# Fractal R3 vs P183 for new build



## karkee

As im building my new sandy bridge build, I wanted some advice. I still have to decide on what case I will buy im more tempted to get the P183 then the fractal but I can't decide 100% need some helps


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## Fusion Racing

I'd go for the R3, Fractal's cases are great quality and really quiet. Worth it


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## infernoRS

I had the P182 Gun Metal that is very similar to the 183, I really started to hate it for it was very unpractical, heavy, lots of design flaws and that kind of stuff, I sold it and bought the R3 Titanium and it has been a lot better case in every aspect.


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## karkee

Hmmm yea im really doubting, the guys at SPCR recommended the P183 because the antec is made out of better quality so now I really unsure what im gonna go with ;D

Im planning on using the noctua NH-d14 (fans undervolted), some slipstreams at low rpm.

videocard wont be anything really high end but atleast a ati6850 or nvidia560


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## E30M3

Im not sure where or why, but I think the build quality is much better on my R3 than my buddies P182, He agrees too btw.


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## LingLing1337

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *karkee;12250001*
> Hmmm yea im really doubting, the guys at SPCR recommended the P183 because the antec is made out of better quality so now I really unsure what im gonna go with ;D
> 
> Im planning on using the noctua NH-d14 (fans undervolted), some slipstreams at low rpm.
> 
> videocard wont be anything really high end but atleast a ati6850 or nvidia560


I have no experience with either manufacturer, but FWIR Fractal is a high-end/boutique case manufacturer, whereas Antec is more mainstream. If I shelled out for a Fractal, I'd expect quality orders of magnitude greater than Antec.


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## infernoRS

Quote:



Originally Posted by *E30M3*


Im not sure where or why, but I think the build quality is much better on my R3 than my buddies P182, He agrees too btw.


The problem is that the "pros" tend to respect Antec more since it's so well known and been so long in the business. Only Antec product I've really been satisfied with is the old 300.


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## karkee

Well my biggest concern is noise, but I guess its not gonna be much diffrence with what case I go sooo I like the looks more of the fractal so might go with that one


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## Fusion Racing

Quote:



Originally Posted by *karkee*


Well my biggest concern is noise, but I guess its not gonna be much diffrence with what case I go sooo I like the looks more of the fractal so might go with that one


If you're worried about noise, get the Fractal and just run the Fractal fans in it. I'm running them in my XL and I cant hear them at all, airflow is alright too.


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## infernoRS

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Fusion Racing*


If you're worried about noise, get the Fractal and just run the Fractal fans in it. I'm running them in my XL and I cant hear them at all, airflow is alright too.


I have 2 Noctuas at the front connected to the Fractal's voltage changer, one Akasa Apache black at the bottom in a pwm controller, 2 Noctuas at the NH-U12P SE2 both connected with an adapter to the CPU pwm and the Fractal fans in the back and the other roof slot with ULNA-adapters and rubbers connected to MB. Still only thing keeping noise is the 570 cooler when it goes past 55% and the overly-noisy DVD drive that I luckily need only when installing something thanks to Steam.

Edit, I really recommend those Apache Blacks since they're by far the most silent of those, costs a little less than Noctua fans, blows much air, is good looking and every fan has pwm unlike Fractals and Noctuas.


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## soldierblue

IMO, the Antec has better overall build quality.


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## karkee

That was I thinking aswell. still havent decided.


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## infernoRS

Quote:



Originally Posted by *soldierblue*


IMO, the Antec has better overall build quality.


I haven't noticed anything to blame on this R3 in terms of quality, other way round more likely.


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## Riou

I am not sure if this is the case (sorry for the bad pun) for all Fractal cases, but Lian Li is the OEM.


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## djk11

Fractal R2/R3 has sweet HDD capacity with 8 vertical sleds, really nice for a NAS/media server.

There are cases with better airflow though, with stock fans R3 is not great at cooling, even if you max its fan mounts there are better.


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## infernoRS

Definitely could be better but it usually is more loud at the same time if the airflow is better. I have one fan pushing air to the 570 from the bottom and two fans pushing air to the f3+ssd and nh-u12p and two fans in the back sucking them out, psu is at it's own cycle and there's dust filters in all intakes. No complaints. Take that uber-fine quality pic, lol, for example


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## candy_van

Fractal.

I've had a P182 and while the R3 might be a little flimsier (the P182 is heavy tank conversely lol), but it's got a much better internal layout IMO (2x optical bays - I don't know why more manufs aren't doing this!)
Only gripe I have with it is that you can remove some of the hdd bays as with the Arc, though that's nothing a Dremel and some ingenuity couldn't fix


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## karkee

guess I wil be going with the Fractal then?









I am going to use a NH-d14 and noiseblocker fans (probably all undervolted at 5).

Thats why I am really still doubting between the P183 and fractal.


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## godofdeath

if you want front usb antec top usb fractal


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## Cee

Like most others said, I'd go with R3 as well







,


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## wandering_goat

I've actually been going over the same question. Although I don't have experience with either, here's what my research has led me to believe are the pros and cons of each. Possibly people with actual experience with both could correct me if I'm wrong anywhere.

The R3 seems to come more "ready-to-go" than the Antec. The fans it comes with are supposedly pretty quiet, the top is already blocked off, and it comes with a fan controller. The door also has sound absorbing foam on it. The positions of the two intakes both going into the main part of the case I think make it easier to achieve positive pressure than with the P183. And the inside looks pretty nice as well, being solid black with white highlights (though I would have preferred all black personally). Not sure if looks matter too much though as both cases are by default windowless. I also prefer how it has inputs / buttons at the top vs. the side / behind the door.

Of course, it has its faults. It is supposedly built more poorly than the Antec. I hear things about its flimsy / thin casing (like the top of the cage where a fan could go) and thin sound absorbing foam as compared to the P183, as well as rubber grommets being a problem and sometimes filters not fully covering the bottom. It's supposedly less quiet than the P183 because of all this. Most troubling filter wise is the fact that the front ones are attached to any front fans you put in, so it takes more effort to remove and clean them. Finally, a front 5.25" fan controller with knobs would not normally fit because of the close proximity of the door to the case (possibly unless you recessed it into the case).

The P183's pros are that it's very solidly built and uses pretty good absorption materials. It has room in the front for fan controllers with knobs in both 5.25 and 3.5" slots. The bottom is isolated from the main part of the case, which should result in a cooler (and possibly quieter?) PSU / hard-drives. It has removable dust filters in the front and no openings in the bottom, so I think should be easier to clean. The new V3 version also has USB 3.0 in the front, which is nice. I like how it has a mid-mount fan capability where the HD bay acts as a funnel to get air from the front, without obstruction, and blow across the GPU (should be quieter putting a fan there than in the front if silence is a concern as well). I also see it as being a bit more mod-able, as you can remove all of the cages easily.

However, I can see it being more difficult to achieve positive pressure due to one fan mount for the main chamber, and cable management may be a bit more difficult (though I think it can still be pretty good with a bit of planning). The included fans I hear aren't that good noise-wise, so would probably need replacing. And if you're replacing the fans, you also need your own fan controller if you want to control speeds easily. The top also needs to be covered separately if that's what you're looking for. The inside of the door isn't dampened as well. And of course, it's more expensive (unless you're in the US, where if the R3 needs to be shipped from Canada it could be costly).

All in all, I'd say both are good choices, you just have to decide what's important to you. P183 does require more of an investment to make it good though, but I think can be configured to your liking a bit better.

I myself am going to buy the P183. The removable filters are important to me (upgrading from a HAF922, half of my concern is noise and half dust). Also, I'm getting a Seasonic PSU which can stop the fan depending on temperature, so the isolation will be a plus for keeping it quiet as much as possible. If the isolated PSU chamber also serves to dampen noise a bit more, that'll be a plus as I'm planning on soft mounting my Scythe Quiet Drive down there on some foam. I want my system to be as quiet as possible, so the supposed better build quality and quietness is another reason I'm getting it vs. the R3. And in my situation anyway, I can pick up the P183 at a local store vs. having to have the R3 shipped. I also have replacement fans and sound-dampening material, so that being taken care of in the R3 didn't make a difference for me.


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## karkee

I got the P183 aswell, my friend bought the Fractal R3. I can't see why people would not buy the P183 above the R3.

The R3 build quality is imo really bad, people tell me its not that bad but seriously for that price it could/should be alot better


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## jdcrispe95

Fractal R3
/thread


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## MisterNasty

The P183 looks dated.


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## somebodysb2

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MisterNasty;12375613*
> The P183 looks dated.


it is.


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## JiminyBillyBob

I've got the p183 atm but I'm thinking of switching it out for a fractal R3 when I convert this machine into a server..

Reasons being that if I put a 1.5tb WDGreen in the top slot in the lower HDD rack, the entire case rattles because the HDD touches the top of the drive cage.. And I've had to remove the top fan because it's placement is ridicilous.

As a case it's decent but for a 'silent' case I'm not impressed with it.


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## wupah

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *karkee;12335101*
> I got the P183 aswell, my friend bought the Fractal R3. I can't see why people would not buy the P183 above the R3.
> 
> The R3 build quality is imo really bad, people tell me its not that bad but seriously for that price it could/should be alot better


^^ Antec Fanboy alert. or Troll, anyways here's my rant.

anyways I've owned Antec cases and now I moved to the Fractal R3. The build quality is really good, I have not found a single thing that I don't like about it so far.

I don't know what prices you were looking at but the Antec p183 is 160$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129174&cm_re=antec_p183-_-11-129-174-_-Product

The Fractal Define R3 is 115$
http://www.ncixus.com/products/53537/DEFINE-R3-BLACK/Fractal%20Design/

I paid 100$ + 5.99 shipping.


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## somebodysb2

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wupah;12383257*
> ^^ Antec Fanboy alert. or Troll, anyways here's my rant.
> 
> anyways I've owned Antec cases and now I moved to the Fractal R3. The build quality is really good, I have not found a single thing that I don't like about it so far.
> 
> I don't know what prices you were looking at but the Antec p183 is 160$
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129174&cm_re=antec_p183-_-11-129-174-_-Product
> 
> The Fractal Define R3 is 115$
> http://www.ncixus.com/products/53537/DEFINE-R3-BLACK/Fractal%20Design/
> 
> I paid 100$ + 5.99 shipping.


Really? all of my antec's (p182/p183) have fallen apart.


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## theodorou

the quality to a r3 is a lot better than a p183 + r3 looks sexy


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## fraudbrand

The R3 looks better, cools better but the build quality is shaky but most of that comes from the horrible rubber grommets that leave a cheap taste in your mouth when they refuse to stay in place.


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## infernoRS

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fraudbrand;12467215*
> The R3 looks better, cools better but the build quality is shaky but most of that comes from the horrible rubber grommets that leave a cheap taste in your mouth when they refuse to stay in place.


That's why I ripped them off in the first place.


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## Redwoodz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fraudbrand;12467215*
> The R3 looks better, cools better but the build quality is shaky but most of that comes from the horrible rubber grommets that leave a cheap taste in your mouth when they refuse to stay in place.


You guys ever hear of weatherstrip adhesive?


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## Th0m0_202

i love this case! i built one for a mate. very sturdy. i dont know why ppl here are sayinh its flimsy :S i thought my case was pretty good and strong but that one is heavier and a bit stronger.


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## goldboy

I use an R3 - I wanted to make a whisper quiet PC after enduring ear rapage for many years. I think the R3 is the best out-of the box solution. I am sure, I could have bought an antec P183 and modified myself with foam/fans - to get it even more silent - but the R3 does the job so well I can't complain.

The first thing to get in terms of quietness is a good aftermarket cooler for both the GPUs and CPU - this will make your pc alot more quiet. Next up is quiet fans that move some air around the case. And your set - silent performance FTW


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## DarkRockSlizer

hm... both are great cases, but the R3 has one big flaw over the P183, you can put cards in it larger than 28cm, which is a problem for the high end amd cards in the x9xx series (the 6950 reference is 29,7 cm long). also, the top of the R3 seems to be a bit flimsy


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