SilverStone SST-PS07B mATX Case Review

mATX Chassis Final Thoughts

First off, this isn't a case with which you'd want to constantly swap
components. This is more of a "build it then leave it" style of case
because you'll need to take the case completely a part screw by screw
and install your components screw by screw, and this goes for the hard
drives and optical drives too, as there are no tool-less mounts here.
The front fans are fairly easy to remove though. Simply remove the drive
cage and pull the fans out of the back (screws are in front for easy
access).

For such a small internal area, SilverStone engineers obviously thought
much about the PS07's design, and also about OCing in it. With nearly a
inch of space for cable routing, and the ability to mount 180mm PSUs and
13.9" video cards along with a full tower cooler, they really did their
job. The easy to clean front and power supply filters are also well
designed, and even elegant.

Other than having a lot of screws, comparatively speaking, the PS07
takes into account almost every single detail which you might come up
against. One problem is that if you use the top drive cage with drives
in it, you'll need to mount the cooling tower fan on the back near the
exhaust port (if you have a fairly fat tower). That's probably not a
problem since you'll be sucking air through the tower and blowing it out
of the back exhaust port. The manual says that SilverStone tested a
nonOC'ed Core i7 with the PS07 using a tower cooler--without the
fan--and it didn't overheat (PS07 manual 47). So, you have that option
too.

If you aren't going to OC, and you're not planning on swapping
components much, then the PS07 is unquestionably a very nice choice with
everything you'll need plus the advantage of a small footprint. It's a
solid and well thought out case. Of course you only get two 5.25" drive
bays, but for most people, that's enough. (I could even do with that
since I rarely use my internal card reader. Having only two bays would
leave me with one optical drive instead of two, which I don't need, and
my hot swap 3.5" bay, which I do need.)

The question whether or not we can seriously consider the PS07 while
OCing, however, remains. The PS07 is touted as having excellent positive
airflow and supports large tower coolers, with an option to water cool,
and an option to run your PSU downward to help suck air out of the
case, and so I'd say yes, we can OC in this box. I'm quite sure my air
cooled i7 920 at 3.8Ghz would run just fine in this case. Of course,
cooling performance varies depending on variables, so take that into
consideration.

SilverStone PS07 Conclusion

With a small footprint and lots of internal space, there isn't much
wrong with the SilverStone PS07. It's a well thought out case, with the
arguable exception of so many screws needed for assembly.

Appearance is always subjective, but this case is marketed squarely for
more mature tastes, with no fancy LEDs or other outside flair, while
retaining a sleek and solid look. For that reason, the PS07 retains an
all business appearance without being overly boring.

Construction of the PS07 is above average with the only aspect a little
thin being the top PSU mount, which becomes substantially sturdy after
the removable top is screwed down. There were somewhat sharp edges on
the top outside edge of the frame, where the side panels mount on both
sides, but they are outside of the working area. Aside from that,
everything is smooth with attention to quality. The paint is very thick
and the plastic has a matte-like aluminum finish to it.

Functionally speaking, the PS07 is a design with obviously much
attention to detail. The manual is full of measurements in every aspect,
such as cooling tower height, PSU and optical drive limitations (which
are almost limitless), ram height to hard drive specs, and cable length
recommendations. Along with that, the manual includes alternatives for
placement of hardware. It's one of the best manuals I've seen.

It's hard to believe but you get 13.9" of video card space, 180mm of PSU
space, 6.5" of tower height space, and nearly an inch (15/16th") of
cable space, plus enough internal bays for five 3.5" drives and one 2.5"
drive (or mix and match). On top of that, you get excellent and easy to
remove front and top filters. This is excellent functionality. The only
downside is that the PS07 is not a tool-less design, and incorporates
many screws.

Value is good for a case with this much attention to detail. Costing less than $79 at NewEgg,
price may be a little high for a micro case, but with all of the
functionality, I can't really hit it either. Incredible functionality in
such a small package is the main reason the SilverStone PS07 mini-tower
computer case receives the prestigious Benchmark Reviews Silver
Tachometer Award.

Pros:

+ Up to 13.5" video card
+ Cooling Tower space
+ Large PSU
+ Easy clean filters
+ Well layed out interior
+ Large drive capacity
+ Excellent manual
+ Solid construction
+ Nearly 1" cable routing space
+ Offset front fans = better cooling
+ USB 3.0 to 2.0 converter included
+ Internal USB 3.0 connector
+ Solid rubber feet
+ Novel front bay quick release buttons

Cons:

- Lots of screws
- No tool-less mounts
- Rubber feet glued on
- PSU rack a little thin

Ratings:

• Presentation: 8.75
• Appearance: 8.75
• Construction: 8.75
• Functionality: 9.20
• Value: 8.60

Final Score: 8.81 out of 10.

Quality Recognition: Benchmark Reviews Silver Tachometer Award.

Roccat Kave Review

Pros

-One of the best looking gaming headphones

-High Comfort Earpads
-External noise cancellation is good
-Good sounding pair of cans
-Real 5.1 Surround Sound
-Detachable Microphone with Mute LED
-Excellent Build and Quality
-Adjustable Vibration Unit

Cons

-No soft bag
-Volume control needs volume indicator
-Profile Switch barely affects the Sound
-Cable is a bit short . from control pod to headset

Written And Reviewed By: Nyx27

SilverStone Temjin TJ08-E Case Review

Hardware Secrets Golden Award

Conclusions

We liked the concept of the SilverStone Temjin TJ08-E. It is a good option for users who want to build small yet powerful computers. It could cost a little less, but we think its price is fair.

Strong Points

•     Vented slot covers
•     Air filter for the front fan
•     Air filter for the power supply fan
•     Two-speed fan controller for the front fan
•     A huge hole in the motherboard tray for accessing the backplate of the CPU cooler
•     Holes for routing cables behind the motherboard tray
•     Support for five 3.5” and one 2.5” internal devices
•     Bracket for holding the CPU cooler

Weak Points

•     Doesn’t come with the rear fan (not an issue in most situations)
•     Slot covers are silver, not black
•     Could have used thumbscrews for fastening expansion cards

Larkooler KU3-241 WaterCooling Kit

Conclusion

Prior
to this review, I had never heard of Larkooler. However, having now
used and reviewed one of their watercooling systems, I can see that they
should probably become popular soon enough. Overall, Larkooler still
have a few steps to go before they can take over the market, but they
are definitely heading in the right direction.

The
watercooling kit I reviewed today (KU3-241) can be bought for less than
£200 if you shop around online, and at this price, it is quite an
attractive entry into the watercooling world. It performs well at this
price, given that it is a “DIY” kit, and comes complete with everything
you need, and despite it only beating the Noctua under load by a few
degrees it is certainly a good entry into the market and if this kit is
anything to go by, we will be seeing a lot more of Larkooler in the
future!

Pros

• Affordable entry into the water-cooled world
• High build quality
• Easy to follow instructions
• Good performance
• Reasonably quiet

Cons

• Pump could be more powerful
• Waterblock does not (at time of reviewing) support newer 1155 chipset

Reality Check:
Whilst this kits performance won’t blow you away, it is definitely a
great and affordable way to get into the world of watercooling.

Reviewed by Snubbsy

SilverStone Grandia GD06 Case Review

Conclusions

The
SilverStone Grandia GD06 can be a good option if you are looking for an
HTPC case with a high number of disk drive bays and positive air
pressure configuration. The price is fair for a case with the features
the GD06 has, but if you don’t care about the hot-swap bays but still
want a good HTPC case at a lower price point, consider the GD04 from the same manufacturer. (The GD04 doesn’t have USB 3.0 ports, though.)

Strong Points

• Air filters on all fans
• Air filter for the power supply fan
• Positive air pressure configuration
• Excellent number of disk drive bays (one 5.25,” four 3.5,” and two 2.5”)
• Two external 3.5” bays for hard drives with hot-swap connectors
• On/off switch is not covered by the front door, so you won’t need to open the door every time you want to turn on your computer
• Lock on the front door
• Anti-theft mechanism securing the top panel and the whole computer
• Good construction quality

Weak Points

• Doesn’t use thumbscrews
• Anti-vibration mechanisms are available at only one of the four 3.5” bays
• Anti-theft mechanism requires a relatively expensive Kensington lock
• Price is a little bit high (but still fair)

SilverStone Precision PS06 Case Review

Conclusions

The
SilverStone Precision PS06 is a good option if you are looking for a
mid-tower case with eight expansion slots and would like to try a case
with positive air pressure for a change (more specifically, with a top
fan blowing air inside the case).

Strong Points

• Eight expansion slots
• Air filter for the front fan
• Air filter for the power supply fan and bottom fan
• Air filter for the top fan
• Support for five hard drives or SSD units
• External 3.5”/2.5” bay with hot swap connectors
• Anti-vibration mechanisms for 3.5” hard drives
• Tool-less installation system for 5.25” and 3.5” devices
• A huge hole in the motherboard tray for accessing the backplate of the CPU cooler
• Holes for routing cables behind the motherboard tray
• Loop for padlock or warranty seal
• Groove for routing the cables of USB devices

Weak Points

• Doesn’t come with the rear fan
• Holes for liquid cooling solutions must be broken off

SilverStone Strider Essential 500W (ST50F-ES) Review

Conclusion:

SilverStone generally does not venture into the area of
making
low-cost products as they have had much success in just producing the
best, high-end
power supplies and computer enclosures for enthusiasts and gamers.
However, they
have dabbled with lower-priced ATX enclosures in the past like the Precision
PS02 and have shown they can make good products at a more attractive
price.
With the launch of the SilverStone Strider Essential series, they have
shown they
too can produce a good power supply for those on a limited budget.

The SST-ST50F-ES is not a power supply you'd want for a
new high-end
build, but if you're short on cash and looking for a 500 Watt power
supply that
provides a strong +12V rail, a quiet fan, and sports Active PFC with 80
PLUS certification,
the Strider Essential 500W is worth considering. The ST50F-ES can be
found at
Internet retailers like Amazon
for just over $50 USD.

SilverStone HDDBoost Review @ Hardware Canucks

Pros:

- Does boost system performance
- Enables operating system drives to be larger than any current solid
state drive
- No need to worry about TRIM, ITGC or any other solid state drive
problems
- No increased reboot time
- Seamless, unnoticeable synchronization
- Easy firmware upgrading
- Decreases random access time

Cons:

- Does have a slight latency hit when compared to the SSD used
- Not a great value for anyone building a higher-end new system
- Software needs an FAQ
- No SMART monitoring
- Only as good as the SSD used

Overclockers Online Patriot Memory LX Series 32GB SDHC Memory Card Review

Patriot Memory has always been one of my preferred memory suppliers. They continue to deliver quality products at a reasonable price. The 32GB LX Series SDHC is no different. With a current market price of $110, there is less than a 20 dollar price premium when compared to a 32GB Class 6.

 The Patriot LX
clocks in close to 16MB/s for sequential write and well over 20MB/s
sequential read. With a 5 year warranty and compliance with the next
generation of SD 3.0, the LX will be good for much longer than the life
of your camera or camcorder… unless you upgrade at my rate!

Advantages

• Fast read and
  write performance
• Reasonably priced compared to Class 6 cards

Disadvantages

• Limited
  availability

SilverStone Fortress FT02 Chassis Review

Final Words and Conclusion

Summary