Antec Sonata IV vs. Progress: Round Four

Noise and Thermal Testing, Stock

Our stock settings are pretty much what Antec seems to be gunning for with the Sonata IV. Since the single exhaust fan has three settings, we tested the enclosure with each setting. You may recall the NZXT H2 also had three fan settings; for our comparison here we used the medium setting which in our testing seemed to offer the best balance of thermal performance and acoustics.

While the processor and chipset fare a bit better compared to the air-starved NZXT H2, the In-Win BUC's performance is superior to both enclosures across the board. The Sonata IV has a hard time keeping up with the H2, but that's not entirely unexpected: the H2's two intake fans may not be getting much air, but they're still two more fans than the Sonata IV has. Antec designed the enclosure for silent running, though, so let's see how that works out.

Not very well, unfortunately. The H2 may run a little hotter than the Sonata IV, but it also runs quieter. The BUC once again has them both beat: it may use more fans, but it uses them intelligently, and as a result none of them have to run particularly fast to keep air flowing smoothly through the chassis. The fans on the CPU and GPU in the Sonata IV have to work harder, and the Sonata's side panels don't benefit from any noise-dampening material.

Also note that the maximum noise and temperatures under load seem to be nearly the same, regardless of which fan setting you select. That's due in large part to the GPU and CPU generating more noise and heat, so the case fan only plays a secondary role on the Sonata IV.