Which case? Antec P182/Solo/Sonata III?

I have a post here

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] from-spend

that details the whole system I'm looking to get if you want to see, but I need some specific advice on a case.

I was looking at Antec P182/Solo/Sonata III as 3 possible cases. I'm pretty sure I'm getting a Corsair HX520W power supply (might be off on the name a bit) and on top of wanting the best case for my system which I'll list in a sec, I also need to make sure that my parts will fit in the case I end up getting, and that the PSU will have long enough cords. I know 1 of those 3 cases mounts the PSU on the bottom which I have heard can cause problems for shorter cords. If what I want will fit nicely in the other cases I think I'm leaning away from the P182 which is a shame because I really like the way they sectioned off the inside to reduce heat. Unfortunately the P182 has a front door and even though it flips around to the side, I really don't like front doors on my Cases...

Most of these parts are still on my "thinking of getting this part, but might get something similar" which is why I have the post in the other forum.

CPU - Q6600

MB - X82? Coming out this week? Or get the current boards?

Memory - Corsair XMS 2 gig or 4 gig total. Something less then $500 since I'm not a huge overclocker.

Video Card - ATI X1950Pro PCI-Express 256MB (already purchased cause of sale. Will tide me over till new '08 cards come out.

Hard Drive - WD 750GB - I hear they are pretty close in speed (in real life use) to the Raptor due to its density.

Sound Card - X-FI (right name?)

Power Supply - 500 to 600w should be good, as long as it has long cords and is quiet. Corsair HX520w?

Case - Looking at Antec P182 or SOLO or Sonata III. Just want something with good cooling and quiet.

Monitor - 24" Widescreen. Need good color/contrast/brightness and low timings. Dell, Samsung, BenQ?


Thanks for any advice you can give me!

My vote of those 3 would be a 182 as its got room to grow and should be almost as quiet as the others with the low fan speed. To move as much air the others would need to run med or even high(ouch thats loud)

@ Sparky6string - That looks like a solid case too.....the vent behind the cpu would also help get rid of heat build up behind the board.....hmmmm 900 mod time? maybe...

My Sonata II(and I for that matter) fit ANY ATX(as long as they follow the size limmits....it will fit...my p35 board is smaller then my x975 was ) spec board. but a 8800 gtx/ultra would require removal of the front fan(so i hear...never put one in there)... a 1950 will fit....be tight with the plug on the end but fit

see it fits its a 1900xt but they are the same size i think
Thats system is:
Sonata II - Dual Antec Pro fans (79cfm max...on fan controller) and 2 40mm's in the back bottom @ 5volts
P5W DH
E6600 - 2.93 - AC Freezer 7 Pro
X1900XT - Accelero cooler
2 gigs of ram
SB Audigy 2zs
4 HDD's 2 x 250 and 2 x 320
1 DVD-+R(W)
WinTV PVR 250
All on the included 450 watt SP 2.0 psu....So Sonata III should fit all this and have a better PSU

I can not comment on the solo

I was looking at a 180....but i did not like a full door(my mouse is right in front of the computer....)...i liked my sonata and sonata II's door allot...kept it clean looking...

In the end i got an Antec 900. So dont forget to look at that one...

http://techgage.com/article/antec_ [...] mid-tower/

you can see that the vents are quite well designed....this allows air in when the door is closed....I did not read this review....just found it for the pictures

Some have worried about the lack of a side vent....i am not sure....my 900 runs cooler then Sonata II, but it has over 2 times the fans....

Either way....there are lots of good reviews out there to look at too....

My vote is for the p182. Has plenty of room and as long as you buy the correct PSU the whole running the wires behind the mobo is priceless.

Honestly, I am not all that sure. I read that a lot of people bought the p180B and stated that it has all the features as the P182. I also read that a lot of people bought the p180B and it did not have the extra features. I tried contacting Antech and they had no comment on the issue. No vendor I talked could confirm it eaither. So, the P182 usually comes with a 30+ dollar rebat effectivly making it the same price as the P180B. Hence why I did not chane the P180B and bought the sure thing.