Antec Sonata III or Antec 300

[raildogg]

Hi, I'm building an Athlon II X4 system with a Radeon 5770. I don't do overclocking so I don't need an extreme or enthusiast case. Quietness is important but so is proper cooling, so I need a case that balances the two.

My first choice is the Sonata III. I like the fact that the reviews say it's quiet and I like the style. It also comes with a PSU. I'm kind of concerned that the airflow might be lacking.

The other choice is the Antec 300 but I'm not quite sure about this case. I haven't really looked enough at it.

Not really sure which would suit my needs. As you can tell, my knowledge level on the computer industry is lacking.

Thanks.

 

[Rifter]

Sonata III.

I have my current system in a 300, I have also built 3 comps for family members in the Sonata III and it is defiantly a quieter case by far. And as you mentioned comes with a PSU thats good quality and enough for your system.

The only reason i would go with the 300 over the sonata would be if you needed the extra cooling, which you dont as you are picking a cool running GPU and not OCing.

 

[f4phantom2500]

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=48290

If you go with a cool/quiet component selection, which you seem to be doing, the Antec 300 would be a fine choice. The stock 120mm and 140mm fans can be set to low speeds and provide sufficient cooling quietly. One of my friends had a 4850 CF setup in one of those. Can't say how quiet the case is, but it shouldn't be particularly loud. Keep in mind that this case has a perforated "mesh" front. This allows for a little better airflow as it provides an ambient cooling effect; I have a case with this feature (Centurion 5), and I can feel my CPU's fan (Freezer 64 Pro) pulling air through the front of the case. However, the mesh front would also make the computer a bit louder, as the solid sheet of metal provides a sound barrier. It's really an unnecessary perk, as the cooling provided by the stock fans would be enough for your build regardless. I believe that the Sonata III with its stock fan(s?) and no mods would also provide you with a sufficient cooling solution. Also, the 300 provides for a bottom-mounted PSU, which is more efficient for airflow.

The Sonata III is, of course, marketed as a quiet case. It has a 120mm tri-cool fan for exhaust, some kind of rubber spacers for mounting the hard drives (reduces HDD vibrations from transmitting throughout the case, making the system quieter), and comes with a quiet, efficient PSU that looks quite in line to power the components you've listed.


http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=43151

Apparently the Antec Solo is pretty highly regarded at Silent PC Review. It has sound dampening material as well as a HDD bay that allows you to suspend-mount the hard drives. This is basically a step up from the rubber spacers of the Sonata III.


It really depends on your budget and such. Any of these 3 cases would be superb. The Solo is an excellent choice, probably the best of the 3, if you don't mind dropping $100 on a case without a PSU, since it offers sound deadening as well as suspendable HDD mounts. The 300 is a great all-rounder, offering up the best cooling solution of all 3 cases. The lower price tag doesn't hurt either. This will allow you to run your fans at lower speeds and thus creating less noise than either of the other cases. The Sonata III sports some features that will make it quieter than the 300, but not as quiet as the Solo. The nice thing is that the Sonata III is in the same price range as the 300, when you factor in the cost of a PSU.

Hope this helps!

 

[Vincent]

I have both cases. The 300 is better for cooling but the Sonata III is sturdier. The side panels on the 300 are flimsy and seem cheaply painted whereas the panels on the Sonata III are much more solid physically with a higher quality smooth finish.

In my Sonata III I have a Phenom II X3 710 using the onboard 785G video and the 92mm CoolerMaster TX3 heatsink keeps idle cores at ambient temperature.

In my Antec 300 I have an Athlon II X2 250 also using onboard 785G video. The 120mm Noctua NH-U12P actually gets the CPU cores a few degrees below ambient temperature at idle.

If I were you I would go with the Sonata III since you are not overclocking. It's a much nicer case. Its rear 120mm exhaust fan provides plenty of airflow.

 

[Sahakiel]

P183, IMO. Dead silent sitting 1 ft away in line of sight. Also hear Lian Li makes some good options, though more expensive. I've actually never used one, now that I think about it.
I had the original Sonata. Not as quiet as others said it was. I know they made changes to the later models,, so no other comment.
I have the Solo. Biggest issue is the rubber bands were so loose drives vibrated in their slings. After less than a year, the slings lost all elasticity so count on replacing them often if you go with that option.
P18X isn't the best in terms of cooling, but it's definitely one of the quietest cases straight off-the-shelf. It can be adjusted for better cooling without resorting to permanent modding if you sacrifice quiet and vice versa.

Basic rule of thumb is the quieter you want it, the worse it will cool. Sound is simply vibrations, so it follows that the more air you have running around, the more likely those vibrations reach your ear. Even baffling reduces airflow which reduces cooling.
300 is probably the most flexible of your options. If you want to make it quieter, the first step is adding sound dampening to the panels. Simply continue adding dampeners, silicone, basically quieting whatever is currently your loudest part until you get it as quiet as you want it. Just note if you want truly silent operation, you're going to have to do research, carefully select parts, spend a lot of time trying options, make sacrifices, or any combination. I have a 1055T and 5670, the entire rig cooled by one 120mm exhaust (you will need ducting if you try the same). It's by no means high end, but its dead silent, which I prefer over the occasional eye candy.

 

[Fayd]

In my Antec 300 I have an Athlon II X2 250 also using onboard 785G video. The 120mm Noctua NH-U12P actually gets the CPU cores a few degrees below ambient temperature at idle.

how do you get through your day without hurting yourself?

 

[Rifter]

how do you get through your day without hurting yourself?

No kidding, thats not even possible.

 

[Vincent]

how do you get through your day without hurting yourself?

Thank you for pointing that out. I've wondered about that as well. What offset do I need to add to the reported temperatures? Both SpeedFan and Open Hardware Monitor report identical core temps that are below ambient.

I manage to avoid injury most days.

 

[piasabird]

I use a case like this: (Mine is MATX ONLY)

http://www.directron.com/nsk6582b.html

I really like the plain but elegant black finish. No fancy lights or gizmos. Very Quiet.

I like to watch stuff like this. This is in Korean but I liked it with the subtitles. It has 24 one hour videos.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/169193/chuno-episode-1

Make sure the subtitles are on!!!

 

[Fayd]

Thank you for pointing that out. I've wondered about that as well. What offset do I need to add to the reported temperatures? Both SpeedFan and Open Hardware Monitor report identical core temps that are below ambient.

I manage to avoid injury most days.

maybe just realize that the reported temps will NEVER be accurate? those things aren't calibrated properly to start with. they only exist to give you a rough estimate of temperature, to give you a comparative tool from one heatsink to the next, and to tell your bios whether or not your CPU is burning up and should shut the computer off. your measurements of your CPU's temperature are only relevant compared to your other measurements of your CPU's temperature. nowhere else.

if you're really concerned about it, then set its offset such that it places your idle temp at ambient + 10C. that'll give you a decent approximation of where it should be at idle. but your ambient temperature monitor isnt going to be 100% accurate either.

 

[Fayd]

to the OP:

FWIW, so long as your not overclocking, the sonata III is fine. i housed a 95 watt CPU and an 8800GTS 320 in it, which vastly out-consumes your computer in terms of wattage, and it worked fine.

the 300 is thermally a better case, but it's not as quiet. Also rather irritatingly, there's no way to isolate the hard drives from the case. Any vibrations the hard drives generate will be transmitted right to the case.