Test System

Assembly

Installing a full ATX board inside the Antec P101 Silent is done via traditional means, with the use of spacers and screws. There is plenty of space on all three sides of the board for easy cable routing. GPUs of around 270 mm will fit without having to take out any hard-drive cages, which basically means that this won't be a scenario you will have to worry about with the bulk of GPUs out there.


Adding a 3.5" drive is easily achieved by simply pulling out the plastic tray, inserting the drive, and sliding it back into a cage of your choice—no tools or screws are needed.


Installing a 2.5" drive, on the other hand, does take a traditional screw driver and screws to secure the drive to the metal tray, which may then be placed back on to the back of the motherboard tray with the thumb screw.


To gain access to the 5.25" bay, simply pop the plastic cover out and slide the drive in. Even though I use a pretty old and thus long optical drive, it does not extend beyond the metal frame of the bay, which also means that it won't interfere with your motherboard.


Antec has made things simple when it comes to adding a PSU as well. Simply screw it on to the frame and slide it into the chassis. There is plenty of space, so you may use larger, higher capacity units without issue.


With everything in place, the interior of the P101 Silent looks quite clean. However, grommets on the motherboard openings would have really helped make it look even better, especially as the cables are visible against the white motherboard tray. As you can see, I tried hiding all the leads as far away from the openings as I could to minimize the visual impact.

Finished Looks

With everything assembled and the system turned on, there isn't really much to see as the P101 Silent doesn't sport a side window. The four USB ports light up in a fairly bright white to let you know the system is up and running.


The three fans in the front can be seen spinning if you swing open the door, and the ODD bay fits perfectly without any issues as well. In the rear, you will see that fourth fan as well, with all the connectors and the PSU bay in their expected locations.