Sonato II

ATIorNvidia

ATIorNvidia

ATIorNvidia

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I need a new case for my rig seeing as my one is quite old and rusty
Ived heard lots of good things about Sonata II and also bad things, specially about the PSU.

Do you recommend me to get one?

The stuffs that are gonna go in there are:
AMD Sempron 2GHz
1.00GB Ram
ATI Radeon 9250 Sapphire
160GB HDD

What will go in there later
C2D E6300
2GB Ram
2 HDD's maybe
and a ATI X1950
 
In a word, no. It was a brilliant case of it's time, but time has caught up with it unfortunately and while it's still a good case, I wouldn't spend my own money on one so I couldn't recommend it - QED.

Akasa Zen plus Akasa Paxpower 400W would be what comes to mind immediately.
 
ATIorNvidia said:
The akasa zen looks much too ugly for me.
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I've never left the shop with an ugly case but I woke up with a few ;) . I always think it's hilarious when people decline a case choice because such and such a case is 'ugly'. The number of people bothered by noise while using their PCs or working with the case panels off to keep things cool because they bought a 'good looking' case is enormous. I'll leave obvious PC7+/Akasa Eclipse/Lian Li V Series to other people to pimp but the Zen/Paxpower combination looks good in the plastic and will serve you well. It also costs the same as the Sonata II.
 
WJA96 said:
I've never left the shop with an ugly case but I woke up with a few ;) . I always think it's hilarious when people decline a case choice because such and such a case is 'ugly'. The number of people bothered by noise while using their PCs or working with the case panels off to keep things cool because they bought a 'good looking' case is enormous. I'll leave obvious PC7+/Akasa Eclipse/Lian Li V Series to other people to pimp but the Zen/Paxpower combination looks good in the plastic and will serve you well. It also costs the same as the Sonata II.
Click to expand...

To be honest, i dont care if its 'hilarious' when some1 calls a case ugly, i dont like the akasa zen, meaning i am not gaoing to get it, if the akasa zen is suddenly the best case to get, then i want the 2nd best, if i dont like that, i want the third best!, i couldnt care less what anyone thinks, it is not my type, its not my style, so i am NOT getting it.

I hope ive made my point clear ;)
 
A Sonata II user here :)

I quite like the case. Build quality is generally good, the rotated hard drive cage helps declutter the system's internal's and generally it's quiet. On the airflow front, I found it a bit poor, but after using the included grommets to fit a front 120mm fan, that was soon fixed.

While I've got a nice Tagan 420W ATX2.0 PSU sat in an empty Thermaltake case, I've been using the Antec 450W Smartpower that was included. I found it to be a very good PSU on the whole, and it's quiet. There was a flakey batch of these psu's in the sonata several months back but I don't think it's an issue now.

It comes with a plastic air duct. While probably useful for systems using stock coolers, this will need to be removed if you wish to jam large cpu coolers in the case.

On the whole, it's a simple looking but stylish (imo) case, which blends into a room's surroundings quite well. Personally I'd recommend it. :)

Mul
 
I have the Sonata II also. But the earlier model which had the 350watt PSU which i have now replaced.

I must say i have always been very happy with my Sonata. The rotated hard drive cage with pull out trays is a must and i would never go back to a standard fitting now. I found with general upkeep and cleaning it makes life so much easier. Bear that in mind when you are looking for a new case.

The PSU was great at the time and almost silent. My only complain with the case itself was the lack of window and the front Flap which covers the CD bays seemes a bit flimsy. Altogether id rate it 8/10 for the price.
 
yea the above pretty much sums it up, heres a decent pic, as you can see ive got the standard setup in, 1hd, 1dvd drive, mobo, g card, and it looks pretty empty.

CIMG00311.jpg
 
For what its worth I have had a sonata I and II and I find them both to be great cases, loads of room and nice solid fittings.


happy xmas :D :cool: :eek:
 
Have you thought about the Antec NSK6500? I built a PC in its little brother the 4400 and it's nice to work in. The PSU is nice and quiet and the airflow is fine.
 
MoD_Callidus said:
Damn WJ that's a sexy mofo case, liking it in white v v much
Click to expand...

Best £30 you can spend on a case, literally in a league of its own when it comes to cheap steel.

Replaced my using Antecs for computers for other people.

Used three of them now, two black and they are stunning cases when you think the price they are, the are much better than a comparatively priced Antec Combo providing you get a good enough PSU.

Due to PSU prices falling for a 'good' PSU as WJA96 has said especially since the introduction of C2D and mainstream SLI the old Sonata 2 is showing its age and for its cost is not competitive any longer.

Don't get me wrong it is superb, but for the same money you can buy a case which is at least its equal and a PSU that packs better rails than the included one.

Its a no brainer for me, the Zen is so much easier to work with as well with its only 'fault' is the way you have to install certain CD drives.

For £30 considering it comes with two fans which use all but the same motor as Ambers (they are still VERY quiet at 12v considering the price compared to the competition). It can cool a SLI rig better than a Stacker 830 can and with that I end my case for the Zen if anyone is interested in buying one it offers near Eclipse cooling for peanuts.

Its downfall comes when you add in lots of hard drives as the front intake is severely limited then, but for your average system its the best cheapy case I have used since the £35 Lanboy, that should be £79.99 so it does not really count.

Other than that the obvious PC7+ and a decent PSU spring to mind.
 
I have the antec sonato II and the psu is great. It powers a 7800gtx, 3800x2, 3 SATA hard drives, 2 optical drives, a couple of fans etc.

It works perfect :)
 
not sure exactly what you are asking as it is a std atx layout

i have the following in a sonata I

MSI K8N Platinum NF4
Athlon64 4600x2 Manchester core
Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU
2GB OCZ EL CAS 2 @ 1T
ATI X800 256 Bravo VIVO
3x Samsung SP120 SATA2 250gb
LG 16 Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
Antec SmartPower 380w
Antec Sonata with Acoustipack and Zalman fans

I would also recommend it, it is a well built and clean looking case for the user who does not want or need all the bling of pc cases these days.

It also has a great layout for hdd swap outs.

It also is pretty compatible with many of the latest components, I will be putting a scythe ninja in mine this week, however I can't comment about the larger gfx cards that are around atm

cheers
 
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