Antec SONATA Chassis

I bought this case to fit in one...

Strengths: Cool blue leds, rotating front ports cover, 120mm.fan, 380w supply, internal design and layout, piano black finish, front USB and Firewire and spkr/mic connections, every thing about it is excellent.

Weakness: Absolutely NONE!

I bought this case to fit in one of my entertainment center's cabinets and was extremely pleased with the new layout for the hard drives which makes them very easily accessed as well as silencing their noise. The entire design concept makes for better streamlining of the internal wiring creating better airflow and the small factory fan on my motherboard northbridge chipset is the loudest sound...
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I bought this case to fit in one of my entertainment center's cabinets and was extremely pleased with the new layout for the hard drives which makes them very easily accessed as well as silencing their noise. The entire design concept makes for better streamlining of the internal wiring creating better airflow and the small factory fan on my motherboard northbridge chipset is the loudest sound that can be heard coming from it.

I have already seen cooler chip temperatures starting out on my 1800XP even though this case is not heavily loaded.

I would hazard a guess that this case could even out cool my Antec SX 1030B tower, 550w "True Power", and AMD 3000XP, etc. which does run cool but is much larger and it is heavily loaded. It is certainly very much quieter.

The new layout makes the motherboard more accessable and easier to cool with less clutter from the wiring even in this small case.

The new 5.25 drive slot design makes the the front drives easier to remove and install.

The fine finish might be easier to damage on this case but this layout and size is perfect for a LAN PARTY.

This is just what you can expect from a fine company like Antec.

***UPDATE July 31*** I had NO problems connecting the front USB, Firewire, and audio ports to my AMD style mobo. They all work perfectly using the supplied instructions and nothing is loose.

***UPDATE Oct.14'03*** 5 months later with 0 problems it still looks GREAT in my entertainment center

By AlexanderAkulick - Jun 6, 2003

I have never had a system this...

Strengths: Quiet Quiet Quiet!! Looks great. Drive trays make installation a breeze. Front 2-USB, 1-Firewire, 1-Audio In, 1-Audio Out

Weakness: rubber feet come off easy, but who cares! super glue the darn things back on. Some dust does get in from the holes on the sides where it reads ANTEC.

I have never had a system this quiet before. Putting it together was painless. This case is professionally built. The blue LEDs look cool. The case looks cool and conservative at the same time. Running Asus P4P800-Deluxe,P4 2.6 800MHZ, Radeon 9600Pro, DVD+CDRW drives, and the voltage readings are at 12.099-5.053-3.344. PSU works great!! Air filter in the front is very easy to pull out, and keeps...
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I have never had a system this quiet before. Putting it together was painless. This case is professionally built. The blue LEDs look cool. The case looks cool and conservative at the same time. Running Asus P4P800-Deluxe,P4 2.6 800MHZ, Radeon 9600Pro, DVD+CDRW drives, and the voltage readings are at 12.099-5.053-3.344. PSU works great!! Air filter in the front is very easy to pull out, and keeps the dust out. The drive bay door should have metalic hinges, instead of plastic. It could break off easy if you're not careful, but i haven't had any problems yet. Antec has got me hooked on their cases!!

By sardissimo - Mar 1, 2004

Very quiet case that looks great....

Strengths: Extremely quiet, nice blue LED up-front, nice black finish.

Weakness: Front panel wiring took a while to install.

Very quiet case that looks great. Front blue LED looks cool in the dark. Good air flow and easy access drive tray.

During install, I press the front door to far and the corner broke off. I contact Antec to explain what happened and they sent me a free replacement the same day. Great customer service.

By leec1973 - Oct 7, 2003

I have been building systems for...

Strengths: Quiet,Quieter,Quietest! Great internal design and air flow. No tools! Easy access to Drives, which slide in and out easily through an easily removable side panel.

Weakness: None that I can find

I have been building systems for 15 years and this is by far the best case I have ever seen and built. Highest quality metal with all edges well machined and smooth. Comes with ultra quiet 380 W power supply and ships with a 5" fan positioned to keep the CPU well ventilated. Great design, and a work of art as far as cases go. Front panel has sound and Mic jacks, USB and firewire connectors....
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I have been building systems for 15 years and this is by far the best case I have ever seen and built. Highest quality metal with all edges well machined and smooth. Comes with ultra quiet 380 W power supply and ships with a 5" fan positioned to keep the CPU well ventilated. Great design, and a work of art as far as cases go. Front panel has sound and Mic jacks, USB and firewire connectors. Nothing I have seen compares. Must have! Yes you can get a case for $50, but why not spend the extra $50 and get the best case on the market.
Bob

By captainhow - Feb 9, 2004

I bought this case to house my new...

Strengths: Silence, cool blue LED on front, front usb & firewire ports, nice built in power supply.

Weakness: None I can think of

I bought this case to house my new computer. I didnt realize how much more quiet it is than other cases. When it is on there is a slight whisper, barely noticable to anyone else in the room. The front blue LED's are also a nice touch. Sometimes that is the only thing that will tell you that the computer is on. The finish on the case is shiny and beautiful. A good buy.

By phillycat81 - May 25, 2003