I got a response from Antec today regarding this question about choosing between the Solo and P183:

[quote]If you want things as quiet as possible, I would recommend the P183. While the Solo is also a very quiet case, the P183's triple layer design will block any unwanted noise from leaving the PC case. Also, the P183 also comes with hdd grommets that helps reduce hdd vibrations. As for a fanless PSU, The dual chamber design might not work as well

Yes, the P183 V3 will have USB 3.0 and also a CPU cutout. It should be available sometime the end of this month or early next month.

As for the fanless PSU, the dual chamber design might not work that well with it as there will not be much air going through the bottom chamber.
[/quote]

So that's quite interesting, the new P183 will have a CPU cutout, which people have been asking for in the Solo. But people here are telling me that suspension (which is a Solo speciality) will be more effective for muting the vibrational hum which I want to avoid. And the P183 might not be so good for the fanless PSU... so I'm still kind of stuck here - the Solo sounds like it's better because of the suspension, and it might (?) be better for the fanless PSU (anybody confirm or deny this?), but the new P183 has better panel damping, newer USB3 ports, and the CPU cutout. So which one should I choose... yeesh, this is difficult. Any help?

Thanks again,

Neil

So it sounds like the Solo is not currently slated for an upgrade/refresh? If not, then I better start a new thread regarding a Solo replacement (current generation graphics cards won't fit the Solo).

It doesn't seem so.

However many historical models actually seem that they won't be refreshed (NSK3480, Mini P180, Solo, et c.).

That's not quite true. I have a GTS450 and a GTX460 in a solo and they fit with plenty of room to spare. It all comes down to how the manufacturers implement the cards. For now there doesn't seem to be any AMD 69xx or Nvidia gtx5xx card that are shorter than the others, but in a little bit, there might be.

For instance, when 9800gtx cards came out, the reference design was too big for the solo (10.5 inches long). However, after a while, shorter cards came out and I can tell you from experience that certain 9800gtx+ could fit the solo without modding and with some room to spare.

The vast majority of the cards I care about will fit in a solo.

in another thread someone said a 10.5" card barely fits in a solo so I'll say 10" and below is a good fit. I quote part of a reply written in early 2010. Lets see how it updates with 2011 data



There is more than one 6850 to choose from that are under 9" (one I know is 8.8" one is 8.9")

The stock 6870 is 9.84" but there are non reference cards at 9.5", as well as some longer ones at 10.04" and 10.1" which would fit.

The stock 6950 and 6970 are ~10.5" so they could be a problem but you have so many other cards to choose from I can't see a good reason to push it.

nVidia is a bit more forthcoming with their reference design lengths than is AMD. From nVidia's site where they talk about their current lineup:

- GTX 460: 8.25"
- GTX 465: 9.5"
- GTX 470: 9.5"
- GTX 480: 10.5"
- GTX 570: 10.5"
- GTX 580: 10.5"

I specifically asked in another thread, here, if the GTX 570 would fit in a Solo: it doesn't. So, 10.5" cards are out. The 460, 465, and 470 will fit, though.

On the AMD side, all I've found out is that generally:

- HD 5870: 11.1"
- HD 6850: 9"
- HD 6870: 9.25

So, the 5870 is out. But, the 6850 and 6870 should fit.

I agree with Stcrispinsday, though. Even though I love my Solo, this problem with fitting the latest cards in is making me look at other cases. If the drive cage were removable, I'd be OK. An added inch in depth would be good, too. Moving the power supply to the bottom would be great. But, without those kinds of changes, I'm probably going to have to try something else. The thing is, something like the P183 is just too big. Going to the Mini P180 would be nice (if it were still available), but I'd have to change everything to MicroATX.

EDIT: I see that dhanson865 has different measurements for some of the cards I mentioned. I'll bow to his knowledge since I haven't done that much research on the AMD side.

What Frenchie and I are saying is that stock video card lengths at the time of a new chip release shouldn't be what SOLO owners look at. Especially here on SPCR.

Often the stock heatsink/fan combo is louder and has different dimensions that make it unattractive to SPCR regulars.

I'd love to have a fanless 5750 like the one powercolor makes. I don't really care how long a stock 5750 is.

I'd be willing to put a MSI Hawk 5770 in my case but I don't care how long a stock 5770 is because it's noisier. FWIW the MSI Hawk 5770 is 8.19" and the stock was 8.5" then they made a rev2 stock at 8.25".

Now if you look for a fanless HD6xxx card right now you won't find one for sale. Give it a few months and you'll find newer cards with different heatsinks than the stock and you'll have options that don't currently exist.

Saying X video card won't fit in a SOLO is like saying X movie isn't on DVD. Just wait a while and something will be made that will fit your need.

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm with DaveLessnau on this one. Would love to buy another Solo, but it really needs to be updated to handle current (and future) high end graphics cards.

There are only 3 changes I want on the Solo

1. More robust power & reset buttons that will outlast the useful life of a case
2. USB 3 front port(s). A front panel eSATA connector is less important but would be a plus.
3. CPU area cutout in the motherboard tray

I used to say A single 120mm fan mount at the front, instead of the dual 92mm fan mounts but I could go either way on that one. With the advent of SSDs I'm not as worried about having front fans.

I'm not worried about SSD mounting I already have suspension for 3 drives in the current setup and with a little imagination I think I could get more than 3 SSDs suspended in those positions considering heat isn't an issue for SSDs like it was for hard drives. On top of that I can just stuff SSDs in random positions throughout the case with double sided tape or other mounting tricks. With no vibration from the SSD it doesn't matter if they are suspended or not.

I'm not worried about the height of CPU heatsinks vs the side of the case. Though this is more important to me than the video card length issue. The height of the 5 HS I'd most want to put in a solo

Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C
H160.5 mm

Noctua NH-U12P
158 mm

Scythe Mugen-2
158 mm

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
158.5 mm

Noctua NH-C14
130mm

All the threads I've checked on SPCR say the Thermalright Ultra-120 fits in a Solo. If it does all the other HS I consider are shorter so they should all fit as well.

I'm not worried about the length limit for video cards. >10" is just not a concern for me all the video cards I look for by price, power consumption, and noise naturally fit inside a Solo. The only card I can think of that comes close to being a challenge is the Gigabyte Silent Cell 5770 but viewtopic.php?t=60180 shows us that it'll squeeze in just barely. I'll post a thumbnail here but the thread has the full sized pic

There is a 6850 fanless card that hasn't been released yet that might be a similar tight fit but I'm thinking it is smaller than this.

I would add :
- improve airflow from the front of the case (keep the way the intake slots are, but make them much wider).
- move the top of the case up an inch, so that you can use an upside down bottom vented PSU without a problem.
- make the case 0.5 inch wider so that cable management behind the mobo tray is easier

Nice to have :
- removable bottom drive cage : my SSD sit on the bottom of the case and my HD is suspended in the 5.25 bays. That could be achieved by making the current drive bay a 2 piece part : one part is the right side of the case that hides the cables (that part is great, keep it), the other part is the left side of the drive bays . You can remove the left part of the cage when you want a longer GPU or if you want more airflow. The system could use the rail system that Antec already uses for the drive bays.
- little slots at the back of the mobo tray where you can slide a zip tie to clean up your cables.
- add sound dampening in the door.

On the Antec Enclosures page:

http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Series=MTU=

There are (currently) 11 separate categories of cases. Ignoring their Enterprise, Rackmount, and Hard Drive enclosures, that means Antec is currently selling 55 different consumer level cases. I find it hard to believe that Antec can make enough money on each of those 55 different cases (I'm mostly looking at the Skeleton, most of the Gaming Cases, Dark Fleet, and LanBoy categories here) to make it worth their while designing, manufacturing, and supporting them. Yet, they apparently feel they can't make enough money modifying the Solo by doing the simple things people have been requesting for years (as noted in this thread). I just don't understand it.

And, in case anyone's interested, here are Antec's current enclosure categories and the cases under them (all the verbiage is quoted right from those pages):

Skeleton (Antec introduces the world's first open-air enclosures: the revolutionary Skeleton and Mini Skeleton. With a unique design that allows for unprecedented airflow, the Skeleton and Mini Skeleton go utterly unmatched in stylish cooling.)
• Mini Skeleton-90
• Skeleton

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=MjM=

Performance One (The Performance One series of cases is functional, efficient and silent. The pinnacle of performance and style, these cases feature the latest in Quiet Computing™ and innovative features to enable the ultimate computing experience.)
• Mini P180
• Mini P180 White
• P183
• P183 V3
• P193
• P193 V3

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=Ng==

Sonata Family (The leading provider of Quiet Computing™, Antec offers a full family of whisper-quiet cases. These stylish cases feature great Quiet Computing™ attributes like quiet power supplies, sound-deadening side panels, and silicone grommets for the hard drives. The EarthWatts 500 watt power supply in the Sonata III 500 and the Sonata Designer 500 cases is 80PLUS® certified, for maximum efficiency.)
• SOLO
• Sonata IV
• Sonata Designer 500
• Sonata Elite
• Sonata III 500
• Sonata Plus 550
• Sonata Proto

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=NQ==

Gaming Cases (With unbeatable performance, Antec Gaming Cases obliterate the competition. The portable Three Hundred, versatile Nine Hundred, and robust Twelve Hundred combine unprecedented cooling, convenience, and style to offer gamers the coolest cases on the market.)
• LanBoy Air Blue
• LanBoy Air Yellow
• One Hundred
• Two Hundred
• Two Hundred V2
• Three Hundred
• Six Hundred
• Six Hundred V2
• Nine Hundred
• Nine Hundred Two
• Nine Hundred Two V3
• Twelve Hundred

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=NA==

ISK Series (Mini-ITX is the next "big" thing. And now, Antec introduces the ISK Series, an entire line of cases designed exclusively for Mini-ITX motherboards. Whether they're for a petite desktop option or a home theater PC, Antec's ISK Series are epic cases of mini proportions.)
• ISK-100
• ISK 300-65
• ISK 300-150
• ISK 310-150

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=Mjg4

New Solution (The New Solution Series cases bring together elegant styling and performance that means business. If you are looking for cases that combine classy design, Quiet Computing™ technology, and energy-efficient 80 PLUS® power supplies, we have your solution. NSK cases come in all shapes and sizes to meet all your computing needs.)
• Minuet 350
• NSK 1380
• NSK 1480
• NSK 2480
• NSK 3480
• NSK 4480
• NSK 4480 II
• NSK 4480B
• NSK 4480B II
• NSK 4482
• NSK 4482B
• NSK 6580
• NSK 6580B
• NSK 6582
• NSK 6582B
• VSK-2000
• VSK-2450

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=Mg==

Enterprise Server Chassis (Rock-solid, reliable cases to meet any server need, whether you are looking for a full sized server case like the Titan 650 Extended ATX case (designed expressly for dual Intel®Xeon® and AMD Opteron solutions) or a smaller server solution like the Atlas for dual processor servers.)
• Titan 650
• Atlas 550

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=Mw==

Rackmounts (Rackmount enclosures are critical components in a high-tech professional environment. Antec is proud to bring its reputation for quality and value to this market with a line of solid, reliable rackmount cases. With space-conserving design and efficient cooling and airflow, these cases are the perfect solution for anyone in need of a rackmount enclosure.)
• 2U22EPS460
• 2U26EPS600
• 3U22EPS600
• 3U26EPS600
• 2U26ATX550XR
• 3U25EPS650XR
• 4U22EPS650
• Take 3 + 650
• Take 4 + 650
• SIDE RAILS
• 26" SIDE RAILS

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=MQ==

HDD Enclosures
• MX-1
• MX-25
• MX-100

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=Mjk4

Dark Fleet
• DF-10
• DF-30
• DF-35
• DF-85

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=MzI5

LanBoy
• LanBoy Air Blue
• LanBoy Air Red
• LanBoy Air Yellow

Pasted from http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=MzQy

I just wanted to post a reply to this forum just in case somebody was still looking for a solid answer about video cards and the Antec Solo case. I just upgraded my computer with a Sapphire HD 6950 2GB Dirt Edition video card {11188-05-50G}. I have an Antec Solo case and this is the longest video card that will fit in this case without case modification. The card measures 10.23 inches or 260MM. The hard drive cage it is in front of cannot contain anything. So, you will lose one drive cage, but you can always use the upper level cage and get a drive converter so it sits nicely at the top near a ROM drive. I had to angle the back end to get the card to seat correctly. There is absolutely no more room behind this card.