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Antec makes some sweet cases

M

mjz_5

2[H]4U
Joined
May 24, 2001
Messages
3,637
I was working on my computer today and I just realized how sweet the Antec LifeStyle SONATA case is. It has a very quiet 120mm fan, an external 4-pin power at the back of the Power Supply (just noticed this), removable hard drive and cd-rom clips, and the case looks really good too. The picture on the site doesn't do justice.

Anyhow, not sure if this was the correct area to most such a thread, but i just had to say something good about a company for once. :p
 
its a crappy design actually. i own one and while i like the hard drive cage and thick steel design their are many design flaws. 1) weird placement of inside 120mm fan 2) holes in side panel that encourage dust 3) fan isn't that quiet although it does move air 4)cramped design due to hard drive cages 5)very bright blue light 6)have to open hinge to get to power switch and drives

although it is still a good bargain for an athlon xp or older intel computers due to its true power supply inclusion with 20 pin adapter for new systems it doesn't fit the bill.

the new revision that is coming out fixes some of these issues most notably the holes in the side panels.

I wouldn't get it next time around.
 
blue light? I don't have one

edit, actually yeah i do have one, i just didn't plug it in... too lazy to plug in the leds :p .

plus, if you don't the led, why not just unplug it?
 
I have one, and I think it is just about the sweetest case I have ever worked on. And, trust me on this one, I have worked in an awful lot of cases over the years :)

It is quiet, and the blue LEDs on the front are not nearly as annoying as the multitudes of multlcoloured rice crap that is one most cases. It is quiet, and solid (I hate flimsy, aluminum cases), and best of all, an Antec. :)

The PSU is stable, and of very high quality. The rails are true, and the voltages don't fluctuate. What I will probably do in the future, is swap out the True380 for a NeoPower modular, to cut down on the number of wires in my case, becuase half of them aren't used in my rig.
 
I was thinking of getting one for my system, but then i found more money so i desided to get a new system with an Aria.
but if there is a new version comming ill have to getit for my server, its very noisey ill also get some of the case padding for the inside
 
I think the side holes are just retarded looking, but I like the case a lot. I would love a removable mobo tray, and a removable right side panel though. It's got a nice dust filter up front, and the finish is great. Stock cooler on a 2.4 Northwood and it was running at about 37C w/o the interior fan. Once we replaced the CPU fan, you literally couldn't hear the thing from 2 feet away.

 
zapperfish said:
I was thinking of getting one for my system, but then i found more money so i desided to get a new system with an Aria.
but if there is a new version comming ill have to getit for my server, its very noisey ill also get some of the case padding for the inside
Click to expand...

The sonata II will be coming out very shortly actually, same with the new P180 (that will be my next case). You can probably find the previews of Antecs new line of cases with a google search.
 
I have his case and I like it alot. I've had mine for quite a while and when I got it it was the first case I found with the hard drive rack orientated the way it is. I hide the wires behind the drives. I love the looks of the case, simple. Mine is on 24/7 so the power switch inside the door is no problem. My brother wishes he had that feature because he's got curious 2 yr old kid who like to press the buttons. Kid tore the bezel off his cd burner! If Antec is redesigning this case I would hope for only 2 things. 1. A place for a second 120mm fan at the front of the case and 2. no perforated Antec logo on the side panels. But there are work arounds for this. D some body work on the perforated Antec on the side panels or just put something beind them like a plexi window with a light or just some black plastic or something. I have been looking at the front filter and I think I can mod it to fit a 120 fan there. I plan on removing the usb ports with those leds and that door so I can stick a VFD in there. I'll just drop that USB unit in a 3 1/2 drive above. Is mine quiet? No. I've got an OC'd XP1700 with a TMD fan that sounds like a hair dryer.
 
Qwertyman said:
its a crappy design actually. i own one and while i like the hard drive cage and thick steel design their are many design flaws. 1) weird placement of inside 120mm fan 2) holes in side panel that encourage dust 3) fan isn't that quiet although it does move air 4)cramped design due to hard drive cages 5)very bright blue light 6)have to open hinge to get to power switch and drives

although it is still a good bargain for an athlon xp or older intel computers due to its true power supply inclusion with 20 pin adapter for new systems it doesn't fit the bill.

the new revision that is coming out fixes some of these issues most notably the holes in the side panels.

I wouldn't get it next time around.
Click to expand...

Just set up your keyboard to power up the computer.. Better than bending over thats for sure.
 
I have an Antec Super Lan Boy case and even though its a bit "flimsy" the overall features,
looks and accessories make it a very good case. Though the front platic fan grill is not to
my taste, I have some mod ideas.
 
The sonata is great, in that it is near silent and easy to work with, for the most part. It has a lot of serious flaws, though:

Right panel is riveted on and cannot be removed. This could have EASILY been remedied in design/production, and makes it a PAIN to route cables.

The airflow in the case generally sucks, due to a poorly placed front fan and insufficient front intake area. Add to this unfiltered holes in the sides of the case to allow in dust without significantly helping cooling, and poorly fitted front usb headers and front loading 5.25 drive rails which also admit dust without helping cooling.

USB 1.1 front headers.

external drive mounts do not work well with drive bays or other mounted equipment which is not full-length.

No easy way to detach or tuck away front panel wires without cutting them off.


Honestly, I love my sonata, but the way I love my beat to hell car that is a pain to work on and overheats.
 
I've always loved the Antec cases. They're always solid and have good design. The Sonata II looks to be pretty cool! Second, the cases are built for 120mm fans, which are great because of the flow and sound.
 
Sunborder said:
USB 1.1 front headers..
Click to expand...

Huh ? No way, I just tried with my usb key, took like 3-4 seconds to transfer a 30MB file, same with the usb port on the back.

BTW, I love my Sonata too except like some people said the fact that one of the panel is riveted. I don't really care about the holes in the side, sure they let dust in, but I regularly clean the inside of my comp so I don't think it's a huge problme for me.
 
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