Antec Sonata Mid Tower Case - Articles / Reviews

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Antec Sonata Mid Tower Case

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Kurtis Kronk
Brian
Atacom
Jul. 26, 2003

First Impressions

Just by looking at this case, you can tell it is quality. The Antec name stylishly drilled into the side panels, the flawless automotive paint job, the chrome I/O door and buttons, all calling your name, begging you to hear the silence. As you know by now, one of the Sonata's main selling points is the fact that it emits very little noise. Both the included 120mm fan and the Silent 380W PSU are capable of running under stressed conditions while emitting very little sound. So far this case has looks and low sound emission, let's see what else Antec has for us.

Opening the Case

The first thing I opened on this case was the front door. With the front door opened you will see that there are three (3) external 5.25" bays, two (2) 3.5" bays removable from the front via rails, chrome power / reset buttons, and HDD activity / power LEDs. With the door opened, you will also notice that the doors locking mechanism is made out of plastic, as are the hinges. The hinges on this case are sturdier than the plastic hinges found on most cases however, mainly because they are so short. I personally prefer full metal doors and metal locks, just because it makes the case sturdier and more secure, but it is just a matter of personal preference. With the added strength of metal doors and locks comes extra weight which may make a case go from portable to slightly portable. Now look a bit below the front door, you will see a front I/O port. This I/O port lets you plug in two (2) USB devices, a Firewire device, Headphones, and a Microphone. The I/O port also looks great with a chrome horizontal swivel door and clear sides that glow a very nice blue when the computer is on.

One of the best things to happen to the case industry are thumbscrews, and this case has two of them (nice aluminum ones at that). To remove the left panel you will first need to remove the thumbscrews that are holding the door firmly in place. Once the thumbscrews have been removed, simply pull on the door handle, and pull the door off. If you are familiar with the door on the Dragon style of cases, this one is very similar. With all the cases I have seen, this is the type of door I prefer because it is the easiest to remove (in my opinion). The only downside to this door is the fact that the locking mechanism is made out of plastic. However, if someone wanted to get into your case without your permission, they would find a way to do so, with or without plastic locking mechanisms.

Inside the Sonata

With the left panel removed, the first thing you will probably see is a bundle of wires dangling from the included 380W PSU. You will also see the included rear 120mm fan, a large multilingual user's manual (English, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish), PSU cable, sideways removable internal 3.5" drive trays, and a brown box. Something you can't immediately see is the 120mm fan mount behind the front panel, but it is there. Unlike most cases that use 80mm fans for case cooling, this case uses the larger 120mm fans to push more air while remaining quiet. Another great feature in this case is the sideways removable drive trays. These make installing and uninstalling new hard drives a breeze; you won't have to dodge video/sound cards any longer! Hard drives are mounted on the trays with a rubber washer in between the hard drive and the tray. This will dampen any noise created from the hard drives vibration. Inside the brown box I mentioned you will find screws, four (4) plastic clips for installing a second 120mm fan, keys for locking the side panel and front door, and a spiffy looking Antec case badge.

Something you can't see is the drive rails, or screw holes for mounting devices in the top five (5) bays. This is because the drive rails are neatly hidden to avoid case clutter! (Great idea, Antec) To get to the drive rails all you need to do is remove the plastic 5.25" drive bay covers. Behind each bay cover there are two purple clips. If you want to completely remove the front panel on the case, you will need to do it from the inside. There are 6 clips that need to be pushed toward the outside of the case and forward. Most cases have front panels that remove in the same fashion, so you should be able to figure that out.

In case you were wondering, this case does not feature tool-less PCI card installation. Through my experience with tool-less mechanisms, I have found that they usually are lacking in quality anyways and are unable to mount taller cards, and then the mechanism has to be removed to allow card installation.

As I mentioned earlier, the Sonata comes with a 380W PSU. What I didn't mention was that this is no ordinary PSU. This PSU is not only incredibly silent, but it also packs a couple of features that I have never seen before. On the exterior, there is a black piece of plastic covering the optional external molex connector. This is great because if you are like me, you can test stuff outside of your case without having to open it up. You can also plug in cold cathodes or other products to be displayed on your desk. Your imagination is all that limits you for uses of this external molex connection. Another great feature this PSU has is two (2) included connections specifically for the case fans (2 x 120mm) labeled "Fan Only." Using these connections instead of the other, normal, molex connections, will cause your case fans speed to be dependent on the case temperature, slowing down and lowering the fan noise when only a little airflow is needed. This is because the PSU uses "Antec Low Noise Technology' circuitry. Aside from those nifty features, this is a normal quality Antec PSU.

Quality Inspection

The quality of this case is, in a word, outstanding. The paint job on this case is phenomenal and Antec even took the time to put the high quality paint on the bottom of the case. It is the little details like this that shows how much Antec cares about producing high quality products. Antec also folded all the edges, so throw those bandages away! Although there are no "L' brackets in the corners of this case, Antec still managed to make it very sturdy. I even stood on the case to test its durability ( =D ). One thing you will want to watch out for is magnetic darts... Yes, I said magnetic darts. The other day while playing with my magnetic darts in the living room, I missed horribly and hit the top of the Sonata. The bad news is that it chipped the paint. The good news is that it only chipped a tiny spot of paint that is barely noticeable. So, if you have magnetic darts, do not throw them anywhere near your case, whether it be an Antec Sonata or a plain Gateway case. Actually on second thought, if you have a Gateway computer, throw an unimaginably large magnetic dart at it. (Sorry! I am joking. Gateway is a fantastic company that does not rip you off. Nope, not at all!).

To continue quality testing I inspected the airflow setup. As you can see from the pictures, the side panels each have holes stamped out of them to spell out "Antec.' What you don't know is that this disrupts airflow as well as let in dust. On the front of the case there is an empty 120mm fan mount, which would be a bit nicer with a pre-installed Antec fan. Unfortunately, for some reason Antec decided not to include the 120mm intake fan with the case. The front panel of the Sonata was designed to let in air from the sides to keep a clean style (as shown below). Airflow would be better if they had designed a larger hole for air intake. Also on the front panel, or rather, behind it, is a washable air filter that can be removed from the bottom of the case (see picture below). This is a nice little feature because it keeps evil dust armies from surprise attacking your components.

Conclusion

Overall this is an outstanding case that offers some great features, excellent quality, and silence! The sideways removable internal 3.5" drive trays are great for swapping hardware, making it as easy as possible. The included power supply is outstanding and even features an external molex connector. This case also features an included rear 120mm Antec fan, and room for another in the front of the case. And don't forget about the washable air filter that can be removed without even opening the case! Like a lot of the newer cases that are coming out, this case also sports a front I/O port. Not only does this case have great functionality, it also looks fantastic. The black automotive paint finish is a great touch, especially when combined with the chrome accents in the case badge and the front I/O port.

Pros

High quality paint job
Front I/O interface
Temperature controlled case fans
Thumbscrews
Easily removable left panel
Included 380W PSU w/ special features
3.5" Removable cage
120mm fan mounts!
Quality construction
Detailed multilingual manual

Cons

Holes in side panel (spelling Antec) let in dust
Airflow could be better
Plastic locks / hinges
No motherboard tray

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