Antec Sonata IV vs. Progress: Round Four

Noise and Thermal Testing, Overclocked

This is admittedly probably more of a thermal load than the Sonata IV was designed for, but there are some pleasant surprises to be had here. Our overclocked setup is about where this enclosure should peak and fairly close to the limit of stress that should be placed on the included power supply.

Uh oh. Once we start pumping more voltage through the processor and jacking up the heat output, the H2 starts to really suffocate under the increased thermal load. Antec's enclosure may be working as hard as it can, but it's still working to remove the excess heat and the air is flowing. With a single fan running at its highest setting, the Sonata IV is even able to start encroaching on the BUC's territory.

Unfortunately to hit those improved thermals the Sonata IV has to run louder than either competing enclosure. The H2 may run the quietest of the three, but the CPU temperature gets dangerously high. Thus far, the BUC continues to have the best balance of performance and acoustics. We also see no real reason to run the Sonata IV's single TriCool fan at any setting other than its lowest, at least at idle. Under load, the medium setting appears to be the sweet spot.