A couple of questions regarding quieting an Antec Sonata I

aljordan · Post by **aljordan** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:01 am

Hi,

I have been attempting to get my Antec Sonata I more quiet so that I can use it as a music server in the same room as my stereo. I do a lot of low volume late-night listening and fan noise is a bit of a problem.

I am using an Abit AV8 with an Athlon 64 cpu. So far I have replaced the cpu cooler with a Scythe Mine (using the stock fan that comes with the Mine), put in the precut Accoustipak insulation, and replaced the hard drives with recommended quiet models. There is no Northbridge fan on this motherboard.

Will replacing the stock Sonata PSU with something like the Seasonic S12 make a worthwhile difference in reducing noise?

Also, I bought a Nexus Quiet 120mm fan for the case, but the mounting holes in the fan are much longer than the normal rubber fan mounts. How are people mounting these fans to their case?

Thank you for any information you can provide.

Alan

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:25 am

Hello & welcome to SPCR!

Yes, the stock PS is slightly noisier than a SeaSonic S12. You will want to look at the threads on improving the front air intake on the Sonata -- this is the weak point of that case.

aljordan · Post by **aljordan** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:32 am

NeilBlanchard wrote:Hello & welcome to SPCR!

Yes, the stock PS is slightly noisier than a SeaSonic S12. You will want to look at the threads on improving the front air intake on the Sonata -- this is the weak point of that case.

Hi and thank you for your response.

I gather you are referring to the threads where people cut part of the case. Will modifying the front air intake reduce noise or just allow better air flow?

Alan

shikimaru · Post by **shikimaru** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:10 am

both, taking out of grills and other bits and pieces in the path of the air will make it quieter, so remove all the grills, see how it is, then think about cutting the plastic

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:18 am

Hello Alan,

Yes, both: because the air flow is better, you can use slower/quieter fans to get the job done!

dfrost · Post by **dfrost** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 3:17 pm

Will replacing the stock Sonata PSU with something like the Seasonic S12 make a worthwhile difference in reducing noise?

That was one of the four best changes I made to my Sonata I. The S12-430 is both much quieter and cooler. The S12 fan has never ramped up above 950 rpm (usually runs about 700 rpm), even under sustained load conditions. The other three top improvements were:

- Thermalright XP-120 with Papst fan at 6-11V cooling the CPU
- Converted motherboard to passive northbridge heatsink
- Passively-cooled VGA with Aerocool VM-101

I replaced the Sonata front panel with the Mk II version ($20 from Antec 18 months ago). The Mk II has much better intake flow stock, then the MK I with SPCR bezel modifications.