Antec Sonata

Only the left side of the Sonata allows for access within the enclosure - notice the very cool vent holes that spells out Antec. Upon removal of the included thumbscrews which secure the left side panel, access is granted via a lockable lever. Inside the enclosure, we find the included cable for the power supply, the manual, an assortment of mounting screws, and a nice looking Antec case badge.

The Sonata comes with a very nice TruePower 380w power supply which employs the Antec New Low Noise Technology. This power supply has dedicated fan only power connectors which allows the power supply to control the speed of the case fan to ensure lower noise levels. Another nice feature is the braided power cables which helps with handling unruly wires. This particular unit should be able to handle most of what typical users throw at it.

The drive cage accomodates up to (4) 3.5" drives via a system of drive trays. Each of the drive trays use small rubber rings to help reduce hard drive vibrations. The most interesting characteristic of this cage is that drives are mounted sideways making installation/removal of drives incredibly easy. The cage also offers the option of mounting an additional 1200mm fan, however, all drives will have to be removed from the cage for the fan installation. Last but certainly not least, there's also a couple of slots towards the back of the cage that allows for the routing of cables within the case (such as the bunch leading to the ports on the bezel).

Installation for the motherboard was relatively painless and the Sonata provides a reasonable amount of space for you to do so. However, it would have been a lot more convenient if the enclosure offered a removable motherboard tray. It's quite nice to have the hard drives installed sideways - the cabling for the hard drives do not get in the way of various jumpers on the motherboard.