Introduction

I would like to thank Antec for supplying the review sample.

Antec's website has a very refreshing "About Us" page, with the following text:

The year was 1986. Starbucks had only a few stores. Don Johnson was actually cool. The average PC had less memory than today’s cellphones. And in Fremont, California, a little company named Antec was born. Antec’s first employees never imagined that their upstart firm would rise to the very top of the high-performance computer components industry. But rise it did. And rather swiftly, too.

So what can Antec do for you? That depends on who you are. If you’re a computer user, and you’d like to upgrade your existing computer or build a new one yourself, we’ve got the computer cases, power supplies, cooling fans, lighting components, and accessories that you need. If you’re a system builder or VAR, we’ll help you deliver reliable and cost-effective systems to your customers. And if you’re a retailer, we’ll help you reach an explosively growing market: namely, “do-it-yourself” computer users who enjoy building and upgrading their own computers.

How do we do all this? Our product lineup includes a wide variety of unique computer cases, such as the elegant Veris series of Media PC cases and accessories, ultra-powerful Performance One series, sturdy Server line, and the cost-effective New Solution Series. Our world-class power supplies – including the Neo Power, TruePower Trio and EarthWatts lines – have won countless international awards for their reliable performance. Our flexible rackmounts are ideally suited to the demanding ISP, telecom, and networking markets. And for those of you who’d like to add a little visual flair to your computers, we offer an eye-catching range of fans, lights, and other PC accessories.

We’re headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in the Netherlands, Europe. We’ve also established distribution partnerships throughout Australia and Southeast Asia. So you’ll find Antec products in over 25 countries. But no matter how large we grow, we’ll never forget our mission: to give you the power you need to create the computer you really want. That’s the Antec way. That’s the Power of You.

Sonata III Specifications

Packaging

Antec has packaged the new Sonata III in a very compact, sturdy and white card board box. The front has a large illustration of the case and also states the fact that the case is silent. We will fill the case with high-end components to confirm that fact later. The back has a smaller image of the open case and lists its features in English, French and German.


The case itself is secured by foam spacers inside the package. These have the advantage of surviving a fall without breaking and generally last longer. Antec has opted to dimension these rather compact, but it is certainly enough to protect this case during shipping. I was sent this case with no additional protection and it arrived without a scratch. A cloth bag further protects the case from scratches. Once unpacked, the Sonata III can be inspected in all its glory. We got some exclusive shots of the case at CeBIT this year and the final product looks very much like it. The black, glossy paint looks great on this case.