Antec case w/PSU

[dc5]

BTW, is there a link for the Sonata II? I would really like to see it.

absolutley

 

[Ike0069]

Originally posted by: dc5
I :heart: my Sonata

the stock PSU fan is however, crapping out on me. the clicking noise on the fan is starting to become more noticable, so i replaced it with a 80mm panaflo along with 2 120mm yateloons aka nexus.

here's a pic of my sonata.

That pic reminded me of my one major gripe. When you have to run a 4-pin molex to your VC and it connects to the end of the card, the power wire lays right up against the second fan. It's not that big of a deal, but I would rather have the fan up against the front panel.

 

[Monkey muppet]

Originally posted by: Ike0069

Originally posted by: Monkey muppet
I have the Same Case and PSU.

Thing to note:

The air intake is quite poor, this can be noted by dust build up around the 'Antec' holes on the side panel and around where the opticals would go. If you are planning on fitting the extra 120mm front then access to it is a pain and a half (use the PSU's dedication fan molex as it's temp controlled through the PSU). However the extraction is very good

The case is one of the heaviest for it's size, but the build quality is exceptional. The front blue LED's either side of the front panel are stupidly bright (and not realy needed IMO).

Instal the HSF before fitting the MB in as the PSU will make it very awkard to fit the HSF.

Value for money this is the best I've ever seen. My next purchase will be the Sonata II as it finetunes the little niggles (no holes on the side panel and a slightly upgraded PSU).

If you want to go a little quiter then get the Acousti AcoustiPack Pre-cut Kit For Antec Sonata

I put clear tape across the holes on both sides of the case, so mine stays basically dust free. I also added the second 120mm fan which IMO is a good idea for anybody.
As for the PSU interfering with the HSF, I didn't seem to have any problems with that. In fact I installed/removed my HSF several times when I was having problems without ever removing the MB. Anyways, after covering up the holes and adding the second fan, i find the air flow thru the case to be good, but not great.
Overall, I agree this tops the list for value for your money.
BTW, is there a link for the Sonata II? I would really like to see it.

I'll probably do the tape thing this weekend

Mine didn't have intereferace issues either (I mention it as the leverage angle clearance is a little tight to hook into the ZIF socket - I suppose this will all depend on the size of the MB being used and the type of HSF)

 

[diabloII]

but leaving the "antec" holes open would increase airflow?

also, would the bad airflow on this case cause me to overclock lower because of the bad airflow will increase my temperature?

one more question; is there another case that has a power supply as good as the one this case is using or better (noise doesn't matter) and is around the same price range?

 

[Monkey muppet]

Originally posted by: diabloII
but leaving the "antec" holes open would increase airflow?

also, would the bad airflow on this case cause me to overclock lower because of the bad airflow will increase my temperature?

one more question; is there another case that has a power supply as good as the one this case is using or better (noise doesn't matter) and is around the same price range?

The airflow will probably be (wild guess) no more than 2-3 degrees. Which can easily be made up through the proper application of AS5 and cable management

 

[diabloII]

ahh, ic

so in a antec sonata case v.s. generic case airflow test there wouldn't be much difference i guess- right?

 

[Ike0069]

Originally posted by: diabloII
but leaving the "antec" holes open would increase airflow?

also, would the bad airflow on this case cause me to overclock lower because of the bad airflow will increase my temperature?

one more question; is there another case that has a power supply as good as the one this case is using or better (noise doesn't matter) and is around the same price range?

I think the airflow is good, but there are designs that have better airflow. Remember, this case was designed to be very quiet, not necessarily stay the coolest.
As for the price, IMO no other high quality case/PSU combo can be found for that price. I didn't even buy the Sonata for the quietness, I just couldn't pass up the bargain that this case give you.

Edit: leaving the holes open will give slightly better air flow I would guess, but my case temps stay under 40 at full load. That is good enough for me. I would suggest covering the holes at first before you install anything. Then if it's too hot for your liking, you can easily remove it. This will definitely help keep the dust down.

 

[dc5]

there is a reason for the "antec" punched holes, to cool the power supply. since very little airflow come from the intake, the power supply has to depend on the side vents for cooling. with the new sonata II, there is a redesign of the intake, thus there is no need for the side vents.

 

[dev0lution]

Antec generally is dead on to conservative on their PSU specs, which is muuuch better than a PSU that claims x amps but in reality is only delivering that at peak power.

The "antec" side vents may mess up the front to back airflow, as it relieves positive pressure out of the sides instead of letting the cool air from the front cycle all the way through the rear exhaust fans. Haven't played around with one (yet..got a project using one in a couple of weeks) so I can't verify it 100%.

 

[JBDan]

This case is super quiet with good airflow. Just finished a build for a Dentist (AMD643000+). Side vents are fine just defeat the "dust free" evironment idea within the case. Very sturdy, super quiet, good airflow, solid/quiet PSU. Only complaint is: the dang flimsy a_s front door. Kickin case!!

 

[yadda]

*great* case. I have it also. Fine touches. My only gripe is that the front bezel was a little tricky to get off. (I broke one of the clips)

Y

 

[diabloII]

so covering the side vent (the antec holes) would provide better airflow?

 

[JBDan]

I dont think so. Just keep a little more dust out.

 

[dc5]

Originally posted by: diabloII
so covering the side vent (the antec holes) would provide better airflow?

it would increase the PSU temperature, causing the fans to spin faster if you have them connected to the 'fan only' molex connector.

 

[diabloII]

so overall i won't have a problem running my setup if i don't overclock; right?

 

[JBDan]

I think it would be fine to oc to 2.2~2.4 especially with a good hsf. When ya gotta start bumpin cpu volts up then the heat might be a lil much for your single case fan setup. OC and watch the temps under load. Only way to find out.

 

[Penth]

Nice Case, I've got two and am gonna be switching another case for one soon. I've got a 3000+ system I just put together yesterday that I plan on overclocking this weekend.

 

[Ike0069]

Originally posted by: diabloII
so overall i won't have a problem running my setup if i don't overclock; right?

I agree that you can OC just fine, but IMO the case might prevent you from getting the absolute max OC.
Now I covered the holes mainly to keep the dust out, but I believe it can help keep the CPU and VC slightly cooler while slightly increasing PSU temps. Covering the holes forces the air to be drawn across the MB and out the back vice being able to go out the sides also. Either way, I don't think it makes a big difference.
After heavy gaming last night for about 3 hrs:
Max case temp: 38C
Max CPU temp: 52C (stock speeds with stock cooling)

 

[diabloII]

Originally posted by: Ike0069

Originally posted by: diabloII
so overall i won't have a problem running my setup if i don't overclock; right?

I agree that you can OC just fine, but IMO the case might prevent you from getting the absolute max OC.
Now I covered the holes mainly to keep the dust out, but I believe it can help keep the CPU and VC slightly cooler while slightly increasing PSU temps. Covering the holes forces the air to be drawn across the MB and out the back vice being able to go out the sides also. Either way, I don't think it makes a big difference.
After heavy gaming last night for about 3 hrs:
Max case temp: 38C
Max CPU temp: 52C (stock speeds with stock cooling)

is that CPU temperature high for load?

 

[JBDan]

Originally posted by: diabloII

Originally posted by: Ike0069

Originally posted by: diabloII
so overall i won't have a problem running my setup if i don't overclock; right?

I agree that you can OC just fine, but IMO the case might prevent you from getting the absolute max OC.
Now I covered the holes mainly to keep the dust out, but I believe it can help keep the CPU and VC slightly cooler while slightly increasing PSU temps. Covering the holes forces the air to be drawn across the MB and out the back vice being able to go out the sides also. Either way, I don't think it makes a big difference.
After heavy gaming last night for about 3 hrs:
Max case temp: 38C
Max CPU temp: 52C (stock speeds with stock cooling)

is that CPU temperature high for load?

High in some peoples opinion, but plenty safe. Could be cooler, but then again most peoples temps "could be lower."

 

[Ike0069]

Originally posted by: diabloII

Originally posted by: Ike0069

Originally posted by: diabloII
so overall i won't have a problem running my setup if i don't overclock; right?

I agree that you can OC just fine, but IMO the case might prevent you from getting the absolute max OC.
Now I covered the holes mainly to keep the dust out, but I believe it can help keep the CPU and VC slightly cooler while slightly increasing PSU temps. Covering the holes forces the air to be drawn across the MB and out the back vice being able to go out the sides also. Either way, I don't think it makes a big difference.
After heavy gaming last night for about 3 hrs:
Max case temp: 38C
Max CPU temp: 52C (stock speeds with stock cooling)

is that CPU temperature high for load?

It might be high for some, but this is still with the stock cooler. I personally wouldn't worry until it got above 60C.

 

[ILoveYou]

Heya! I have that PSU and computer and it's not working with GF 6600 GT. People on NVidia forums say the problem is with the True380W because it isn't powerful enough. However, I don't believe that. But feel free to give ur opinion.

 

[Ike0069]

Originally posted by: ILoveYou
Heya! I have that PSU and computer and it's not working with GF 6600 GT. People on NVidia forums say the problem is with the True380W because it isn't powerful enough. However, I don't believe that. But feel free to give ur opinion.

Well it works with 6800 GT.

 

[ILoveYou]

Originally posted by: Ike0069

Originally posted by: ILoveYou
Heya! I have that PSU and computer and it's not working with GF 6600 GT. People on NVidia forums say the problem is with the True380W because it isn't powerful enough. However, I don't believe that. But feel free to give ur opinion.

Well it works with 6800 GT.

Well that's what I've heard. So I'm pretty sure the problem is in the card.

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: thelawnet

You will probably not be able to overclock very far, since this PSU will give you what you need but not much more than that as there are only 18Amps on that single 12v rail.

wrong wrong wrong and wrong

Please check facts before posting.....

http://www.antec.com/specs/true380_spe.html
and
http://www.antec.com/us/support_productInfo_details.php?ProdID=20381

This is the True380S model, same as retail True 380 but with single fan (rather than two) for silence.

24A over 12V. That's plenty (i.e. probably you've got 5-6A in reserve at any overclock). This is a high-quality power supply, and it's worth about $70 on its own. It's the SmartPower range that's under powered - the Antec SmartPower 400, has fewer Amps than the TruePower 330.

I have two sonata cases, both with 380's in them, one say 18a, one says 24a. The 24a is a later purchase.