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Thursday December 4, 2008 6:31 AM AEST
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Antec Sonata III

Wednesday February 06, 2008
AUD
$189
Price at time of review.

A slight iteration of a solid and well constructed case, with low noise levels a priority

Antec Sonata III
5 out of 6

"Excellent case with only a few flaws!"

Pros:
-Excellent hard drive 3.5" and optical drive 5.25" bay management and sound minimisation (rubber grommets).
-Easily removable slide out dust filter in main air intake.
-Quite and cool case.
-Comes bundled with a 500w Antec Earthwatts PSU.
-Medi-tower format allows space for most types of mainboard and videocards, while doesn't take up too much room on the desk.
-Front swing door is easy to use and opens up completely, it has a double hinge to allow 270deg.
-Front easy access 2x USB 2.0, sound (in & out) and e-sata ports.
-Security locking on front door and side panel for security at LANs.

Cons:
-PSU can be noisy and is known to make a strange buzzing sound. I have had mine replaced once and so-far the issue has not occurred again.
-Case can be small if you are wanting to do dual (or more) video card setups like SLI or Crossfire. Also might be a bit squishy for larger videocards like 8800GTX and above. I have a 8800GT in it and it only just fits in properly.
-Horizontal cable management bar across the top par of the case (near the PSU) can get in the way, and if you want to remove or replace the PSU you have a choice of drilling out the rivets and removing the bar or removing all the computers internals to allow the PSU to be removed... results in wasted time. Case could have been 1cm higher to allow easy access and removal of the PSU with parts installed.
I got this case about 3 months ago and I must say the most striking thing about it is how beautiful of a computer case it is, especially as I have a 22" Samsung LCD running off it. The piano black finish and hidden optical bays make it a sleek and subtle looking case.

This truly is an excellent looking case, with solid features along with a decent price tag.


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