Antec P120 Crystal Performance Gaming Case – Review

Today we are taking the Antec P120 Crystal Performance case for a spin and seeing how it stacks up. Antec has of lately been changing its image and has parted from offering standard run of the mill cases, and its back to more performance yet stylish designs. Which is great to hear and I guess we will see as we review their latest performance tempered glass design

So who is Antec?

For most DIY’ers, there is really no introduction needed. As for those who don’t know who Antec is, here we go.

Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in the industry and has maintained a decent following over the years. As an international provider of quiet, efficient, and innovative products it has done fairly well for its self in the gamer space and with System builders. I personally was a huge fan of their Nine Hundred case back in 2006 when I was Head of R&D at ABS Computers A.K.A. Newegg PC Gaming Division. Back then it was hard to find a company making real quality performance cases at a reasonable price and the Nine Hundred case was just the right fit back then.

Anyway, Antec is headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, as well as in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China and Taiwan. The company’s products are sold in more than 40 countries throughout the world.

Now let’s get to the review of the Antec P120 Crystal Performance case.

Packaging:

Everyone here is always nervous when receiving any case with tempered glass and when it comes in a standard cardboard PC case box I just can’t help, but cringe in fear. This mainly has to do with the fact that I have received my fair share of broken panels from top brands. What made this one a little more nerve-wracking was that the box came with a bit of shipping damage which you can see at the bottom of the box in the second image. The good thing was that after opening the box, I did not have to deal with broken glass and was pleased with the packaging as everything arrived safely.

Not only did Antec not use cheapy foam to hold it in place they used a polystyrene and cardboard combo with a fabric bag for the chassis itself. Keeping everything safe and neat.

Lets take a closer look

Specifications

Full Product Spec:

• Case Material: Steel / Tempered Glass
• MB Compatability: Micro ATX / ATX / ITX / E-ATX
• PCI Slot: 7 + 3 Vertical Slots
• I/O: 2 x USB3.0 | Audio | Mic
• PSU Slot: Top mounted (Max Length: 294mm)
• Dimensions : 19.09″ x 9.21″ x 18.74″
• Net Weight: 22.93 lbs.

Cooling Support:

• Fan/Cooling support: Supports 7 x 120mm or 6 x 140mm case fans
  • Bottom: 3 x 120mm / 140mm fan
  • Rear: 1 x 120mm / 140mm fan
  • M/B Side: 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm fan
  • (1 x HDD Bracket will need to be removed in order to install 3 x 120mm)
• Radiator Options:
  • Bottom: up to 360mm
  • Rear up to 120mm
  • M/B Side: Up to 360mm (keep in mind 3.5″HDD Brackets will need to be removed)

IIN Radiator setup recommendations:

• Single radiator scenario:
  • Bottom mounted Radiator- 360mm x 60mm
  • Pump and reservoir M/B Side-mounted. EKWB has some great reservoir pump combos.
• Dual radiator scenario:
  • Bottom Radiator- 240mm x 60mm,
  • M/B Side Radiator- 360mm x 45mm
  • Pump and reservoir bottom-mounted by the radiator.

Storage option:

• 2 x 3.5 (Removable cages)
• 2 x 2.5 SSD (Hidden on Non-Tempered glass side.)

Additional feature:

• Easy cable management(Plenty of locations to secure cable ties)
• 4 Antec branded velcro cable tie strips included
• The 3.5″ drive caddies are easily removable.
• The tooless tempered glass design: The tempered glass is screw-less to allow sturdy and easier installation
• Magnetic dust filter fo side panel.
• Bottom sliding dust filter
• VGA anti-sag bracket

Included Screws:

• 20x screws for motherboard and SSD mounting
• 9x screws for mounting 3.5″ HDD’s
• 4x PSU screws
• 4x spare standoffs
• 3x spare screws for mounting
• 3x spare rubber ant vibration washers

Installation

During the installation process, my only concern was the top-mounted power supply (PSU). As it pulls hot air from inside the case into the PSU and then out the back. I was a little surprised that I didn’t notice any thermal related issue. The PSU housing which looks pretty cool also provided just the right amount of space for proper cable management (tieing and hiding cables) allowing a quick easy install and more importantly clean looking PC.

Other than the strange PSU placement the design is solid and gives plenty of room for drives, VGA, Liquid cooling or just about anything you may want to add into an Extreme PC build. At its current price point of $99.99, it makes it a great deal for this level PC case. 

Case Build / Performance

Thermal Performance: It performed as expected for a performance level case at this price point. The only thing missing were case fans. Keep that in mind when building out your PC with this case. As it does NOT come with any fans.

Dust: The unit does come with a side panel magnetic dust filter and a removable bottom dust filter that covers the entire bottom of the case. Helping reduces dust build-up caused by intake fans.

Chassis: The Antec P120 Crystal case is certainly a very well thought out design. Featuring plenty of room and limitless cooling configurations users now have the flexibility they need for the most extreme of configurations.

Cable management: More than adequate as the PSU housing provides a decent amount of space to properly clean up your cables when routing them.

Transportability: Surprisingly enough I would say this case is very easy to move around. Its solid build and features like the included VGA anti-sag bracket really helps in this area.

Unique Features: What really stands out to me are two things. One as mentioned before the top-mounted Power Supply. The other is that most tempered glass cases the tempered glass side panel is not secured with thumbscrews or flimsy push latches. It uses a clean sliding button design allowing you to gain access to the internals in seconds. Making it a great design for those needing quick access to clean out the dust or for others like me who frequently tweak or upgrade their system all the time.

Overview

Antec is obviously extremely capable of creating great cases as they have in the past, and I have to say they did a great job with the Antec P120 Crystal Performance case.

The case is excellent and the only thing I’m really missing from the P120 Crystal are the fans, a USB 3.1 Type-C, and some lighting. Yes, I said it lighting. For those who know me, I hate RGB lighting, I prefer a clean-looking build over flashy lighting any day. Some pre-installed LEDs could really make a huge difference and make this case really shine.

Although I do understand it would increase the cost for the manufacturer, it should be well worth the investment in order to WOW the consumer. More importantly, if done properly most are willing to pay for it. Antec should consider a P120 Crystal PRO with Fans and lighting.

Available now at Amazon.com, Newegg.com

Antec P120 Crystal earns rwlabs.com Recommended Product Award.