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karl_stade
Jun 25, 2008 1:36 PM
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PLEASE NOTE, IN REGARDS TO USER REVIEW:
I had selected 5 out of 6 star rating, there was a glitch that made it 1 out of 6 star rating, and I cannot edit this.
Comment made about the PC Authority article:
Antec Sonata III?
A slight iteration of a solid and well constructed case, with low noise levels a priority
What do you think? Join the discussion. |
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Johan
Jul 23, 2008 12:47 AM
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I have this case for about 3 weeks now and I agree that overall it is a great case. And I would recommend it any other people looking for a relatively inexpensive case with great features: low noise, reasonable space inside, better than average power supply (500W @80+).
The only minor gripes that I have are:
* Front cover: cheap plastic feeling, though when it is closed the case looks understately good.
* Not a tool-free case
But as I said, at this price range I would recommend this to anyone. |
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Jim.Dude
Jul 23, 2008 1:31 AM
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$190 seems a fair amount for an 'inexpensive' rig, as the article puts it. The last budget PC I put together had a case and power supply the cost a whopping $49. Just seems like if you're going to spend close to $200 on the housing, you'd want to have some pretty neat components to house! ...and in which case, for some $50 more you could plump for a P182 Performance One, which offers way more versatility and airflow.
Still, good to hear your happy with your case. Nothing quite like finding that little bit of techno-gadget that makes everything else fit nicely! |
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bbjai
Jul 23, 2008 6:40 PM
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Dude you said it best P182, thats definetly going to be my next case depending on what else replaces it (P192 anyone?) However the money difference is huge compared to the Sonata. The Sonata comes with a PSU for example cost less as well. A decent power supply (lets say a Earthwatts 400W) will cost at least $50 + the additional $50 you paid for the case and well your looking well into an extra $100 for a case and PSU. ITs a fair amount for a budget PC.
But its better then any budget $100 case and psu you get generically. I would recommend the Sonata for a budget build too. $49 now a days won't get you something quality, probably cost you more in the long run where a dodgy power supply destroys your precious parts from poor power performance |
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.:Cyb3rGlitch:.
Jul 23, 2008 6:59 PM
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Exactly, a quality PSU is a must. Generic PSUs are horrible and volatile. |
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bbjai
Jul 23, 2008 7:43 PM
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Exactly an extra $100-150 on a good PSU will save you from a blown up PSU down the track or even worse, faulty hard disk, mother board, video card, DVD, etc........Its happened to countless people before. Don't waste your money on generic cheap cases. |
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Jim.Dude
Jul 23, 2008 7:55 PM
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bbjai wrote:Dude you said it best P182, thats definetly going to be my next case depending on what else replaces it (P192 anyone?) However the money difference is huge compared to the Sonata. The Sonata comes with a PSU for example cost less as well. A decent power supply (lets say a Earthwatts 400W) will cost at least $50 + the additional $50 you paid for the case and well your looking well into an extra $100 for a case and PSU. ITs a fair amount for a budget PC.
But its better then any budget $100 case and psu you get generically. I would recommend the Sonata for a budget build too. $49 now a days won't get you something quality, probably cost you more in the long run where a dodgy power supply destroys your precious parts from poor power performance
Well yeah, that's it - if you're going to spend 190 bucks on a case, then you're probably building a pretty nice machine, and so you mayaswell plump the extra bit of cash and make it kick ass. |
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Slatts
Jul 23, 2008 9:32 PM
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Jim.Dude wrote:bbjai wrote:Dude you said it best P182, thats definetly going to be my next case depending on what else replaces it (P192 anyone?) However the money difference is huge compared to the Sonata. The Sonata comes with a PSU for example cost less as well. A decent power supply (lets say a Earthwatts 400W) will cost at least $50 + the additional $50 you paid for the case and well your looking well into an extra $100 for a case and PSU. ITs a fair amount for a budget PC.
But its better then any budget $100 case and psu you get generically. I would recommend the Sonata for a budget build too. $49 now a days won't get you something quality, probably cost you more in the long run where a dodgy power supply destroys your precious parts from poor power performance Well yeah, that's it - if you're going to spend 190 bucks on a case, then you're probably building a pretty nice machine, and so you mayaswell plump the extra bit of cash and make it kick ass.
If you've got a spare couple of hundred, you may want to look at a UPS. it's been raining all day here and just now I had a power surge. My UPS kicked in and the screen didn't even flicker. Gotta love that.
Power spikes kill everything and anything in the box. |
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Jim.Dude
Jul 23, 2008 10:55 PM
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I actually have a UPS on my box now, courtesy of a school I was working for. They didn't even know they owned one, so they're not going to miss it...although I don't think there's much point, we have a surge protector at the main fuse box. Still, makes for a neat looking accessory and it's solved the issue of the whole 'not enough ports to plug in computers' problem. |
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bbjai
Jul 23, 2008 11:00 PM
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Jim.Dude wrote:bbjai wrote:Dude you said it best P182, thats definetly going to be my next case depending on what else replaces it (P192 anyone?) However the money difference is huge compared to the Sonata. The Sonata comes with a PSU for example cost less as well. A decent power supply (lets say a Earthwatts 400W) will cost at least $50 + the additional $50 you paid for the case and well your looking well into an extra $100 for a case and PSU. ITs a fair amount for a budget PC.
But its better then any budget $100 case and psu you get generically. I would recommend the Sonata for a budget build too. $49 now a days won't get you something quality, probably cost you more in the long run where a dodgy power supply destroys your precious parts from poor power performance Well yeah, that's it - if you're going to spend 190 bucks on a case, then you're probably building a pretty nice machine, and so you mayaswell plump the extra bit of cash and make it kick ass.
Im actually looking from a consumer point of view, most of them won't even look at the Sonata because its too expensive when it should be the top case on most peoples list because it has a decent power supply and is a good case to boot. If you seperate out like Case = $100 and PSU = $99 its good value for an average consumer. The P182 is closer to $300 and you need to know what your doing with your wiring and whats not if you get something like the Hiper Modular with shorter power leads.
P182 is definetly not something suitable to say your average beginner. |
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Slatts
Jul 23, 2008 11:05 PM
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Jim.Dude wrote:I actually have a UPS on my box now, courtesy of a school I was working for. They didn't even know they owned one, so they're not going to miss it...although I don't think there's much point, we have a surge protector at the main fuse box. Still, makes for a neat looking accessory and it's solved the issue of the whole 'not enough ports to plug in computers' problem.
Surg protector is just going to cut the peaks off spikes an sacrifice its self for the big ones.
A UPS will let you shut down and save your work if the power goes out. It'll also condition your power if the voltage drops too low.
I run my main system off it as well as the ADSL router and wireless router. In a blackout with the main system off, I can stay on line on my laptop till its battery goes flat. |
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Jim.Dude
Jul 28, 2008 11:43 PM
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@ BBJAI: P182's not that expensive... :-P Although agreed, if you want a PSU and cause, the sonata is pretty good. Although to be fair, there are very, very few case/psu combos that are actually any decent, so buyer beware with that one.
http://www.zipcomputers.com.au/store/view_product.php?product=CASE-ANT-P182
@ Slatts: I've just setup the same deal after I found another UPS in the back of my pile of stuff. I think i won it at an ingrammicro night a few years back, it's from Belkin! Woot. I've got it on the ADSL and the other one of the PC --> UPS FTW!! :-) |
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Jawsh
Jul 29, 2008 4:40 PM
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the other great thing with UPS is that they protect against the netorious brownouts... with the crappy power in regional australia they really are a must.
and yeah slatts, you hit the nail right on the head, even for a consumer (inexpensive) machine you really should still be investing in a decent power supply, so yeah, $190ish really isnt that expensive when you add the pricing up. |