INTRODUCTION

   A few days ago a friend of mine decided to go out and purchase several hardware components to build a small HTPC to place right next to the TV set he has inside the living room. The problem was that since he's not much into mITX and mATX mainboards (neither am i to be honest) he had to find the ideal ATX compatible midi tower that would feel right at home in his living room both in terms of design/appearance and of course low noise levels. Unfortunately although the market is filled with a virtually infinite number of PC Cases there aren't that many midi towers that feature noise-absorbing coating so it did prove to be a somewhat difficult search. Antec sent us their latest and quite elegant P100 Midi Tower roughly a month ago so the moment he called asking for my opinion on the matter i knew exactly what to recommend.

   Antec, Inc., is the leading global brand of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in these industries and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of efficient, quiet, and reliable 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 large range of cases, such as its technically advanced Performance One Series, cost-effective New Solution Series and server grade cases designed for the needs of all workstation and server markets. Antec’s products also include front line power supplies such as its TruePower Quattro Series and EarthWatts, the most environmentally friendly power supplies available. PC gamers are an increasingly significant consumer of performance components, and many Antec products are geared toward the gaming demographic, like the Nine Hundred, the premier gamer enclosure. Antec also offers a computing accessories line comprised of 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 Germany, 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.

   Much like the entire Performance One line of PC cases by Antec the primary selling points of the P100 are the simple yet elegant design and the very low noise levels thanks to the thick steel and noise-absorbing coating used. Of course because of the smaller size compared to its larger brothers the P100 doesn't share the same spacious interior (only supports up to ATX mainboards) and it certainly can't pack the same number of features but that doesn't mean Antec left anything to chance so there's still enough space for up to 5 fans (3x140mm/2x120mm), two 5.25" and seven 2.5/3.5" drives. The interior although not very spacious can still hold graphics cards up to 317.5mm in length and CPU Coolers up to 170mm in height so most people should have no problem with it. However that's not all you'll be getting with the P100 Midi Tower by Antec so let's take a closer look to see everything it has to offer.