Page 3 - Physical Look - Inside
Removing the two side panels on the Antec P120 Crystal is easy, as Antec has implemented a few nice things here. The main star of the show, the tempered glass panel, can be removed without using any sort of screw, as a small plastic switch on the side can be pushed down to release the glass. Afterwards, users can swing the P120 Crystal's side panel open and lift it off the hinge at the back for more accessibility. I have not seen a swinging door case in a while, as the last one was the Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ATX in 2015. Even so, this is even more impressive as this is a full glass panel. On the back side of the glass, we have two strips of rubber lining to protect the side from banging against the steel enclosure. The glass also has a black steel ring around all of the edges to attach to the rest of the case and allow for users to hold the glass panel from somewhere without leaving visible fingerprints. I really like this swinging door design and I hope this is one thing I keep seeing in top tier cases. On the other side, the standard steel panel is removed by loosening the two captive thumbscrews on the back and sliding the panel back. This will reveal the magnetic mesh layer attached to the side for more dust filtration.
Once the panels are off, you can get a better look at the interior layout of the Antec P120 Crystal. As you already know, this case utilizes an open concept with little obstruction from front to back. The main division can be found at the top that holds the power supply as well as an extra mounting area for drives, though it is not solid all the way through. Large holes exist in both the shroud and the drive bays to allow air to pass through. This is classified as a mid-tower ATX case, which means motherboards from mini ITX to extended ATX can fit inside. All of the cables come neatly wrapped with a twist tie and secured to the cabling holes. The interior matches the rest of the case with its black finish, with the exception of the purposely contrasted gray power supply shroud. Antec's "Performance Series" marking can also be found on the shroud.
Starting at the top, Antec expects you to mount your power supply here, with the fan facing towards the interior. This means the power supply's fan will draw the hotter air out of the case when it is active. Underneath, we have the motherboard back panel opening to let users install third party coolers after they have mounted their motherboard in the Antec P120 Crystal. To the left, we have mounting positions for either 120mm or 140mm fans or radiators. Some more cabling holes exist between the power supply divider and the motherboard to let users to route cables like their CPU power cable or fan connectors. Moving further down, you can see the seven horizontal and three vertical expansion slot covers, all held by standard screws.
At the bottom of the Antec P120 Crystal, you can see there are several more routing holes to let users plug in other items like USB headers or the front I/O pins. It also helps to have these large holes for cabling things like fans. Speaking of which, the bottom shows off the large area with rail mounting for more cooling options, such as fans and radiators. From here, users can install radiators up to 360mm in length or three 120mm fans. Of course, this area can also support 140mm size options, with up to three 140mm fans. However, the length for a 420mm radiator may be a tad tight, and Antec only recommends a maximum 360mm radiator at the bottom. Even so, this is great to see such a large area to mount your cooling options, especially since this is where most of the air intake will be coming from. I still would have liked to see a bit less obstruction by enlarging the slits or reducing the amount of metal at the bottom.
At the front of the case, there are two drive bays at the top so that users can mount two 2.5" or 3.5" drives. While they are attached to each other, they can be removed individually, which means you could take out the cage if you do not use it. This cage requires screws to mount drives of either size, but I really like this sort of modular approach to storage locations. Some may find the maximum two 3.5" drives limiting for their uses, but this is just something you should keep in mind when considering the Antec P120 Crystal. At the front, we have another opening so users can put three more 120mm fans or two 140mm fans. You can also install radiators of the respective size here. It should also be noted if users do want to install three 120mm fans or a 360mm radiator, they will need to remove both drive enclosures to get it all fitted. To the left of the fan area, we have two slim and long routing areas so that users can route their cables to the back of the case. I would have liked to see rubber grommets on this area, as it could easily hide excess cables. Speaking of cables, you can see all of the front I/O cables, including a USB 3.1 header, front I/O pins, and a SATA power connector to power the top USB lights.
At the back of the Antec P120 Crystal, we have a relatively standard layout even with the power supply located at the top. Starting from this location, Antec has provided quite a bit of space to mount your power supply and hide excess cables in this area. Down the back, you can see there are two more drive sleds so users can install an additional two 2.5" drives without any issues. This is in addition to the two drive cages found at the top by the power supply area. From here, you can see the two thumbscrews on each tray used to secure it to the rest of the enclosure. In terms of cabling space, I think the Antec P120 Crystal actually could have been made wider to accommodate thicker cables. We still have up to 18mm of cable space in the wider gaps, so we will see how this translates when we try installing our computer into the case. Otherwise, you can see all of the holes, from the motherboard to the cabling holes, have been rounded off to prevent users from accidentally cutting their fingers on the edges.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
