Antec Lifestyle SONATA III Review

For years I had used the Antec Sonata II case with very few problems, and now its successor, the Sonata III, is available. The photos from Antec and e-tailors make it look drastically different than the Sonata II, so that’s what I was expecting. Surprisingly, though, it is very similar in design to the previous generation. Almost every aspect of the case except the front panel and the PSU is exactly the same. Both the Sonata II and III feature a “Piano Black” finish, which even today looks spectacular on both models. The only downside to this feature is the fact that fingerprints and other smudges are easy to get on, and hard to get off.

Like its older brother, the Sonata III features just one 120mm TriCool exhaust fan in the rear, with openings on the front to promote better airflow. I was disappointed to find that the fan speed selector was still just hanging off of the fan, like in the Sonata II. In Antec’s other new cases, for example, the P182, the fan speed selectors are built into the back panel of the case. Without this feature, you either have to fish the speed selector through an expansion slot, or just stay with one speed unless you open up the case completely.

Disclosure: We may earn a commission from links on this page

The power supply that ships with the Sonata III is the Earthwatts EA500, a five hundred watt power supply with over 80 percent efficiency. That means less wasted power for you, and less harm done to the environment (not to mention the fact that 500 watts is enough to power a dual or quad core processor and a high-end graphics card). The new PSU is also quieter, which is a big factor for the Sonata series (“Legendary Silence”). According to NewEgg.com, the average reviewer rating for the SmartPower 2.0 450 (which came with the Sonata II), is 2 out of 5 eggs. In contrast, the average reviewer rating of the Earthwatts EA500 is 5 out of 5 eggs. The only downside to this power supply is the fact that it does not have any type of cable management, which means that any power cables that you don’t need (which usually ends up being about half of the cables), will just hang there, potentially blocking airflow, and definitely cramping its style. To be fair, though, no other model in the Sonata line has cable management. If you really would like it, it’s very simple to swap out the power supply, as I did with my Sonata II.

Moving to the front of the case, you’ll find where the real difference is. Firstly, the front panel connectors are not covered. In the previous generation, there was a chrome, sliding “garage door” style cover for the front panel connectors. Some may see this as a negative, some as a positive. Something most everyone will find as a negative, however, is the lack of an IEEE/1394 port on the front panel. With the Sonata II it was a piece of cake for me to plug my digital video camera in and capture video straight to my computer. But the new case only has ports for USB (x2), audio, and one SATA port. Again, some would see the swapping of a DV port for a SATA port as a negative, and others as a positive, but with so much more space on the front of the Sonata III, they easily could have fit both. The USB ports use standard motherboard pins for their connection, and the audio ports have both high definition and AC97 motherboard audio connectors. The SATA port on the front basically just acts as an extension, as the cable inside the case is a standard SATA cable.

Antec stays consistent with the new case, featuring the same number of 5.25” and 3.5” bays on the front panel as the Sonata II, and with the same number of expansion slots in the rear. You still get the silicone grommets for the hard drive bays, and the bays are still individually removable. This case falls into the smaller end of the mid-ATX spectrum, and will not easily accommodate larger video cards or hardware. With its minimalist cooling system and look, the Sonata III is clearly designed for casual system builders using hardware designed more for silence than performance. Another big difference between the II and III is the removal of the air ducting system. On the Sonata II, an adjustable air duct came pre-installed to channel air out of the case specifically from the PSU. This, however, was promptly removed from mine, because it drastically reduced the already low amount of space inside, so I’m glad to see that Antec has picked up on that for their new case.

At only $50 more than the old model’s current price, it’s not a big change. For 50 more watts and more stability, as well as an updated look and easy SATA connectivity, $50 difference is well worth it. Antec listened to the people when designing the Sonata III, so let’s hope they continue the trend for the next addition to the Sonata family.

Leave a Comment