pin? I thought all recent MBs and modern CPUs required it? What motherboard & CPU are you using? Are those Nexii 120mm fans? Does the system run cool?

I'm planning to use a Thermalright XP-120 + 120mm Nexus with the fan sucking air away from the heatsink (X2 4400). I'd like to exhaust the CPU air to the top fan using a duct. I'd also like to get a VGA cooler for the video card to exhaust GPU heat directly out through a PCI slot. That means the rear 120mm won't have much to do. I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks!

 

[mubs]

Merc: SPCR has a review of the P180 where they used a MB with the 4-pin power connector at the top left of the MB. The Seasonic had S12-430 18" cables, but they still had extreme difficulty plugging it in because the PS is at the bottom.

Groltz: where did you buy the extension cables?

 

[Groltz]

What are the 4-pin harnesses used for?
According to my MB manual: "ATX 12V Power Connector: This 12V power connector is used to provide power to the CPU." I think these 4-pin harnesses first came out on early Pentium 4 MB's...They've been on many of the MB's made since then.

How is it that you didn't need to use the 8-pin?
Not to be a smart ass, but all I can say is "Because my MB doesn't require it." My MB does make use of a full 24-pin main connector, though.

I thought all recent MBs and modern CPUs required it?
This MB is a current edition nForce4 Ultra chipset and it doesn't need it

What motherboard & CPU are you using?
MB: MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 4800+ X2 - Toledo core -- Running currently at 12 x 220MHz (2640MHz)

Are those Nexii 120mm fans?
Nope, they are not Nexus fans. They are Yate-Loon D12SL-12's. Yate-Loon manufactures Nexus fans. The fans they sell under their own name are essentially identical except cost half as much.

Does the system run cool?
This machine runs at 100% CPU load 24/7 and is overclocked by 240MHz. In this condition I'm at 47°C-CPU 32°C-System with an ambient of about 68°F in this room. For CPU cooling I've been through 3 different coolers in experimentation. A Thermalright XP90-C, a Thermaltake Big Typhoon, and finally what I've found the best: the ThermalRight SI-120. The fan I'm using is a Delta EFB1212SHE 120 x 38mm through a 50-watt rheostat and dialed down to a pleasant noise level (2375rpm). The fans blows down through the heatsink.

Where did you buy the extension cables?
From Here

 

[mubs]

You da man, Groltz! Thank you, thank you!

The manual for the LanParty UT NF4 SLI-DR Expert board I'm planning to get states that it is preferable to use the 8-pin, and to use the 4-pin if the 8-pin is not available. Since the Seasonics have it, I might as well use the 8-pin. BTW the board uses the nForce4 SLI chipset.

I knew Nexus was getting their fans made by someone, but had no idea it was Yate-Loon. Would you please let me know where I might find 'em? Pricewatch/Pricegrabber doesn't turn up anything. I just spent $33 for 2 Nexii 120mms.

That Delta looks capable of creating a hurricane - 9.6 watts, no less!

You've got a lot of tricks up your sleeve, Steve; maybe some day you could list links to all those cool vendors that carry these nifty products.

 

[ddrueding]

Nice Rig, Groltz. I have a pair of P180s on their way with Phantom 500 PSUs and quite a few Nexus 120mm sitting around. Glad to see the stuff go togeher so nice.

Have you tried running without the front fan? What difference would it make?

 

[Groltz]

...Yate-Loon. Would you please let me know where I might find 'em?
Unfortunately, the source I bought them from is out of stock. You might try here, however. Sources can be found by typing "D12SL-12" into Froogle although some of the results are the overpriced Nexus-branded fans.

That Delta looks capable of creating a hurricane - 9.6 watts, no less!
Yes, it can howl and blow like a demon but dialed down through the rheostat it is nice and quiet. And yes, it must be powered from a PSU rail not a MB header.


maybe some day you could list links to all those cool vendors that carry these nifty products.
I really don't have a lot of sources. Most of my fans, heatsinks, etc. come from Sidewinder Computers due to their good prices, outstanding service, and low shipping costs. Some of the others I use are:
http://www.3dcool.com/
http://www.directron.com/
http://www.plycon.com/
...although they aren't that great.
Performance PC's, which was the source for the cable extensions, has been a very good store to me. I just wish they weren't on the farthest side of the country from me.
And then there are the ever-present NewEgg and ZipZoomFly which everyone knows about.


Have you tried running without the front fan? What difference would it make?
Nope. Just less case airflow I suppose. Those D12SL-12 fans are extremely quiet so I doubt the overall sound level would change noticeably.

 

[Groltz]

I forgot to mention this:

While I do feel that the Antec P180 is an interesting design and fairly quiet, it is a huge pain-in-the-ass to build rigs in. This is especially so if you insist on trying to keep wires neatly bundled and stowed.

I am already gathering ideas on my next gaming machine and am getting more and more tempted to go with an old-school steel tower as long as it accomodates 120mm fans. Having a case that's easy to work in is nice, and after building up the P180, I really missed it.

Among the cases I'm considering are:

A modded Lite-On FS020 from the tribal elder guy at Cool Cases

An I-Star Nitro AX

An Antec TITAN 550

It will be quite a while before I get started on it.

 

[Tannin]

Ahh, a traditionalist with the old school steal-a-tower. Yup, that will do it every time. Cheap too.

 

[Sol]

I have discovered that almost any steel case will take a 120mm fan after a brief session with an angle grinder.

 

[Adcadet]

Hey guys - I'm building a system around a P180 and am trying to find a PS that won't be a pain in the butt. I would prefer if all the cables were long enough, and I would prefer a power supply with a front and rear fan (push/pull) so air doesn't have to make a 90 degree turn around a top-mounted fan like in Grolz's system. Anybody have a suggestion? Or should I just give up and use a PS with a top-mounted 120 mm fan?

 

[ddrueding]

I've been using Antec NeoPower PSs with my P180s. They work great. Front-Back airflow, modular cables, and the 12v and ATX cables are long enough for all the motherboards I've tried.

 

[Buck]

For a basic, large steel case, I still like the Addtronics W8500.

 

[ddrueding]

For a basic, large steel case, I still like the Addtronics W8500.

But next to a P180 that looks like such crap...

 

[timwhit]

Does the P180 use drive rails? From the pictures I have seen, it looks like it uses them for some bays but not for others.

How many hard drives can you reliably fit in there?

Does it come with enough fans to provide cooling for a hot system?

Do these fans need to be replaced or modified to be relatively quiet?

I know, lots of questions, but I have been considering replacing my case for awhile and I don't want to make a purchase that I will regret.

 

[Buck]

For me, the P-180 might look neat from the outside. It's large and has pretty aluminium touches. But, I don't like the front door and once you open the case, it shrinks in size. With so many pieces that are part of the case, it really loses its size. The W8500 might not be trendy, but when you open it, it is cavernous. Lot's of space plus a reasonable amount of internal/external drive bays.

 

[Handruin]

Does the P180 use drive rails? From the pictures I have seen, it looks like it uses them for some bays but not for others.

How many hard drives can you reliably fit in there?

Does it come with enough fans to provide cooling for a hot system?

Do these fans need to be replaced or modified to be relatively quiet?

I know, lots of questions, but I have been considering replacing my case for awhile and I don't want to make a purchase that I will regret.

It has drive rails for the mid section (including floppy) and it uses a rubber grommet mounting system in the lower section (and the drives are vertically mounted). The optical drives are also on rails if I remember correctly.

The lower section (rubber grommet mounts) fits 4 hard drives and has adequate cooling if you use the middle mounted (included) fan. I presently have 3x 7200 RPM drives in the lower section and none of them run even more than slightly warm to the touch with the fan on the lowest speed.

The mid section drive bays can fit at least two, maybe more hard drives, but I don't use those for anything.

The P180 comes with 3x 120mm fans that have 3 adjustable speeds. I run two of the fans at the lowest RPM's (my signature has my system details) and the third top-mounted fan is completely powered off. You can add more fans in the front or even one on top of the video card section if you use the included covering ducting. In my own opinion, I feel this case does a great job at keeping a system cool even with the fans on low.

 

[Handruin]

I was wrong, I believe the mid section drive mounts are a tray-type mount system, not drive rails.

 

[Mercutio]

The P180 has 6 internal 3.5" bays with space for the grommets and stuff.
For one of the two I have, I had one of my students fabricate a 5 (3.5")-goes-into-3 (5.25") tray so I could place additional drives. At a minimum you could put in 3 more drives in the 5.25" bays. Who needs a DVD burner, anyway?

 

[ddrueding]

At one point, I had 4 HDDs in the bottom, 2 in the middle, and 3 on top, plus a burner. The stock fans are fine and very quiet.