Closer Look (Interior)
The inside isn’t painted or annodized but at its low cost this is to be expected. Additionally given the fact that the case does not have a window, showing of the inside is not a top priority of the consumer for this case. The lone 120mm fan sits on the back panel to exhaust hot air from the CPU and motherboard components. The Sonata Proto can fit any standard/microATX or mini-ITX motherboard. It has enough space to fit flagship video cards but they will be tightly fit against the drive bays with no space in between. Additional thought should be given to the heat generated in a smaller case with use of such cards.
One problem I came across was the fact that it’s virtually impossible to place the mother board before PSU. This causes plenty of issues. First and foremost, if you didn’t realize the issue right away the motherboard will be often the first thing to be placed and screwed in and if done in this manner the PSU will not fit through the space provided. Another issues will come if you ever need to replace your PSU, such as in the case of getting a new card or simply replacing an old PSU for one with higher wattage or more efficiency. Taking apart the whole build and then putting it back together just to replace PSU isn’t something anyone is happy to do.
The drive slots have been well thought through and this is apparant. Though they are not completely tool free, the removable sliding bay makes it much easier to install drives and devices. The whole casing leaves space behind the drives which allows for proper wire management.
 Overview |
 120mm Fan |
 Drive Bays |
Behind the 5.25″ drive cover you’ll find the brackets for your drives. Again, these are not tool free so you still need a screw driver to put them on the drive. After that the drive can be easily inserted into the bay.
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 Right Side |
 Front Panel |
Never underestimate the ease of use of a smaller case. I have found my personal preferences have gone toward these smaller cases and away from the full tower cases just due to weight and portability. Of course installation and customization is never easier than with a larger case.