Sonata Mods

MonsterMac · Post by **MonsterMac** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:42 am

Hey All. This is my first post, but I've been browsing the SPCR Formus for quite some time. I've got an Antec Sonata that I've done Tom's front bezel improvements to. This didn't significantly lower my temperatures, but I found that by taping off the stamped Antec logo on the sides of the case, you channel the airflow more, allowing more air to flow across your HD/mobo/CPU and then back out the case. My conclusion is that when more air is also drawn in by the front bezel and filtered providing a cooler case. So far doing both of these improvements to my Sonata has lowered my case temp 4C (at idle) from 38C to 34C. My CPU temp has gone from 46C to 44C idle as well. Happy modding!

bomba · Post by **bomba** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 7:39 am

but didn't your power supply get louder? I played with taping this & that, trying to channel more air over the hard drives without increasing noise. Yes, taping the "antec" holes does drop HD temps slightly, but it also caused my M1A modded TP380S to run hotter with fan RPM going from 1200 or so to over 1500; not acceptable to me as the noise increase was noticible. BTW, installing the (internal) front fan dramatically lowers HD temps. I had previously replaced my exhaust fan with a Papst 4412. When I decided to try the stock Antec 120 as a HD sucker fan, I saw significant improvement in HD temps (10C or so if I remember correctly); but Antec fan even @6V was too loud so I yanked it out. I've got a 2nd Papst on order to use as a HD cooler, should provide most of the benefit with little addtional noise.

MonsterMac · Post by **MonsterMac** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 7:44 pm

Thank you for mentioning that, I just read another article on what the holes were designed for before i read your post and low and behold.. instead of 1200RPM's, the PSU's going at 1600!! and to think that i thought my videocard fan was causign all that noise... Thanks alot for the response, i am going to add a second fan, most likely a papst. One questoin do you run the Papsts which i assume have temperature controls on them from normal connectors or do you have them permanently at 5V or what. Also i can see in pictures of the papst 120mm fan that there are 3 wires, red, white, and blue. Red is obviously positive, but which one is negative, and which one controls temperature??

bomba · Post by **bomba** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:26 pm

There are (2) versions of the quiet 120mm 12V Papst you can consider. The 4412FGL is a 2-wire fan, no RPM and has a 4-pin pass thru type molex connector. The 4412F/2GL has the same cfm & speed, but has tacho and uses a 3-wire (mobo) connector.

I connect the 4412FGL case fan (and when it arrives, the HD fan) to the Sonata TP380 fan only molex connectors. These are variable voltage (as opposed to pwm), and are controlled by a thermal diode circuit located within the TP380S. For my setup the idle voltage on this connector is about 6Vdc. The Papst 4412FGL works great for this application. At all loads it is not audible over the Panaflo M1A that I swapped into the TP380S.

If you wish to hook case fans directly to your motherboard, get the 4412F/3GL. From what I've read on SPCR, the 120mm Panaflo L1A is comparable to the Papst 4412FGL, though this fan ships with bare tinned leads. L1A is also no tacho with similar airflow and noise level to the 4412.

MonsterMac · Post by **MonsterMac** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 10:22 am

now that i have lived for a week with the sonata stamped out pieces "taped" up, i've found it's put the RPM's of my PSU fan up about 400

rseiler · Post by **rseiler** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 11:59 pm

I've had mine taped up from the beginning due to dust. I see that with the ambient temp about 30C that the PSU fan is doing about 1480rpm, which is where I've always seen it. It can't be heard unless I get down next to the PC.

If I get a Papst, does it make most sense to use it for the intake fan, or should it be used in the back, with the stock fan being swapped to the front? Both will be hooked on Fan-Only, but I don't know if that means the airflow is the same between the two. If one was stronger, where should it go, front or back?

Shad0 · Post by **Shad0** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:50 am

Hello,

I've been reading about sonata mods for a while (I don't have one yet but plan to buy one in the next few weeks), and I wonder if anyone has tried to make some kind of air duct between the "ANTEC" holes on sidepanels and the psu. Since anyway Antec says those holes are mainly for psu cooling, I wonder if ducting might improve psu cooling.
And another point, has anyone tried drilling more holes in the side panel, so as to change the "ANTEC" area to a rectangular one ?

bomba · Post by **bomba** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 9:02 am

Shad0 wrote:Hello,

I've been reading about sonata mods for a while (I don't have one yet but plan to buy one in the next few weeks), and I wonder if anyone has tried to make some kind of air duct between the "ANTEC" holes on sidepanels and the psu. Since anyway Antec says those holes are mainly for psu cooling, I wonder if ducting might improve psu cooling.
And another point, has anyone tried drilling more holes in the side panel, so as to change the "ANTEC" area to a rectangular one ?

rseiler wrote:I've had mine taped up from the beginning due to dust. I see that with the ambient temp about 30C that the PSU fan is doing about 1480rpm, which is where I've always seen it. It can't be heard unless I get down next to the PC.

If I get a Papst, does it make most sense to use it for the intake fan, or should it be used in the back, with the stock fan being swapped to the front? Both will be hooked on Fan-Only, but I don't know if that means the airflow is the same between the two. If one was stronger, where should it go, front or back?

I went thru the following changes wrt 120mm Sonata fans:
1. Stock fan in back "fan only" no front fan
2. PAPST 4412 FGL in back "fan only" Much quieter than #1
3. PAPST 4412 FGL back, stock fan front, both "fan only" Hard drive temps dropped by 10C but front fan too loud for my tastes.
4. Just last night, installed a 2nd 4412 FGL in the front "fan only" Hard drive temps ~8C lower than no frt fan. Panaflo M1A modded TP380S pwr supply fan nominal speed increased from ~1100 to ~1250. In a quiet evening ambient, I can hear the M1A. I can only hear the PAPST fans if I (momentarily) stop the M1A.

irt power supply duct, it has been tried by Arcanthis, reported in this thread http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=9693
I suspect that in my configuration adding the front fan has made for less negative pressure in the case and that the result is more warm air from the CPU being drawn into the PS; thus the ~150RPM increase. I believe that a partition, preventing CPU heated air from entering the PS will help, and I plan to test it out soon.

lenny · Post by **lenny** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 10:25 am

Thanks for the info, Bomba. Do let us know about the results of the partition. I plan to add a partition to mine as well with some leftover Melamine panels from McMasters. Might as well add some noise absorption is my thought.

I mounted my M1BX to the PSU using isolators as well. I could only get two isolators in - one position was inaccessible, broke two isolators on the other hole. Looks secure enough for now. I'm also using the Vantec silicone isolator around the PSU, so that there's no metal to metal contact between the PSU and the case.

Where did you get your 4412FGL from? Only place I found them at is Directron where they sell for $18 + shipping.

Cutting out the "Antec" logo at the side panels would create better ventilation, but it'll also let out more noise. Now if we can drill holes in strategic positions to make "Antec" spell something interesting I'll be interested

I recall someone in the forums who mod his case by opening a hole on the side panel (lower right corner, near the HDD cage) and building a duct for it. I tried searching for it but couldn't find it, and I need to do some work

Edit : found it here.

CallMeJoe · Post by **CallMeJoe** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:59 pm

bomba wrote: I suspect that in my configuration adding the front fan has made for less negative pressure in the case and that the result is more warm air from the CPU being drawn into the PS; thus the ~150RPM increase. I believe that a partition, preventing CPU heated air from entering the PS will help, and I plan to test it out soon.

If you reexamine your case, you will find the front fan isn't an intake fan at all; it's set too far back from the front of the case to effectively pull in any outside air. All it does is draw air already in the case across the hard drives.
Your higher case temp is from the heat of the HDDs drawn out into the case (the cooler the hard drives, the higher the overall case temp). You would need to duct air from an intake through the HDD cage for that front fan to actually pull cool air into the case.

spacey · Post by **spacey** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 11:49 am

then how do you explain the dust on the filter? i am pretty sure cool air does come in through the front vent bcause of the intake fan, its just not very much because of the obstacles that impede the direct airflow.

CallMeJoe · Post by **CallMeJoe** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 4:53 pm

Air is pulled into the case, just not by the front fan. The 120mm exhaust fan and the PSU fan draw the air through. If the front fan were at the front of the case instead of behind the hard drive cage, it would function as an intake. As it is, a front fan does cool the hard drives effectively, at the cost of a slightly higher case temp.

spacey · Post by **spacey** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 7:55 am

if i don't turn on my front intake fan, my case temp is 3 deg higher, so i'm not sure how your sonata is, but clearly my front intake is bringing in the goods. this is a 120 mm fan at 5v.

Sonata Mods

Sonata Mods

Sonata psu air duct & ANTEC holes

Re: Sonata psu air duct & ANTEC holes

Re: Sonata psu air duct & ANTEC holes