How effective is the Antec Air Guide (ACAG) in the Sonata II Case?

[NoodleTech]

Hello everybody! I am putting together a new am2 rig and I decided to go with the Antec Sonata II for a case.

The case comes with this air guide thats supposed to blow air onto the cpu and graphics card. How effective is this thing? Those of you who own a Sonata II, do you guys install two fans in it and keep it in the case, or do you remove it?

 

[Fayd]

pulled it out of the case on the advice of the people at SPCR... never looked back.

it disrupts the front to back flow of air, pulls in air through an unfiltered source, and creates a cooling loop. i dont understand what antec was thinking in making it... but they had to have been smoking something good.

depending on your computer, and how trusting you are in the case's cooling otherwise, you could even duct-tape over the intake vent for the shroud, eliminating the potential cooling loop.

 

[Henny]

Throw it away!!

Use the rear case fan and set it on low. Install a front case fan and set it on low. Use a CPU cooler and run it <1000 rpm. (ex: Scythe Infinity)

You'll have a very quiet and cool system

 

[LOUISSSSS]

what is this ACAG thing ur talking about? pics?

 

[NoodleTech]

Here's a pic. its the black vent thing on the left.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

bad link...

 

[LOUISSSSS]

just checked newegg. i see what it is now, never noticed it before

 

[Noubourne]

I put an X2 3800 in my dad's with this case, and only run the rear exhaust fan on low. No intake fan.

It stays plenty cool, and the hard drive seek and burner spin-up is the most noise you can get out of the thing.

No duct, no intake, and set the "tricool" fan on low.

 

[Josh123]

I removed mine also. I have two 120mm fans and my Arctic Freezer 7 and it's silent enough. I think I need to put something over the rear vent where the duct pulls air in though, to keep the airflow going in a constant stream.