Testing Methodology

Since there doesn’t exist a synthetic benchmark for how good cable management is yet, I’m afraid you’ll have to run with my own experiences with the case. Focusing on a few key features, such as strength, noise and cooling and anything else that springs to mind, I’ll run down my views of the chassis and tell you what I think.

Results

Strength

The case does have some external plastic parts, but they’re all nice glossy high quality stuff and there really isn’t too much, just down the sides of the front.

The case does feel heavy, much heavier than other Mid-ATX cases I have used. Everything feels sturdy and strong. The paint appears to be of a high quality too, it’s a lovely finish and it shouldn’t scratch too easy either. The only downside I’ve found is that it’s a bit of a finger print magnet but all similar cases like this are, and any marks are easy to remove compared to other cases like my Corsair 700D which can take quite a lot of elbow grease to clean.

Noise and Cooling

The case has many noise dampening features, such as the durable 1.0 mm SECC / polycarbonate top & side panels, the hard disk tray mounts with silicone grommets and the suspension mounting system. These combined with the fact that it only has a single 120mm fan that runs at either 600 or 1000 RPM all contribute to making the Antec Solo II a very quiet case indeed.

I added another two fans to the front of the case, one in the area below the hard disk, which helps keep the graphics card area cool and one in the hard disk cage. I found that only a low RPM fan is needed for that as hard disks only produce a small amount of heat.

I feel that a second fan, either in the hard disk area or below that would make a worthwhile extra.

The case performed very quietly, I was surprised with how little noise everything generated.

One thing to watch out for if using one of the Antec Kuhlers is to ensure that the fan is set up to exhaust the air out of the case. I made this mistake, thinking it wouldn’t make too much of a difference, but once I started gaming, things heated up inside the case quickly. Flipping the fan completely sorted the issue and the GPU saw a drop from 78C to just 54C, quite a difference.

Features

The case does not have much cable management or ‘tool less’ features but does have some more interesting features that aren’t available on other systems. The USB 3.0 ports and USB 3.0 connector are great to see too. I also really liked the dust filters, they didn’t appear to be very restrictive but definitely pick up the dust.

Conclusion

The cooling is perhaps a little disappointing, but as expected, noise levels are very good. Quality and looks are also top, very impressive.

Building the PC was easy, as easy as building any other computer. There were no notable difficulties. That said, unless you use a very small system due to the confined interior, water cooling in this case would not be easy.

The case visually looks very professional and understated. I really like the front panel layout, everything on this case appears to make sense, nothing unnecessary or much I would change.

It would make a great purchase for someone looking to spend a little more on a case that will likely last a long time and will continue to be compatible with the latest hardware.

At £99.98 on Overclockers.co.uk, I feel the price is slightly high although you are paying for and getting a high quality product. I feel it represents fair value for money but you could probably get similar results with a less expensive case.

Pros

Good build Quality
Looks understated and professional
Lack of noise

Cons

Price is too high on this one
Only one fan included
Lack of cable management and ‘tool less’ features