Review: Antec P380

Conclusion

As is the case for many readers, we've been quietly hoping that Antec will one day re-emerge as a first-rate producer of premium PC enclosures.

However, while the manufacturer's high-end PSUs are among the very best, its top-of-the-line chassis are leaving something to be desired. With the P380, Antec had the makings of a beautiful full-tower enclosure that offered super-sleek aesthetics and plenty of room for even the most elaborate of builds.

Unfortunately, the end package is so reliant on the allure of its aluminium fascia, that too little attention has been paid to the enclosure's inner workings. There are obvious oversights, including obscured 5.25in optical bays, a front filter that's difficult to get at and a storage column that's needlessly complicated to remove. As a result, performance remains decent but the chassis isn't a whole lot of fun to work with.

Such deficiencies are hard to overlook in what's a highly congested market, however Antec isn't a million miles away. The P380 remains a real looker, and with a little extra thought applied to the interior, a v2 revision could go a step closer to justifying the £160 fee.

HEXUS.where2buy*

The Antec P380 chassis is available to purchase from Scan Computers.

HEXUS.right2reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.