Looking for a new case... Thinking Sonata II

[JoHo22]

so i really wanted to look for a new PSU and case.
I looked at the Antec Sonata II for 99$ from newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155

All i am asking,
is for the price (can anyone find it cheaper?)
is there anything else with as good a power supply with it?
right now im running on a 300W psu.

BioStar GeForce 6100 Motherboard
AMD 3200+ Venice (989)
1 gig corair ram.
Ati Radeon GTO2 256 PCI-E VIVO
Creative LIVE! sound card.

i feel chokes every now and then during games like HL2 and F.E.A.R.
and the only thing i can think of is not enough power, am i wrong?
Maybe heat?
All i know is that the case i have now is not very quiet, and the PSU is not enough.
so I guess i am asking for alot of advice.

 

[JoHo22]

anyone have any oppinions??

 

[JoHo22]

bought the sonata 2, works great.

 

[hondaf17]

Hey,

Sorry, doesn't do you much good now, but this Thermaltake Soprano seems to be good case, comes with a 430 W PSU, and here it is at ClubIt for quite a bit cheaper than anywhere else (and free shipping!)

I'll be picking ordering one tomorrow (will be replacing the PSU, though).

Thermaltake Soprano @ Club It

 

[McRhea]

That's good to hear, I'm about to buy that same case.

Whats your graphics card?

I'm going to get a Radeon X1800XT, and I've heard the video card is damn long, so I'm worried that it might be a really tight fit in the Sonata II...

Any ideas about this?

 

[InlineFour]

mcrhea, it'll fit.

 

[tjpark1111]

get the sonata II for $101 shipped at ClubIT. It really is the best value not right now, you shouldn't look any cheaper if you want any quality. When you think about it, buying a case and a psu separately seems to be a bit more expensive. Excellent case choice for silence as well.

 

[Varun]

I've been using the Sonata II exculsively for the last couple builds I have done. The included power supply is a good quality Antec 450w. The case has some nice features such as a tri-cool 120mm rear exhaust fan, and side mounted hard drives in an ingenious mounting system which make install and removal of hard drives incredibly easy. It's designed for quiet operation with the steel construction and rubber mountings for the fans and hard drives, but it doesn't include sound dampening material like the P150 and P180. The piano black paint is really nice.

The only drawback with the Sonata II is that it's a bit poor for airflow although I have never had any heat issues.

I think it's a great case for the price.

Edit: I just have to add a caution, as with any case even though they are designed for quiet operation if you put loud components in them they will be loud.

 

[smopoim86]

Originally posted by: McRhea
That's good to hear, I'm about to buy that same case.

Whats your graphics card?

I'm going to get a Radeon X1800XT, and I've heard the video card is damn long, so I'm worried that it might be a really tight fit in the Sonata II...

Any ideas about this?

card should fit fine. (the hdds are sideways)
if you are having heat issues, this case is not 4 u. I have 1 and it took some modding to get the case temps down....... one 120mm blowhole and a 120mm side intake.

I tossed the duct.

 

[McRhea]

InlineFour: Good to know.


Can you put a fan in the front to suck air in and improve air flow? Can you stuff a 120mm fan in there maybe?

 

[cubalis]

There is a mounting spot for a 120mm fan on the side of the hdd tray. It brings cool air across your hard drive(s) and to the rest of the system. I popped one in a build I did a couple weeks ago, and it helped the temps by a very large amount (about 6 degress for both CPU and Video card).

 

[Varun]

I kind of like the mouting spot for the front 120mm fan. It doesn't really suck air in from the front really well but it does a great job circulating air in the case. It blows right onto the motherboard heatsink so you can use a Zalman passive, and it blows right onto the video card as well, so you can use a passive/semi-passive heatsink there too. It also keeps the hard drive nice and cool.

Any air coming in would be a result of the exhaust fan blowing air out though, since the front fan doesn't really suck air in like most cases.

Once again I've never had any heat issues with it but I've never been concered with a couple degrees either.

 

[Henny]

I have 2 Sonatas and one Sonata II. They are excellent cases.

I have a Prescott OC'd to 4 ghz in one of them and it stays quite cool on air and is very quiet.

I'd recommend you use the optional 120mm front fan.

The Sonata II comes with a special air duct baffle but I don't see how it'll work with a high end CPU HSF or a high end Graphics card.

Fry's and CrapUSSR has the best prices on Sonatas. If you wait for a sale they tend to go for about $80 AR.