There was a time that seems like an eternity ago where no matter what kind of PC you were building Antec had the answer when it came to the ultimate case. Key features were always a boatload of drive bays, ton’s of room for storage, and sometimes, you could pick one up that had fans with lights in them. Yea…that’s right, there were LED’s insiiiide the fans. These cases always had a way of sticking out on the shelf too because of all the fancy retail boxes they came out with. To this day, I’m pretty sure any of us that go to Newegg and look up top rated cases, will find that glorious Antec 900 in at least the top 3 if it hasn’t been de-crowned as the king of cases.
The big question? What happened to them? There was a while there, when Antec really kind of fell off the map. They didn’t seem to be keeping up with the current trends. Their cases seemed to meet the needs, but weren’t as aesthetically pleasing as we once expected.
Finally, that time has come to an end….
Today we will be looking at the long awaited Antec P110 Luce. For those unfamiliar with this case, it was first spotted at Computex 2017. Along with it’s little brother, the P8, I was very excited to take a look at what Antec had come up with to get themselves back into the game.
Let’s go over what you get with a case like this first.
The Basics
The first thought when setting this case up in the office was how surprisingly large it was in person. This case is not only tall, but has some serious girth. Measuring in, the P110 Luce has a height of 518mm a depth of 489mm front to back, and a thickness of 230mm.
Some of the P110 Luce’s height can be explained by feet which second as a track for a removable dust filter. In the front of the case the removable bezel isn’t too deep. There is a removable magnetic dust filter that is flush mounted with the steel edge of the case. Since we are on the topic, I should also mention Antec didn’t stop there but kept maintenance easy by also including a magnetic and visually pleasing honeycomb filter at the top of the case as well.
What’s New?
Behind the 4mm panel of tempered glass, we see a removable vertical cable management bar. You really can’t help but relate to something we’ve already seen from NZXT on their s340 and s340 elite. Take note that cable management should not be an issue in the P110 Luce with over 35mm of clearance behind the motherboard tray let alone the space you have thanks to this cable management bar.
There is one accessory that is new and functional, and that is the graphics card support kit that Antec so kindly provides. Although the bracket is made of plastic, it should perform superior to relying on a card slot retention screw and motherboard PCI-E armor. We’re provided three depths of mount, two rails for different length cards and a plethora of height adjust-ability. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of aftermarket billet accessories we may see in the near future.
Storage
On the power supply shroud, we have dual tool-less removable drive enclosures. Each which will fit your 2.5” or 3.5” drives, but don’t worry, this isn’t the only storage available. Moving to the back of the case, the first thing we see is the removable 2.5” drive tray. This tray offers multiple mounting options for up to a total of two 2.5” ssd’s.
At the basement of the case we see yet another removable cage. This cage can hold two additional 3.5” or 2.5” drive trays. With the removal of one thumbscrew, we are able to slide the entire drive cage out to free up some space. This will come in handy if you have no need for the bays, or if you’re planning to use the space for part of your custom loop.
Cooling Options
Considering the P110 Luce for your next custom loop? You will find support up front from 120mm-360mm in length with a max depth of 55mm. At the top you have support for a 240mm-280mm rad and again 120mm at the rear. Included, you will find a pair of 120mm fans; one in the rear and one in the front. However, the case will support triple 120mm or 140mm in the front, dual 120mm or 140mm at the top and again 120mm only at the rear.
Everything Else…
This case is also sporting the coveted “VR Ready” logo thanks to the front IO gold plated HDMI input. You will of course want a GPU that has an internal HDMI header. If that isn’t an option, you can route your HDMI lead out the provided hole near the rear I/O. As we’d expect, Antec has also chosen this same top front location for Power, RGB Control and HD audio connectivity.
What does the RGB control do? It allows you to change the color of the front panel, and power button illumination to one of 7 colors in either a breathing, or flashing effect. One other thing to note is inside, beneath the rear panel, there is a LED control controller that has two additional accessory leads. My only assumption here is, these are for other RGB products to plug into. However, these will not come included with the P110 Luce.
Final Thoughts
Looking at the P110 Luce, I must say that I’m glad to see that Antec is stepping their game up, and bringing what we want to see in a PC cases back to their line. If you’re looking for something simple, small, and eloquent, this is not the case for you. This chassis definitely has class (and glass), but simultaneously can hold some serious hardware without feeling cramped. What are your thoughts on this new P110 Luce? Do you see one of these in your next builds future.
Share your thoughts below..
More info can be found on the Antec site regarding the P110 Luce: here
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