Antec P183 Mid-Tower Case Review

Packaging and Accessories


The P183 ships in a large cardboard box with high quality, full-colour graphics. A nice angled image of the case is found on the front, as well as a list of the case’s key specifications at the rear. The print and finish of Antec’s boxes has always been top-notch, and seems to hold up better to the abuses of shipping. The first time we picked up the box, we were surprised at its weight. Considering the case weighs thirty one pounds without any packaging, there likely won’t be too many “free shipping” deals on the P183.


From the sides, you get a head on view of the case, as well as an open side view with some additional features listed.


Once we cracked open the box, we were greeted with a healthy amount of spacing between the case and the sides of the box and a good amount of foam. The case itself is protected by an extra internal layer of cardboard and all of the nice gunmetal panels are protected by a removable plastic film. This film is nice to see as it helps to ensure that the case arrives fingerprint and scuff-free.

As we have mentioned in previous case reviews, it is important to remember that online vendors almost never place an enclosure box within another box filled with protective packaging like they would with smaller items. What comes from the case manufacturer is what gets tossed around by the courier company.


The P183 comes with a pretty standard set of accessories, including some cable ties, case screws and motherboard standoffs. Some proprietary elongated screws and extra rubber noise dampers are also included for hard drive installation. Antec also includes some fan clips that we’ll detail later as well as some 5.25 inch bay rails for optical drive installation.

In the bag of screws you’ll also find something straight out of the early nineties—a set of keys. That’s right, stay out of my case! Although they are not used for “keyboard lock” purposes like some of the old-school beige AT boxes, they do allow the locking of the front door, which we’ll take a closer look at shortly.

Antec throws in a very basic product overview sheet. We definitely can’t call it a manual because it isn’t. It simply provides the buyer with general information and key features in about eight different languages. Those looking for installation assistance will have to refer to Antec’s thorough PDF manual available at the P183 product page. The online manual is well written with diagrams and how-to images that should guide along any novice PC builder.