Silverstone Case SST-GD98LED - Articles / Reviews

Reviews: Cases

Silverstone Case SST-GD98LED

Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:

Richard Poelling
Kurtis
SilverStone
Aug. 14, 2004

<< Previous

Home >>

Quality Check

I will admit that I was a bit skeptical as to the quality of this case. Having never heard of Silverstone, I was of the opinion that this case was just another cheap knockoff that would serve me best as a beer coaster rather than a computer. After taking this case through its paces, I can say that I was wrong. Just from the finish on the exterior, it is apparent that extra care was taken for the overall "fit and finish" of this case.

The overall styling doesn't overly impress me, but styling is a more personal choice. All the parts located inside are sturdy and easy to remove. I was very happy to see a lack of sharp edges and corners; even the drive cages are all nicely rolled metal. My fingers were very appreciative of this.

Weight is not as much of a concern since this case is so small. It has a sturdy feeling to it during transportation. There is even a slight lip on the front of the case that makes picking it up very easy. This would make a nice LAN party case if you can manage to fit a decent video card into it. Unfortunately, most "good" video cards aren't getting any smaller, so fitting one inside a uATX may be a hit or miss affair. It will all depend on the video card and motherboard.

Besides the lighter weight of this case and the fact that if was very sturdy, I noticed that it is also full of holes. I don't mean this as a slam, but in term of ventilation. Even the front has square vent holes everywhere there was flat metal. A large ventilation cutout on the bottom, matches the holes that occupy both sides of the front fascia. All of this ventilation not only lightens the case, but also enables it run extremely well.

Although the metal on this case is top notch, the Silverstone logo that is illuminated on the top does tend to show through more than just the logo. Stylistically, it is a nice piece of eye candy, but I personally prefer not to have a flashing billboard next to my desk. Rather than just shine through the name, it creates an eerie glow around the plastic that just looks rushed and cheap to me. I would have liked to see more done with the power and HDD lights that are so small and well hidden, I had to disassemble the case to trace them through the wires.

The front panel doors will also balk at being closed unless you press exactly on the location of the button. This can be a hassle if the door keeps swinging open. Obviously, if you should fail to close the door, there is the increased possibility that it could be more easily damaged.

Conclusion

I was never a real big fan of the small uATX form factor. I found them to be too restrictive for my purposes. After dealing with the Silverstone, I find that it is possible to get a good quality case in a small package. The exterior finish on this case is masterfully done, as is the overall engineering that went into the functionality of it. Unlike some other small form factor cases, this one is a breeze to build up. The pricing for the case is about $60, which is reasonable for a case with these features. If you want a small form factor that can still hold a standard PCI card, then you may want to give the Silverstone chance.

Pros

Beautiful paint
Good cooling
All bays are stealthed
Firm Metal construction
Highly portable

Cons

Power and HD LED TOO well hidden
Lighted logo looks cheap
Doors can be a bit of a pain
May have problems using bay mounted Rheostats

<< Previous

Page 4 of 4

Home >>

Page 1: Introduction & First Impressions
Page 2: Opening the Case
Page 3: Inside the Case
Page 4: Quality Check & Conclusion

Subscribe to Mid-Tower [more info]

Add Comment

0 User Comments

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.