Antec Builds A Cool Case

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There was a time when the only reason you couldn't hear a PC is because you trained your ears to consider its steady humming to be a sort of calming, white noise.

Those days are gone. Even as performance is increasing, CPUs are topping out at four cores and chassis are capable of handling greater numbers of higher-end components and media, the bar continues to climb on sound requirements.

After all, who wants to fork over $2,000 for a PC that can play Blu-ray discs on HD monitors, only to hear a fan buzzing in the background? Who wants a top-of-the-line desktop to run an online war game, only to have gunshots competing with that telltale whirring noise in the background?

The CRN Test Center spec'd out an Intel Corp.-based quad-core PC to get a good look—and listen—to a higher-end chassis offered by component manufacturer Antec Inc. We've liked a number of Antec products over the years, and we were interested to see how the Fremont, Calif.-based company has kept up with higher-performance components and intensifying use models.

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We picked the higher-end Antec Sonata Plus 550 ATX chassis, which the company list-prices at $199. At first blush that seemed a little pricey to us for a case, but we were willing to withhold judgment until the desktop was up and running.

The PC we set out to build was not as high-end as many gamers would like, but it was a little higher-performing than a typical business desktop. These are the specs:

• An Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 processor;
• An Intel DG33FB Classic Series G33 Desktop Board;
• A Sony DVD RW 20X optical drive;
• A Seagate Barracuda 7200.11, 500-GB SATA internal hard drive;
• 4 GB of DDR2 memory (800MHz).

Antec emphasizes engineering on the Sonata Plus 550. The case itself is a solid 30 pounds in a 16.7-by-8.1-by-18.2-inch form factor. Once the panel is removed, you can see a nicely organized case with a good amount of hand room. The cables are nicely identified and organized.

But what drew our interest was the Antec TriCool fan—which the company says can be set to three speeds for maximum cooling control—and the power supply. The 550-watt NeoPower power supply is mounted inside at the top of the case.

It took about 35 minutes of active time to screw all the components in, hook them up and boot up to a BIOS screen. We loaded it with Windows Vista Home Premium and then, after a while of run time, took some measurements.

Running Primate Labs' Geekbench 2.0 testing suite, the PC hit a score of 4,326—one of the top-performing desktops the Test Center has had in the lab this year.

From a power-consumption standpoint, the system drew about 85 watts while running a light load of work and a little bit less than that while idling. At the fan, we measured heat at a scant 90 degrees Fahrenheit with the fan running on its lowest speed.

The most impressive characteristic about the Sonata Plus 550, however, was the noise level or, really, a lack of one. For a system with this much CPU power and two fans running, and keeping it as cool as it was, we expected a little bit of noise. But the decibel meter told us this PC couldn't register any more noise than the ambient level of the lab. Our ears, practically pressed to the inside of the case, told us the same thing.

The bottom line: The Antec Sonata Plus 550 is a little on the higher- price side for a case, but it allows a system builder to deliver a nicely efficient and quiet desktop—even for those needing the boost of much higher performance.

For more Custom Systems and other interesting product reviews, head to www.crn.com.