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Posted June 8th, 2026 23:42
If you must choose now, that is when you take both and give you sometimes to decide later.
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Posted June 9th, 2026 13:43
P1 21" deep x 22" tall x 9.5" wide
case weights 30 lb
this is as tall as the area 51 R1 or XPS 730X (22")
P2 (W)10"x (D)25"x (H)19"
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Posted June 9th, 2026 14:00
I have to say pre-Dell Alienware is skin deep pretty only. they customize a glossy painted plastic shell wrapped around a standard no thrill metal chassis plus some hinges and locks here n there maybe plus some silver or black gills.
to a teenager it may be eye candy
to a young adult it may remind him or her of the teenage adulation and inability to afford at a younger age
to a middle-aged the allure wears off
to a senior it is meretricious superficial no deep quality in build.
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Posted June 9th, 2026 18:52
I spent some time cleaning up a P2. the case is massive. the side panel is hard to re-attach.
it seems there is some improvement of P2 over P1 while keeping some features such as swing open front door and metal mesh gills. overall case is deeper by 4 inch and shorter by 3 inch.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/398011608019?
The predator 1 dates before LED. It uses plasma tubes powered by 4 pin molex to light up front bottom behind mesh. I do not see any plasma tube going to the alien head logo. seems the alien head is not a button but just a logo that does not light up. the actual power switch is located behind front door and user has to open the door to access the power switch. there is a lock on the front door which shares the same key presumably with lock on the left side panel. more old tech than P2.
I do not see a strong reason for me to acquire a P1 especially completely empty case. part of reason of collecting this kind of vintage is to wonder at how they did at that time, the retro motherboard and cooler etc. all that old sweetness is gone when installing a modern board inside.
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Posted June 9th, 2026 22:30
turns out P1 for area 51 and aurora have different hdd cage design
area 51
have removable hdd cages x 2
https://www.ebay.com/itm/206209937389?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/227345616479?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/267695410433?
if the hdd cages are removed, you are left with two empty shelves
Aurora 7500 (Athlon) have this hdd cage design
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Posted June 10th, 2026 14:44
uploaded pic link expired.
conclusion: if you can choose, choose P2 over P1. P1 has no LED no lighted alien head and has an inconvenient power button, plus the need for a key if door ever get locked. if you feel really nostalgic, then consider P1 or even older pre-dell aw.
the typical P2 has manual controlled led unless you have the advanced active control card which is hard to find.
this is the design of P2 front LED
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Posted June 11th, 2026 14:38
I have decided not to get a super cheap P1 case, even though price is way below most ads and it is in good condition.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/397937688635?
main reason is case has no led, no premium AW sound absorbing foam inside case, and too tall, taller than predator2. also the drive to get it is quite long. I know the case is sought after not after thinking it over it is not for me, and would be a piece of clutter if I acquire it.
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redxps630
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Posted June 8th, 2026 21:57
Assuming both cases are black or green, so color is not a factor in judging their merits. I have a hard time deciding which one is better
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