| Antec Solo-II Computer Case Enclosure |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases | ||||||||
| Written by Dan Ferguson | ||||||||
| Tuesday, 06 September 2011 | ||||||||
Page 2 of 6
Closer Look: ExteriorNothing says elegant, sophisticated and snooty like a grand piano, right? Just teasing, I actually enjoy a classical performance. And the Solo II reminds me of a guy in a tux playing a shiny black grand piano. In a mirror. The classy look maintains consistency with the Antec's Sonata line of cases and represents the needs of it's users. The Solo II is not just a hunk of metal and plastic merely meant to hold more plastic and metal. The Solo II is meant to be used where site and sound are important, or where the absence of such is desired.
The entire exterior is black, but the front panel provides a foil with it's flat black in contrast to the shiny sides, top and bottom. The front is kept unembellished sporting only two 5.25 bays and an unassuming line of ports and buttons. The bezel is anodized aluminum, and in theory this was probably a nice idea to add some accent. But in practice, even a small amount of spotting gives the case a cheap feel. I think this is because fingerprints on the shiny panels are obviously fingerprints on a shiny panel, but fingerprints on the bezel look like staining, wear, or something else. Really this is just a cosmetic nuisance. When the case is clean everything looks sharp!
The backside of the Solo II reveals a few interesting features. There is a top-mounted PSU, black interior finish, 7 expansion ports and a 120 mm fan. With the PSU mounted to the top the motherboard and expansion ports are shifted towards the bottom of the case. In rare instances this means less room for a bulky card, it is an intentional consequence as will be shown later.
In my experience a top-mounted PSU causes the case to feel heavier since it is top-heavy. On top of the case at the back sits an intake just above the PSU. I'm sure this may be helpful for some PSUs, but in my case there's no air flow through this vent and it's mostly a hole for noise to escape.
The bottom of the case has the same piano-black finish as the top and sides. The feet are made of a soft silicone which helps to dampen sound from transferring from the case to the desk. This may not seem very important, but my last case had hard plastic feet which transferred the hard drive clicks to the desk like a sounding board. Soft feet make a huge sound difference!
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Comments
##silentpcreview.com/article8-page2.html
I did this in the original Antec Solo (the revised version with the same elastic fabric as the Solo II, not the very first one that used poor quality elastic bands), and it works to keep the drive in place. Not fool-proof, but certainly better than not twisting the cord.
Are you having a laugh???
Do you know how many people have there rigs under desks?
So now when I switch from watching a movie to playing a game, I have to get down on my knees & thumble around the back feeling for a switch?
And the worst part, moving this switch to the front probably wouldn't have cost anything more to the manufacturing.
They review the case on a table with 360o access, forgetting that a lot of consumers who actually buy these cases, have them on the floor or under desk.
It just seems so obvious to me, I mean, would you put the start switch on the back? No! , so why put the fan controller on the back???
From what I can see, this Antec Solo II is executed well for a system w/ 500W PSU (aka not for really 1337 gamers), the major problem is the asking price where its only a few dollars less than the Antec P183. Cable management with top mounted cases has always been easier with bottom mounted cases and cables are easily enough tucked away with zip ties/modular PSUs...it doesn't really matter *how* you tuck it away because this case doesn't have a side windows.
I've wondered for some time why PSU manufacturers haven't offered PSUs with various configurations, i.e., having modular cabling that extends from perhaps the "top" of bottom-mounted units. Routing PSU cables has been a "one size fits all" affair for too long. And for quietness? A spray-on bedliner for pickup trucks that reduces noise as well as protects the bed has been around for years. Why not utilize it, or something like it, in computer cases as well.
My two cents. Spend it wisely.
Shame about that cable management though.
Thank for the review, but one question (that's probably pretty stupid), what's with the CPU heatsink orientation?
Must bugger up the ram slots something terrible as well, bad enough with some correctly positioned coolers let alone sticking right over the top.
The thing reminds me of the Antec NSK 4480 II I bought as my very first case. Why they were still selling that dinosaur in late 2009 I don't know. This is better, but the air going into that case is going to hiss through the openings around the back of the face plate.
Well, no one who reads these reviews will be a customer for this case, but I'll say it now: Don't. Get. This. Case.
This looks like it will be a great case for an air-cooled system that don't produce excessive heat. With the new 23- and 25- and 28- nanometer parts coming out (Ivy Bridge, Southern Islands, etc -- which use less power) the Solo II can hold plenty of computer power for most purposes.
##jr.com/antec/pe/ANT_SOLOII/