Swiftech Quiet Power P180 Liquid Cool Case, any good?

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chinked|out

Gawd
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Feb 6, 2006
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so i found a couple reviews on this new swiftech/antec p180 liquid cooled case and i was wondering what people on hard would think of it.

here's the review links
http://www.cluboverclocker.com/reviews/super_cooling/SwiftechP180/index.htm
http://www.3dgameman.com/content/view/6095/103/ (the Video review)
http://www.3dgameman.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44841 (the forum discussion)

here's a link to where to buy
http://www.svc.com/qpowerp180.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835108092 (Newegg is cheaper WOW)

for $420 would you buy this case? what kind of performance would this case meet? do you think one would be better off buying a case and liquid cooling seperate? also with the sound dampening would this thing still be really loud?
 
i dunno the review is there.. make up your own mind mang...

"When the medical profession divorces itself from its own responsibility and makes itself an arm of the state, it's a dangerous path"
 
I looked at that case for awhile, but honestly its a huge premium for not that much work. You can get that case for ~$100 and the Swiftech kit for ~$175, so is it worth $150 for the little window in the side and a few stickers?
 
SevenWords said:
I looked at that case for awhile, but honestly its a huge premium for not that much work. You can get that case for ~$100 and the Swiftech kit for ~$175, so is it worth $150 for the little window in the side and a few stickers?
Click to expand...

the thing is, i don't have dremels to actually mod my cases. so i was thinking this case is relatively nice. but come to think of it, i don't think there is a need to buy this case if i'm paying 150 for labor
 
Hey,

I've been seriously debating about getting this Swiftech ANtec p180 case too. After a constant mental debate for the past week, and constant reading of reviews, etc, I've decided I'm going to order this case.

I just got the Q6600 w/ 680i mobo from fry's with that deal this week, ($848 for both). And I'm definitely planning on overclocking it to at least 3.5ghz quad core. So I figured if I'm building a pretty sweet rig, I need something that can cool and leak without fail.

So yea, here are my reasons for this case:

(1) First the case itself. Not much to say here except that the case is superb in its cooling ability on air alone, and aerodynamics and quietness (ie no rattling either) were a huge part in the design. And of course this case is real sleek in black. I hate the flashy tubing and windows that people put on their cases. This case has a nice circle window where u can prove to people "oh yea its watercooled". To me its like a sleek bmw vs. a "pimped out" accord.

(2) So yea the case can be bought for $100, why spend $420 on a $200 water cooling sytem you say?? Okay, this build is guaranteed leak free for 5 years. Meaning I will not throw away this case when I decide in 3 years its time to upgrade my processor and my mobo. Swifttech makes the highest quality parts, and on any overclocking website, the swiftech cooling has consistently cooled the processor to the lowest temps out of the others (including Danger den).

(3) Everything is predrilled, and pretested, and presecured. Esp if I'm putting a quad core, and 8800GTX in here, you want to be sure that it is pretested and will not leak or come lose. All the other watercooling kits come with vinyl tubes, these are Norprene - which are used in NIH labs for their machines there. They will not come off or break after being bent in the wrong position. Or you can spend $250 on vinyl tubes and risk them popping off and shorting your processor, mobo, and video card. So yea, youre gonna spend $120 on the case, and at least $200 on water cooling parts (more if you need a tube cutter and bucket and water, etc) so there you're automatically looking at $320+ for a very homemade designed watercooling.

(4) Finally, the build is in itself very elegant. the tubing is sleek, the pump is mounted on, and theres a simple window on the right side for the coolant levels. Everything is mounted securely, and the design is key.

Now I like to think this case is like a benz or a bmw. The case is very sleek (again) and has noo windows, none of the flashy UV, and if you google peoples cases of the P180 with watercooling, their setup is very ugly, with hanging fans, and disoriented pumps.

As the new Jay Z song "30 is the new 20" says, "I can buy a car with nice rims now that I'm 30, instead of getting the accord and adding the flashy rims". I hope this helps.

P.S. and you dont have to refill for 5 years!!! on homemade you gotta take it apart every 2 years or they usually die by then...
 
Here's an example what I mean by an ugly, rediculous homemade watercooled design vs. swiftech's p180 case:

First, the sleek swiftech. Very nice. properly secured radiator, nice holes, and all the harddrive bays and fans still running.

installed1x600.jpg


And now here's one. Wow look at that clunker. Even had to move a fan to be hanging by the wire. That cooling system + case i'm sure cost more than $400....and its not "tested" and "guaranteed" leak proof by the swiftech corporation...


P180small.jpg
 
chinked|out said:
how about posting some high quality pics of your setup for me. thanks
Click to expand...

Like i said, just got the quad core CPU this afternoon. Im ordering my parts now, but wont have time to build it till the weekend of feb 2nd due to med school exams. But I am definitely planning on posting my own pics. It will but just in time for windows vista launch and (hopefully) the launch of DirectX10 drivers for the 8800GTX.

Cant wait to see how the 8800 card and Quad core GPU perform on water cooling. Esp considering directx 10 takes advantage of all 4 cores.
 
vnr111 said:
Here's an example what I mean by an ugly, rediculous homemade watercooled design vs. swiftech's p180 case:

First, the sleek swiftech. Very nice. properly secured radiator, nice holes, and all the harddrive bays and fans still running.

installed1x600.jpg


And now here's one. Wow look at that clunker. Even had to move a fan to be hanging by the wire. That cooling system + case i'm sure cost more than $400....and its not "tested" and "guaranteed" leak proof by the swiftech corporation...


P180small.jpg
Click to expand...

well the second guy didnt plan it out. youre right about the sleekness, but i could just as easily put it together the same way as swiftech.
 
There's TONS more stuff in that second pic! Two pumps, a giant external rad, that hanging fan is to cool the RAM. IMO even though I think the Quiet Power P180 is a good deal, you can't compare them at all.
 
Do you guys really think that this WC setup has enough cooling power to also put a GPU block in the loop?

I really like this kit and would consider based on this question. Is one 120mm radiator enough?
 
Yashu said:
Do you guys really think that this WC setup has enough cooling power to also put a GPU block in the loop?

I really like this kit and would consider based on this question. Is one 120mm radiator enough?
Click to expand...

This is what Swiftech themselves say about it:

"For instance, the H20-120 Premium will easily support a dual core CPU (AMD® Athlon X2 for example) as well as (2) high-end VGA cards such as nVidia® GeForce 7800 series."
 
I see that, but I am not beleiving it so much. In one of the reviews there was only a 10 degree difference in core2 load temps against a stock *intel* cooler. Intel stock coolers are about the worst you can get... and that was with only the CPU in the loop. A zalman cnps9500 would do just as well as far as cooling goes.

Though... it sure is a well done setup. If anything, this gives me ideas on how to properly WC a p180 myself. A dual 120mm radiator hung on the back would not look ugly and it would allow me to run CPU, GPU, and northbridge in the loop without worrying so much.
 
vnr111 said:
Here's an example what I mean by an ugly, rediculous homemade watercooled design vs. swiftech's p180 case:

First, the sleek swiftech. Very nice. properly secured radiator, nice holes, and all the harddrive bays and fans still running.

installed1x600.jpg


And now here's one. Wow look at that clunker. Even had to move a fan to be hanging by the wire. That cooling system + case i'm sure cost more than $400....and its not "tested" and "guaranteed" leak proof by the swiftech corporation...


P180small.jpg
Click to expand...
1) Who cares what the inside of a P180 looks like, the case doesn't have a window
and
2) Not everybody has a cluster fuck of a case. It's really not that hard:
117306.jpg
 
Just wanted to let you know I decided not to get the case... haha even though I showed some massive support for it.

I got parts for my own kit at sidewindercomputers.com, which all in all came out to around $400. The case i got was a Silverstone TJ09, man once I laid eyes on this, I fell in love.

Good luck chinked!
 
vnr111 said:
Just wanted to let you know I decided not to get the case... haha even though I showed some massive support for it.

I got parts for my own kit at sidewindercomputers.com, which all in all came out to around $400. The case i got was a Silverstone TJ09, man once I laid eyes on this, I fell in love.

Good luck chinked!
Click to expand...

where did you get the silverstone tj09 case? and which WC parts did you get for it?
 
chinked|out said:
where did you get the silverstone tj09 case? and which WC parts did you get for it?
Click to expand...

Well definitely check out this entire thread first...I read most of it before deciding this case was for me. Really good pics. Check out page 17

Also, Its cool cause its got space for a 240mm radiator inside the case on the top! it will require some slight drilling.

Or for extreme cooling, its got holes already on the back of the case that will easily fit water tubes. So this way you can even go wild and mount a 3x120mm radiator (360mm) on the back. Pretty sick huh? All you need to get is strap on 3 of these rediculous fans on it, and use a controller on the front to control it from the front. This way u can cool your radiator to the extreme when you want, or tone it down when youre doing day to day tasks.

Here's a list of the parts I got...I changed some little things but yea thats all you need!

x2 120mm Black fan guards
x2 Delta EFB1212LE
x1 Black Ice Xtreme II or Black Ice GTX 240 (dependant upon how anxious you are to drill, you could drop down to an Xtreme 1 or GTX 120, or bump this up to a triple)
x1 Swiftech MCP655
x1 Apogee GT
x1 MCW60-R
x1 MCWRamcool or MC14s for ease of installation
x6-10 feet of Tygon 1/2 x 3/4" R3603
Some 3706 Clamps
Some H Herbie Clips
x1 MCRES Micro

Hope this helps!
 
$420?!?? No, LOL It is a complete scam, I am getting better temps than that on air cooling with a case that was free after rebate with free shipping no less, and a Zalman 9700 fan that cost $58.

The guy in the review also spent nearly as much on just that case and the RAM then I paid for my entire system. :D :eek:

I'm also getting much faster CPU speed out a E6400 processor that cost $285 less than the one used in the test.

Save your money and if you are a kid save your Dad's money.
 
yeah i love the lian lis. I want to get the tj07 because its absolutely perfect how you can put the rad on the bottom without modding the case at all. Either that or the p180b will be my next case (if the damn lian li wasnt so expensive)

lol @ those fans btw. do you want a jet engine for a PC?
 
I think you're going to love the TJ09; lots of room, quality, and well thought out. Mine has great air flow and cooling w/ minimal fans.

M
 
I cant find any pics of someone thats mounted a 360 radiator on the back of their TJ09...but if you find any, left me know!
 
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