Antec LifeStyle Solo ATX Quiet ATX Mini-Tower Case (Piano Black)
by Antec
List Price:
Our Price: $71.13
You Save: $48.82 (41%)
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Buy Used: from $54.95 (click here)
Category: CE
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Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: AntecAudio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD
Platform: Windows
Model: SOLO
Product features:
- 8 drive bays: four external 5.25", four internal 3.5"
- Accommodates any ATX12V or ATX12V v2.0 form factor power supply
- Tray mount or suspension mount for best possible quiet operation
- Dual-layer sound deadening panels and a suspension system makes hard drive noise a thing of the past
- Fits Micro ATX (9.6-by-9.6-inch) and Standard ATX (12-by-9.6-inch) motherboards
- Coolmax 14909 PS-224 LCD 24-Pin ATX Power Supply Tester
- Cooler Master eXtreme Power Series 500W ATX form factor 12V V2.01 Power Supply - (713001700)
- Cooler Master eXtreme Power Series 550W ATX form factor 12V V2.01 Power Supply - (713001630)
- Cooler Master eXtreme Power Series 600W ATX form factor 12V V2.01 Power Supply - (713001550)
- OCZ OCZ1000EXS 1000W(1KW) EliteXStream Power Supply with Internal 120mm Fan
Digital camera reviews of Antec LifeStyle Solo ATX Quiet ATX Mini-Tower Case (Piano Black)
Digital camera Review: A superior quiet case, but beware long expansion cards
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the standard-bearer ATX case for those who build quiet PCs. I have two. The first was originally called the P150, and it shipped with a white finish and a power supply. The current Solo does not come with a power supply.
THE GOOD:
Build. This is a heavy, steel case that could double as a car jack. I wouldn't have any qualms about sitting on one. It's a breed apart from cases like Cooler Master's 330 series. Little things like thumb-screws for the main side panel that don't fall out add to the experience.
Paint. The paint finish is automotive-caliber gloss black. Every other case short of the very high-end models with matte black aluminum looks cheap by comparison.
Wire organization. The inside has wire hangers on the back of the metal where the motherboard is mounted and the the backs of the drive trays. If you're OCD about clutter, the Solo will give you the tools for a spotless build.
Silent touches. It has rubber feet to dampen vibration, sound-deadening on the main side panel (though it's really more of a reflector; silence nuts should try lining the interior of the case with foam), silicon grommets on the hard disk trays, and elastic cords to suspend the hard disks. The case is keyed for 120mm fans in the back and 92mm for disk cooling. These sizes are quieter and more effective at moving air than 80mm, but not so large that it's hard to find high-quality fans like it would be for the gigantic one-off sizes in some tweaky gamer cases.
That last feature is unique among cases. Hard disks are a major noise source for two reasons: they whine, and they cause the case to hum by vibrating the case panels. Suspending the drive doesn't do anything for whine, but it completely eliminates hum. I've disconnected the bright blue LED on my case. With a 10,000 RPM Raptor disk and a 7200 RPM Samsung suspended inside, it's impossible to tell if the system is on without looking at the hard disk activity light.
All of the drive trays are removable. Floppy, 5.25" DVD, and hard disks all slide out from the front. It's not quite hot-swap simple because you've still got to mess with cables in the back, but it's vastly preferable to physically screwing the drives into the case.
Cooling. The qualifier here is that cooling is excellent for a silent case with a high-mounted power supply. Dozens of porous cases with mesh grilles over everything will outperform it, but with a full complement of fans (2 x 92mm in the front, CPU fan, PSU fan, 1 x 120mm in the rear), it's very capable. My white Solo is a server. It holds 11 3.5" drives and runs a dual-core Athlon X2 chip passively cooled. The only fan in the case is a Nexus 120mm in the rear undervolted to 600 RPM. Hard disk temperatures are 35C to 45C. The chip is never above 55C.
THE BAD:
It's cramped for dense builds. Large video cards won't fit with dremeling a notch in the hard disk bays. The bays themselves are parallel to the case, so the backs of the drives aim toward the motherboard. It's awkward to do the initial SATA connections, particularly if you have any sort of long PCI card installed.
More recent cases mount the power supply on the bottom of the system for better airflow. The Solo is not one of them. If the power supply isn't modular with detachable cables, the unused cables will droop down over the motherboard. I have my cable excess filling the space between the the DVD drive and the floppy in the upper drive bays.
The included 120mm Antec TriCool is not silent. You can either attempt to undervolt it with a step-down 12V to 5V molex line, or replace it with a 120mm fan recommended by SilentPCReview. I opted for two Nexus Real Silent case fans. At 600 RPM, they cool effectively and are completely inaudible.
The motherboard tray isn't removable. This and the high-mounted PSU conspire against component twiddling. To replace the PSU, I have to take off my CPU heatsink and take extra care not to gouge a hole in the motherboard.
The elastic bands for disk suspension stretch over time and drop the drives. The solution is to toss them in a drawer and buy Stretch Magic bracelet line. It doesn't stretch at all once you've installed it.
That's about it, actually. These cases tend to go on sale for $30-$40 every few months. I consider it somewhat underpriced at $100, so if you can catch the lower prices, buy an extra one for a future build.
Summary of Antec LifeStyle Solo ATX Quiet ATX Mini-Tower Case (Piano Black)
Piano black finishing Dual hard drive mounting system Accommodates any ATX12V or ATX12V v2.0 form factor power supply. 8 Drive Bays (or 7 drive bays with Suspension Mount of the HDD) - External: 4 x 5.25 (Two with universal drive covers, one with 5.25 to 3.5 adapter) - Internal: 4x 3.5 (Tray Mount) or 3 x 3.5 (Suspension Mount) for HDD Dual-layer steel & plastic sound-deadening panels Front-mounted ports provide convenient connections - 2 x USB 2.0 - 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire , i.Link ) - Audio in/out Motherboard: Fits micro and Standard ATXThe Antec LifeStyle Solo ATX Quiet ATX Mini-Tower Case features the latest in noise reduction technology, including dual-layer sound deadening panels and a suspension system that makes hard drive noise a thing of the past. In addition to a variety of quiet computing features, the Solo's versatility offers you a choice of the best power supply to fit your needs. The included 120-millimeter TriCool fan will keep your system running cool, and the modern case design makes upgrading and accessing important components a breeze.
Designed to fit micro and standard ATX motherboards, the Solo accommodates any ATX12V or ATX12V v 2.0 form factor power supply, making it an extremely versatile solution. The case includes a total of eight drive bays (or seven drive bays with suspension mount of the HDD), including four 5.25-inch external bays (one with 5.25-inch to 3.5-inch adapter), and four 3.5-inch tray mount internal bays (or three 3.5-inch suspension mount bays for HDD). The case's enhanced cooling system comprises one rear 120-millimeter TriCool fan with three-speed switch control, and two front fan mounts for optional 92-millimeter fans to cool the HDD. Front-mounted ports provide convenient connections: two USB 2.0, one IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.Link), and audio in/out.
Other features include:
- Piano-black finishing
- Dual-layer steel and plastic sound-deadening panels
- Cable organizer behind drive bay to minimize cable clutter
- Built-in washable air filter
LifeStyle Solo tower case, set of screws and motherboard standoffs, and installation manual.
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