Sonata or SLK3000B

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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HolyBastard
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Sonata or SLK3000B

Post by HolyBastard » Tue Feb 01, 2005 2:20 pm

I've looked both review of th SLK3000B and the Sonata and they look prety good. In the end they are about the same price (considering I don't need to buy an other PSU for the sonata).

Now they both look pretty much the same to me except for the finish, the CAG intake and the Drives orientation and of course the fact that I could go for an Enermax NoiseTaker instead of the TruePower.

If I buy the SLK3000B it cost me 20$ CAN more wich is not that much. I was wondering if the lack of manual is really a big issue. If the SLK3000B is a lot quiter then the Sonata or a lot better for part cooling?

It look like the SLK3000B is better but many people seemed to like the sonata. Is there any reason that would advantage the sonata? (beside the piano black that I don't like). Thx for your help.

teejay
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Post by teejay » Tue Feb 01, 2005 2:31 pm

Hello and welcome to SPCR!

This has been discussed a lot on the boards already, but I'll try to summarize. The biggest flaw of the Sonata is it's limited air intake. The drive mounting and front bezel block every form of decent airflow and the front fan mount is in a next-to-useless position. You have to lift the case off the floor to get any air into the front at all. The grommets for hdd mounting have little effect and cannot be compared to real drive suspension, but there is almost no room for this in the Sonata. The Sonata is pretty cramped to work in and the combination of a non-removable right/top panel and rotated drive cages makes it a tricky case to work on and to get a cleanly wired setup in there. The PSU that comes with the Sonata is pretty noisy and generates a lot of heat. Since it is starved for air a low-flow fan just doesn't cut it in there so a fan-swap is hardly an option. The side panel is prone to rattling and a lot of noise can escape through the "Antec" logo holes.

Did I mention I recommend to get the 3000 with a NoiseTaker? If I didn't already, consider the 3000B/Enermax heartily recommended over the Sonata.

The Sonata is not a bad case I suppose, I've done a few builds on them and I can sort of understand why people like it... but the 3000B is definitely better IMO.

HolyBastard
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Post by HolyBastard » Tue Feb 01, 2005 5:40 pm

thx for the nice answer. I originaly planned to use the sonata and once I've seen the reviews of the SLK3000B I couldn't find a reason why I should stay with it. Though on the forum there is a sticky about sonata cases so I guessed it must have something good.... Guess I was somewhat wrong.

I think, as you describe it, that I should spend the 20$ more to get SLK3000B with a NoiseTaker SFMA 370w Active PFC. I think the 370w will be fair enough for my use as I don't plan on getting an 6800 Ultra (I'll probably limit with a 6600 gt).

As a side question, does the CAG will work with the newest PCIe motherboard? and how must it be placed for it to be effective. I've seen on a site (wich I don't remember) a picture saying between 1 -2 cm from the fan but haven't found any references anywhere else.

Tibors
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Post by Tibors » Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:03 pm

There are some reasons you see a sticky about the Sonata and so many people using it, but less info on the 3000B. The Sonata has been availlable for about two years, the 3000B just a few (2?) months. The Sonata is better than most generic cases, but it needs some specific tricks to make it optimal. The 3000B only needs some fairly standard silencing tricks to make it optimal.

souljas
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Post by souljas » Thu Feb 03, 2005 4:35 am

sorry, a bit off topic, but does anyone know if the Acoustipack for the 3700BQE will fit the 3000b ?

Thanks
Soul

Cams
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Post by Cams » Thu Feb 03, 2005 5:12 am

I emailed Antec to see whether they could send me a PDF manual for the 3000B and they said to use the manual for the 3700BQE as it's the same.

And yes, the 3700BQE pre-cut AcoustiPack does fit the 3000B, but you'll need to cut holes with a sharp craft knife for the CPU and VGA intakes. Just don't do what I did and precisely and delicately measure out the holes ON THE WRONG SIDE! Boy, did I feel stupid after that!

JanW
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Post by JanW » Thu Feb 03, 2005 5:15 am

souljas: I don't have any experience with either of these cases myself, but just a minute ago I saw Spod saying it's a good fit.

EDIT: sorry, didn't see your post, Cams.

souljas
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Post by souljas » Thu Feb 03, 2005 8:17 am

Cams wrote: Just don't do what I did and precisely and delicately measure out the holes ON THE WRONG SIDE! Boy, did I feel stupid after that!
:( :lol:

sorry to here that, cheers guys for your help!

Soul

HolyBastard
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Post by HolyBastard » Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:56 am

is the front fan realy required? because 120m fans are expensive unless you buy them in pack of 10s and i don't happen to have that much computers. Besides.. what fans fits in the non standard front panel?

Tibors
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Post by Tibors » Fri Feb 04, 2005 2:37 pm

You only need a front fan when you have more than two HD's or when you let all the cables dangle in the airflow path. (Search for "cablegami")

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