Antec did not stop at the PSU when designing this low noise case. As we saw earlier the 120mm fan is vibration isolated. They also included special hard disk caddies that isolate the HDD from the caddy and case with rubber grommets. This ensures that the vibrations from the HDD are dampened and not resonated within the case. Note the special screws that are used to attach the HDD to the caddy.
The four HDD caddies are mounted 90deg out so they slide in and out from the side quite easily. This also saves space because the HDDs can be mounted closer to the front of the case. Another benefit is that the ATA ribbon cables run down the side of the case very neatly and don’t interfere with the airflow over the HDDs. It's such a simple idea, to rotate the HDD 90 degrees, I wonder why it was not thought of before.
One problem with the HDD mounting method is that the Molex connectors get squashed up against the side panel once it is replaced. Although I did not experience any problems with this it would have been nice to have right angle Molex connectors just for the four HDD’s.
The Sonata has an optional point to mount a second 120mm fan. This is located behind the HDD caddies. Antec also included four of the vibration absorbing pins to mount this second 120mm fan. However, I believe that the fan would have been more effective if it was located closer to the front of the case in front of the HDDs. Please note that it is a good idea to install the motherboard before installing the optional fan - I found that the motherboard fouled on the fan during installation (MSI K7D).
Like many of the other Antec models, the Sonata features an air filter located behind the front bezel - it is removable from under the front via two clips and is easily cleaned.
Installation of all the components was pretty straightforward and made very easy with the drive rails and HDD caddies. I made no real attempt to tidy up the cabling, simply transferring all the components from an Antec 660AMG to the Sonata - even so, the airflow through the case was fairly unrestricted.
Antec have designed and marketed this product as a “low noise” case, and on their first attempt I can say that they have pretty much achieved this. Although I don’t have any noise measuring equipment to test with, the noise levels are a little bit lower than the 660AMG that I was using previously. That was already very quiet (using the true power PSU and four Antec case fans on the “fan only” connectors in the 660AMG). Temperatures for motherboard and both CPUs have remained almost exactly the same for both cases.
Overall I would recommend this case to both the performance users and those seeking a quieter PC. It is quiet enough for those who are looking for a good start to a quiet PC solution, and there is a good selection of high CFM 120mm fans available for those who are looking for performance case cooling.
Pros:
Very Quiet
Excellent styling
High gloss paint finish
High quality construction
380watt True Power PSU
Dual 120mm fan locations with isolators
Noise reducing HDD Caddies
Cons:
Not as sturdy as the AMG series, (still better than most)
“Antec” logo punch out on the side panels
Small reset switch (seems to be a trait with all the Antec/Cheiftec cases)
Optional 120mm fan not located at the front of case
Plus Corporation have the Sonata for $225 at the time of writing. Retailers wanting to buy Antec products wholesale should contact Altech Computers.
All original content copyright James Rolfe.
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