We featured the Antec Sonata Elite PC case on the site when it was announced back in December, we have been lucky enough to get our hands on one to review.

The Antec Sonata Elite is designed to be an ultra quiet PC case that doesn’t sacrifice cooling for the noise reduction.

It is made from 0.8mm thick rolled steel, and I have to admit the construction is solid, it’s not a light case weighs in at 21.6 pounds, it certainly has a feel of quality about it, and I could tell it was well built as soon as I took it out of the box.

The case is finished in gloss black which looks very slick, and even the front feels well built, with it’s built in front mounted USB 2.0 ports (x2), an eSATA ports and HD audio outputs.

The inside of the case is very spacious, some PC cases feel cramped, and you have a job jamming all the components inside, it features 3 x 5.25″ external drive bays, 4 x 3.5″ internal drive bays, and it also comes with an adapter to use a 3.5″ device in one of the 5.25″ drive bays.

The Antec Sonata Elite comes with a built in 120mm TriCool 3 speed exhaust fan, and a 120mm TriCool 3 speed exhaust blower, which is pretty big and feels like a serious piece of kit, you can see it in the photo below.

The case measures 18.9″ (H) x 8.1″ (W) x 17.3″ (D), and is compatible with Mini-ITX, microATX, StandardATX motherboards, and it features 7 expansion slots for all your cards.

Here’s a full rundown of the specs.

• 7 drive bays
• - External 3 x 5.25″
• - Internal 4 x 3.5″
• - Included 5.25″ to 3.5″ adapter for external 3.5″ device
• Two layer, steel with polycarbonate, side and top panels to deaden noise
• 7 expansion slots
• Advanced cooling system:
• - 1 rear (standard) 120mm TriCool™ 3-speed switch control exhaust fan
• - 1 slot 120mm exhaust blower with 3-speed switch
• Built-in washable air filter
• Front mounted I/O ports
• - 2 x USB 2.0
• - 1 x eSATA
• - Audio In and Out (AC’97 and HDA compatible)
• 0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability
• Motherboard: Mini-ITX, microATX, StandardATX
• No power supply included
• Unit Dimensions:
• - 18.9″ (H) x 8.1″ (W) x 17.3″ (D)
• - 48.1cm (H) x 20.5cm (W) x 44cm (D)
• Package Dimensions:
• - 19.9″ (H) x 10.5″ (W) x 21.4″ (D)
• - 50.5 cm (H) x 26.7 cm (W) x 54.3 cm (D)
• Weight:
• - Net: 21.6 lbs /9.8 kg
• - Gross: 25.6 lbs /11.6 kg

On first impression the Antec Sonata Elite is a very well constructed case, I like the design it is understated and very slick looking, with everything neatly hidden away.

In the next part of the review we will see just how quite this case is, and whether it lives up to the claims of being ultra quiet, it will be interesting to see how the Antec Sonata Elite performs.

The Antec Sonata Elite is available for $119.99 from Antec.

You can read part two of this review here:-

Review – Antec Sonata Elite – Part 2