Antec SOHO II 400 w vs Antec Sonata 380 w suggestion

[Darth Yoda]

Hi everyone

I am currently shopping for a new mid range budget computer and i have pretty much decided everything that i want except for the cases/psu.

Now i am planning to run the following :

I DO NOT PLAN TO OVERCLOCK

Athlon64 3200+
Soltek NF3 250 Gb mobo
2 x Samsung ddr 400 pc 3200 RAM
Soundblaster Audigy 2 (non ZS)
LG 16 x DVD + CD-RW combo
Geforce 6800 GT 256 Mb ddr3 (manufacturer does not really bother me , i will get what is disponible)
Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 19" Blk
Maxtor 160 Gb 8 mb Ata 133 Quiet
Logitech Z640 Speakers

P.S : I do plan to add a DVD writer in the near futur but not now since i am on a budget

Now , i am truly torn on which case between the Antec SOHO II 400 w and the Antec Sonata 380 w to chose.

My first concern is to have a PSU good enough to support that system.Now i know that Antec does make excellent PSU but is there a big difference between the Smart power 400 w and the True Power 380 ? The smart power have 20 more watt than the True Power but the TP use the latest technology so which one would be safer for my system ?

Also , the Antec Sonata is reconized to be a somewhat quiet and small case ? but what about the SOHO II ?

Finally , which of these cases have the best stock cooling ? I do not plan on overclocking so it's not that important to me but i would still like to have a decent airflow.

Now notice that i am on a budget and these 2 cases worth the same price so i cannot really go for anything higher.However , if you folks have a few suggestion that would cost pretty much the same or a little less the same thing , feel free to advise me.

I know that there are probably a lot of hardware newbs like me who come here and ask pretty much the same question and i understand that it may be tiresome to always answer the same thing but any answer , suggestion and help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Darth Yoda

 

[Nessism]

Both cases are very nice. I own both a Sonata and a 900 series case, which is very similar to the 1000.

First thing, the 1000 series case uses thicker metal and is larger. The Sonata feels like a toy in comparison. Also, the difference in power supplies, 400 vs. 380 is insignificant. Actually, the 400 is from the Smart Power family which is not as good as the True series in my opinion since the durability rating is lower.

The 1000 case has very good airflow but because the front is so open, it lets more noise out.

Honestly, I like the thicker metal on the 1000 case but the Sonata has some nice features like the 120 fan and soft mounting system for the hard drives (which reduces seek noise chatter).

You can't go wrong either way.

Ed

 

[Taejin]

Why is a DVD writer out of your budget?

You can get one of the best and cheapest burners out there on the market for ~70 dollars.

16x Dual Layer DVD+-RW NEC-3500A. I personally have the NEC-2500A, and it has given me 0 problems.

 

[Darth Yoda]

Thanks for your answers guys (or girls )

I have finally decided to go for the Sonata case.

Smaller (pretty much the decisive factor), prettier,front usb port, and the power supply, pretty much equivalent to the smart 400 w.

Also , the Soho II is much heavier than the Sonata so it would cost me a bit more to ship it.

Only thing i don't like about the Sonata is the lame Antec inscription on the side panel but other than that , i realized that it would serve me better as a non overclocker than the Soho II.

And Taejin , you are definitively right.I will go for a DVD writer instead of the LG Cd-Rw- 16 x DVD combo.I will either get the Pioneer or the Nec.

 

[0roo0roo]

yup true power >smart power in quality and noise

 

[karna]

i got the sonata but find that it seems to be a bit louder than the big old tower Antec cases. in fact the hard drive read seems louder. for some reason it seems to resound, have more bass as opposed to with the old case where it was more metallic and tinny and less noticeable.

and yes, the holes for the antec name do let the sound out i am sure.

all in all, i would say that it does not really hold the noise in better than the old bigger cases. it does have that one big fan which is good but i find that my heat is maybe 4 degree higher overall.


the features that really keep the system quiet is the fact that the PSU controls its own fan and the fans attached to the fan-only cables very nicely. when i got an enermax psu (420w) i just could not get over the noise made by the case fans, although they did indeed cool it much better.

 

[Mik3y]

sonata hands down

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: karna
i got the sonata but find that it seems to be a bit louder than the big old tower Antec cases. in fact the hard drive read seems louder. for some reason it seems to resound, have more bass as opposed to with the old case where it was more metallic and tinny and less noticeable.

and yes, the holes for the antec name do let the sound out i am sure.

all in all, i would say that it does not really hold the noise in better than the old bigger cases. it does have that one big fan which is good but i find that my heat is maybe 4 degree higher overall.


the features that really keep the system quiet is the fact that the PSU controls its own fan and the fans attached to the fan-only cables very nicely. when i got an enermax psu (420w) i just could not get over the noise made by the case fans, although they did indeed cool it much better.

you mounted to the rubber harddrive mounts right?

something sounds wrong. maybe somethings lose on your case. the sonata is definetly quieter then any old antec case.