Antec Aria
- Thread starter Hottie
- Start date
Yes and no. Physically it isn't much bigger than an xPC, but it is a lot bigger in several important places.
1st it has 2 more PCI slots, and if you are planning a media PC or like more than one PC this is important.
2nd it has a much better PSU, the PSU in the Aria is a 300W Antec PSU w/Active PFC!!! That is really important
3rd It is almost inaudible. I have even modded mine to have an extra 80mm fan in the side and I still can hardly hear it.
4th you can add 3 HDDs to the Aria. Very important to people wanting a media PC.
I love mine, I have owned both xPC and the Aria and hands down the Aria is my favorite. The only drawback to the Aria is no floppy. I personally haven't run across the need for one in the 6 months that I have had mine, but I keep thinking one of these days I will.
Also price. The Aria sells for about a hundred bucks, the best motherboard you can get for an Aria (Micro ATX) is somewhere near 110. So for 210 you can have Case, top line motherboard, PSU, and Media Card Reader. No xPC can touch that price.
Hope that helps.
KD
1st it has 2 more PCI slots, and if you are planning a media PC or like more than one PC this is important.
2nd it has a much better PSU, the PSU in the Aria is a 300W Antec PSU w/Active PFC!!! That is really important
3rd It is almost inaudible. I have even modded mine to have an extra 80mm fan in the side and I still can hardly hear it.
4th you can add 3 HDDs to the Aria. Very important to people wanting a media PC.
I love mine, I have owned both xPC and the Aria and hands down the Aria is my favorite. The only drawback to the Aria is no floppy. I personally haven't run across the need for one in the 6 months that I have had mine, but I keep thinking one of these days I will.
Also price. The Aria sells for about a hundred bucks, the best motherboard you can get for an Aria (Micro ATX) is somewhere near 110. So for 210 you can have Case, top line motherboard, PSU, and Media Card Reader. No xPC can touch that price.
Hope that helps.
KD
the aria also gets VERY HOT! its great for holding in sound, but doubles as an oven. imo, that's the worst part about the aria. even though it can support very high end parts, the temps do limit it. that's why i like the shuttle sn95g5. 
Yes, it can get a little warm, but at $337 for the Shuttle (newegg). I would much rather put an 80mm intake fan in the side of the Aria, that?s what I did and my temps are great. However not everyone feels comfortable with a dremel .
KD
. KD
Are there any pre-built case mods for it, or did you put it in yourself?
Also, how much room is there for a heatsink?
Also, how much room is there for a heatsink?
I put it in myself. Easy with a dremel and a circle cutter.
As far as the heat sink goes, it greatly depends on the motherboard. I've had 3 or 4 different motherboards in the case and they all could handle the stock cooling solution, but others handled a Thermalright SLK-800U with 80mm case fan atop. The deciding factor is if the CPU is placed back next to the I/O panel. If it is close the fit is close do to the PSU close by limiting headroom. If it is closer to the middle than the HDD is the closest thing by and it is much higher a good 1.5 inches.
KD
As far as the heat sink goes, it greatly depends on the motherboard. I've had 3 or 4 different motherboards in the case and they all could handle the stock cooling solution, but others handled a Thermalright SLK-800U with 80mm case fan atop. The deciding factor is if the CPU is placed back next to the I/O panel. If it is close the fit is close do to the PSU close by limiting headroom. If it is closer to the middle than the HDD is the closest thing by and it is much higher a good 1.5 inches.
KD
I've got an aria and a biostar P4VMA motherboard. (recently traded a lanboy and Abit IC7 for it)
The biostar doesn't seem to report the cpu temps correctly (says I'm getting 17 degrees c which isn't possibly right. Anyway, the innards to tend to get a bit hot with stock cooling. You have to do a good job of wiring the aria. I would also be wary of which motherboard you choose. The biostar I got is NOT a good motherboard for this case. The cpu sits back close to the backplane so it sits partially under the power supply. The stock intel heatsink fan just barely fits. There are only a few mm between the stock fan and the psu.
The main problem with this is that the fan on the stock heat sink pulls air down onto the cpu. The psu is pulling air up to the psu and out. I don't see how this could do anything but decrease the efficience of both fans since they are fighting for air. Additionally, I think it would create a circular effect where the cpu pulls air down and the psu pulls that air back up over the cpu (wherein the cpu fan pullst it back down).
If you buy a motherboard where the cpu sits closer to the front, this shouldn't be a problem.
I am in the process of trying to get my thermalright sp94 in there. I got a zalman 80x15mm fan because a standard 25mm fan and the 94 won't fit. Once the zalman arrives, I'll be giving it a go.
THe build quality of the aria is quite good, though. The top and side panels are all layered and very solid. The front has a very nice flip open door for the cdrom to hide the beige cdrw/dvdrw. The PSU is top notch. Overall, it is an excellent little case. It is fairly quiet and can hold a lot of drives. The lack of a floppy can be a big deal. I have an SATA drive and was SOL until I could borrow a usb floppy to install the drivers. With the USB floppy, though, it was a simple matter and I only needed it for that purpose.
Overall, I'm very happy with the case but I know it takes more planning to get good air flow inside. I haven't modded it, yet but only because I haven't had to. I have no qualms about modding, though. I added a 120mm fan to my lanboy and modded my Fong Kai 602 to take a 120mm up front and a 120mm in the back. For an 80mm fan, it's quite easy to just buy a 3" hole saw to get a good even cut.
The biostar doesn't seem to report the cpu temps correctly (says I'm getting 17 degrees c which isn't possibly right. Anyway, the innards to tend to get a bit hot with stock cooling. You have to do a good job of wiring the aria. I would also be wary of which motherboard you choose. The biostar I got is NOT a good motherboard for this case. The cpu sits back close to the backplane so it sits partially under the power supply. The stock intel heatsink fan just barely fits. There are only a few mm between the stock fan and the psu.
The main problem with this is that the fan on the stock heat sink pulls air down onto the cpu. The psu is pulling air up to the psu and out. I don't see how this could do anything but decrease the efficience of both fans since they are fighting for air. Additionally, I think it would create a circular effect where the cpu pulls air down and the psu pulls that air back up over the cpu (wherein the cpu fan pullst it back down).
If you buy a motherboard where the cpu sits closer to the front, this shouldn't be a problem.
I am in the process of trying to get my thermalright sp94 in there. I got a zalman 80x15mm fan because a standard 25mm fan and the 94 won't fit. Once the zalman arrives, I'll be giving it a go.
THe build quality of the aria is quite good, though. The top and side panels are all layered and very solid. The front has a very nice flip open door for the cdrom to hide the beige cdrw/dvdrw. The PSU is top notch. Overall, it is an excellent little case. It is fairly quiet and can hold a lot of drives. The lack of a floppy can be a big deal. I have an SATA drive and was SOL until I could borrow a usb floppy to install the drivers. With the USB floppy, though, it was a simple matter and I only needed it for that purpose.
Overall, I'm very happy with the case but I know it takes more planning to get good air flow inside. I haven't modded it, yet but only because I haven't had to. I have no qualms about modding, though. I added a 120mm fan to my lanboy and modded my Fong Kai 602 to take a 120mm up front and a 120mm in the back. For an 80mm fan, it's quite easy to just buy a 3" hole saw to get a good even cut.
I am probably the only person not too happy with my Aria..
I have been building HTPC's with AGP card, OTA HDTV card, and DVB-S cards, so 2 or 3 PCI slots were needed. Over the past 1 1/2 years, I have built and sold a couple dozen or so HTPC systems, and each time tried to find the perfect components. Prior to Aria, I had been using Maxtop Spycase. Always wanted a Shuttle SFF, but not enough slots. Then comes Aria, and I thought it was the answer. Now, have found a case with the same internals as Maxtop Spycase, but better looking, and better cooling, the Athenatech A100BB.
First thing bad about the Aria.... Size.
Athenatech (and Maxtop) front measures 5.75"x13.5", or 77.625 square inches.
Antec Aria measures 7.5"x10.25", or 76.87 square inches.
As you can see, going from Athenatech to Antec will not be much smaller.
Length is another story. Athenatech 14", compared to Aria at 12.25".
Total size, Athenatech A100BB 1086.75 cubic inches, compared to 941.72 cubic inches in the Aria.
The extra length actually makes the A100BB better, as it has much better airflow and component placement.
Next thing is overall appearance.
Aria front looks like cheap painted plastic, and with the card reader slots, always dirty (even though it is clean).
Athenatech looks much more professional and pleasing to the eye.
Most times when someone first sees the Athenatech, they make a statement about how great it looks, and are amazed that it is a PC. Now, when I point out my Aria, no one is impressed at all.
Cooling Vs noise.
Sorry, but Antec Aria losses. While it is quiet, it is not silent.
As stated, there is no room in the case, and air distribution doesn't exist unless you chop up the case.
The Athenatech A100BB has 80mm upfront, 2-60mm out the back, plus 80mm in PS, and a nicely screened blowhole on the top.
Total noise out of both stock systems is about the same!
For the extra cash you need to lay out for Aria, you can easily make a much quieter system, and still have money left over.
Yes, the 300w supply in the Aria is a good point, but the 200w in the cheap cases has always been more than enough to power everything I throw at these. I did just purchase an ATi 9700 Pro, and am curious to see if it will work with system that only has 200w. It does work fine in Aria. Older ATi 9600 Pro did work fine in 200w HTPC systems. After checking, replacement power supplies of 270w are available at Newegg, if the Athenatech needs more power. (as soon as I sell Aria, internal parts will go into A100BB, and I'll soon find out how well 200w works).
Wife factor.
Without a doubt, she prefers either the Maxtop Spycase or the Athenatech A100BB over the Aria.
Ease of assembly.
Unlike many reviews, I had zero issues or problems setting up the Aria.
No different than other PC's, and easier than some.
Here is a link to a review I did after first getting the Aria:
AMD Forums-Shuttle Motherboards- Antec Aria Vs Maxtop Spycase, MN31N, Mobile 2400+
Maxtop Spycase at Newegg
Athenatech A100BB at Newegg
(it is actually a desktop, not a tower as shown. Comes with feet if tower use desired)
Check out the Newegg reviews like this one:
"Bought this case to replace a Shuttle SN41G2 XPC..........."
I have been building HTPC's with AGP card, OTA HDTV card, and DVB-S cards, so 2 or 3 PCI slots were needed. Over the past 1 1/2 years, I have built and sold a couple dozen or so HTPC systems, and each time tried to find the perfect components. Prior to Aria, I had been using Maxtop Spycase. Always wanted a Shuttle SFF, but not enough slots. Then comes Aria, and I thought it was the answer. Now, have found a case with the same internals as Maxtop Spycase, but better looking, and better cooling, the Athenatech A100BB.
First thing bad about the Aria.... Size.
Athenatech (and Maxtop) front measures 5.75"x13.5", or 77.625 square inches.
Antec Aria measures 7.5"x10.25", or 76.87 square inches.
As you can see, going from Athenatech to Antec will not be much smaller.
Length is another story. Athenatech 14", compared to Aria at 12.25".
Total size, Athenatech A100BB 1086.75 cubic inches, compared to 941.72 cubic inches in the Aria.
The extra length actually makes the A100BB better, as it has much better airflow and component placement.
Next thing is overall appearance.
Aria front looks like cheap painted plastic, and with the card reader slots, always dirty (even though it is clean).
Athenatech looks much more professional and pleasing to the eye.
Most times when someone first sees the Athenatech, they make a statement about how great it looks, and are amazed that it is a PC. Now, when I point out my Aria, no one is impressed at all.
Cooling Vs noise.
Sorry, but Antec Aria losses. While it is quiet, it is not silent.
As stated, there is no room in the case, and air distribution doesn't exist unless you chop up the case.
The Athenatech A100BB has 80mm upfront, 2-60mm out the back, plus 80mm in PS, and a nicely screened blowhole on the top.
Total noise out of both stock systems is about the same!
For the extra cash you need to lay out for Aria, you can easily make a much quieter system, and still have money left over.
Yes, the 300w supply in the Aria is a good point, but the 200w in the cheap cases has always been more than enough to power everything I throw at these. I did just purchase an ATi 9700 Pro, and am curious to see if it will work with system that only has 200w. It does work fine in Aria. Older ATi 9600 Pro did work fine in 200w HTPC systems. After checking, replacement power supplies of 270w are available at Newegg, if the Athenatech needs more power. (as soon as I sell Aria, internal parts will go into A100BB, and I'll soon find out how well 200w works).
Wife factor.
Without a doubt, she prefers either the Maxtop Spycase or the Athenatech A100BB over the Aria.
Ease of assembly.
Unlike many reviews, I had zero issues or problems setting up the Aria.
No different than other PC's, and easier than some.
Here is a link to a review I did after first getting the Aria:
AMD Forums-Shuttle Motherboards- Antec Aria Vs Maxtop Spycase, MN31N, Mobile 2400+
Maxtop Spycase at Newegg
Athenatech A100BB at Newegg
(it is actually a desktop, not a tower as shown. Comes with feet if tower use desired)
Check out the Newegg reviews like this one:
"Bought this case to replace a Shuttle SN41G2 XPC..........."
Got my Zalman 80mm slim fan. The SP94 will fit with the zalman. Of course, I can't find my brackets so I had to attach the fan to the power supply (a 92mm fan would also fit there). The bad thing is that the fan is only hitting about half the heatsink. My temps are about the same with half the fan. Once I find the little wires, they should go down.
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