Reviews for Antec Sonata III Chassis

Very nice computer case for DIYers

Strengths: Looks great. Solid built. Enough space to fit in everything. Comes with an excellent 500W power supply. Runs cool and quiet.

Weakness: No front panel 1394 port(There's eSATA instead). The panel for the 5.25" external drive bay sealed not very well for my case(not sure if that's general).

This is a very nice looking computer case. Feels classic when you look at it. It has enough space to fit in all your hard drives and CD/DVD drives. Runs cool and quiet. The power supply came with it is a highly rated Antec earthwatts EA500 ATX,> 80% efficiency, Dual +12V inputs combined of total output 34A. Way better than other general brand 500W supplies. Enough to support your Qual core CPU with SLI high-end video cards. One thing I don't like is that there's no front panel 1394 port for my camcorder.

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Sonata 3 Black Mid Tower

Strengths: Solid construction and designed to allows plenty of room for assembly of components. Rails make drive insertion a snap, literally. Plenty of bays available. PS generates a soft hum.

Weakness: None I can see.

I have owned this case for about a month but have bought several of the Sonata series cases and become more inpressed with each one I buy. The price design and quality can't be beat. The most questionable detail of comparable cases is usually the power supply. A cheap PS in a decent case will still cause you headaches. The first Sonata I assembled must be well over 3 years old and it still hums along like it did the first day I turned it on. The next computer I build will have a Sonata Case. It's a proven product.

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Sonata 2 was good This one is even better

Strengths: 80 Plus Certified 500 Watt Power Supply, quiet, sleek, well-made chassis, convenient drive bays, no sharp edges

Weakness: Maybe if I was a firewire device user, I'd dock points off for not having a firewire port in the front.

This is a good looking, piano-black case without the annoying aircraft blue LED lights of the Sonata 2. It comes with the great Antec Earth Watts 500 Watt power supply which has plenty of juice to power my Core 2 Quad, 8800 GTS 512, 2x 500MB SATA II 7200RPM drives, and DVD Burner. The front panel has 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 eSATA port, 1 audio output and 1 microphone input ports. eSATA transfers data at a finger-blistering rate compared to Firewire/USB. If you are looking for a case with decent power supply, look no further.

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Black beauty.

Strengths: Included 500W Power Supply (80 Plus rated). Build quality. Plenty of room. Looks/Style.

Weakness: Piano black finish shows off fingerprints! No firewire port on front. Power button not accessible until you open door- safety/security feature?

I have owned several Antec cases all the way back to when they were rebadged cases. This case continues in the overall quality you get when paying that little bit extra. This is no gamer case, but more for Home Theater users or those that like a quiet and stylish case. The biggest thing going for this case is the included power supply... when you factor in the cost of that alone, the case is actually a steal.

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Great computer case

Strengths: High quality, good design

Weakness: heavy

I bought this Antec Sonata III case for my DIY computer and it works perfectly. The quality is very good and it is very quiet. I put AMD Operon 165 with ATI X1650 Pro display card and two hard drives in this case and the noise is negligible. The inside design is good, too. I like the design for installing hard drives. The front USB and ESATA ports come in handy. Overall this is a great case and I would recommend it.

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Great mid-size case

Strengths: Nice looks, quiet, nice features, PSU included. Easy drive installation.

Weakness: Prone to finger prints. Paint chips easy. Have to open the front door to turn on your PC. Rubber feet come off.

This is a nice, attractive, quiet case for your everyday PC. It has many quiet features, including a huge 3-speed exhaust fan, silent PSU, and rubber grommets to isolate the hard drives. It has good airflow, and the front intake includes a washable filter, a nice added touch. The front panel has all the connections you need, including USB, HD audio, and even an eSATA port. The PSU is 500 watts, enough power for just about anything except maybe a high-end SLI system. The PSU is higher quality than most included in a case, and has all the electrical connections you need for just about any build.

On the minus side, the nice gloss finish is prone to fingerprints, and the paint chipped off a corner when I accidentally dropped a tool on it. Also, just a personal preference, I don't like cases where the power switch is on the inside of the front cover. But a very good case overall. You can get one cheaper than this, but not with as much quality as an Antec.

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Sonata Case

Strengths: Easy to install drives, plenty of connectors

Weakness: Rubber feet come off easily, need to open drive door for power on. Wide IDE cables interfere with IDE DVD/CD drives.

Nice case once you wipe the finger prints off. MoBo and Drives install easily, robber grommets are a nice feature. Most P4 and Duo chips will need a second 120mm fan to improve air flow. Best bet is to buy round style IDE cables. A wide IDE cable will prevent good airflow with second fan.

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Sonata III

Strengths: It's black and doesn't look like it was made in the hood like most cases these days

Weakness: Air filter is cheap and flimsy. If your not careful you'll snap tabs off. I did this twice in almost a year.

Too Small to work in with my big hands, no conectors for motherboards with P/S and Case fan sensors,. Adding another fan is tricky, unless you have tiny hands.

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Not as good as other Antecs

Strengths: Good looking. Great PSU included. eSATA port.

Weakness: Sigle layer steel side panel. Flimsy HDD rack. No sound dampening.

This case has too much hype. It's actually a very ordinary Antec product. There's no sound deadening effort. So for quiet PC purpose, P180/P182 and Solo series are much better and cheaper. There's no wiring management options either so wires look like a mess inside. The only good thing is probably included 500W EarthWatts PSU. DO NOT buy this if you want to build a quiet PC.

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Sonata 3 Black Mid Tower

Strengths: 500w psu, finish, quiet, washable filter

Weakness: no firewire port, shows fingerprints

Antec produces beautiful and quiet Sonata cases. the psu is much improved over the Sonata II. A high quality 120mm fan is included but this case is built for quiet operation so airflow is not as good as cases like 900. Rubber grommets and thick panels cut down on noise.

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Antec Sonata III Chassis-9BAY SUPER MINI TWR BLACK...

Strengths: Easy to use, quiet, plentiful expansion, 500W PSU

Weakness: none

Antec always creates very high quality cases, and the Sonata III is no exception. It comes with an excellent power supply, and the case is constructed of high quality metal, not the flimsy crap found in many other cases. All in all, a great case.

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Great little case

Strengths: Solid construction. esata on front of case

Weakness: only one fan included. Not completely tooless

This is a good solid, quiet case. Very happy with this purchase after rebate. I think I like the look of the older sonatas a bit better, but still a very nice case.

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Beautiful, quiet, and convenient!

Strengths: Sleek, modern look, convenient ports in the front, secure locks, easy to open, removable bays, Antec EA 500 psu

Weakness: Non modular power supply

This case is very quiet and very pretty. It is made of steel which makes it heavier than aluminum but sturdier at the same time. The glossy shine to it makes it look great but others say it attracts fingerprints (I haven't had that problem though). The side panel is convenient to open with it's latch but still secure because you have the option of locking it up with the included locks and keys. It is also held together with convenient large thumb screws. The only thing I don't like about the whole package so far is the power supply. The supply itself is great, but only the main power cable that connects to the motherboard is sleeved. The rest is just held together by ties so it makes it very messy. The power supply has a billion SATA connectors but not so much of the regular ones (um what are they called?) so you have to make do with two main lines if none of your devices can hook up to the SATA ones. There are six of those connectors, 3 on each line. I currently have to have extensions and splitters to reach everything. My computer has 2 CD/DVD drives, 1 floppy, and 2 hard drives. Since it is generally not a good idea to put the CD/DVD drives with hard drives, one line goes to the CD/DVD drives while the other to the harddrives and fan. My third harddrive had I not removed it and put it into an xbox would have no where to connect to. I am using a splitter and extension to reach extra fans and an extra connector to my motherboard (abit an8 sli). More up to date computers probably wouldn't have this problem, but I don't feel like upgrading my entire computer more than once every 3 to 4 years. Besides this problem which can be remedied by putting in your own psu or more up to date components, the case is great and quiet like advertised.

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Sonata III on 22-Dec-07

Strengths: Easy to Install Drives with superior sound/vibration isolation. Great Looks & build quality. Good PSU Very Quiet Price!

Weakness: No Firewire on Front/Side panel. Hard to find any other.

Easy to build a system with this enclosure. Best vibration isolation for hard drives that I've found (silicone grommets). Ingenious design for HD installation that keeps SATA & power cables away from MB and improving airflow. Very quiet and would be hard pressed to need a second 120mm fan. Front door to access ROM drive(s) and Power/Reset switches opens 270 degrees..nice! My personal pref is to have P/R switches inside..prevents accidental power-offs. Other than no firewire on front panel everything else including SATA connection is on the front/side. My other fav enclosure is the Cooler Master Cavalier...and this Antec is now numbero uno!

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Great case

Strengths: Pretty, sturdy, quiet

Weakness: No Firewire on front panel

I only ordered this case because it was on a terrific sale and had a rebate. I wasn't too thrilled about the looks from the photos I had seen. However, when I received this case, I was amazed by how pretty it is. The photos I have seen do not do this case justice. It's black paint or powder coating has a nice glossy finish. The front panel looks silky and both the hard drive and power LEDs are very bright blue set into a perfectly mirrored strip.

Enough about the looks. On to the guts!

All the drives that are accessible from the front can be removed without opening the case. All the drives use rails which are of course included along with plenty of bolts and motherboard standoffs. You can access the retention clips for the drives just by opening the front door/cover. If that weren't nice enough, the internal 3.5" bays all have little silicone grommets that keep the hard drives from directly touching the drive trays. This helps keep vibration to a minimum. They even include special screws to attach your hard drives, since the regular ones are too short because of the grommets. The case is very easy to open and close as long as you have enough clearance on the side of the case. There is also a washable, removable dust filter at the front of the case.

The one 120mm fan is very quiet. The power supply is completely silent as far as I can tell, it does have a fan but it runs at such a slow speed I can't hear it.

My only complaints are that the case does not have a Firewire socket on the front panel, and that you have to lift the case up (or put it on it's side) to get the dust filter out. However these minor annoyances aren't enough not to give this wonderful case 5 stars.

This case has made an Antec fan out of me!

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Sonata III 500

Strengths: Good air flow, especially when a second 120mm fan installed, very sturdy box with a quality power supply. Easy installation af any type of drive in this case.

Weakness: The feet on this case really do stink, but nothing a mixture of J-B Weld can't fix.

I've purchased three of these cases and for the money they're hard to beat with the power supply they come with. I don't think that it's too loud with the rear fan set on high. The front fan sits right behind the hard drive bay and pulls outside air over the top and bottom of the hard drive. I've installed a WD Raptor 150GB, 10,000RPM drive in all three of the systems and that fan really makes a difference in keeping the drive cool. The eSATA port on the front panel will come in handy too!

I've used this case to build two CAD systems for our Design Dept. in New York and will continue to use then until I've replaced all ten of the old systems. I just can't find anything better for the money that has a decent PS in it.

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Overall A Very Good Quality Case!

Strengths: Tower comes with high power quality Power supply, Quiet with nice HD layout, Strong solid construction inside and out & nice looking front face with good combination of front connectors.

Weakness: Rubber feet on the bottom of the case come off easy. Black glossy paint on outside of case scuff & show finger prints very easily.

Good Quality case for the Money, when including the power supply,(the Power Supply alone "of that Quality and Size" will cost you the Price of this case p/s Combo) you will like this case.

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I would purchase it again

Strengths: good design. many slots for mid tower.

Weakness: poor documentation.

nice look. cool blue led's. indeed low noise of 3 speed fan. many slots for optical drives and HD's. many power supply wires and multiple connectors. easy to assemble. documentation could be better. one needs to search for solution. polarity of front panel led's connectors is not marked. i called. they gave me wrong description... had to re-do. overall I'm happy with the product. i would purchase it again.

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Quiet Case

Strengths: Very Quiet, i didn't know it was on coimpared to my old raid max case. Very sturdy.

Weakness: the feet fall off very easily, the case fan if turned on high is relatively loud

very good case for the price when including the power supply. strong construction and quiet. also has a very nice design. you will have to reglue the feet back on however.

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Awesome Case

Strengths: Silent! Unique innovation and easy access

Weakness: Paint scratches easily

This is a great case! Very silent and very quiet. Easy access upon opening it up. The only concerns I have is that the paint scratches off it easily, and I've also heard about some people's power supplies going out on them. Also, I've heard the hinge door is a bit weak. Otherwise, this seems like a great case!

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Excellent choice for a standard PC

Strengths: Design, Easy to work

Weakness: None

One of the best choices among the standard tower box with power supply. Quiet and beautiful design and "easy-to-setup" internal design are the strength.
HDDs and optical disks easy to get installed as they have a special and easy tools for them.
Design was more stylish than I had thought. This would match any room, even at living room.
With overclocked CPU (typically to 2.2-2.3Ghz from 1.8Ghz) and lowcost MB and other components, you can have better value and flexibility of your system than buying a pre-configured branded PC.
Highly recommended.

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Great case but a few minor flaws

Strengths: CD/DVD rails are placed on the place holder slats for easy access when adding new drives. Individual hdd trays with easy tabs to remove. Super quiet 120mm exhust fan and PSU.

Weakness: Soft rubber feet on the bottom of the case are glued on and detach when sliding the case around so you must pick up the case or the feet come off. Black paint shows finger prints badly.

Overall a great case but if you are going to be fussing with it much those rubber feet are not going to stay on. And you'll need to wear gloves unless you are ok with lots of fingerprints all over the case.

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Antec Sonata III 500

Previously known as the Sonata III the Sonata III 500 is a mid-tower computer case from Antec. The main model of the Sonata family, the Sonata III 500 attempts to bring quality computer cases to the masses. Featuring a quality 500W EarthWatts power supply, the Sonata 3 is unbeatable for those who require a quality case and power supply at the cheapest cost. While not the strongest or quietest...

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Antec Sonata III

Testseek.com has collected 22 expert reviews for Antec Sonata III and the average expert rating is 84 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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Antec Sonata III Midsize Tower Computer Case

With the 2008 holiday season quickly approaching, computer enthusiasts everywhere will soon have a perfectly good reason (read: excuse) for upgrading their PC. Some may be looking for a couple video cards to run Crysis, others might already have all of their new hardware purchased and are just now looking for a spiffy new case to install it all in. Today's review will be of interest to those...

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