No point in posting again so I will revise with updated thoughts now that the system is up and running:

(i) Cable management. This is not as easy as in other cases since you can't just shove everything between the mobo tray and the side panel and be done. As noted in reviews, there is very limited depth behind the mobo tray, so the cable management needs to be done a little more creatively and a modular PSU will be a big help. Having said that, once you rearrange your expectations, there is enough space for cable management (there are a lot of useable nooks) and Antec makes the built in cables (e.g., USB, etc.) black for the most part so they can be run along the bottom of the chasis without being visually obtrusive. If you get really desperate, as long as you have only one optical drive, you can use the second optical drive bay to store cables. For a clean build it helps to have your cables black and sleeved so that they blend with the case.

(ii) Cheap black paint. This may be the case for all black cases (this is the first time I've worked with one) but if you screw something into the case firmly (like the power supply) and then want to readjust, you will find that when the screws are removed, all the black paint is gone and all that is left where the screws were is aluminum. I used a marker so that it's only obvious up close but I would think they would use something that doesn't come off so easily.

(iii) Wide Optical Drive bay. I cannot comprehend what Antec were thinking when they designed the optical bays, but they are much wider externally than an optical drive so an optical drive has a 2mm gap on both the left and right sides. It looks like crap.

(iv) Rubber Mounting Fans. There is no room behind the front fan filters for properly rubber mounting the fans. Essentially, once the fans are rubber mounted, you have to destroy the rubber mounts by cutting off the front nubs in order to properly close the filters (otherwise, while the filters will close, the nubs will push up against the filters and eventually warp them outward at the edges).

(v) Poor QC. My case was missing one of the optical drive rails.

(vi) Built in parts. Almost everything is removable. I really appreciated being able to physically remove the LEDs from the case along with their wires and also the back fan with its fan controller. However, the length of the USB3 header cable is way too long - I understand that this was probably done so that someone using a USB3 add in card with an internal header can hook up to the front ports but for a typical build with the header on the motherboard, the cable can be run all the way to the top of the case and then down the case and still have enough slack to connect to a mobo header. The fact that the cable is in essence two cables, makes it really annoying given the limited room for cable management.

(vii) Drive suspension. This is really a neat design as it keeps my WD drives from making a peep (other than seeks) but it is *barely* a retention system - you should not move the case at all using the suspension or the drives are likely to slide right on out.

(viii) Nice solid build. The case and panels are rigid and definitely help to keep the whole system quiet.

(ix) Solid airflow. I am currently using four slow pwm fans (two front, one CPU and one back) and the case airflow is excellent. Using the comprehensive thermal monitors included in my motherboard reveals that temps are kept very low given the low airflow.

Other than that, I don't really understand making a black case and then including silver screws and rivets.

Overall, I am pleased with the case but there is a lot of room for improvement.

I'm sorry if this is a daft question, or has already been asked (it's late here and I'm very tired), but every time I look at a picture of the rear case fan I find myself wondering if the long rubber isolators are likely to be hitting (or possibly hitting) a big heatsink. I'm in the process of planning a new build, and really like the look of the Solo II, but don't want to order the case, motherboard, heatsink etc. and then find that the rubber isolators are too long and are hitting the heatsink. Has anyone encountered such an issue, or am I just being dull?

PS Apparently, my last visit here was Mon Sep 29, 2008 4:21 pm :O

Simple solution: just snip them if necessary, after installation. They're that long so it's easy to pull them through when mounting.

Ah, so that's why they're that long! Good to know that I can snip/shorten them after installation. Thanks a lot.

PS I promise to visit more often

Probably (another) daft question, but I want to buy a SSD, and have decided on the Crucial M4. I have no idea how exactly the SSD attaches to the case in the dedicated SSD mount, so can anyone tell me if it matters whether I get the regular M4 or the slim version? If both fit fine, I thought I'd get the slim version so that I'd have the option of some day moving it to a laptop, should I want to (just trying to think ahead here with my purchase).

Thanks.

Go ahead and get the slim version. If it doesn't work using the supplied hardware...just velcro the SSD to the case.

I was confused by this on the original Solo too, until I realised the extra space is necessary if the front of the case is to swing open without fouling the optical drive. It's not very neat, but I'm pretty sure it's there for that reason :-/.

SSDs in general have the same system as HDDs: four holes on the sides, four holes on the bottom. The "dedicated SSD mount" here is nothing but four holes in the motherboard tray, so you can screw the SSD to it bottom-first.

Word of warning about the slim: the laptop I replaced a drive in used a 9.5 mm drive (the non-slim in this case). 7 mm would have been left rattling loose. Not sure it's a good idea, unless you can be SURE the laptop can use this slim type of drive. Could always pack 2.5 mm of antistatic, non-conductive, non-capacitative material in there to make the slim drive fit, of course.

Hello,

If you desire some black colored screws or anyone else for that matter, we have some that can be possibly sent out to you. Please send an email to vip@antec.com if you require some.

Antec

First: Hello

Second: To the administrator: There's a serious flaw in your registration question. You ask, who has been assassinated (Martin Luther King, or Gandhi). And you only accept King as answer, but Gandhi was assassinated as well. So both answers should be correct!!!

Third: About the Solo II

Up 'til now, I used a SOLO 1. I mostly liked it, apart from a few drawbacks.

Now I'm looking for a new PC, and so also for a new case.

After ages looking at different reviews, I still couldn't find the case which would suit me perfectly. Maybe you can help

First my thoughts and question on the SOLO II:
* If I'm correct in looking at the pics, it seems the SOLO II has no dust filter on the top for the PSU. Is that really the case? If yes, then this is IMHO a complete no go. Unfortunately you don't mention anything about it in the review.

* About the same problem of needing to open the case to get to the front dust filter:
Some people here mentioned, that this wouldn't be a big issue. But I got already a SOLO 1, and it is a very big issue. At least if you place your PC like me under the table in a quite fitting place. I have to disconnect all cables at the back, then pull it out of the table and then only can I remove the side to be able to open the front. That's just terrible.

* That there's no door in front of the 5.25" slots is IMHO also a drawback, as it usually is quite effective on reducing the noise from optical drives. Unfortunately, the quiet Multibeam-technology for optical drives has been dropped.

* I also don't like that there are only two 5.25" slots. I usually have 2 optical drives (for easy copying). I also like to have integrated card readers. So that's already too much for this case. That's a real bummer.

So these drawbacks. especially if there's really no dust filter for the PSU, are some real points, which speak against this case for me. But I also couldn't find a case which could satisfy my needs.

I want to make a PC with the following components.
* Intel 3770 CPU
* Z77 mainboard
* Radeon 7750 (fanless)
* SSD
* 2xHDD
* DVD Burner
* (DVD Reader)
* Card Reader
* Super Flower Platin PSU

I had a look at your recommendation articles. But unfortunately as it seems they are all quite a bit outdated.
So here are my questions:
* What casing would you recommend, for a silent solution? (BTW: If there is a case door, it has to open to the right)
* There are different cards available for the Radeon 7750 fanless. What do you recommend? Some have the heat fins parallel to the card (sapphire isilence), some have it perpendicular to it (Club 3D) and some have both at the same time (Sapphire Ultimate)
What is the best version, for keeping the cooling at it's best. I guess the one with the fan lamellas parallel to the card have the least airflow obstruction.
* What current DVD burner do you recommend for silent operation?
* About the PSU. When does the 500W version with fan start to use the fan? E.g. would the 500W version with fan remain fanless most of the time in my case? Then I would go for this one, otherwise I would go for the fanless version.
* What do you more recommend for CPU Cooler. A top down blower, or a sideways blower. I like the idea, that a top down blower also cools the DC-switchers on the mainboard. But I guess on the other hand it also obstructs the airflow through the casing. So overall what is your recommendation?

It may sound lazy to ask you, I know. But I'm now steeping through the net since a week, and am still about where I began...so maybe for some of you experts this could be an easy task. So sorry for the questioning...

Yes there is no fan filter on top, the mesh on top is very small though. But if this is a problem for you there are magnetic filters that should solve this for you, like DEMCiflex 140mm Magnetic Dust / Fan Filter - Black - (Steel / Aluminum / Plastic Chassis)

Look into Corsair Obsidian Series Black 550D Mid Tower Computer Case (CC-9011015-WW), it has a frontal door that open both ways (right and left), with magnetic fan filers all over the case (front, top, side, bottom) very easy to remove/clean, has 4x 5.25 slots and has noise dampening in the sides and front, has very good cable managment design (solo lacks here), you can also remove the top hdd cage (the bottom should be enough for your 2hhd+ssd) for direct airflow to your passive gpu, imo fits more what your looking. Another that might fit what your looking Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl w/ USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case, the only drawback over the 500d is their design for the front filter with the fans attached... thats just to much work for me, but it might be worth to check for you.

For the other questions i think its best for you to open a new thread as its not directly related to the review of the solo II.

Thank you a lot. Also for the filter source.


I also already had a look at this one. But the absolutely silly placement of the front connectors within a hole in the front door is a complete no go. I use headphones all the time. And you would have to unplug it every time you want to open the door... I'm really wondering how ignorant one has to be to make such a design???
Maybe I could cut away the upper part of the front door? Then it would work.
But I'm getting too much offtopic.
I'm still asking myself, if I would be happy, if I use a SOLO 2, with the mentioned filter on top, and with the front door modified, so that it can open without taking away the side (small magnetic lock).
As it seems from the test, it is a very silent case. Price doesn't matter that much.

BTW: Where should I start a new thread? In the case section?

While i dont disagree with you in terms of the door afecting people that use heaphones or even attach usb perif, etc. I think there are other solutions, if you use a lot of headphones... i would recommend to check USB DACs, most of the audiophiles dislike on board sound cards, and prefer to have an external Digital to Analog converter (DAC), this would solve the issue of using headphones from the front port interfering with opening the door. Here is an example, FiiO E10 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier, but there are a lot of choices here that will work a lot better than integrated sound card.

Another option that i forgot to mention but since you pointed the door design, is the Antec P280, similar to the 550D (well larger), but the door can open with all things attach to the front pannel. It also has noise dampening on the doors and front, 3x 5.25 slots, and extremly easy to remove/clean front fan filter. The only 2 drawbacks that i do see in it is the top 2x 120mm, its open so noise will leak there, but you can probably just close it with some noise dampening, like Fractal does with their cases and the second is the door opens to the left. Speaking of fractal, i also edited my previous post to add the Fractal Design Define R4, its a great case, and it has the connectors on top, so it will not interfere like the 550D, the only drawback for me its that the front fans are installed on the filter, and im lazy, so the least i have to dissemble to clean regularly the filters the better, but to each to its own, the case itself is great. Another downside of the R4 for you is it opens like most of the cases to the left.

I think the best route for what you are planning is still the 500D + USB DAC.

I really dont know how it will end up... the door of the SOLO II is the hole front, im not sure how will you do a door with it, but if you are good into modding maybe it can be done. I wouldnt put to much stress into not having a door though, the front suspension for the hdds will make them extremly quiet, and the rest.... well chose quiet components, i see your going with passive GPU and maybe passive PSU... so its only going to be the fans and cpu cooler fan, so just go for good quiet fans and the door imo shouldn't be a issue. If it is, then you can get into modding it =). The only issue might be optical drives... personally i dont use them anymore, hell i dont even have one installed on 4 pcs, i do have an external for sporadic use, but maybe once a year...

I think you have a lot of topics, so i would address each separated, personally i like to start with the case and psu, so that will be my suggestion, then work yourself into each component into separate threads. Remember to search as there are lot of threads with very similar subjects that might help you.