Silverstone TJ07 Full-Tower Case

Reviews: Cases

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Brian Kristensen
Kurtis
Silverstone
Feb. 28, 2006

Specifications

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Inside the Case

Overview

Getting into this case was actually quite a challenge for several reasons. First off, several of the screws are hard to remove because many of the holes aren't properly aligned. This makes removal of the side panels and motherboard tray a bit of a chore. Second, the left side panel that exposes the motherboard jams easily. At first it seemed as if the panel was welded shut. After some adjustments with a pair of pliers and a couple weeks of use, the panel slides on and off more readily but it still isn't perfect. I will go much more in-depth regarding these issues in the "Quality Check' section.

With the side panels off, we can now see the composition of the TJ07's interior. Many cases are utilizing separate compartments these days, and for good reason - airflow can be better directed to the components that need it. The bottom compartment houses the hard drive cages and power supplies (yes, that's plural) while the top compartment contains the motherboard tray and external drive bays. The power supply bracket is removable and has room to mount one or two PSUs.

Drive Bays

There are seven external 5.25" bays and one external 3.5" bay in the top compartment. The 3.5" bay comes stocked with a front panel I/O device concealed behind an aluminum door. There are two hard drive cages in the bottom compartment that can house a total of six drives. All drives are secured in place using screws; there are no toolless devices here.

While the hard drive cages are aluminum, their mounts are steel. Each cage has a 120mm fan that sucks air into the cage. The cage mounts can be reversed allowing the air to be pulled in from the right side of the case instead of the left. Both side panels need to be removed in order to remove the hard drive cages. Once the panels are off, you must first remove a thumbscrew on the right side then pull the cage out through the left side. The thumbscrew is actually part of the cage mount so you won't have to worry about losing it.

Motherboard Tray

The motherboard tray is the only other steel component in the case. While an aluminum tray would have been possible, the added strength of the steel will ensure that everything is safe and secure. Even though the rest of the case is aluminum, the thickness of the panels negate any weight-related benefits of using aluminum over steel.

The motherboard tray doesn't come with a standard I/O panel because frankly, there is no standard anymore. Most motherboards come with their own I/O panel to fit that board's specific layout. Next to the I/O panel are two 92mm intake fans. These fans use wire grills that allow for plenty of airflow.

As with the rest of the case, there are no toolless features here. Regular thumbscrews are used to secure the add-in cards.

Power Supply

You can install and utilize one or two power supplies in this baby without having to modify a thing. The PSU mounting bracket comes preinstalled with a grill over one of the PSU mounts, but it can be removed allowing room for a second PSU. Silverstone even includes the necessary wiring and connections to do so. This opens up a wide array of options for many different types of users. Two low-power PSUs could be installed, allowing for higher than average power while minimizing noise. Or two top-of-the-line PSUs could be installed giving you plenty of juice for that SLI setup and RAID 10 array! Of course, this assumes you have the money for two power supplies and the components they will run; but if you are looking to house your system in this case, money most likely isn't a concern.

Cooling

Silverstone has opted for a slightly different cooling setup than we are used to with the TJ07. There is no front intake at all. There are grills on both sides of the case allowing the intake and exhaust of air for the hard drives. Depending on how you have the hard drive cages set up, the air can flow in from the left and out of the right or vice versa. The power supply uses its own fan for air circulation and will typically pull air in through the side of the case and exhaust out the back. This keeps the power supply from having to deal with the heat generated by the rest of the computer.

As for the top compartment, the two rear 92mm fans pull air into the case, through the CPU heat-sink and past the memory modules and exhausts out the top 120mm fans. This allows for fresh air to pass over the CPU and get it out of the case. But what about the graphics card you say?

The only fans pushing air into and out of the top compartment are the two rear 92mm intake fans and the top two 120mm exhaust fans. With more air being sucked out than being pulled in, low internal pressure is created in the top compartment. If you look next to the PCI slots, you will notice an elongated vent with no fans. The low internal pressure sucks air in through this area, allowing fresh air to pass over the graphics card(s). (Ed. - In most configurations, this will be fine, but this isn't really optimal cooling for ATI's more recent top-of-the-line cards which take up two PCI slots and pull in air from the front edge of the card as opposed to the bottom side. It should still be fine, I just like to nitpick.)

Assembly

As I had previously mentioned, most of the case is held together using screws. The motherboard tray and its rails are the only components that are secured using rivets. Of course, when I heard this I had to take the case apart! and I did! and here it is!

This case is definitely a modder's dream. There is plenty of room for fans, radiators and pumps and everything is so simple and easy to deconstruct. Of course, I couldn't imagine taking a Dremel to this beauty. Getting so much as a fingerprint on such an expensive case is absolutely absurd and I think it may even be considered a sin in some religions! To each his own, however, and I must say it will be interesting to see what people come up with. If you do decide to mod one of these (or any case for that matter), we encourage you to share your worklog with us in our forums.

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

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Add Comment

8 User Comments

1 - Posted by f112 on April 30, 2006 - 8:28 am

Good job with the review, very helpful. I become a member just thank the writer.

2 - Posted by handrail on May 2, 2006 - 9:15 am

glad you liked the review. don't be a stranger to our forums!

brad.

3 - Posted by Brian on May 2, 2006 - 11:51 am

Glad you enjoyed the review. Are you planning on purchasing a TJ07?

4 - Posted by QuakeMazer on October 22, 2007 - 1:49 pm

I very much enjoyed the review, and yes I purchased this case, will be adding modifications to it and will post pictures :)

5 - Posted by Kurtis on October 22, 2007 - 5:13 pm

Welcome to the forums, QuakeMazer. We look forward to seeing your mods to this beautiful case. :)

6 - Posted by sirreal7 on January 20, 2008 - 7:45 pm

i am trying to decide between buying the cooler master cm stacker 832 se OR the silverstone tj07 . if any tech heads out there have messed with both of these uber cases , then please advise as to which one you would spend your hard earned cash on . obviously the cm stacker 832 se is cheaper but the real issue with me is which one is slickest .
feedback please .
sirreal7@hotmail.com

7 - Posted by Kurtis on January 21, 2008 - 11:22 pm

Any SilverStone case beats the Stacker any day, IMO.

8 - Posted by Dyrewolph on February 6, 2008 - 3:05 pm

I've had the stacker for almost a year now and it's been absolutely awesome...

... that said, due to space restrictions (smaller bedroom etc) It's sitting behind my desk at the moment so no one gets to see it's pretty blue lights anymore :-(

(ps even sitting behind the desk I've had no problems with it overheating or anything!)

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