Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
With performance and silence being the focus, the Antec P10 FLUX is designed to provide smooth airflow throughout the case. The outer design has no curves, being very straight-edged and box-like. The color black is consistent throughout the entire outside of the case aside from the bottom left side of the front panel, which contains the Antec logo as well as the text "Performance Series" in white. This case contains no tempered glass on the left side, employing a black opaque side panel instead. The P10 FLUX is larger than your average PC case with measurements coming in at 477mm depth, 220mm width, and 486mm height. While this is not crazy big, it is comparable in size to the Antec P120 Crystal, which is already larger than most cases. The P10 FLUX weighs in at 8.6kg, which about the average weight of a mid-tower case.
The front panel is a door that can simply be swung open to reveal the contents of the front. This panel can be adjusted to swing out from the right or the left side, where the latched side is held by two screws with the other side having magnetic bearings to help keep the front closed. Just like the side panels, the front panel is also treated with the same foam padding to suppress noise and vibrations. There is an external 5.25" drive bay, which is a rare find nowadays. The three 120mm intake fans can be seen more clearly by removing the air concentrating front filter placed in front of them by using the built-in latch to detach it. These Antec fans are voltage-controlled with a three-pin header that connects to the fan controller on the backside of the case, which we will talk about on the next page. The front can also support two 140mm fans, not included, if desired by the user. Because the front panel and air concentrating front filter are very simple to remove, it is easy to remove the front fans and replace them with your own fans, although we will not be doing that for this review.
At the top of the case, we can see the I/O panel, which is located on the eastern edge. Going from left to right, we have a square power button, fan controller button, storage LED indications, USB 3.1 Type-A port, 3.5mm microphone jack, 3.5mm headphone jack, and another USB 3.1 Type-A port. The lack of a USB Type-C port is disappointing given it is 2021, but not a deal-breaker by any means, especially for a budget case. On the positive side, I really like that the design employs two USB 3.1 Type-A ports. It is always nice to have two USB slots that offer fast transfer speeds. One noticeable change here is the lack of a reset switch, which has seemingly been replaced with a fan speed control switch. This is disadvantageous for users who find it easier to use a button to reset their PCs. It is true that the reset switch is not an essential I/O button, but I wish Antec has found a way to fit that extra button without sacrificing anything else. We know that it is possible to have a fan controller and reset button together as seen on the be quiet! Silent Base 802.
The back of the case is exactly what you would expect from a mid-tower ATX case. A pre-installed 120mm fan is mounted at the top right beside the cut-out for the motherboard I/O shield. Seven horizontal expansion slots can be seen directly below the fan and the motherboard opening. All seven expansion slots can be taken off to make room for GPUs or any expansion cards that may take up an expansion slot on your motherboard. Vertical GPU mounting is not supported for the P10 FLUX, which does not take away from this relatively competitively priced case. An opening for the power supply can be seen below the horizontal expansion slots held on by regular screws. The right side panel has ventilation holes near the bottom to draw in air for the reverse fan, which we will be discussing later in this review. You can also find a magnetic dust filter here to keep dust from getting into your PC via this intake.
Two sets of large feet can be seen at the bottom of the case. There is a small pad in the middle of each foot designed to reduce vibration. Measuring approximately 5mm in width and 12.5mm in length though, I feel that there is only so much vibration that they would realistically reduce at such a small size. The feet are also removable with two Phillips head screws per foot. A large removable dust filter can be seen near the back. This dust filter will help maintain clean airflow for your power supply. I am also happy to see that the slits are not terribly thick, meaning they will not block a lot of the airflow.
I find the Antec P10 FLUX has good build quality. The steel and plastic material making up the case is very solid and does not feel cheap in any way. The surface and edges feel smooth on the fingers. The side panels fit very well and are tightly held in position by the thumbscrews. The power and fan control switches also have a crisp click when pressed. I think Antec did a great job with the outside build, putting a lot of care into many aspects that make for a good construction.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
