Antec Sonata - Modding Questions

[ultimus666]

I'm a complete newb when it comes to case modding, so please bear with me. I have an Antec Sonata with a bunch of mods in mind I would like to do, although I've never really done any modding before so I have a bunch of questions.

1) I plan on adding a window to my Antec Sonata, would it be a good idea to add a fan in the window at the same time? I have 2 case fans (120mm) at the moment, but I know the Sonata doesn't have great airflow so I was planning on adding another fan. If this is a good idea, what size fan should I put in the window? And should it be intake or outtake? I have one of each at the moment. Plus my PSU that has and intake and outake fan.

2) What thickness plexiglass should I use for the window, or should I use Lexan or some other material? Keep in mind that I will probably be adding a fan.

3) Is there anywhere I can find a guide to installing a fan in a case window? I just want to make sure I don't mess it up.

4) I would like to add a fan controller to my case, to keep the noise at a minimum when I sleep or when I am not gaming. What fan controller do you recommend? I don't really know anything about fan controllers so I'd really appreciate the advice.

5) I plan on getting 3 UV reactive case fans to go in my case en lieu of my current ones, which make do you recommend? I want to make sure I get something that will not only look nice, but be relatively quiet while still moving a good amount of air, as I plan on overclocking. Are the Cooler Master UV reactive fans pretty good quality?

6) To get UV reactive parts to "react", can I use just any cold cathode light, or do I need a light that is actually UV? (dumb question, I know)

I think that about sums up everything I wanted to know. Please bear with me, I know some of the questions are laughable, but I just want to make sure my first modding project goes over smoothly. Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[PC-HAngover]

I'm a complete newb when it comes to case modding, so please bear with me. I have an Antec Sonata with a bunch of mods in mind I would like to do, although I've never really done any modding before so I have a bunch of questions.

1) I plan on adding a window to my Antec Sonata, would it be a good idea to add a fan in the window at the same time? I have 2 case fans (120mm) at the moment, but I know the Sonata doesn't have great airflow so I was planning on adding another fan. If this is a good idea, what size fan should I put in the window? And should it be intake or outtake? I have one of each at the moment. Plus my PSU that has and intake and outake fan.

2) What thickness plexiglass should I use for the window, or should I use Lexan or some other material? Keep in mind that I will probably be adding a fan.

3) Is there anywhere I can find a guide to installing a fan in a case window? I just want to make sure I don't mess it up.

4) I would like to add a fan controller to my case, to keep the noise at a minimum when I sleep or when I am not gaming. What fan controller do you recommend? I don't really know anything about fan controllers so I'd really appreciate the advice.

5) I plan on getting 3 UV reactive case fans to go in my case en lieu of my current ones, which make do you recommend? I want to make sure I get something that will not only look nice, but be relatively quiet while still moving a good amount of air, as I plan on overclocking. Are the Cooler Master UV reactive fans pretty good quality?

6) To get UV reactive parts to "react", can I use just any cold cathode light, or do I need a light that is actually UV? (dumb question, I know)

I think that about sums up everything I wanted to know. Please bear with me, I know some of the questions are laughable, but I just want to make sure my first modding project goes over smoothly. Thanks for any help you can give me.

1) What most people do is add a fan on the one side panel and have it as an intake. It is usually directly on-top of the video card. BTW fans can be both intake and outtake, you just have to turn them around

2) I would personally go to your local Home Depot, Wal*Mart, Lowes, or other hardware store and see what they have available and what fits your price line. Plexiglass will do just fine if you don't plan on kicking it....

3) Nah, you don't need a guide. Just find where you want to position your fan, measure it out, leave some material in the corners for the screws and cut it out. Its very easy. You will also probably want to grab a $0.50 fan grill from newegg or something so you don't chop your fingers off.

4) This is up to you. Do you want the fan controller to be in one of the 5 1/4" bays, or 3 1/2" bays? The ones that go in the 5 1/4" bays usually have extra stuff, like temp probes, lcd, etc. Aerocool makes some good fan controllers. Price is also a big factor here.

5) Pretty much any brand will do if you have a fan controller to attach to it. I personally like Cooler Master UV fans, but don't take my word for it. Look around and see what you like.

6) Yes you need a UV cathode to get the fans to "react", same as if you painted your motherboard or video card with UV reactive paint.

Hope this helps a little.

 

[ultimus666]

I'm still wondering about what thickness of plexiglass I should get, and what size fan I should put in it? Also, which fan controller do you recommend? Thanks for your answers, they are much appreciated.

 

[badbadtz560]

http://www.svc.com/ald-v01-u1-19.html

If price is of any concern, this one's super cheap and looks like it can go all the way down to 5V, which is the minimum amount of voltage most fans can run on anyway. I don't think it looks bad at all, especially for the price

 

[ultimus666]

I've been reading, and apparently the Coolermaster UV fans are quiet and look good, but don't move much air. This is bad as I plan to overclock. Can anyone confirm or deny this, or recommend a different brand of UV fans? Thanks.