p150 or Sonata II?

[Terzo]

Right now I'm using an old looted case with no fans in it. I've realized how bad this is after losing 2 power supplies in about 6 months (though it had been running fine for the 2 years before I put the 9800 pro in it....I think that might have something to do with it).

So I want to get a new case that has good cooling so I dont end up frying another power supply. I was also told that the stock fan the 9800 pro comes with is terrible and that I should get a replacement one.

For the cases, I'm considerin the antec p150 and Sonata II. I like that the p150 is supposed to be pretty quiet (my computer was pretty loud before the power supply died) but I don't like it's color too much. It's also a fair bit more expensive than the Sonata II. However, I've heard that the Sonata II doesn't have the best cooling.

I'd get the Sonata II if I hadn't heard that. So can you guys tell me if the Sonata II will keep my system cool?
I have a...
K7S5A
9800 pro
Athlon 2400 xp
a 40 gig and 120 gig harddrive (don't remember the makes)
2 sticks of 512 ram (one is crucial, don't remember the other)
Audigy 2

As for the videocard, I was looking to replace it's fan with a Zalman VF700-ALCU. Would that be a satisfactory replacement?

Thanks ahead of time for any help

 

[Tiamat]

i didnt like the color of hte P150 either, but when i saw it in person, my opinion switched immediately. The white is the exact opposite of piano black gloss. Piano White gloss if you will. The case is awesome in my opinion for the money.

 

[A554SS1N]

I like the look of the Sonata 2 more, but the P150 is much better in terms of functionality, so if you have the cash, get the P150!!! You can always spray paint it!!

 

[egale]

I had a Sonata II but no more. I switched to a P150. The Sonata II was cramped, ran hot and noisy too. Just be aware of the P150 power suppy. There have been incompatibilities with many motherboards and it may need to be RMAd to get a revised model.

 

[Terzo]

Yeah I've heard about the troubles with the p150 powersupply....I'll probably go for the p150....maybe it wont be as ugly as I envision. Thanks fellas!

 

[johnnqq]

i guess nobody on these board knows anythinga bout the psu problem...the neohe has some serious issues and won't be stable on many motherboards. the common problem is that the computer just turns off after 10-20 minutes, especially when gaming. i was going to get one too, now i'm getting either a sonata 2, or an antec 3000b+psu of choice.

 

[remagavon]

Originally posted by: johnnqq
i guess nobody on these board knows anythinga bout the psu problem...the neohe has some serious issues and won't be stable on many motherboards. the common problem is that the computer just turns off after 10-20 minutes, especially when gaming. i was going to get one too, now i'm getting either a sonata 2, or an antec 3000b+psu of choice.

Someone above you posted about the issue.

 

[WobbleWobble]

I personally like the P150 better except for the power supply. It also caused me grief, it's in RMA as I speak. Both fine cases, the Sonata 2 is a good bet.

 

[w00t]

Sonata 2

 

[mikester]

I had a Sonata 2 and I agree that the cooling was not very good. The biggest problem is that the location for the intake fan is behind the hard drive cage, which is very ineffective.

I also thought the power supply was marginal at best. When I started overclocking the rails got really flakey and started fluctuating a lot, even though I wasn't drawing anywhere near the 450w advertised for that PSU.

Bottom line - if you just want a basic, quiet PC, then it's a good case, but if you want to overclock then it's inadequate.

 

[Techno Pride]

does your mobo supply power to your Athlon thru the ATX12v plug?

If it doesn't, the NeoHE is rated lowly on the +5v rail and may be a bad fit for your system.

 

[Terzo]

Go figure....it does supply power on the 5v rail.

Should I just get slk 3000 and a replacement smartpower 2.0 (what I used to have) to go with it?

 

[One43637]

the P150 is not as ugly as i once thought when i saw it in person. i've read some bad stuff about the included PS though.

off topic here:
Terzo since you had a SP 2.0 in the past, were your modular cables already sleeved?

 

[Terzo]

I'm not that computer literate...so I have no idea what you just asked. Could you dumb it down a little?

 

[Damn Dirty Ape]

Originally posted by: johnnqq
i guess nobody on these board knows anythinga bout the psu problem...the neohe has some serious issues and won't be stable on many motherboards. the common problem is that the computer just turns off after 10-20 minutes, especially when gaming. i was going to get one too, now i'm getting either a sonata 2, or an antec 3000b+psu of choice.

Antec is swapping them out on an RMA basis with revised units as stock permits. Contact them directly. Been through it and came out with a good unit.

 

[One43637]

i'm not sure if all Smart Power 2.0 power supplies are the same, so i was asking about the cables that came with your power supply. i have the 500w version and the cables that you can plug into the power supply came sleeved. meaning that they weren't all tangled up because they were sleeved using something like these.

http://www.casecooler.com/casecooler/caslkitc.html

 

[Madhatter2]

I have been meaning to buy a P150 for quite some time. Since I seen it at Newegg that is. I like the idea of having one quiet system and the other (3) wind tunnels.

 

[A554SS1N]

the Smartpower 2 450watt reviewed on SilentPCReview.com had standard cables (i.e. not modular).

 

[Tweakin]

I just received my P150 from the Egg and I think the gloss white is a nice, fresh change to the standard black case. It's very clean looking, and I can always paint it this summer when the newness wears off.

It is the best built Ante case I have ever had...sold the PS on Ebay as I already had an Qcz Modstream for it.

 

[imported_OrSin]

Could you post pictures. All the pictures I have send makes me not want get it.
RIght now i looking at the Sonata and the P180.

PS
does anyone have pictures of the Sonatas in thier bronze color.