Antec Sonata Proto

Zitat: Antec did a very nice job in the building and designing of the Sonata Proto. While I haven’t had any others from the Sonata series to compare this to, I have a bunch of economically minded chassis’ to use for head to head comparisons. For instance, the USP 100 from Cooler Master, which I just reviewed recently, seems like a fair one to throw at the Antec for this. What’s good in the Proto? Surprisingly, the temperatures! Even though there is little supplied in the way of cooling, for what is there, it works really well in this chassis. Once I ran some longer tests, though, the heat did start to overwhelm the fan a bit. The simplicity of the build process is also a huge plus and leaving room inside to hide wiring and leave an attractive completed product didn’t seem possible at first, but as you can see by the images, it does exactly that. Oh, and we can’t forget that the Proto is very secure when locked up tight. Things I didn’t really care for much? Well, first there is the door panel, which is “sticky” and tough to release. Moving forward, the optical drive didn’t install quite right and I felt the door swung the wrong way. Cooling, or the lack there of, is a concern. Even though Antec offers a TwoCool Fan in the back, there aren’t any options for more; none! That to me will make most builders move on to the next chassis in the lineup. Using again the USP to compare against, they are roughly the same price, but with the USP you still have options and a free power supply. That doesn’t seem to be the case here. Antec does offer a creative solution that will give you near silent operation, security and easy to use design along with a sleek front, but that is where it ends. To be rather blunt, this is a black mid tower with some tool-less features and a fan. No more, no less. While cheap cases are exactly that, I have been seeing a trend to the mid towers lately, and that is prices dropping considerably. I find it surprising to say, that for around $100, if you do some research, this can offer you plenty of very nice chassis’ out there. Pricing on the Sonata Proto is pretty level no matter where I looked and Newegg´s price of $69.99 plus shipping is a little rich for what I see here. I think your money could be spent a bit wiser.

Zitat: Advantages: + Quiet operation + Elegant styling + Solid construction + 2.5″ HD mount Disadvantages: - Maximum of 2 fans - Fit and finish of bay covers

Zitat: Pros: + Nearly Silent Operation + Noise isolated hard drive trays + Good accommodations for wire management + Locking mechanisms on front drive door and side panel for security Cons: - Only one fan with no spaces for more - Not compatible with graphics cards longer than 10.5" Well, sure enough, Antec seems to have struck again with a well constructed and thought out case. Many users don´t always appreciate the sound of a jet taking off in their workspace, which is why Antec chose to produce another addition to their silent Sonata family. The sound from this case while the fan is on low is no more than a dim whir, and is very tolerable. I did mention earlier that on the high speed setting, it is definitely audible but not too loud. However, I wouldn´t call it silent. The Sonata Proto did better than I expected on the test bench! I was a little disappointed in the hard drive temperatures, but I didn´t expect a whole lot either. The lack of a front intake fan definitely impacted the ability to provide even better airflow to the hard drive. I was surprised by the CPU temperature, but I think having a top mounted PSU paired well with the rear exhaust fan, since the PSU has an "intake" for its exhaust just above the CPU heatsink. The rubber damping on the hard drive trays is a nice touch. I definitely didn´t hear any clicking or spin-up from the drive since the damping completely isolated any vibration coming from it. I can´t think of a way to make the hard drive holders completely tool-less because of the noise isolation, but with as tight as the 5.25" drives fit, a simple pair of pegs built in to the drive rails would have definitely been sufficient and would not require a screw nor screwdriver. I will reiterate my experience with the hard drive trays being a little difficult. The hard drive trays are difficult to remove while a hard drive is them due to the inability to squeeze the tabs in far enough. I had to muscle as much into my fingers as I could and add some wiggling action to get them out. I think an extra 1/16th of an inch on the width of the hard drive cage would allow for enough clearance to pull the trays out easily while still retaining a secure fit. Overall, I am definitely pleased with what Antec has supplied with the Sonata Proto. It is sturdy, clean looking, performs well and is quiet for sure. For a sub $80 case, I wouldn´t say it is an absolute bargain, but absolutely worthy of ownership if a user is looking for a case that is sleek and stylish yet quiet case without all the lights and windows.

Zitat: Antec has again made an affordable, yet well constructed case in the mid tower class with the Sonata Proto, a case that will appeal to a large number of consumers. However, those looking for something flashy or a little more feature rich may look towards some of the other cases in the Sonata lineup.

Zitat: Pros: + Speed controller for the rear fan. + 2 ½” hard disk drive/SSD bay. + Although not screwless, the installation mechanisms for disk drives are very good. + Washable air filter. + Good construction quality. + No sharp edges where you could cut yourself while building your PC. Cons: - Power button behind the door. - No eSATA port. - Right panel permanently attached to the chassis. - No hole for CPU cooler back plate installation on the motherboard tray. - No holes for routing cables behind the motherboard tray. - Could have come with thumbscrews for fastening daughter boards. Antec Sonata Proto is a stripped-down version from Sonata III 500, therefore being cheaper than Sonata III 500 and Sonata Elite. If you like the looks from these other two cases and want to save some money and don’t mind lacking some features, this can be a good product for you. However, for the savvy user we think that Sonata III 500 provides a better value: it costs USD 40 more and comes with Antec Earth Watts 500 W power supply, which retails for USD 75. The choice is yours.