Reviews for Antec LifeStyle Sonata II Chassis

Can't Go Wrong!

Strengths: Solid Power Supply - 120mm fans - Antec Quality

Weakness: Power supply could be quieter - Case is made from .8mm steel, whereas most Antec cases are 1.0mm. The additional thickness would help keep noise inside the case.

Update 10/14/2006: I recently purchased the Antec P150 for my home computer. As much as I like the Sonata, the P150 is a superior case in every respect. The black version of the P150 is called the Solo. Don't think twice about getting it over the Sonata II.

Overall, an excellent case. While not perfect, Antec knows how to deliver at the right price.
Aesthetically, the case is very appealing. The painted finish is beautiful. Inside, there is ample room, with more drive bays than you could ever need. All of the bays remove with ease, and the internal 3.5" ones have rubber grommets which help eliminate noise from hard drive vibration, a very nice touch!
The included power supply is an excellent unit, albeit a bit too noisy for a case geared towards noise reduction. It's a shame the power supply doesn't incorporate the use of a single 120mm fan like Antec's True Power series, that would undoubtedly solve the problem.
The use of 120mm fans in the front and rear of the case is a major plus, allowing you to minimize noise while maximizing airflow. The fact that the rear fan is a Tricool is handy, as it allows you to choose between three different speed settings. The other optional 120mm fan can be mounted on the internal 3.5" drive cage, letting you keep your hard drive(s) cool. Both fans mount with rubber grommets, keeping vibration at a minimum.
The front fan filter also slides out with minimal fuss and disassembly, making cleaning a cinch.
The internal CPU duct is a bit clumsy, although removing it only takes a minute or two. Whether or not it aids in keeping your CPU cool is debatable. I have opted to leave it out.
Though to Antec's credit, they got creative and placed a 80mm fan mount on the bottom of the duct, right above the video card. Having the option of blowing cool air directly onto your GPU and memory is appealing.
I'm not crazy about the fact that the power and reset buttons are inside of the front bezel door, but you don't need the power button if you use the option available on most motherboards which lets you press any key on the keyboard to turn on the computer. The engineering behind this door is also impressive, as it incorporates a dual hinge so that you can open it until it rests flat against the side of the case. Smart!

Antec does it once again. The thoughtful design and attention detail seen in this case is very impressive, and for the money it would be very difficult to do better.

Update: Be aware that the fan grommets for the optional 120mm internal fan won't work with certain fans. If the area between the mounting holes on the fan is solid, it won't work. I'll have to send my Nexus back and get another Antec Tricool instead.

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SONATA II

Strengths: Sturdy, quiet, side mount racks for hard drives. It came with Antec's Smart Power psu, and has the adapter

Weakness: Would be nice if you could change the side the door swings open from. Swings from right to left, which is Okay if your computer is on the left side of your desk.

It came with Antec's Smart Power 450 watt psu, and has the adapter for 24 pin boards. The chassis air duct for the cpu heatsink is rather odd, my cpu ( Intel 630) actually ran cooler when I removed it. The 120mm fan in the back is quiet, even on high speed. I would buy it again.

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Great Case for the Money

Strengths: Strong 450W Power Supply! Excelent Use of Space, especialy with the HD Bay's. Tons of Room for fans, and the 120mm fan that comes with it is very impressive. Awesome Finish.

Weakness: Front Door a tad bit flimsy. Make sure to remove it when doing instalation or you might break it. LED's are just a tad bit to bright but hey, you can just disconect them.

Overall this is an awesome case, im very glad i went with Antec. The 120mm fan that was included was a nice touch, especialy with the variable three speeds on it.

I would have improved on the build of the door, something made out of metal would have been nice. But other than that the door on this case beats all other plastic doors hands down. Also when you are doing an install make sure to remove the door, on the bottom of the hinges there is a part you can depress and it pops right out. This should help aleviate any clumsyness that happens.

The air duct is kindof aukward but once you figure it out you can choose to use it or not. I myself have tried it with it and without it. There are two mounts in the duct for two fans to act as exhaust fans from the CPU and your Vid Card.

All of the drives have the quick removal slides so its easy to reconfigure everything if you need to.

And the best thing of all was the power supply comes with it. Plus it has all of the 4pin, 3pin, SATA, and etc.... power connectors you could ever want with it.

I would buy this case again or any other product from Antec!!!

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Great for cooling and silence

Strengths: Quiet w/o spending big $. Rubber grommet mounts for fans/HDs. PS has two fans that pull air out. Rear PS fan off when not needed. Two 12V rails = 32amps total. Air channel is great if you can use it.

Weakness: SATA drive power wires are short. Air Channel is difficult to install around CPU Heatsink. Bare bones weight of 20 lbs. VERY HEAVY. Power switch is behind the front door.

The air channel would be a great feature had I been able to use it. My heatsink is too large. It has a pop out panel for an 80mm fan mount above the video card area and an 80mm fan mount for the CPU heatsink. You can actively draw in cold air for your hottest components. However more fans mean more noise. Over all I am very satisfied with this case and recommend it to anyone that needs quiet or many cooling options. Went to a LAN part and I noticed many people opening their cases for added cooling. My CPU never reached above 47 degrees Celsius. I would not recommend keeping the PS if you are running two high end video cards. I would also not recommend it if you move your case a lot, this thing is heavy and the beautiful finish would quickly get scratched. My system consists of the following:
Asus P5LD2 mother board
Intel 820 Pentium D CPU
Scythe Ninja SCNJ-1000 Heat sink w/o a fan
BFG 7800 GT OC GPU
Corsair 1G XMS2 memory
Two SATA 1 Hitache 160 GB drives.
WD 7200 RPM IDE 200 GB drive
Lite-On DL DVD+-RW drive.

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Quietest Case I've Had

Strengths: Very Quiet, Very Well Constructed

Weakness: Processor Duct is Cumbersome, Front LEDs are Too Bright

This is a great case, though it takes a little more effort to assemble, mostly due to the duct that mounts over the processor to vent out the back. I marked the LEDs as a weakness, though they have a strength too, because a couple times I wasn't sure that the computer was on (it's REALLY quiet), so the LEDs are a good indicator. Just too bright.
Otherwise, this case is well designed, well constructed, and a delight to have.

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SONATA II

Strengths: Built in PSU, comes with 120mm fan, very stylish.

Weakness: Small size renders overclocking very difficult, very little space, therefore hard to install components.

For those that would like a stylish case with an integrated PSU and cooling, the Sonata II is right up your alley. While not the easiest case to install a motherboard in (due to it being a mid-tower), and not having ideal ventilation, if you do not plan to overclock, this tower is perfect.

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Good Decision to go for an Antec

Strengths: Pretty quiet and good cooling

Weakness: slightly difficult to assemble especially the ACCG duct

Hi,

I replaced my generic 15$ Cabinet with this brand new Antec Sonata II case. Well this kind of cases were difficult to find in India 1 year back but now people are realizing that a good cabinet and Power supply are key to a stable system.

I use the Sonata with my Antec True power 430W SMPS, a winning combination, found that my system temps hardly cross 50"C now, I got mine with 2 X 120 Antec fans, rear one is a tricool with speed control, front one is not. I have connected the front one to the Fan only connector on my SMPS so it doesn't run full speed.

I'd loved if I had an Antec tricool running in the front as well , well it doesn't really matter now.

I'd strongly recommend this case for any Stable PC builder.

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Good case.

Strengths: Well built, True Power 450W PSU, all the power connectors I could ever need. Great trays for the hard drives.

Weakness: Front audio input "standard" 10 pin Intel connector not compatible with my MOBO or soundcard (Audigy). Not as quiet as I would have hoped.

This is a very nice case, a definite value for the price with the True Power PSU. Lots of room for expansion, space for 4 case fans (comes with 1), a cowling to direct the heat away from the CPU. It even has power connectors for SATA drives. I like the Firewire and USB ports on the front (in the middle) of the case where you can actually use them. The case is quiet, especially with the front cover shut, but not as quiet as I had hoped. Maybe I wouldn't notice the fan noise so much if the shelf my computer is on in my desk was enclosed. This is a very good case. I will use (ANTEC) again.

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Nice case, good value

Strengths: Sturdy case. Accessible, spacious inside with easy access to internal hard drive bays.

Weakness: Documentation sufficient, but could be better.

This was the first time I built a system from scratch (although I have been inside them before). After shopping around, it seemed like this was a decent case from a good supplier. It had all the things I wanted (lockable front door, usb+firewire in front, 450W power supply, etc).

The documentation was not the greatest for a beginner, but after reading it a couple of times I got through it. Fortunately there was enough overlap between the manual that came with my Asus motherboard.

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SONATA II Black Mid Tower

Strengths: Easy access to hard drives. Very Quiet fan motors. Good Power Supply

Weakness: Plastic door hinge was broken on arrival. Very weak design Front access to USB very hard to open and close. Air duct seems not to improve anything and hard to install Power switch behind front door

Contacted Antex and doors were on back order. They wanted me to send the case back to the dealer. Expensive shipping for a door that should only cost a few bucks.

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Old technology

Strengths: Cooling.

Weakness: Obsolete technology

Being a first time builder and after doing a lot of research to pick out the right components, I purchased this case because of the style and because the included 450W power supply.

I thought I would be saving some money by not having to buy the power supply separately.

Wrong!

The power supply only has a 4-pin connector for the CPU, and not the 8-pin connector necessary for an Intel_Core2 Duo_E6600 Dual Core processor.

Antec's customer service told me that the only alternative I had was to purchase a new power supply and discard the one that came in the case, which I did for another $140 expense.

The computer is working perfectly now, except that the front panel audio jacks don't work.

Antec's customer service told me that the "Intel standard 10-pin connector" in the case is not compatible with the 10-pin HD audio connector on my motherboard, and I would need a different case with the right connector.

This case is a piece of junk built for computers of 20 years ago.

Antec is apparently cleaning up their warehouse and selling the items at a premium price.

Don't waste your money. Don't buy from Antec.

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Sleek and Quiet

Strengths: Good power supply with a lot of SATA connectors. It is a strong case with no sharp edges. Looks nice too.

Weakness: Blue light in front a little bright, pointless air-duct.

This is a well designed case with a lot of features. The drive bays are well made and makes it easy to upgrade. The air duct is kind of silly in my opinion. My tempreatures are better without it. I think the case should have came with the extra front 120mm fan instead of the difficult duct system. Overall very happy with this case.

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Big disappointment

Strengths: Cheap

Weakness: Noisy. Poor cooling.

I purchased a system built with this case on the suggestion of the merchant and the reviews I read. To sum it up quickly, this case is neither quiet nor cool running.

I have a P4 650 which is a hot running cpu. The case comes with one 120mm fan and I added another in the front.

I found the insides extremely cramped. The included power supply has relatively few leads so you need to have many splitters as well. The case also comes with a duct to supposedly cool the cpu and video card. Unfortunately, it doesn't do anything plus it doesn't fit most setups. I was not able to use it.

With the rear fan set on medium, the noise was very noticeable but the cpu was running very hot (47C at idle, case 45C). I replaced the stock heatsink with a Thermalright SI-120. This brought temps down some and the noise down some too but temps were still not cool enough.

Finally I turned the rear fan up to high. This brought temps down a bit more but the case is very noisy. The temps ar just ok now (41C at idle) but nothing to brag about.

Have placed an order for a P150 which should hopefully do better on both counts.

I am sorry I purchased the Sonata II and should have made a better choice the first time.

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Antec Sonata PC Case

Strengths: The case design and rails make it still one of the best.

Weakness: Power supplies not reliable.

Takes full size ATX board, 4 HD bays, 3 DVD bays and 2 floppy bays. Front panel USB, 1394, and legacy audio connectors are well done. The 450 watt power supplies are either DOA or quit after 8-12 months.

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Sonata II, male to male fan to power supply...

Strengths: Very nice design, excellent construction

Weakness: Unusable out of the box

The 120mm fan in the back has a male connector. The power supply has only male connectors. The instructions, page 7, say to "Connect a large 4-pin connector from the power supply the male 4-pin connector of the fan." I am looking at $1,600 worth of equipment I cannot use until I find a workaround.

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Didn't work out of the box.

Strengths: Nice case, easy access to drives

Weakness: Power supply was DOA.

I went out and spent $90 on a power supply and got the system up an running. Power came on as soon as rear power switch was turned on. Wouldn't POST until I pressed the power button. Started to load windows and computer shut down. So now I have a great 550W supply, and a dead Antec supply. total cost of this case to me was $190.

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sonata 11

Strengths: none

Weakness: everything

i realize this case is not available any more but i bought one new 2-3 yrs ago for 50.00 clearance office depot didnot use till 1.5 yrs ago very noisey psu noisey fan duct square not round . also bought 4400 minitower( clearance) modified fan openings put 120mm in side 92 in front super case put 5.25 super reader temps down 20.c 92mm back of 550 neo to help cool system nobody will read this but you can modify cases to work much better if they have potential.

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Great case!

Strengths: Sleak design! Quality parts! Great Customer Service!

Weakness: Lots of holes for dusk to travel through, also could be seen as an advantage for air flow though...

A friend of mine accidentally broke the door off my case. I contacted Customer Service at Antec and long story short, without ANY hassle they sent me a replacement door for FREE. I explained in my first correspondence that it was completely my fault and I just wanted to buy another one. They asked for my receipt, which I didn't have, and WHAM, they shipped me a new door.

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Antec Sonata II Mid Tower

Strengths: Plug-in drive bays and power supply fan speed cable. Reasonable 5.25 and 3.5in drive bays for front and internal.

Weakness: The front door will not close if you have all 3 front drive bays full. The fan-less cooling system does not go over the CPU fan on my ASUS MBs.

Too pricey for what you get. The front door is too flimsy. Mine broke off soon after putting the system together - mainly because I could not close the door.

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Good case....Antec customer support sucks

Strengths: PSU seems quality; quiet; looks nice; locking door great when needed.

Weakness: Not as easy to work in as thought it would be; poor customer support

A part was missing and getting it from Antec has been a joke. Its been almost two months. At first it was apparently backordered then they sent the wrong part even though I gave them the exact part #

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Loud from the First Day

Strengths: Sounds cool on paper

Weakness: Everything: hard to assemble, shoddy craftsmanship (front USBs still don't work), lowest quality parts.

I bought this case in 2003 under all the promise that these reviews show, but it's become apparent that Antec has a team of peopl working to post positive reviews, because the thing is loud... which itself makes the entire case incorrectly marketed. I'm not the only one: my friend told me "it's the worst computer product I've ever bought". Avoid like the plague!

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Excellent Choice For Building a Computer

Strengths: -Quiet

Weakness: -Front panel door broke off soon after I bought it

After doing a lot of research before building my first computer, I heard almost nothing but good reviews about this case, so I decided to go for it. The fact that it comes with a decent PSU is great, and I have had pretty much no problems with the case since I bought it. The front panel door did break off, but that wasn't a big deal to me at all. This keeps everything nice and quiet, the case has a very nice black finish, and there is plenty of room to move around inside. A little cheaper would have been nice, but for a quality case, it was still a good deal.

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Excellent Case!!

Strengths: Smooth, sleek design. Quiet.

Weakness: None so far.

Great air flow through the case. Everything remains cool and quiet. I love the front panel cover because it doesn't matter what color cd drives you buy since it will be covered up anyway.

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Great value

Strengths: Nice black finish,

Weakness: Blue leds are very bright

This case was a great value because of the build quality and included 450W power supply. The dampened mounts are a nice touch. This case has good air flow with moderate noise.
I would purchase again.

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Quiet!

Strengths: Bundled PSU powerful enough for most of today's systems, Solid construction, drive rails, side mounted HD rack

Weakness: Air duct has questionable cooling performance, hard to slide case due to traction on feet, slightly difficult install due to size and PSU support bar, 120mm rear fan speed adjustment inside case

Antec does it again with Sonata II. Great case! General noise from my computer shot way down when I migrated from my old case. The PSU has a built-in adapter for 24pin boards and runs nice and quiet. The rear 120mm fan also runs smooth and quiet with adjustable speed settings. People have gripes about the door, but it is an improvement as it could swing about 270 degrees. The front light may be a little bright, but that's user preference. Drive rails make addition/removal of components a breeze.

Awesome case with a great finish. Highly recommended.

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Great Case

Strengths: Very quite and looks even better. Has a great power supply with enough power to support a nice system. Overall a great buy. I would definetly buy again.

Weakness: The rear fan has a speed controler that can't be accessed from outside. You'll have to open the case to change the speed.

This is a great case for any room in your house. It looks good enough to be used as an HT PC for your living room. The size is just right and it is extremely quite. It has front usb/firewire ports and the light in the front can be disconnected if you don't like it or if you think it is too bright. It also has vibration dampeners for hard drives. The paint job looks great. I have always trusted Antec Brand and I think it is one of few cases out there that actually comes with a good power supply. I would definitely recommend it to my friends and would definitely buy again.

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The Lifestyle cases by Antec, perfect

Strengths: Piano black finish, Smartpower supply, noise-dampeners, etc.

Weakness: The HD cooling fan is sort of useless, price

I got this case a while back and I like it so much that I am ordering one again for my next rig and I have to say that you get what you pay for, Piano black finish is absolutely stunning for which most people doing custom paintjobs take so many tries just to achieve one. The PSU is wonderful and is running my current rig perfectly. The only dislike for this case that I have is that they placed the HD fan that is not the best and it is next to useless. The price is also a little steep but considering you get the smartpower supply with it it makes itself worth it.

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Nice quiet Case

Strengths: Very quiet and sleek looking

Weakness: None

I always bought the less expensive cases and wondered why people buy the expensive ones. Well this is one is worth it in my opinion. Its so quiet I hear my harddrives spinning and the cheap heatsink on my motherboard. Before this noise was blocked by my case fans now I hear it...

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Great Mid-Tower case for the money

Strengths: -Appearance

Weakness: -Lack of a removable motherboard tray

I would recommend this case for anyone desiring to build a quiet, efficient system. As this is a mid-tower; the case does not have a lot of room for modding or overclocking additions.
Instructions are fairly simple. I've used the original Sonata case in the past and have found the Sonata II to be a definite improvement in appearance, quiet, and power supply capability. One thing I really appreciated: if you need to enhance the system's cooling capability, there are three additional locations to add internal fans. A big plus for summer usage, if you're a desert dweller like me.

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Antec Sonata II ATX Tower

Strengths: Sturdy contruction with good air flow. Powerful Quiet 450W power supply. 120 MM back fan. Front audio and USB ports convenient.

Weakness: No removable MB tray. Swing door annoying when using the cd/dvd drives. Can't close when disks ejects automaticly.

Overall, this is a great case for the money. If you need a great 450W power supply, you can buy this case for the same money and get a strong sturdy case wirh all the accessories this case offers

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Unique case that works for me ...

Strengths: Quiet, lots of room

Weakness: SATA power cables should be longer, heavy

A high quality case that has plenty of room for four disks + 3 3.5" bays + 3 5" bays. Good power supply (alone worth $55). Not too sure about what air flow duct does, but for now I am keeping it in the system.

Unique sideways hard drive mount with rubber vibration dampers. Nice big 120mm rear fan.

The case is working great for my needs in my first dual core system.

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Quality case, very well designed

Strengths: This case is almost identical to the original Sonata case with small improvements--very quiet.

Weakness: Plastic door in front of the drive bays- the rest of the case is steel, so it would be nice if the one vulnerable moving part could be as well. There would be less of a risk of it getting broken off.

As advertised, this case is extremely quiet. The back fan has 3 speed settings. High is extremely fast and loud, and the difference between medium and low is not even noticeable- they are both very quiet.

It would be nice if the engineers at Antec could figure out a way to control the speed of this fan based on the temp of the case, rather than having to flip a switch. I find that medium speed keeps my system at a decent temperature.

an excellent power supply is included with this case. It has all the support for SATA drives and newer motherboards. The front firewire port is handy for plugging in Ipods or DV camcorders, you just have to make sure to get a motherboard with the firewire connector if you want the capability to use the port.

Another change between the original sonata case and the sonata II is that there is a cooling duct/vent inside this case, although that i find that my system stays cooler without the duct installed. It is relatively simple to install/remove the duct.

Easily removable/swappable 'drawers' for internal HDD's have rubber grommets on them to reduce vibration noise.

I am pleased with the product and would reccomend it.

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Great looking case with high quality

Strengths: Superb finish, good PSU, high build quality, easy to work in

Weakness: Cooling ducts were useless

This is a very good looking case. The piano finish gives it a very high quality look. But good looks aren't the only thing. The build quality is very good inside as well.

Easy to work in with a great 120mm case fan that will cool anything you put in. I'm running a AMD 64 3700 with no problems.

The HD rails are great to work with. Easy to get in and out and with the rubber mounts, very quiet to boot.

The strong PSU has all the connectors you'll need. A bit on the lounder side of what I expected on a quiet build case. But smooth running without any problems.

The cooling duct system for the CPU and graphics card is a nice try but just doesn't work with the Zalman fans I have installed on both. But it was pretty easy to remove and runs great without it.

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I don't know about this...

Strengths: Looks Great! Quiet even with a second fan, plenty of room, built well.

Weakness: The power supply went out after only 10 days, and it took the motherboard with it. Antec won't answer email from their support page. Nothing was overclocked and it was not overloaded.

I have the first Sonata for my machine and have not had a problem at all, I really like it. I built a system for a friends son and have spent a lot more time fixing it than building it due to the power supply going out.

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Just like it's older twin

Strengths: Good construction Solid PSU Good design (placement of HD's, fan filters) Relatively quiet Drive Rails Included!

Weakness: Probably not worth the premium over the original Sonata The new CPU shroud is useless for most The front blue LED is too bright for me (my little brother has the original Sonata and he loves it tho)

Basically the Sonata II can be had for approximately twice the cost of the Sonata (at the cheapest prices you can find them at). For this extra expense, you get a CPU shroud and a better PSU. I like the extra 50watts of juice you get, but the CPU shroud has a glaring weakness. CPU shrouds funnel hot air from the CPU fan out of the case by design. Unfortunately, most of the OEM heatsinks I've encountered pull air rather than push so the air isn't getting pushed out of the case. Now you would think that flipping the fan on the heatsink would fix this but some heatsinks don't function nearly as well with the fan flipped (and I had a Thermaltake on my A64 that didn't really allow the fan to be flipped without some... mods.).

So basically I took the shroud off. It's also annoying installing PCI/AGP/PCIX cards sine you have to take the shroud off first.

Aside from that, and the slightly annoying front LED (that I did not plug in), I found the case to be as solid as the original Sonata but with a better PSU. If you can live with a weaker PSU, I would suggest the original. If you want something way better than the original, though, I would suggest the P180, which is what I'm using on my highest end PC. Overall a solid but unexciting buy.

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SONATA II Black ATX Mid Tower

Strengths: Great case! Quiet.

Weakness: A bit too shiny, hard to keep shiny. Not a whole lot of space inside the case.

Case is a pretty good deal. Price is good as it also comes with a power supply. Includes a "heat shroud" inside the case, supposedly to reduce the noise. However, you can also run it without it. Overall a good case

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Great Case, Quiet Power Supply!

Strengths: Nice sturdy steel case. Quiet power supply. Easy to work with in and install components. Very good airflow and cooling.

Weakness: Clumsy CPU duct. The blue LEDs, while cool, are quite bright.

I chose this case because many reviews claimed that this case and power supply combo was very quiet, added to the fact that Antec has a good reputation for both cases and power supplies. They were right. I've never really heard any noise from the PSU, and the steel case also makes it ideal for damping noises.

One thing that was annoying was the CPU duct. It really gets in the way, and from reviews, it doesn't affect cooling that much. I chose to remove that duct and put it away.

The removable hard drive racks also made installation easy. Added to the fact that it's monted near the front intake, giving it good cooling.

The blue led light were really bright. It's acutally not that bad, and does look cool, but at night, it's light have two nightlights stuck on your computer. If you like to sleep in the dark, turn the computer away from your bed.

Lastly, watch out! The glossy black piano finish is a fingerprint magnet!

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Great case, but not the greatest

Strengths: Quiet, cool, good looking, front ports

Weakness: Swing door can be annoying

The case was very easy to disassembly and fit all components. The air duct is a nice touch, but doesn't provide enough positioning to fit exactly over my CPU (on and MSI K8N Neo4/SLI). I like the front USB/Audio/IEEE and drive installation is easy. The rear 120mm fan is nice and big, but uses a molex connector. Would have been nice to connect to MB to allow control, but at least is has speed settings and can be varied by a fan controller.

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Antec Sonata II

TestSeek.com has collected 8 expert reviews for Antec Sonata II and the average expert rating is 88 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use TestSeek.com to find all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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