Opinions on system

[gorf]

I'm about ready to purchase parts and assemble a system from scratch. I'm
pretty sure I'll be more than satisfied with performance, but I want to
double-check if there are any known compatibility issues with what I'm
getting (my last system I went with AMD and the VIA KT133 chipset and it
took a while to get the stability I wanted).

Case: Antec Sonata w/ 380W
Mobo: Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
CPU: P4 2.80C
Hard Drive: 2 x WD Raptor WD360GD in RAID 0, 1 old IBM Deskstar 75GXP
Memory: 2 x Crucial 512MB DDR PC3200 NonECC CL3
Video: Asus Radeon 9800 XT/TVD
CDRW: Sony 52x32x52 OEM (purchasing Nero 6 as well)

I'll be running Windows XP Pro and Office XP Pro.

Again, any potential problems I should be aware of, also will 380W support
all of that?
Thanks all!

 

[crucial]

FIRST AND FOREMOST STAY AWAY FROM THE ANTEC SONATA. It has a horible
design the way the hd's fit in leaves no room for the cable to plug in.
and that is about the cheapest burn you can get anymore. also thats quit
the system for word processing. are the hd sata?

 

[Dave C.]

I'm about ready to purchase parts and assemble a system from scratch. I'm
pretty sure I'll be more than satisfied with performance, but I want to
double-check if there are any known compatibility issues with what I'm
getting (my last system I went with AMD and the VIA KT133 chipset and it
took a while to get the stability I wanted).

If you want stability, you need to get a really good power supply, not just
one that comes with a case. (although in some rare cases you'll do OK that
way). For your system, I'd suggest a 400W or better power supply from
Seasonic or Fortron. Everything else looks great. Find the right power
supply, and you should have NO instability problems. -Dave

 

[BP]

Yikes! I was just settling in on the Sonata also. Thanks for the heads up.
Got a recommondation on a "functional" quiet case?
My second choice was the Antec P160, but I was choking on the price.
(Sitting here longing for the days when the case was no decision at all).

: FIRST AND FOREMOST STAY AWAY FROM THE ANTEC SONATA. It has a horible
: design the way the hd's fit in leaves no room for the cable to plug in.
: and that is about the cheapest burn you can get anymore. also thats quit
: the system for word processing. are the hd sata?
:
: gorf wrote:
: > I'm about ready to purchase parts and assemble a system from scratch.
I'm
: > pretty sure I'll be more than satisfied with performance, but I want to
: > double-check if there are any known compatibility issues with what I'm
: > getting (my last system I went with AMD and the VIA KT133 chipset and it
: > took a while to get the stability I wanted).
: >
: > Case: Antec Sonata w/ 380W
: > Mobo: Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
: > CPU: P4 2.80C
: > Hard Drive: 2 x WD Raptor WD360GD in RAID 0, 1 old IBM Deskstar 75GXP
: > Memory: 2 x Crucial 512MB DDR PC3200 NonECC CL3
: > Video: Asus Radeon 9800 XT/TVD
: > CDRW: Sony 52x32x52 OEM (purchasing Nero 6 as well)
: >
: > I'll be running Windows XP Pro and Office XP Pro.
: >
: > Again, any potential problems I should be aware of, also will 380W
support
: > all of that?
: > Thanks all!
: >
: > --
: > gorf
: >
: >
:

 

[Dave C.]

Yikes! I was just settling in on the Sonata also. Thanks for the heads up.
Got a recommondation on a "functional" quiet case?
My second choice was the Antec P160, but I was choking on the price.
(Sitting here longing for the days when the case was no decision at all).

Casedge is a good brand. I haven't tried this one, but it's cheap (and
throw away the 300W power supply that it comes with): 3GTA-209 3G Medium
ATX, $33 from Axion

Then add a Seasonic SS400FS-APFC power supply, about $84 from Axion

This combo should be quite functional and quiet. -Dave

 

[Frank Fussenegger]

I think you will find that the Antec "TruePower" power supplies are
"really good" as well as are the Seasonic and Fortron power supplies.

 

[Ed_]

Yikes! I was just settling in on the Sonata also. Thanks for the heads up.
Got a recommondation on a "functional" quiet case?
My second choice was the Antec P160, but I was choking on the price.
(Sitting here longing for the days when the case was no decision at all).

I have built two Sonatas in the last 8 months and I love them both. There is
plenty of space to plug the hard drives. On the first machine I used round
cables (Anbtec Cobras because they are more flexible) and reversed the drives so
they plugged from the rear. On the second I used flat ribbons with no problem
plugging them from the front.

I have also built a SuperLanboy that uses the same hard drive cage as the
Sonata, except that both panels can be removed making it easier to reverse the
drives. And FWIW......the P-160 uses the same hard drive cage and I plan to use
that case for my next build.

If you use a little common sense you can route the IDE cables so that they will
get maximum air flow over the drives without too much hassle. The design of the
hard drive cages on the Antec Sonata, P-160, SuperLanboy and the SLK-3700 cases
is a fine design for both mounting and airflow. The larger 120 fans and the
rubber mounting gramuts for the hard drives help make the cases silent and cool.

Ed

 

[DaveW]

380 Watts is borderline for driving all your components.

 

[gorf]

FIRST AND FOREMOST STAY AWAY FROM THE ANTEC SONATA. It has a horible
design the way the hd's fit in leaves no room for the cable to plug in.
and that is about the cheapest burn you can get anymore. also thats quit
the system for word processing. are the hd sata?

Where were the hard drives located and how were they oriented? Were they
IDE, SCSI, or SATA? The SATA drives that I'm looking at will have much
smaller connectors than other drives, but the back ends stick out a little
further than non-rounded IDE cables I believe (see
http://www.seagate.com/newsinfo/technology/sata/). I read the reviews for
the Sonata on Egghead.com and I saw one complaint about a tight space
between the back of the drive and the side of the case, but overall there
were very few negative comments (about 140+ reviews, 5 star rating).

As for the CDRW, yes it is cheap. The Plextor is supposed to be good (and I
personally like TDK's VeloCD burners), but they all come with crap software
IMO (unless someone here vouches for Roxio or "Nero Express"). I'd rather
buy a cheap OEM burner and own Nero 6 (Nero is damn good burning software).

Word Processing? No... I'm going to use my new computer to check e-mail on
Yahoo.

And yes... WD Raptor's are SATA (10K RPM SATA).

Thanks for the info... I'll pay extra attention to the drive space issue in
the Sonata... I believe CompUSA sells it so I might go take a peak in the
store.

 

[gorf]

I have built two Sonatas in the last 8 months and I love them both. There is
plenty of space to plug the hard drives. On the first machine I used round
cables (Anbtec Cobras because they are more flexible) and reversed the drives so
they plugged from the rear. On the second I used flat ribbons with no problem
plugging them from the front.

Thanks for the advice about reversing the drives. I'm expecting that I will
love the Sonata except for the drive connector space issue and another issue
with airflow regarding the "Antec" holes on the side (which I will need to
cover with something to get airflow from the front to the back).

My current case is the SuperMicro SC-760A, one of the largest cases
available (over 2 feet tall). I can barely fit it under my desk (I had to
remove the "feet" from the case). I also couldn't find a rounded floppy
cable that extended long enough to reach the very top of the case where the
floppy hides (the ribbon I use barely reaches that). Edges are sharp, my
computer room sounds like a machine room, and overall construction is poor
(especially for a $200 case). I never used up the drive space in the
SC-760A, so about 80% of the free space is wasted. There is NO airflow in
the case because it is so big. I also cannot transport this thing very
easily. I'm tired of "big" and I want something that meets my needs, not
something that exceeds them by a longshot.

I'll check on the other suggested cases though.

 

[Ed_]

Thanks for the advice about reversing the drives. I'm expecting that I will
love the Sonata except for the drive connector space issue and another issue
with airflow regarding the "Antec" holes on the side (which I will need to
cover with something to get airflow from the front to the back).

My current case is the SuperMicro SC-760A, one of the largest cases
available (over 2 feet tall). I can barely fit it under my desk (I had to
remove the "feet" from the case). I also couldn't find a rounded floppy
cable that extended long enough to reach the very top of the case where the
floppy hides (the ribbon I use barely reaches that). Edges are sharp, my
computer room sounds like a machine room, and overall construction is poor
(especially for a $200 case). I never used up the drive space in the
SC-760A, so about 80% of the free space is wasted. There is NO airflow in
the case because it is so big. I also cannot transport this thing very
easily. I'm tired of "big" and I want something that meets my needs, not
something that exceeds them by a longshot.

I'll check on the other suggested cases though.

If those two things are your only concern then don't be concerned.

Here are some links to my albums with various pics of the Sonata. Some of the
pics are taken from various reviews and some are mine.

http://groups.msn.com/DesperadosHome/sonatabuild.msnw?albumlist=2

http://groups.msn.com/DesperadosHome/sonata.msnw?albumlist=2

This should help to answer your questions about most anything concerning this
case. Unfortunately, both of my Sonata builds are in use at my daughters' houses
or I would take some pics of the final builds. I did make a few changes, such
as the Antec Cobra cables after these pics were taken but these should suffice.

As far as those holes in the case........there are various opinions about those.
Antec claims that they are part of the design, to let heat escape out the top of
the case and should not be closed off. I experimented both ways and saw no
difference in temps nor is there any indication of any air flow, either out or
in of the holes. If there is any heat escaping it's not noticeable nor is there
any noticeable dust accumulation inside the case.

The Sonata is a fine choice. The only drawback that I found is the location of
the front fan and Antec corrected that with the SuperLanboy and the P-160 and
also the SLK3700BQ.

I really enjoyed building both Sonatas and my daughters just adore those cases
for their silence as well as their classy appearance.

Good luck and I hope that the pics are of some help.

Ed