antec sonata

[rookie1010]

antec sonata

What do you guys think of antec sonata, what are the competing cases? I originally wanted to go for the antec 1080 which came with a 430 watt true power and 4 5.25 inch but they don?t seem to be available in the UK ?

Is 380 watts of power good enough
Are 2 12 inch fans good enough

It has got a 380 watt PSU, do you think I can upgrade it to 430 or above?

It comes with Quiet TruePower, is that better than SmartPower

I came across this primer, and one of the points they have mentioned is that the drives should be accessible, what does that mean?

It also mentioned If you are an extreme PC user or gamer you might consider buying a bigger power supply separately. What kind of games would require a power higher than 380 watts

How many fans is good enough? I have read that 2 120 mm fans are as good as 4 80 mm fans?

My understanding about the motherboard form factor is that a new form factor mobo coming up, I will have to upgrade my case in a few years anyway, correct?
Or are there any cases out there, which would allow for expansion at a later date?

What are the things you can have in a 5.25 inch bay
Dvd w, cd w, sound blaster, fan controller (not too sure if one needs it)

Does the PSU of the antec sonata also have a fan, that would make the number of fans 3 ?. Is it possible for me to have the intake fan at a lower height than the outtake fan


How much power does water cooling take?

I tried to do a bit of research and I came across this comparison by tom?s hardware
http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/..._review-51.html

there is not even a single antec being reviewed, is that worrying?

The sonata also states a max of 3.0 GHZ, can I not later on upgrade my processor to say 3.2 GHz

How are the USB ports on a mobo linked to the front side of a case e.g. the antec sonata

In one of the reviews some one had stuck a A Zalman cooler with 90mm fan, where doe you tstick a zalman filter on?

What 120 mm fan do you guys recommend?

I looked at the SX1040, it caters to extended mobo and i think 4 5.25 inch drives

however i am not sure about its availability

 

[Dough1397]

2 12 inch fans should suffice i guess... lol...

you can always swap out teh psu

you can put any processor in there.. 3.0 ghz is just a recommendation...

 

[Reiniku]

seriously... that is a LOT of questions and they make my head hurt as if i were talking to a grade school class (NEVER GOING THERE AGAIN).

anyway to answer what i can:

i think the sonata is an awesome case whose only flaw is the very flimsy front usb connections.

the 380w psu will be more than good enough for any rig you throw at it. it will take a lot more than what you would probably have to run out a 380w antec.

SmartPower simply refers to the lower end bracket of the antec psu line, quietpower referring to the silent series. In terms of performance it all depends on the wattage of that particular psu in whichever line.

I'm assuming accessible drives mean that the hard drives are side mounted, so you can pull them out of the case with great ease. otherwise i dont have a clue what that means.

A bigger psu will not be necessary unless you run seriously power hungry components. games do not have powersupply requirements, though some video cards have 'advertised' requirements.

As far as cooling, 2 120mm fans is the right number. Depending on the fan type you get on both the 80mm and 120mm end, they could end up pushing more or less air. they will however be much quieter because they will spin at a slower rpm while still producing air.

The new motherboard formfactor that's (actually its already here) coming out is BTX and it's made more or less for intel systems that cannot keep up with their heat output. it's a crap formfactor that you dont have to worry about. there are several cases that are btx or btx ready (meaning they can be both atx and btx).

you can put whatever the hell you want in a 5.25 bay. You can put a cigarette lighter or cup holder if you want. but as far as the norm you put cd rom drives, fan controllers, and lcd displays.

The psu on the antec sonata has dual fans afaik. One takes the air and runs it through the components and the other pushes it out hte back (think of it as a mini case).

Yes, generally intake fans are in the lower end of the front of the case, and exhaust are in the upper part of the rear. Hot air rises and all that :b.

The amount of power water cooling takes depends on the setup. I'm not too well informed so lets leave it at that (no too much i imagine).

I wouldn't give a s-hit that tom's doesn't have anything on antecs. ignore it.

Saying that the sonata is 3.0 max doesn't mean a thing, just like tom's hardware guide: ignore it.

THe usb ports on the case have headers that are simply attached to the mobo.

THe sonata already comes stock with a front intake filter. I dont have a clue what you're talking about with a zalman cooler unless you mean the 7000b series. Those dont have filters and should fit fine if your mobo doens't run your socket too high up.

I recommend that ornage yate loon for a 120mm fan... too lazy to look it up so snoop around the forums.

extended mobo? the largest general mobo size is ATX which is what the sonata supports. You wont have to worry about it not fitting.

I know i probably should have quoted but ... nah

 

[rookie1010]

thanks for the reply.

what are the different fan types
on the fan type you get on both the 80mm and 120mm end, they could end up pushing more or less air. they will however be much quieter because they will spin at a slower rpm while still producing air.

fom the "research" i did, i think the 380 watt PSU they supply has only one fan. is it some inferior fan they are throwing in,

should i go for a case (with 4 5.25 inch drives) and a good psu with dual fans

also when they talk about one fan with the case, does that mean the fan with the PSU, or is it the additional fan?

 

[KH85]

I have a sonata and i love it.

It is the simple things that do it for me, things such as rubber gromets to reduce the vibration noise from the hard drives. Also the way the hard drives and my DVDRW go in, makes my life easier when removing them

I think it is a great case, the only downside is the front USB's as allready stated, and the fact that my Door has broken off :Q.

Anyone know where i can get one in the UK?

 

[rookie1010]

i think you can get it of dabs and microdirect in the UK

what doe you guys mean by the USB's are flimsy?

also i was concerned abotu the number of 5.25 inch drives
if i have a dvd w, sound card and temp control(is that needed), then i am out of 5.25 drives, no mroe expansion
you guys think i need more 5.25 inch drives

 

[Techno Pride]

you probably do not need any temp monitoring device in your 5.25" bay. Unless you want your casing to have a cool geek factor to it

the casing comes with a single fan Truepower 380Spower supply that should work fine with most rigs. That's assuming you're not running a P4 3.8E with a high end video card plus a million hard drives :evil:

I am using a pair of 120mm Coolermaster LED fans that blow ~29CFM each and it's more than enough for my AthlonXP @ 2.1GHz.

 

[rookie1010]

i got a P4-2.8 GHz and a 5700ultra card

do you guys know why antec uses 80 mm fans in its SOHO file server config while it uses 120 mm fans in some of its mid tower configs

do you guys know if any ATX mobo can bve mated with any ATX case? what i mean to ask is say, i got USB2, Audio ports, do i need special headers on the mobo to connect the mobo to the case front side?

also what do you guys mean by the sonata has weak USB ports?

 

[Erssa]

Antec has a sonata II around the corner so unless you are in hurry you should wait for it.

Just my 2 cents

 

[rookie1010]

oh ho
you know how long before the osnsta II hits the market
i am in the UK, so i think they have to ship it(literally hip it), so guess need to factor in a couple of months


alternatively there is the SX1040 & 1080, dabs says the SX1080 is on order(same as they said about the 1080), what do you guys think about it?

i need to upgrade my case now, since i got a cheap case, unbrnaded and i think it overheats the rest of the components and reduces their lifetime(is that true?)

 

[ExpertNovice]

I too am waiting for the P180 (Sonata II). For now, I am assuming that both Sonata's will use the same PSU.

The Sonata comes with:

TruePower 380Watt ATX12V power supply with single fan design for enhanced quietness

Cooling: Up to 2 120mm Fans
- 1 rear (standard) 25mm thick
- 1 front (optional) 25mm thick

My 2 questions, be gentle I am a newb about power supplies!

Can the rear fan be easily changed to a better (quieter) fan?
Can a fan be added to the the front (which is optional) or not?

I would assume yes on both questions. My desire is to reduce the noise as much as possible, within reason, and adding two top-of-the line fans is within reason.

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: ExpertNovice
I too am waiting for the P180 (Sonata II). For now, I am assuming that both Sonata's will use the same PSU.
My 2 questions, be gentle I am a newb about power supplies!

Can the rear fan be easily changed to a better (quieter) fan?

Don't know about easily, but fans can be changed. Sometimes they are hard-wired in so you have to do some cutting and splicing.

Can a fan be added to the the front (which is optional) or not?

Unless the psu was specifically designed to have a fan in the front, there's more than likely not enough room for one.

I would assume yes on both questions. My desire is to reduce the noise as much as possible, within reason, and adding two top-of-the line fans is within reason.

 

[Techno Pride]

the Truepower comes with 1x80mm fan. It's noisy when it's running @ 2300rpm (on a AXP 3200+, 1.65v, running BurnK7). funny how a casing that's marketed for silence is noisy when running a "typical" setup.

Cooling: Up to 2 120mm Fans
- 1 rear (standard) 25mm thick
- 1 front (optional) 25mm thick

the rear fan is the casing's exhaust fan and comes with the casing. You're supposed to connect it to the psu's fan-only connector where the speed can be controlled depending on the temperature inside the psu. Decently low noise @ 5v.

you need lots of patience to remove the rear fan without tearing the fan isolators

you have to buy the front fan yourself.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

The problem with the Sonata is that it doesn't have adequate air flow. I replaced the stock fan with a Sunon 120mm at 108 cfm, wired to the regular power lead. That was way too much. I had to take the blanks out of the front so air won't be drawn back through the PS.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
The problem with the Sonata is that it doesn't have adequate air flow. I replaced the stock fan with a Sunon 120mm at 108 cfm, wired to the regular power lead. That was way too much. I had to take the blanks out of the front so air won't be drawn back through the PS.

It's got good enough airflow for anything short of a 3.6GHz Prescott. I'm running a 3.2C @ 3.6GHz on stock cooling in a Sonata and it's at 56C full load. I had the P4, 3 hard drives (2 of them Raptors), 3 PCI cards and an overclocked 6800GT in a Sonata with the front fan added and everything ran fine.

 

[ExpertNovice]

Thanks. I'm waiting for the Sonata 2 and probably will not opt for a second fan on the PSU if it is the 380. The case is supposed to have a separate compartment for the PSU complete with space for an front and rear fan. It sounds like this will keep the fan on the 380 quite enough.

I had wanted the 350 but if the case already comes with the 380 there is probably no need to switch fans.

 

[rookie1010]

hey boston dangler, why did you need so much air flow
what kind of programs were you running on your machine

KHGamez , what do you mean by yoru door broke off, was it the door that covers the 5.25 inch bay.

what abotu the circular cover surrounded by the blue LEDs, i heard reports that the USB slots can break off? can i take some precautions so that they dont break off.

i did a cost analysis and found out the antec with 380 watt is half the price of an antec p160 with 430 watt PSU

 

[wisdomtooth]

I have an Antec Sonata and I tossed the stock Antec PSU and put a Seasonic Super Tornado in its place. The Seasonic has a 120mm fan, so essentially I got TWO 120mm fans exhausting out the back of my case.

The Seasonic Super Tornado is superior to the stock Antec PSU in every way. Vents MUCH better (because of the 120mm fan and large-area honeycomb grille in the back) so it runs WAY cooler, and is even quieter.

My Sonata never rose above 29C case temp when room temp is 25C, and this is with an A64 3200+ and a 6800GTO vid card.

HTH.

 

[charlietee]

I find the Antec Sonata to have a couple of flaws that I could not live with.

The first is the way that the Sonata will literally fill your optical drives with dust unless you keep the door closed and even then you will find dust rapidly collecting in your drives.

Second is the placement of the front 120m/m fan...Not good...Even with the second fan...Pains taking taping of your optical drives to reduce dust accumulation and taping the Antec holes on the both sides of the case the cooling is poor at best.

I had one and after many hours of trying to "fix" what I consider flaw's in the case design just gave up and sold it.

There are much better choices...The Antec SLK3700BQE is a much better choice as far as case design...It does however come with the 350watt SmartPower versus the 380watt TruePower supply that comes in the Sonata.

Even better is the SLK3000B with a 350watt Fortron with the adjustable 120m/m fan...Or some other supply in that price range.

The "piano" finish is also something that really does not fit with most black computer hardware...And the blue lights up front are annoying as hell...To me anyway.

As you can tell I really do not have anything good to say about the Sonata...Easily one of the most dissapointing pieces Antec has put on the market to date.

In my humble opinion of course.

 

[wisdomtooth]

Tips for keeping your computer from accumulating dust quickly:

1) DO WHAT YOUR MOMMY TOLD YOU AND CLEAN YOUR ROOM, YOUNG MAN. :laugh: (semi-joking)

2) Keep your tower off the floor. Even half a foot off the floor will do wonders.

3) Get a room air filtration system.

4) If your house has a positive-pressure HVAC/climate control system, that would help immensely.

5) Carpetless rooms tend to accumulate less dust.

6) If you own a cat, expect hairballs in your computer.

HTH.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Meh, the only thing good about the Sonata to me is that it's quiet. Too small for my likings and it's flimsy front panel.

 

[rookie1010]

whatd o you mean by flimsy front panel
is that the one with the USB ports?