Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)As I write this, Amazon has no information posted about what this Antec Solo "Quiet Mini Tower Case" is. So, as a stop-gap until I can get some pictures posted and a proper review written, here's the information directly from Antec's spec sheet:
Case Dimensions: 17.5"(H) x 8.1"(W) x 18.5"(D)
Drive Bays: 8
- Front Accessible: 3x5.25", 1x3.5"
- Internal: 4x3.5" or 3x3.5" with HDD suspension
Expansion Slots: 7
Cooling System:
- 1 rear (standard) 120mm TriCool Fan with 3-speed switch control
- 2 front 92mm fan mounts (fans not included)
Main Board Size: 12"(W)x9.6"(L)
Weight (net/gross): 25.3/30.3 lbs, 11.5/15.7 K
Motherboards: Standard ATX (web site says also microATX)
Special Features:
- Internal mounts with rubber grommets
- Optional HDD suspension system
- Poly carbonate side panels to reduce noise
- Advanced cable management system
- Front USB/FireWire Ports
Package Includes:
- 1 Tower Case
- 1 set of screws and motherboard standoffs
- 1 Installation manual
I've provided Amazon with a link to Antec's product brochure, but it hasn't shown up yet. Go to the Antec site (obvious URL) and navigate through Products -> Enclosures -> LifeStyle Series -> Solo for more information.
In a nutshell, this is a very nice, black, heavy, steel (not aluminum) mini-tower case designed specifically for quiet operation. Some of the highlights are 1) the sound deadening insulation on the side panels, 2) an included drive suspension system for decoupling the hard drive from the chasis, 3) a 120mm low RPM exhaust fan, and 4) the ability to add your own, quiet, efficient power supply (I'll be adding a Seasonic S12-430).
UPDATE: I've uploaded three pictures of the case. The sides and top are a very shiny black and the front looks like brushed aluminum.
UPDATE 2:I've got everything transferred over to the new Antec Solo from my old Lian-Li PC-60H1 case and can now add some personal material:
- First, when you get your new case, make sure you remove everything from the box and the case.The manual and various other pieces of paper are in the top "eggshell" type material under the cardboard liner.Also, the bag of screws and standoffs is tied inside the top 5.25" front accessible drive bay and the six drive rails should be someplace on the bottom of the case.In mine, four of them were in their built-in holder on the bottom and the other two were floating around under the hard drive cage.
- Second, only the left side panel and the front fan cage use thumb screws.All the rest of the removable connections are regular screws.One really nice touch about the thumbscrews is that they're attached to their object (i.e., they wont' fall off and get lost when you disassemble the case).I just wish everything else used thumbscrews.
- Third, there's no built in case speaker.As long as I never have to listen for BIOS error beeps, that won't matter at all.I suppose I could hook things up to my Audigy sound card if I had to.But, it's not really needed.
- Fourth, and probably the biggest lack, there's no removable motherboard tray.That makes getting the motherboard into the case and connected a bit more difficult than it should be.I had to temporarily remove the 120mm TriCool rear fan to have enough room to get my old MSI 865PE-Neo2-FIS2R motherboard into the case.
- Fifth, and the biggest problem for me (though it's not fully the case's fault), the combination of my 865PE-Neo2-FIS2R and Zalman CNPS7700-AlCu CPU Cooler did NOT fit in the case.The thing barely fit in the Lian-Li (maybe .25" clearance).In this case, the cooling fins physically run into the power supply (maybe .25" overlap).I had to use some brute force to get the motherboard/cooler combo in and the heatsink fins are sort of squished.Not a pleasant activity, but it works.
- Sixth, and very surprisingly, even though I used the built-in drive suspension system, I could still clearly hear the ramp-up whine and drive seeks on my Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA - ST3120026AS drive.I had to put the drive back in my GUP SmartDrive enclosure to quiet that down.I'd been hoping to keep the drive out of that since it raises its temperature by about 10 degrees Celcius.
- Seventh, there are a lot of sharp edges in the case.I cut a finger while working in it.
- Finally, on a positive note, I bought this case to try and reduce the noise of my computer.Purely, subjectively, as I'm sitting here with the computer by my feet, I'd say the noise level has dropped by at least half.I did install a new Seasonic S12-430 power supply when I put the system together instead of using my old Antec TruePower 430.So, I don't know how much noise reduction is due to which item.But, from what I can hear of my Zalman CNPS7700-AlCu and VF900-Cu, most of the improvement is probably due to the case.I was hoping that I wouldn't be able to hear the fans at all, but while I'm sitting right next to the computer, I still can.If I walk a few feet away, however, I can't tell it's on.As a bonus, my CPU temperature has dropped about eight degrees Celcius.But, I think that might be due to the new power supply dumping less heat into the case right above the CPU.
Overall, and primarily because of the dearth of thumbscrews and lack of a removable motherboard tray, I'd probably reduce my rating from its original 5 stars out of 5 to 4 stars out of 5 if Amazon would let me.Otherwise, I'm very happy with the case.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Antec LifeStyle Solo ATX Quiet ATX Mini-Tower Case (Piano Black)
Product Description:
The Antec LifeStyle Solo ATX Quiet ATX Mini-Tower Case features the latest in noise reduction technology, including dual-layer sound deadening panels and a suspension system that makes hard drive noise a thing of the past. In addition to a variety of quiet computing features, the Solo's versatility offers you a choice of the best power supply to fit your needs. The included 120-millimeter TriCool fan will keep your system running cool, and the modern case design makes upgrading and accessing important components a breeze.
Designed to fit micro and standard ATX motherboards, the Solo accommodates any ATX12V or ATX12V v 2.0 form factor power supply, making it an extremely versatile solution. The case includes a total of eight drive bays (or seven drive bays with suspension mount of the HDD), including four 5.25-inch external bays (one with 5.25-inch to 3.5-inch adapter), and four 3.5-inch tray mount internal bays (or three 3.5-inch suspension mount bays for HDD). The case's enhanced cooling system comprises one rear 120-millimeter TriCool fan with three-speed switch control, and two front fan mounts for optional 92-millimeter fans to cool the HDD. Front-mounted ports provide convenient connections: two USB 2.0, one IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.Link), and audio in/out.
Other features include:
Piano-black finishing
Dual-layer steel and plastic sound-deadening panels
Cable organizer behind drive bay to minimize cable clutter
Built-in washable air filter
LifeStyle Solo tower case, set of screws and motherboard standoffs, and installation manual.
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