Deciding on case for first build - Page 3

azianai · March 21st, 2008

OP prob has been wrestling like i have been whether to buy the P182, or the 900 mainly because of the Microcenter Deal of 70 + tax for the P182 and the 900 at the time 60+10 shipping. Im still wrestling since after looking at a lot of stuff it seems when my GX2 comes i'll have to switch back to my NZXT LEXA "Toaster" case which doesn't really appeal to me anymore since the Matrix VX will not fit the GTX and with blake's mods cant put a 3.5 to 5.25 bracket for my 2 HDs. I'll just give the Matrix to my bro who'll love it. But yeah now that the 900 went up again, i may consider jumping on the P182.

CoolGuy90 · March 21st, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capper

Why not the Antec Sonata III? Its cool, quiet, looks good, and even comes with a good 500W PSU.

Is there enough room for the 9800 cards? Seems small inside.

**One4yu2c** · March 21st, 2008

I'm not a big fan of Antec's P182, particularly if going with a toasty quad-core processor and other higher end gadgets. The P182 puts acoustic qualities over thermal performance, and as such, it's a great for a quiet enclosure, but ill advised for a higher end rig.

The P182 fared well enough when I reviewed it (looking back, the scoring's a bit generous), and the cable management scheme makes for a clean interior, provided you have the patience. But the case struggled with higher end components, as outlined in this thread (starting with this post). Jamming two videocards inside greatly hindered the cable routing options, and components ran hot. Turning the TriCool fans on high to combat the heat essentially negated the sound dampening qualities and transformed it into a loud enclosure, yet still didn't provide adequate cooling. Elbow room is also lacking.

In short, for an enthusiast rig, there are better options out there.

**One4yu2c** · March 21st, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capper

Why not the Antec Sonata III? Its cool, quiet, looks good, and even comes with a good 500W PSU.

Speaking of which, Buy.com is currently selling it for $80 shipped after rebate:

Antec Sonata III Super Mini-Tower w/ Earthwatts 500w Power Supply - SONATAIII - Buy.com

azianai · March 21st, 2008

gotta mod the case to stick a 9800GX2/8800GTX/Ultra in there (sonata III that is)
really not mod, just remove the 120mm fan on the HD bay and it'll fit.

**drew and not u** · March 21st, 2008

Just use the motherboard box you cheapskate!

And I don't remember giving you permission to come here and post!

**stinger608** · March 21st, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by One4yu2c

Speaking of which, Buy.com is currently selling it for $80 shipped after rebate:

Antec Sonata III Super Mini-Tower w/ Earthwatts 500w Power Supply - SONATAIII - Buy.com

One4, I have to tell you, that the Sonata has to be one of the worst cases I have ever had to deal with!!! What a terrible design!!!! I mean, that design was done and left 15 years ago man! Bad cooling, no removable right side, and add that to piss pour cooling, you got one big POS!!!!!

Sumgai · March 21st, 2008

I have to second stinger on the Sonata. I had a Sonata II previously and the thing pretty much blew in terms of cooling. The HD cage is non-removable; it's not even just riveted (I consider riveted removable, hehe)...it's part of the case's font panel structure. And it completely blocks airflow from the intake to boot. You would be hard pressed to fit any current enthusiast level rig in there without some extensive modding to keep all your hardware cool enough.

It's an awesome case for the average web browser on a budget, but I highly un-recommend it for gaming duty.

**Capper** · March 21st, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by stinger608

One4, I have to tell you, that the Sonata has to be one of the worst cases I have ever had to deal with!!! What a terrible design!!!! I mean, that design was done and left 15 years ago man! Bad cooling, no removable right side, and add that to piss pour cooling, you got one big POS!!!!!

Wow, I've actually found the Sonata Series to be good cases. Having used all three for several builds and testing, i have no problem recommending it.

Saying its only good for a "web browser on a budget" is a little bit over the top......I won't recommend it to someone looking for Quad SLI and extreme cooling, but for someone building a reasonable system (air cooled, 1 graphics card, 1-2 hard drives) its a great case, and bundled with a good PSU....a bargain at less than $100.

Smashing · March 21st, 2008

I have the p182 sitting next to me still in the box, it is damn sexy.

March 21st, 2008	#21
azianai Aeria gloris Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NY Posts: 1,501	Re: Deciding on case for first build OP prob has been wrestling like i have been whether to buy the P182, or the 900 mainly because of the Microcenter Deal of 70 + tax for the P182 and the 900 at the time 60+10 shipping. Im still wrestling since after looking at a lot of stuff it seems when my GX2 comes i'll have to switch back to my NZXT LEXA "Toaster" case which doesn't really appeal to me anymore since the Matrix VX will not fit the GTX and with blake's mods cant put a 3.5 to 5.25 bracket for my 2 HDs. I'll just give the Matrix to my bro who'll love it. But yeah now that the 900 went up again, i may consider jumping on the P182. (thanks blake!)

March 21st, 2008	#23
One4yu2c I don't know how to put this, but, I'm kind of a big deal. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Land of the Lounge Lizards Posts: 2,630 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Deciding on case for first build I'm not a big fan of Antec's P182, particularly if going with a toasty quad-core processor and other higher end gadgets. The P182 puts acoustic qualities over thermal performance, and as such, it's a great for a quiet enclosure, but ill advised for a higher end rig. The P182 fared well enough when I reviewed it (looking back, the scoring's a bit generous), and the cable management scheme makes for a clean interior, provided you have the patience. But the case struggled with higher end components, as outlined in this thread (starting with this post). Jamming two videocards inside greatly hindered the cable routing options, and components ran hot. Turning the TriCool fans on high to combat the heat essentially negated the sound dampening qualities and transformed it into a loud enclosure, yet still didn't provide adequate cooling. Elbow room is also lacking. In short, for an enthusiast rig, there are better options out there.

March 21st, 2008	#25
azianai Aeria gloris Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NY Posts: 1,501	Re: Deciding on case for first build gotta mod the case to stick a 9800GX2/8800GTX/Ultra in there (sonata III that is) really not mod, just remove the 120mm fan on the HD bay and it'll fit. (thanks blake!)

March 21st, 2008	#26
drew and not u 4GHz or Bust Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: A different kind of Green Computing Posts: 1,994	Re: Deciding on case for first build Just use the motherboard box you cheapskate! And I don't remember giving you permission to come here and post!

March 21st, 2008	#28
Sumgai Overclocker In Training Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 283	Re: Deciding on case for first build I have to second stinger on the Sonata. I had a Sonata II previously and the thing pretty much blew in terms of cooling. The HD cage is non-removable; it's not even just riveted (I consider riveted removable, hehe)...it's part of the case's font panel structure. And it completely blocks airflow from the intake to boot. You would be hard pressed to fit any current enthusiast level rig in there without some extensive modding to keep all your hardware cool enough. It's an awesome case for the average web browser on a budget, but I highly un-recommend it for gaming duty. Current Machine: Intel E2220 Gigabyte P35-DS3L AC Freezer 7 Pro 2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 EVGA 8800GT 512MB X-Fi Extreme Gamer Seagate 250GB SATA WD Raptor 74GB SATA Samsung S203B DVD+R Silverstone SF60 Modular 600w Antec Nine Hundred Acer 2216Wbd 22" LCD

March 21st, 2008	#30
Smashing Banned Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 160	Re: Deciding on case for first build I have the p182 sitting next to me still in the box, it is damn sexy.

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