Antec Solo II questions

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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Jnzk
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Antec Solo II questions

Post by Jnzk » Sun Sep 21, 2014 2:26 am

I was going to buy the Fractal R4 case for my next system, but then I noticed it's slightly too wide. Width needs to be under 23 cm to fit under my desk. So I'm thinking Antec Solo II would be a "best of the rest" choice.

Almost all high-end X99 motherboards from Gigabyte seem to have E-ATX size these days: 30.5 cm x 25.9 cm. Will these boards fit into a Solo II?

Also a question about PSU. Which is the ideal way to mount a Seasonic M12II power supply? Normally or upside down?

If you have any recommendations for alternative quiet cases that have a width under 23 cm and height under 50 cm, I'm happy to hear them.

CA_Steve
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by CA_Steve » Sun Sep 21, 2014 6:10 am

Welcome to SPCR.

Maybe you could describe the "under the desk" condition a little more (is it closed on all sides, if not what are the dimensions..). When I see Haswell-E and 'fit under the desk' together, I wonder what is in the system (which CPU, GPU, etc) and whether it'll be able to breathe / keep cool. That will determine the best case and other component choice.

Jnzk
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by Jnzk » Sun Sep 21, 2014 6:42 am

What I meant was that there's a dedicated hole for the computer under the desk, which is 23 cm wide and 50 cm high. Front and rear are open. The length of the piece of wood where the unit is to sit is 38 cm, but length doesn't matter too much as long as the feet of the case aren't placed at the very ends. My current case is Antec Solo, which fits nicely.

Possible components are Core i7-5820K, GTX 970, 16 GB RAM, 1 SSD, 1 HDD, 1 optical drive and a card reader.

Abula
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by Abula » Sun Sep 21, 2014 6:46 am

I agree with steve, i think its best to list the components you are planning, the antec solo II is not a bad choice but has some drawbacks, specially for X99, since most of those motherboards have the first PCIe in the first lane.... depending on the GPU length... it might not fit with the hdd cage in front.

Some other cases to look into,
Obsidian Series® 550D Mid-Tower Quiet Case - Dimensions: 20.9” x 8.7” x 19.5”, the width would be around 22cm, so fits what you are looking. No mention on EATX mobos.
Carbide Series® 330R Quiet Mid-Tower Case - Dimensions 495mm x 210mm x 484mm, "Compatibility E-ATX, ATX, Micro ATX and Mini ATX motherboards".
Coolermaster Silencio 550 Dimensions 210 x 451.5 x 505.0 mm, but no EATX support stated.
Nanoxia NXDS2W White Steel ATX Mid Tower Deep Silence 2 Gaming Computer Case - Dimensions 21.75" x 12.00" x 26.50" (H x W x D), Compatibility Micro ATX / ATX / Mini ITX / E-ATX.
Nanoxia NXDS1B Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Dimensions Approx. 8.66" x 20.35" x 20.94", around 22cm width. No mention on E ATX, Compatibility ATX, XL-ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX.

The only one that fits your 23cm width and 50cm height, and has stated EATX support is the Corsair 330R.

Jnzk
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by Jnzk » Sun Sep 21, 2014 8:39 am

Abula wrote:the antec solo II is not a bad choice but has some drawbacks, specially for X99, since most of those motherboards have the first PCIe in the first lane.... depending on the GPU length... it might not fit with the hdd cage in front.
Hmm, I thought one of the selling points of Solo II was that it's able to accommodate longer cards?

Abula
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by Abula » Sun Sep 21, 2014 9:18 am

Jnzk wrote:
Abula wrote:the antec solo II is not a bad choice but has some drawbacks, specially for X99, since most of those motherboards have the first PCIe in the first lane.... depending on the GPU length... it might not fit with the hdd cage in front.
Hmm, I thought one of the selling points of Solo II was that it's able to accommodate longer cards?
You probably right, personally i though the 1st pci might be in line with the HDD box, but seems it might be slighly above, here is a pic using the 1st pcie slot.

Image

mentawl
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by mentawl » Sun Sep 21, 2014 12:53 pm

I don't think E-ATX will work in a Solo II, especially if the ATX power connector is along the "front" edge - there's not much clearance between the 3.5" drive cage and the motherboard. It's kinda cozy even with my standard ATX board if you want the ATX cable hidden behind the drive cage.

CA_Steve
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by CA_Steve » Sun Sep 21, 2014 3:02 pm

[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/motherboard/#c=101&f=2,7I see three[/url] ATX X99 mobo's from Gigabyte that are readily available in the US. Also looks like Asrock sells X99 in uATX :D

More questions (that's how we roll)

Why Gigabyte: For a Hackintosh?

Why Haswell-E: Please don't say gaming!

The SoloII is an awesome case..but you definately trade off gfx card temps for quietness. That said, the GTX 970 looks to be a cool running card in the better forms. So, it could work well.

I need to spend some time and build a GTX 970 thread...

Jnzk
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by Jnzk » Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:17 am

I'm looking for a dust filter to place on top of the PSU vent... Would a Demciflex 140mm filter cover the whole opening? Anyone have the exact dimensions?

quest_for_silence
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by quest_for_silence » Tue Oct 28, 2014 2:20 pm

Jnzk wrote:I'm looking for a dust filter to place on top of the PSU vent... Would a Demciflex 140mm filter cover the whole opening? Anyone have the exact dimensions?

The dimensions of the Antec enclosure opening, or of the DEMCiflex filters?

The standard DEMCiflex Square 140 is 153x153mm, but in case you may request directly a custom shaped filter: whether 140x140mm were enough for you, you may also check the Silverstone catalogue (either the magnetic dust filter FF141 or the FF143 one).

On the other hand, whether you're looking for the actual Solo II top inlet measurements and nobody will answer soon, you might ask to Antec customer support, or perhaps you might drop a PM to some local Solo II owner (our kind co-forumer Abula is the first who comes to mind among them).

mentawl
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by mentawl » Tue Oct 28, 2014 5:05 pm

Jnzk wrote:I'm looking for a dust filter to place on top of the PSU vent... Would a Demciflex 140mm filter cover the whole opening? Anyone have the exact dimensions?
Hi there :)

Measured the PSU vent opening on my Solo II, it's exactly 142mm x 142mm.

cheers,
Tom

Jnzk
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Re: Antec Solo II questions

Post by Jnzk » Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:46 pm

Thanks guys, I think the standard 140mm filter will do just fine then. :)

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