Case Selections --- Have some questions about the Sonata on my 4th post

[ath50]

Just some of my preferences to start off:

Looks: I like the glossy black finish I see on cases, and the normal aluminum looks good too, pretty flexible as long as its not too cheesy or too plain.

Cooling: I really want a side fan to help with cooling, a blowhole would be nice too, but not required

Side Window: I don't really want a full size one window, but I do like the partial window on the Enermax below. That said, I'd be ok with no side window, the other things are more important.

Price: perfer less than $100 with no PSU or a crappy one or less than $150 with a good PSU. Not set in stone though.

Quiet: Always nice but I'm not too concerned about this

Anything else I am missing?

Heres 3 cases I've liked so far:

Black Enermax with partial window

This one looks pretty nice. Probably need a better PSU, but I like the window and side fan, and the look of the front.

Anohter Black Enermax

I like the really glossy look of this, has the side fan, but yet another iffy PSU. Was wondering what that bright thing on the front top is? is that some sticker thing you can remove? I couldn't tell.

Antec Sonata

Looks nice from the outside, but lacking a side fan, which I would feel more comfortable with. Something tells me this will be the most popular though heh.


Looking for suggestions on which one would be best for me, and other cases you think might match my needs. Thanks a lot..

 

[coolred]

Yeah I would reccomend an Antec, but thats me, thats about all I have ever used, they are awesome cases. But as you said it lacks a side fan, although I don't really think it needs one. It also lacks a window if thats what you wnated.

 

[viivo]

The Sonata is going to get the votes here. And for good reason. Though judging from your description it looks to be at the bottom of your list, if even in your consideration at all.

 

[ath50]

I should have clarified. I don't have strong feelings about the window, I would be fine without one, more concerned with the other issues.

The Sonata is going to get the votes here. And for good reason. Though judging from your description it looks to be at the bottom of your list, if even in your consideration at all.

The Sonata looks really nice because its a great value with the PSU and its a solid case. I'm thinking of going with an A64 3000+ setup in the Sonata, but not overclocking, how do you think the Sonata is with cooling as a whole? I do like the looks of the other ones a little bit more, but I wanted to know if anyone has had some experience with those two other cases?

If I had to choose right now I'd go with the Sonata because of all of the positive feedback on it, and its almost my first choice, as opposed to ones that I like a tiny bit more but aren't as widely talked about (or known to be great).

 

[viivo]

Have you looked at Antec's Plus 1080? It includes a side intake and an excellent power supply, all within your price range.

 

[ath50]

Thanks for the link, that case appears to suit my needs very well. Anyone happen to have a picture of it in all its glory? The newegg pics seem a little blurry/low quality.

 

[LongCoolMother]

sonata imo. it has an excellent power supply. its very quiet, with the 120mm fans, as opposed to the smaller enermaxes. removable/cleanable dust filter and drive cages that are mounted sideways are all excellent.

 

[ath50]

Starting to get set on the sonata, but I have a few questions

For cooling I think I'll be ok, I'll have
A64 3000+
Chaintech VNF3-250
1 SATA HD
Optical+Floppy
And some PC3200 RAM

Do you think I should get the optional fan that goes in the front of the case?

And for cooling the CPU, the one I am getting comes with a deal where it will be retail. But I also saw this deal for the heatsink+fan+grease.

Considering its a Sonata and the rest of it is quiet, would the retail fan stick out (be loud in comparison).
With the deal, the Panaflo fan looks nice and AS5 is good, but whats that headsink like? I read it doesn't cover all of the A64 chip, but I guess thats not too much of a problem? So question 2

Do you think I should stick with the retail kit, grab the deal, or get a different heatsink kit?

Final Question With the HDs mounted that way, is there any trouble fitting the cable/power for a SATA drive in with the door right there?

Thanks a lot..