Good Antec SOLO alternative?

Quitch · Post by **Quitch** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:57 am

I'm told the ATI HD 4870 X2 doesn't fit the solo without cutting into the drive bay, and I'll probably only stabbing myself in the eye or something.

So, that means I need to venture off this incredibly well trodden path and look for another case... and I have no idea since the SOLO is so widely used it was easy to pick.

Where do I go next. Something else from the Sonata range?

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:15 am

One alternative is P182, need slightly modding but offers more space and itty-bitty better temperatures...

Tzupy · Post by **Tzupy** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:20 am

In case you'll be able to get aftermarket cooling for the 4870X2, you need a case with very good airflow.
IMO the P182 wouldn't be much better than the Solo, I'd say go with the Mini P180 and a uATX motherboard.
The Mini P180 has a top 200 mm fan, SPCR review here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article810-page1.html

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:49 am

200mm fan is not silent, its quiet but not silent and as of best very hard to replace. Antec Three Hundred would offer great cooling but is hardly a silent case though.

Quitch · Post by **Quitch** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:31 am

Tzupy wrote:In case you'll be able to get aftermarket cooling for the 4870X2, you need a case with very good airflow.
IMO the P182 wouldn't be much better than the Solo, I'd say go with the Mini P180 and a uATX motherboard.
The Mini P180 has a top 200 mm fan, SPCR review here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article810-page1.html

I think mini-ATX would be too limiting, a brief search only revealed P45 motherboards from DFI, and the one I saw had the only other PCI-Express slot directly below that of the video card, and as all modern cards use two-slot solutions, this would mean I had no where to put my PCI-Express discrete soundcard.

Shame, case looks nice but I think mini-ATX would be impractical.

thejamppa wrote:One alternative is P182, need slightly modding but offers more space and itty-bitty better temperatures...

Modding for silence or to get a good fit? I'm not after the perfect case in terms of silence, I'm too much of a gamer to get it, just something that will be as quiet as possible with as little hassle to me as possible. If I need to break out the DIY tools then it's entered territory in which I don't tread. A screwdriver and thermal paste are my limits.

My plan was to connect an HR-01 PLUS to the rear fan to cool the CPU. The P182 seems to have speed controls on the back. Is this a speed limiter cap, or desired speed? Would I still be able to hook the rear fan to the CPU fan point and have the motherboard temperature sensors control speed, or would this case not allow this strategy.

EDIT: Having done some additional reading the P182 looks like it might be a good buy. I don't think the kind of HDD space it provides, but it would provide good coverage of the CPU and allow me to work with an after-market GPU cooler since there appears to be plenty of potential to change the airflow around.

My only concern is how to check whether a PSU will have long enough cabling PRIOR to buying it

Gator · Post by **Gator** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 1:08 pm

thejamppa wrote:200mm fan is not silent, its quiet but not silent and as of best very hard to replace. Antec Three Hundred would offer great cooling but is hardly a silent case though.

Replacement (with another identical Antec 200mm fan) ain't hard.

Finding a QUIETER alternative 200mm fan... THAT is hard!

Fungi · Post by **Fungi** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 12:09 am

How about this dude? I was considering it but went with the Sonata III, but the K10 (or doorless K7) may be closer to what you're looking for.

Quitch · Post by **Quitch** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:00 pm

Alas, I went with the P182 and have run into a snag... I also went with a Zalman ZM1000-HP, and the P182 has a fan in the lower chamber I didn't know about which stops the PSU from fitting.

I chose the PSU because it's efficient, quiet (quietest reviewed by SPCR), and supplies all the power I'll ever need.

So my question is, do I ditch the PSU for another, or can I remove the lower fan without harming airflow in the case. Note that those clips don't seem to want to budge, if I remove the fan I don't think it's ever going to clip back in place, it's a hell of a tight fit.

KlaymenDK · Post by **KlaymenDK** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:26 pm

I also considered a Solo for the longest time, then ended up with a 182 instead.

I haven't received it yet but boy, have I read a lot of reviews.

Are you planning on putting a lot of disks in that lower chamber, or will the PSU have it all for itself? The PSU you've chosen has its own fan, so if you block off the (intake?) vents around the PSU back plate, it should be able to manage its own airflow.

Quitch · Post by **Quitch** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:32 pm

Well boy do I suck, it was actually a piece of cake to remove the fan, I just didn't notice the small slits I had to poke, and then the other bits just slid off. Easy. I'm dense.

The PSU will probably have one hard drive down there, though I can always put that in the upper chamber, but with the 4870X2 up there I think the bottom is better.

Should the PSU have the fan facing up or down? There's no fan facing into the case.

EDIT: The SPCR of this case has them removing the lower fan and putting the PSU fan facing down while blocking the rear holes. I'll match that and see how it goes.

What's best to block with? Electrical tape? Any downside to sellotape?