Antec Introduces New Sonata III Chassis

malware · May 18, 2007, 05:12 PM

Antec, has launched an improved version of the original Sonata case design dubbed Sonata III. The case supports up to standard ATX motherboards and features nine drive bays including three 5.25", two 3.5" bays and four 3.5" fitted with soft silicone grommets to reduce and absorb hard drive vibrations internal bays. The cooling is provided by one rear 120mm TriCool fan, an optional front-mount for a 120mm case fan and new chassis vents for improved air circulation. Sonata III is also fitted with a built-in washable air filter and Antec's most environmentally-friendly power supply unit with Active PFC, EarthWatts 500W. Included in the front case panel are also audio in/out ports, two USB and one eSATA connectors. The case is available now for an estimated street price of $149.95 through major retailers, e-tailers and distributors. It is backed by Antec's Quality 3-Year Warranty.

Source: Antec

a111087 · May 18, 2007, 05:41 PM

Performance One 180 series are still the best for the money

techie81 · May 18, 2007, 07:03 PM

Looks like I found my new case!

SK-1 · May 18, 2007, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by techie81

Looks like I found my new case!

You may want to check this one,...great bang for the buck and 2 side panel options to boot.

http://www.3dgameman.com/content/view/4512/103/

techie81 · May 18, 2007, 07:16 PM

His reviews are hella funny! I like that case except I don't want the "bling" like the blue name shining down. Also the door on that case his huge.

Overall though very nice.

I like the Sonata's simple and professional look.

0V3CHKiN · May 18, 2007, 11:16 PM

This would have been perfect if the CD drive door was excluded.

SK-1 · May 19, 2007, 01:47 AM

I never understood the bitching about drive bay doors,..Whats wrong with cleaning up the lines of a case, and helping QUIET down the optical drives.Any doored case I have ever messed with have always been a tad more silent than a "naked" case counterpart.Just my own experience.

0V3CHKiN · May 19, 2007, 03:28 AM

The door always gets in the way for me. I don't want to open and close it everytime I want to put in a CD/DVD to play/burn/etc. I don't have kids so there is no need for me to lock the door. The quiet factor is subjective, but with all the other noise put out by other components (IE: graphics, PSU, case fans) the DVD drive noise is the last thing I'm concerned about.

SK-1 · May 19, 2007, 04:04 AM

I cant really see how enclosing something that makes noise{and if your graphics,PSU,CPU and case fans are ALL quiet like mine,then yes optical drives can be heard} can be subjective.A 3mm piece of aluminum in front of an optical drive spinning at high RPM's will lower the sound entering my ears.Objective as can be.
If anything,...me saying that a case with a door LOOKS better may be subjective.

0V3CHKiN · May 19, 2007, 09:57 PM

Your standard of silence is different than mine and everyone else. Therefore it is subjective.

Time to get back to the case. Is the EarthWatts PSU any better than the NeoHE? I've heard too many mixed reviews about the reliability of the NeoHE since it was supposed to be the efficient PSU at the time. Some of the reviews of the P150 complained how that PSU was terrible.

SK-1 · May 20, 2007, 03:39 AM

The standard of silence is in the objective DB ratings that ALL reviewers use to describe noise levels of electronic components.My way is using the RaidoShack 33-2055 digital sound level meter.

Chewy · May 20, 2007, 04:59 AM

my door is normally just open, if im going to be using the drives, but because it uses magnets and I dont like the magnets pulling the door shut = loud noise/scared to break somethign kinda :P.. my case makes a fair share of noise anyway so I wouldnt really notice the noise difference if I had the door closed.

a111087 · May 20, 2007, 05:27 AM

right now i own my first case with a plastic door and i've got to say that the door is not really a comfortable thing, but it does decrease some of the noise, not much but if you will turn on ur pc and listen you might hear the difference.
but in my case, the noisiest thing is my psu that came with the case, so the door does nothing against that and its not suppose to, it has too work together with a thick case walls and all that quality stuff that this case has to offer.
so i guess the door is for those who really hate the noise and are ready to do anything to eliminate it.

WarEagleAU · May 21, 2007, 05:44 PM

Antec makes some of the best cases around. Factor in their PSUs on top and you got one hell of a combo deal. To me, the Antec Nine Hundred is the best they got out currently (probably because I use it) but my beef is the silicon grommets. They didn't come with my Nine Hundred, nor a PSU

May 18, 2007, 05:12 PM	#1
malware Eligible for custom title Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bulgaria Posts: 5,413 (1.74/day) Thanks: 78 Thanked 986 Times in 497 Posts System Specs	Antec Introduces New Sonata III Chassis Antec, has launched an improved version of the original Sonata case design dubbed Sonata III. The case supports up to standard ATX motherboards and features nine drive bays including three 5.25", two 3.5" bays and four 3.5" fitted with soft silicone grommets to reduce and absorb hard drive vibrations internal bays. The cooling is provided by one rear 120mm TriCool fan, an optional front-mount for a 120mm case fan and new chassis vents for improved air circulation. Sonata III is also fitted with a built-in washable air filter and Antec's most environmentally-friendly power supply unit with Active PFC, EarthWatts 500W. Included in the front case panel are also audio in/out ports, two USB and one eSATA connectors. The case is available now for an estimated street price of $149.95 through major retailers, e-tailers and distributors. It is backed by Antec's Quality 3-Year Warranty. Source: Antec Last edited by malware; May 18, 2007 at 05:20 PM.

Processor:	Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 VID: 1.2125
Motherboard:	GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P rev.2.0
Cooling:	Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme + Noctua NF-S12 Fan
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Video Card:	Colorful iGame Radeon HD 4890 1 GB GDDR5
Hard Disk:	2x 500 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 32 MB RAID0
Optical Drive:	LITE-ON IT LH-20A1L 20x SATA DVD±RW LightScribe
CRT/LCD Model:	BenQ G2400W 24-inch WideScreen LCD
Case:	Cooler Master COSMOS RC-1000 (sold), Cooler Master HAF-932 (delivered)
Sound Card:	Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic + Logitech Z-5500 Digital THX
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Video Card:	NVS 290
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CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung F2380
Case:	Silverstone Fortress FT02B
Sound Card:	Creative X-Fi
PSU:	750W PC P&C
Software:	win 7 ultimate 64bit

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Hard Disk:	Corsair 128GB SSD
Optical Drive:	Samsung DVDR
CRT/LCD Model:	LG 24"
Case:	HAF 922
Sound Card:	Audigy 2ZS
PSU:	Corsair 620HX
Software:	Windows 7 64 Bit

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Case:	Gigabyte Aurora 3D 570
Sound Card:	Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1
PSU:	Antec Signature 850W
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May 18, 2007, 05:41 PM	#2
a111087 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: US Posts: 2,509 (1.12/day) Thanks: 240 Thanked 189 Times in 156 Posts System Specs	Performance One 180 series are still the best for the money

May 18, 2007, 07:03 PM	#3
techie81 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bay Area Posts: 68 (0.03/day) Thanks: 27 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post System Specs	Looks like I found my new case!

May 18, 2007, 07:16 PM	#5
techie81 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bay Area Posts: 68 (0.03/day) Thanks: 27 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post System Specs	His reviews are hella funny! I like that case except I don't want the "bling" like the blue name shining down. Also the door on that case his huge. Overall though very nice. I like the Sonata's simple and professional look.

May 18, 2007, 11:16 PM	#6
0V3CHKiN Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 59 (0.03/day) Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts System Specs	This would have been perfect if the CD drive door was excluded.

Processor:	AMD Athlon X2 4400+
Motherboard:	ASUS A8N-E
Cooling:	AMD Stock Heatsink
Memory:	OCZ Platinum 2x 1GB DDR400
Video Card:	HIS X1900XT 512MB w/ Zalman VF-900
Hard Disk:	2x WD 400GB RAID 0 + 1x WD 500GB
Optical Drive:	1x Plextor PX-716A + 1x Plextor PX-760
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung 17"
Case:	Lian-Li PC-G50
Sound Card:	Creative X-Fi Music
PSU:	Enermax Liberty 500w
Software:	Microsoft Windows XP Pro w/ SP2

May 19, 2007, 01:47 AM	#7
SK-1 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 2,116 (0.72/day) Thanks: 814 Thanked 330 Times in 263 Posts System Specs	I never understood the bitching about drive bay doors,..Whats wrong with cleaning up the lines of a case, and helping QUIET down the optical drives.Any doored case I have ever messed with have always been a tad more silent than a "naked" case counterpart.Just my own experience. __________________ Wilson-1996-2009 RIP My best friend ever.

May 19, 2007, 03:28 AM	#8
0V3CHKiN Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 59 (0.03/day) Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts System Specs	The door always gets in the way for me. I don't want to open and close it everytime I want to put in a CD/DVD to play/burn/etc. I don't have kids so there is no need for me to lock the door. The quiet factor is subjective, but with all the other noise put out by other components (IE: graphics, PSU, case fans) the DVD drive noise is the last thing I'm concerned about.

May 19, 2007, 04:04 AM	#9
SK-1 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 2,116 (0.72/day) Thanks: 814 Thanked 330 Times in 263 Posts System Specs	I cant really see how enclosing something that makes noise{and if your graphics,PSU,CPU and case fans are ALL quiet like mine,then yes optical drives can be heard} can be subjective.A 3mm piece of aluminum in front of an optical drive spinning at high RPM's will lower the sound entering my ears.Objective as can be. If anything,...me saying that a case with a door LOOKS better may be subjective. __________________ Wilson-1996-2009 RIP My best friend ever.

May 19, 2007, 09:57 PM	#10
0V3CHKiN Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 59 (0.03/day) Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts System Specs	Your standard of silence is different than mine and everyone else. Therefore it is subjective. Time to get back to the case. Is the EarthWatts PSU any better than the NeoHE? I've heard too many mixed reviews about the reliability of the NeoHE since it was supposed to be the efficient PSU at the time. Some of the reviews of the P150 complained how that PSU was terrible.

May 20, 2007, 03:39 AM	#11
SK-1 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 2,116 (0.72/day) Thanks: 814 Thanked 330 Times in 263 Posts System Specs	The standard of silence is in the objective DB ratings that ALL reviewers use to describe noise levels of electronic components.My way is using the RaidoShack 33-2055 digital sound level meter. __________________ Wilson-1996-2009 RIP My best friend ever.

May 20, 2007, 04:59 AM	#12
Chewy Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Halifax, Canada Posts: 2,616 (1.04/day) Thanks: 325 Thanked 151 Times in 140 Posts System Specs	my door is normally just open, if im going to be using the drives, but because it uses magnets and I dont like the magnets pulling the door shut = loud noise/scared to break somethign kinda :P.. my case makes a fair share of noise anyway so I wouldnt really notice the noise difference if I had the door closed. __________________ BUGABUGABUGABUGAAAAA! From_Nowhere's perspective on Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates Promoting Windows Vista. “Mac: "Woah, what are you doing?" Mac says as he levitates in the air. PC: "Playing Half-Life 2, this is my gravity gun." Mac: "Well I can sort of do that." PC: "Technically Mac, you have to become me first."” -From_Nowhere

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Video Card:	Saphire 5850 1GB
Hard Disk:	60GB SSD + 2x500GB/1TB/2TB
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Case:	Silverstone TJ-09
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May 20, 2007, 05:27 AM	#13
a111087 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: US Posts: 2,509 (1.12/day) Thanks: 240 Thanked 189 Times in 156 Posts System Specs	right now i own my first case with a plastic door and i've got to say that the door is not really a comfortable thing, but it does decrease some of the noise, not much but if you will turn on ur pc and listen you might hear the difference. but in my case, the noisiest thing is my psu that came with the case, so the door does nothing against that and its not suppose to, it has too work together with a thick case walls and all that quality stuff that this case has to offer. so i guess the door is for those who really hate the noise and are ready to do anything to eliminate it.

May 21, 2007, 05:44 PM	#14
WarEagleAU Bird of Prey Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gurley, AL Posts: 9,994 (3.99/day) Thanks: 3,810 Thanked 557 Times in 521 Posts System Specs	Antec makes some of the best cases around. Factor in their PSUs on top and you got one hell of a combo deal. To me, the Antec Nine Hundred is the best they got out currently (probably because I use it) but my beef is the silicon grommets. They didn't come with my Nine Hundred, nor a PSU __________________ =-TheEagle-= http://www.heatware.com/eval.php?id=62454 “You crazy? Surfing any website without an antivirus is like freaking with a dirty woman without protection” -OzzmanFloyd120 - Edited for content and clarity

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