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Silverstone TJ07 Full-Tower Case
Quality Check
Our quality check basically consists of three things: Structural Integrity, Installation, and Safety. Structural integrity testing is where we apply pressure to the case from different directions and check to see if the frame can be easily bent or twisted out of shape. Installation is the process of installing the various system components and making sure that installation goes smoothly. Lastly, the safety testing is a result of the installation process. After installing everything, I should be left without any open wounds. Structural Integrity As I mentioned before, the construction of this case is unique and lends quite a bit to its strength. While aluminum cases are usually weaker than steel cases, the 4-8mm thick shell of this case, coupled with the 2mm thick panels and extruded supports, make this one of the strongest aluminum cases I have seen. The TJ07 is stronger than many of the steel cases out there as well. Normally with our testing, we put pressure on the different sides of the case and twist the case to see how much it gives. I wouldn't even know how to go about twisting this case without some kind of pneumatic machinery. While the structure of the case is quite sound, I did run into some issues which I will cover in the next section as they have more to do with the installation process than a structural weakness. Installation Some people like features such as toolless PCI slots and drive bays and some people don't. I have used numerous toolless solutions from several different companies and usually end up wanting to use good ol' thumbscrews. The only toolless PCI solution that has really impressed me is Cooler Master's setup seen in their more recent cases. As for toolless drive bays, I do like Antec's solution and there are a few others that are easy to use but they are rather unsightly. I personally am not going to take any points off for the lack of a toolless solution in the TJ07 because I prefer its cleanliness, which not only makes installation smoother but it's easier on the eyes as well. Then again, how often do I sit and admire the interior of my computer cases?     Installation was easy enough despite the lack of toolless features. Routing wires wasn't an issue thanks to the design of the compartments. The only wiring problem I ran into was that my 4-pin power supply cable wasn't long enough to reach the connector on the motherboard, which was "conveniently' located as far away as possible. The solution was simple; I simply swapped the PSU's location, which rotated it 180°, giving me enough slack for the wire to reach. When removing the hard drive cages, I noticed that they were very tightly held in place by the cage mount's tabs. After pulling the cages out, both had some pretty nasty scratches on them. I was able to bend the tabs on the mounts (with pliers, of course) outward just a tad so they were tight enough to hold the cages in securely and avoid vibration while still allowing them to slide in and out with ease.     My only other gripe feature-wise is the lack of an easy-plug front I/O cable. As it is now, to pull out the motherboard tray, I would have to unplug the front panel wires and consult my motherboard's manual to figure out how to plug them all back in again. Even sub-$100 cases such as the Kingwin KT424 had an easy-plug I/O cable, so I'm not sure if this was something that was accidentally overlooked, or simply wasn't a priority. Aside from these issues, I did have a few problems with this case that occurred before hardware installation could even begin. Each side panel is held in place by four screws, but the only screws that are able to be installed and uninstalled with ease are the two surrounding each panel's handle. The four holes towards the corners of the case don't line up well at all and require a screwdriver along with excessive force to remove the screws or get them in place. This isn't really that big of an issue because each side panel can be held in place quite well when only using the holes surrounding the handles. However, the motherboard tray also has holes that do not line up correctly. I also had some trouble with the power supply mounting bracket's screws. This time, it wasn't because the holes didn't line up, but because the holes in the bracket were too small. After removing the bracket from the case, two of the screws had to be forced out of the bracket because the threads were holding them in place. Back to the side panels, I ran into another problem once the screws were removed. While the right side panel came off with ease, the left side panel (the panel exposing the motherboard) decided to give me some trouble. At first I thought that something had happened to the case during shipping that caused the panel to jam itself into place but as time passed and the panel still wouldn't come off, I was almost certain someone had taken an arc welder to the case and its panel. I was finally able to remove the panel using brute force and after close inspection, it seemed like one of the two protruding tabs used to hold the panel in place had been bent out of shape. After attempting to right them myself with a pair of pliers and a flathead screwdriver, the panel fit better but was still hard to remove. A couple weeks later things have gotten better due to constant use, but it still doesn't fit well. When swapping the panels and installing the right side panel on the left side, I was treated to a smooth installation.   After I had installed a computer in the case and turned it on, I noticed that the front panel LEDs are mislabeled. The hard drive activity LED has the power icon while the power LED has the HDD activity icon. Having dealt with these issues, I wanted to find out if this was an isolated incident or a widespread problem. I was able to get in touch with someone who owned the TJ07 and they claimed to have almost all of the same problems I did. However, their issues with the screws didn't seem to be as bad as mine. Shortly thereafter, I got in touch with Silverstone and voiced my concerns. The reply I received was that Silverstone was aware of some of the issues, and the potential of others. Due to the main shell's strength and shape, workers are required to spend extra time getting everything to fit together perfectly (which also attributes to the case's high cost). However, due to the precise fit of the components, the case has a chance to get ever so slightly bent out of shape during shipping, ruining the perfect fit and misaligning the holes. Silverstone went through great lengths to minimize these potential issues, such as the extreme case packaging, but it looks like it wasn't enough. As for the issue of the stuck side panel, Silverstone is going to be changing the way the side panel mounts in the case's next revision, reverting to a method similar to that used with the TJ03. The case engineers at Silverstone are also considering alternate methods for holding the hard drive cages in place. I suggested that they take a note from Antec's implementation on the P180. The easy-plug front I/O cable and mislabeled HDD and power LEDs I mentioned earlier will also be fixed in the next case revision. The Silverstone representative I talked to also said that if a customer is having problems with their case, Silverstone is willing to work with them to fix the problem, replace the faulty parts or even replace the entire case depending on the conditions. While the case may have a couple flaws, it looks like Silverstone is doing everything they can to keep their customers happy. If you do need to contact them, you can call their main USA number at (909) 598-2318, or email their support at joel@silverstonetek.com, and make sure to mention TheTechLounge. Safety Many of the components of the TJ07 are machine extruded and lack sharp edges. Most of the stamped panels don't have rolled edges, but are fairly thick and not sharp enough to cut you. A couple of the edges in the most commonly accessed areas have a plastic molding along them, but I think they are there for peace of mind rather than actually protecting you from a danger lurking below. I have yet to cut myself on this case, but the tough screws and jammed side panel may cause certain people to react violently, potentially causing themselves, as well as the case, harm. 
Page 1: Introduction & First Impressions
Page 2: Inside the Case Page 3: Quality Check Page 4: Conclusion 
Related Reviews 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!) 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. |
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