A Closer Look - Inside

To gain access to the interior, simply remove the thumbscrews holding the glass and steel panels in place. The interior lacks any visible 3.5" drive bays and there is no 5.25" variant as there is no external opening for it. Looking at the motherboard tray from behind, there are two simple openings at the top's edge, but only a large, partially covered opening has been put into the left edge of the tray. While this will allow for some interesting cable routing, it also means that you will have to route elements like audio all the way across the motherboard.


There are a total of four SSD-mounting positions, consisting of individual trays. While some manufacturers with the same case frame have reduced the number of trays to save some money, the Antec P8 comes fully equipped. You will find two behind the motherboard tray and two more on top of the shroud inside the chassis.


There are a mere 16 mm of space behind the motherboard tray, but thanks to the recessed front, you are given nearly 30 mm to work with. This means that most if not all of your cabling should be routed to and put into this area of the case.


In the front, underneath the shroud, you will find a movable 3.5" cage with two drive trays. Those may also be used for 2.5" variants instead. The entire front is a big air vent with two simple white-bladed fans with embedded LEDs pre-installed. There is a large removable dust filter in the front, and you may install a third 120 mm fan or choose to place a 360 mm radiator here.


In the rear, once again starting below the shroud, you will find the simple but effective PSU bay. The PSU will rest on four foam spacers as an anti-vibration measure. Above that are the seven expansion slots and a basic white-bladed, LED-equipped 120 mm fan set to push air out the back, which brings the total number of cooling units within the Antec P8 to a very respectable three.


Looking at the ceiling of the Antec P8, you are able to install two 120 mm fans or a 240 mm radiator in the ceiling officially, but there are additional mounting holes, which seems to suggest that two 140 mm fans could fit as well.


The cables for I/O and case power or reset are quite ordinary - you will easily be able to connect these to the motherboard of your choice.