Antec Sonata w/ 380W

[Mitchua]

I'm still trying to quiet down my PC and today's step is the case/PSU. I
know everyone talks about the Antec Sonata when they talk quiet cases but
there seems to be a lot of problems with it from the review on
silentpcreview.com (and others). Should I really spend CND$149 on this
case? Is it going to make me "super happy" by being really quiet or will I
power it up and notice no difference from the cheap case I have now?

Thanks,
Mitchua

 

[Mr E]

I'm still trying to quiet down my PC and today's step is the
case/PSU. I know everyone talks about the Antec Sonata when they
talk quiet cases but there seems to be a lot of problems with it from
the review on silentpcreview.com (and others).

Really? Are we reading the same review:

"... these are the many features that allow a quiet system to be built
around the Sonata with little effort. Given the modest size of the Sonata,
it may not be for power-crazed gamers. In the hands of an imaginative or
experienced silent PC devotee, it could easily be made extremely quiet. The
HDD mounting system alone is worth the purchase price if you are a hardware
hacker like me. Oh, let's not forget -- that black piano finish looks pretty
slick, and it is a handsome unit.
The Sonata is Antec's first foray into quiet computing. As such it is a very
respectable effort. Recommended."


Should I really spend

CND$149 on this case? Is it going to make me "super happy" by being
really quiet or will I power it up and notice no difference from the
cheap case I have now?

Thanks,
Mitchua

Well, I have one, so maybe I'm biased. It's a lot quieter than any PC I've
used in the last three years. It has a nice anti-dust filter which is
washable, and as stated in the review, the hard drive fitting is excellent.
On the minus side, the front door is cheap and poorly constructed. I don't
suppose it will make you "super happy" because it is a thing, and generally
things don't achieve this result. (sorry - slipped into philosophy mode
there )

Take care,

John.

 

[spodosaurus]

I'm still trying to quiet down my PC and today's step is the case/PSU. I
know everyone talks about the Antec Sonata when they talk quiet cases but
there seems to be a lot of problems with it from the review on
silentpcreview.com (and others). Should I really spend CND$149 on this
case? Is it going to make me "super happy" by being really quiet or will I
power it up and notice no difference from the cheap case I have now?

Thanks,
Mitchua

I have the TruePower 380W PSU that comes with the Sonata case. I'm
using it in a modded el cheapo case that would normally be rather noisy.
With the Truepower 380W PSU it's much quieter than with the generic
PSU that came with the case.

Ari

--

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donate. You are offered the chance to donate only if you match a person
on the recipient list. Visit www.marrow.org or call your local Red Cross
and ask about registering to be a bone marrow donor.

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[Austin P. So \(Hae Jin\)]

Should I really spend

Well, I have an XP2100 with stock HS&F and a 350W Enermax PSU and a cheap
case. And now I have the Sonata with a P4 3G and Zalman AL-Cu HS&F. There is
a *huge* difference.

Well, I have one, so maybe I'm biased. It's a lot quieter than any PC I've
used in the last three years. It has a nice anti-dust filter which is
washable, and as stated in the review, the hard drive fitting is excellent.
On the minus side, the front door is cheap and poorly constructed.

It is pretty good in terms of noise...if anything, the PSU could be more
quiet, but it is pretty damn good. I've been debating whether or not I
should get a higher rated PSU so that the fan is not on all the time. But
the hard drive bays are fantastic. As are the 3.5 and 5.25 bays. It is a
little more cramped than I thought it would be, but there is enough space to
hide the connectors if you are clever about it The front door is flimsy but
for 149 can't complain.

Austin

 

[Vanguard]

Well, I have an XP2100 with stock HS&F and a 350W Enermax PSU and a
cheap

case. And now I have the Sonata with a P4 3G and Zalman AL-Cu HS&F. There is
a *huge* difference.

But the Enermax is a noisy PSU (from what I hear they mispositioned the
thermistor too close to components that are always hot so it always
speed up over the "silent" mode, so the fix is to open the PSU and move
the thermistor). The Antec PSU in the Sonata is a modified version that
only has the thermistor-controlled fan on the rear; the underside fan is
missing (which runs at a constant speed) so the vent holes were made
larger. That way you don't hear the noise from the constant always-on
underside fan and the thermistor fan usually runs in silent mode (but
can get up to 55 dB if the system gets hot, especially if you don't
properly cool the case and not overly restrict airflow). Using Zalman's
CPU cooling in either machine would've quieted down both.

the hard drive fitting is excellent.

The Sonata just uses grommets. From what I've read in other reviews,
there are better grommets to reduce vibration transfer (but I haven't
found any yet). I've also heard there are better feet for dampening
vibration from the case to your desk, or you could use a sound dampening
pad. You could also use Zalman's (or another brand's) drive dampening
kit but then you have to mount the drives in the 5.25-inch bays. The
Zalman kit for insulating the hard drive while providing passive (no
fan) heat pipes looks interesting. The problem with suspending a hard
drive to dampen noise vibration is that the drive can no longer transfer
heat to the cage/case, so dampened drives can run hotter without
cooling. Hopefully Zalman's solution works so you don't end up putting
in another fan which generates noise, even a little, when you were
trying to quiet the hard drives.

That's disappointing the hear. You want to keep the door closed to help
silence the CD drives.

Question: Is the Sonata the model from Antec that has "Antec" spelled
out in venting holes along the top of the case? I read a review that
noted this allowed noise to escape from the sides so it was noticable.
I think Antec has another low-noise case (SLK3700AMB) where there are no
holes along the side panel.

 

[Vanguard]

From what I have read in reviews, the PSU is not a *true* TruePower PSU.
It has been modified to make it quieter. The bottom always-on
constant-speed fan is missing, leaving only the thermistor-controlled
rear fan. The vent holes were enlarged to account for the absence of
the underside fan. The modified version PSU runs in silent mode unless
temperatures rise in which case the fan can make up to 55 dB of noise
(which is damn loud).

 

[spodosaurus]

From what I have read in reviews, the PSU is not a *true* TruePower PSU.
It has been modified to make it quieter. The bottom always-on
constant-speed fan is missing, leaving only the thermistor-controlled
rear fan. The vent holes were enlarged to account for the absence of
the underside fan. The modified version PSU runs in silent mode unless
temperatures rise in which case the fan can make up to 55 dB of noise
(which is damn loud).

yes, that is loud! mine has yet to make more than a whisper...but then
again I bought the retail box of the PSU, not the one you're mentioning
that now comes with the case...

--

Are you registered as a bone marrow donor? You regenerate what you
donate. You are offered the chance to donate only if you match a person
on the recipient list. Visit www.marrow.org or call your local Red Cross
and ask about registering to be a bone marrow donor.

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[Mr E]

Question: Is the Sonata the model from Antec that has "Antec" spelled
out in venting holes along the top of the case?

Yes

J.

 

[John]

I'm still trying to quiet down my PC and today's step is the case/PSU. I
know everyone talks about the Antec Sonata when they talk quiet cases but
there seems to be a lot of problems with it from the review on
silentpcreview.com (and others). Should I really spend CND$149 on this
case? Is it going to make me "super happy" by being really quiet or will I
power it up and notice no difference from the cheap case I have now?

Thanks,
Mitchua

You could try experimenting depending on how easy it is to get parts
where you live.

I cant imagine theres anything that revolutionary about the Sonata but
then I havent read anything on it. Also I really dont care that much
of having my PC super silent. The background noise alone where I live
is so high the PC would have to be incredibly noisy to even notice it.
Even I at first hated the Delta fans that used to be popular the
6000-7000 rpm 60mm heatsink fans that were the best a while back but
sounded like a dentists drill or hairdryer as some described it. The
high pitched whine annoyed the hell out of everyone.

You could easily by rubber washers at your local hardware store I
imagine , and Ive also bought plastic white soft screws. Use those to
mount all mechanical devices. Then get some contact cement or rubber
glue and get some heavy rubber or plastic sheets somewhere and glue
them onto the panels of your case. Actually I was thinking old mouse
pads would work . I go through those all the time since they tend to
get dirty and only cost a few bucks. If you have a bunch laying around
they would work. Compusa has these large ones too for $10.
However they have a sounddamping kit for $27 so it might be more cost
effective. But you might be able to find some sheets of rubber or foam
for cheap at your hardware store. Remnants for carpet foam underlay or
something. Block up all the side vents etc that sound comes from.
And of course get all temp controlled fans. Most of the fans actually
selling at COMPUSA are temp controlled where I live. Like the $10 80
mm PC toys fan. Its has a very high potential rpm max so it may not
be for you - around 5400 vs the 2500 of other fans though its temp
controlled.

Get larger fans too intead of small high rpm fans. Ive seen shrouds on
sale at COMPUSA and online where you can fit larger fans on smaller
mounts. The obvious is your CPU 80mm instead of 60mm at a low rpm and
your case fans Ive seen 120 mm fans that are lower rpm and still move
as much air or more than a higher rpm 80mm and get them temp
controlled,

See how quiet those simple things get on your cheapo case if thats all
you want if its cost effective.

 

[kony]

I'm still trying to quiet down my PC and today's step is the case/PSU. I
know everyone talks about the Antec Sonata when they talk quiet cases but
there seems to be a lot of problems with it from the review on
silentpcreview.com (and others). Should I really spend CND$149 on this
case? Is it going to make me "super happy" by being really quiet or will I
power it up and notice no difference from the cheap case I have now?

Thanks,
Mitchua

It can be the start of a very quiet system, but ultimately quiet is
determined by the fan speed, turbulence, and having a case with no
loose, rattling parts... most cases with adequate air inlet/exhaust
holes and fairly thick metal can be the foundation of a quiet system,
providing the other parts are good. Usually the power supply and cpu
heatsink (and possibly the video card) fans are the loudest, none of
which require purchasing a new case.


Dave

 

[Alan Wright]

I'm still trying to quiet down my PC and today's step is the case/PSU. I
know everyone talks about the Antec Sonata when they talk quiet cases but
there seems to be a lot of problems with it from the review on
silentpcreview.com (and others). Should I really spend CND$149 on this
case? Is it going to make me "super happy" by being really quiet or will I
power it up and notice no difference from the cheap case I have now?

Thanks,
Mitchua

I have a Sonata with a Barton 2800 in it. It is not quiet, and cannot be
made quiet unless I switch to water cooling. If you are using a CPU
with more modest cooling requirements, it may well do the trick.

Alan

 

[Mitchua]

I went out and purchased the Sonata yesterday. I wouldn't go nuts about the
quiet features of the case itself. You could probably make due with buying
a quiet PSU and under-volting fans to get the same sound levels. However,
what really sets apart this case is the quality (except for the front door).
It's very solid and even the sides are made of strong metal. I doubt
they'll bend from use like a generic case. The bays are beautifully
designed. It was worth the price (since the PSU would probably cost about
$60 by itself).

As for making my system quiet, that required a little more tweaking. I have
2 noisy little fans in my system: one on my mobo and one on my Radeon 9600
Pro. The one on the mobo I connected to the "Fan Only" plug on the PSU and
it is now VERY quiet. The one on the Radeon I removed completely (leaving
the heatsink) and placed a temp. throttled 80mm fan inside the case blowing
air at it. For the heatsink, I'm using an Arctic Cooling Copper Silent 2
TC. It is quieter than most but there's still a lot of air turbulance so I
undervolted that too by connecting it to the Fan Only plug as well. Now it
is practically silent. With all these modifications, the AMD Athlon XP
1800+ CPU only runs 2 degrees hotter (52Celcius) than before undervolting
the fans. I played a 3dfx game for an hour and everything was stable and
the temp. didn't get higher than 53. My Seagate hard-drive is dampened by
the grommets on the case and I can't hear it at all. I also taped some
packing foam (the grey kind) behind the Antec drill-holes on the side. That
dampens the sound and catches some dust without stopping air flow.

How quiet is it? All you can hear is the quiet sound of the fans at the
back. There's practically no clicking or high-pitched sounds (from those
damn tiny fans). When the fridge turns on in the adjoining room, it is much
louder across the room at my desk then my PC is at the desk.

I'm going to enjoy it like this for now but in the future I'll put a VGA
heatsink on my (a7V266-E)northbridge to remove that noisy fan altogether.
Then I think that will be as quiet as it will get without water-cooling or
something

Finally, I have a computer that's quiet enough to live with. Hurray!

--Mitchua

 

[kony]

I have a Sonata with a Barton 2800 in it. It is not quiet, and cannot be
made quiet unless I switch to water cooling. If you are using a CPU
with more modest cooling requirements, it may well do the trick.

Alan

Not true, you simply need a better heatsink with large low rpm fan on
it IF that's the only significant noise source.

Water cooling does not result in a quiter system than traditional
heatsink, if you choose a good traditional heatsink of even half the
cost of the water-cooler setup. Water-cooling will often keep the CPU
cooler, but the fan for the radiator + pump noise is >= CPU heatsink
fan with the right heatsink and fan. Water-cooling is best used for
extreme overclocking, when that last 2% of overclocked speed can' be
obtained unless the temp is as low as reasonably possible.


Dave

 

[Robert]

I went out and purchased the Sonata yesterday. I wouldn't go nuts about the
quiet features of the case itself. You could probably make due with buying
a quiet PSU and under-volting fans to get the same sound levels. However,
what really sets apart this case is the quality (except for the front door).
It's very solid and even the sides are made of strong metal. I doubt
they'll bend from use like a generic case. The bays are beautifully
designed. It was worth the price (since the PSU would probably cost about
$60 by itself).

As for making my system quiet, that required a little more tweaking. I have
2 noisy little fans in my system: one on my mobo and one on my Radeon 9600
Pro. The one on the mobo I connected to the "Fan Only" plug on the PSU and
it is now VERY quiet. The one on the Radeon I removed completely (leaving
the heatsink) and placed a temp. throttled 80mm fan inside the case blowing
air at it. For the heatsink, I'm using an Arctic Cooling Copper Silent 2
TC. It is quieter than most but there's still a lot of air turbulance so I
undervolted that too by connecting it to the Fan Only plug as well. Now it
is practically silent. With all these modifications, the AMD Athlon XP
1800+ CPU only runs 2 degrees hotter (52Celcius) than before undervolting
the fans. I played a 3dfx game for an hour and everything was stable and
the temp. didn't get higher than 53. My Seagate hard-drive is dampened by
the grommets on the case and I can't hear it at all. I also taped some
packing foam (the grey kind) behind the Antec drill-holes on the side. That
dampens the sound and catches some dust without stopping air flow.

How quiet is it? All you can hear is the quiet sound of the fans at the
back. There's practically no clicking or high-pitched sounds (from those
damn tiny fans). When the fridge turns on in the adjoining room, it is much
louder across the room at my desk then my PC is at the desk.

I'm going to enjoy it like this for now but in the future I'll put a VGA
heatsink on my (a7V266-E)northbridge to remove that noisy fan altogether.
Then I think that will be as quiet as it will get without water-cooling or
something

I have a Sonata with a P4 2.4 and passively cooled graphics card and
have made a couple of mods to bring the noise level down to near silent
at 1 metre at an ambient temperature of 22C. The most impact was from
swapping the stock Intel HSF for a Zalman 7000. Then I blocked the
'Antec' perforations in the side panels with foam which helped a bit
more - encouraged by this I applied Acoustipak standard material to the
interior of the case. The only problem with this was that the mb and
psu temperatures increase by 2C and the hdd's by 3C so I doubled the
size of the air inlet on the underside of the lower front plastic bezel
- this reduced the mb and psu temperatures by 1C and the hdd's by 4C.

 

[Mitchua]

I have a Sonata with a P4 2.4 and passively cooled graphics card and
have made a couple of mods to bring the noise level down to near silent
at 1 metre at an ambient temperature of 22C. The most impact was from
swapping the stock Intel HSF for a Zalman 7000. Then I blocked the
'Antec' perforations in the side panels with foam which helped a bit
more - encouraged by this I applied Acoustipak standard material to the
interior of the case. The only problem with this was that the mb and
psu temperatures increase by 2C and the hdd's by 3C so I doubled the
size of the air inlet on the underside of the lower front plastic bezel
- this reduced the mb and psu temperatures by 1C and the hdd's by 4C.

Practically all the sound coming from my case now is from the PSU so I doubt
Acoustipak material would help. I've heard of some people swapping out the
PSU for a silent one. That's just throwing money away though

Also, I hear air turbulance from the 120mm fan grate. It could probably be
more quiet if the grate was cut off.

--Mitchua

 

[Ed_]

I have the TruePower 380W PSU that comes with the Sonata case. I'm
using it in a modded el cheapo case that would normally be rather noisy.
With the Truepower 380W PSU it's much quieter than with the generic
PSU that came with the case.

Ari

--

Are you registered as a bone marrow donor? You regenerate what you
donate. You are offered the chance to donate only if you match a person
on the recipient list. Visit www.marrow.org or call your local Red Cross
and ask about registering to be a bone marrow donor.

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Hi Ari,

Where did you get the PSU? Can you buy it as a stand alone? I have the Sonata
and I think this modified 380 is the cat's ass and would help solve my noise
problems in my Chieftec but I haven't seen it on Antec's website as a seperate
entity.

Ed

 

[spodosaurus]

Hi Ari,

Where did you get the PSU? Can you buy it as a stand alone? I have the Sonata
and I think this modified 380 is the cat's ass and would help solve my noise
problems in my Chieftec but I haven't seen it on Antec's website as a seperate
entity.

Ed

Hi Ed. I was mistaken, as another poster pointed out: the Truepower
380W sold separately is NOT the same as the Truepower 380W in the Sonata
case!

--

Are you registered as a bone marrow donor? You regenerate what you
donate. You are offered the chance to donate only if you match a person
on the recipient list. Visit www.marrow.org or call your local Red Cross
and ask about registering to be a bone marrow donor.

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