Prolog
Big product in the mail for us today.
An ATX tower computer case from SilverStone – The Precision Series PS10B
First, about the company:
SilverStone Technology Co., Ltd is a company based in Taiwan, founded in 2003 that makes computer cases, power supplies, and other peripheral for personal computers.
Their goal was to provide products that create inspirations and customers a wide selection of choices.
With distribution centers in different areas of the globe, SilverStone products can be seen all over the world, not just for computer users but also for home entertainment use. Thus providing leisure with integration of advanced technologies that is functional and making them enjoyable to use.
They take pride in providing the highest level of standards in designing and manufacturing computer enclosures, power supplies, and accessories and their teams of devoted engineers are constantly searching for the best technologies that suit end-users with different needs and will make their products as technologically sound as they are beautiful.
Price when reviewed – £51.81 – Via Amazon.co.uk
Silverstone SST-PS10B USB 3.0 – SST-PS10B USB 3.0 Precision Tower ATX – Black
Specifications
Packaging
Easy to identify that it’s a product from SilverStone, their shipping box is self-explanatory.
The case is well protected via two large polyurethane foam spacers + a plastic cover.
And the accessories, you get everything you need from HDD and SSDs to PSUs and motherboard installation.
Also a quick start guide.
Visual examination
The first impression is that the case is of good quality, the metal has good finishing & machining and it’s very sturdy.
In the front we have the LED notification, Power and Reset buttons, 2x audio jacks and 2x 3.0 USB ports.
Removing the front panel we see another space for additional 120 mm fan installation. (besides the supplied 120 mm 3-pin SilverStone intake fan – model RL4ZS1202512LIW-3M)
On the sides it features two “nostrils” with mesh filters – to minimize intake noise.
Very nice touch.
On top it has magnetic dual fan mesh which is very simply integrated and quick to remove and clean.
You can install 2x 140 and/or 120 mm fans or even a liquid cooling solution.
Moving to the back we see 2 removable liquid cooling tubing holes, 7 expansion slots that support up to 11.5″ video cards and spacing for another 120 mm fan.
The power supply is located on the bottom with its own air intake opening and removable filter.
And for the expansion slots, quick access via this bracket.
The case sits on 4 long rigid rubber removable feet and the side panels are held by 4 hand screws.
Let’s move inside.
Both panels feature padded foams for noise reduction. Very nice.
You get the HDD LED, Power LED+, Power LED-, Reset SW, Power SW connecter, USB 3.0 and audio plugs.
All are long, black and quite flexible, excellent for better wire management.
Storage capability, it can handle up to 5x 3.5″ HDDs and/or 2.5 HDD/SSDs.
Easy to instal, each slot has its own tray , the 3.5″ HDDs are held in from the sides, the 2.5 ones from underneath. Simple and efficient.
They are orientated to the back for a clean wire look.
Regarding 5.25″ drives you get up to 4 with tool-less installation locks.
You get approximately 14-15 mm of space for wire management at the back, adequate we might add.
So far for a budget case we see a lot of versatility and good features.
Let’s see how it goes after we fill her up.
The build
Hardware used:
Processor: Intel E8400
CPU Cooling: Cooler Master Silent
Motherboard: MicroATX Foxconn G31MXP-K
Video card: MSI N9800 GX2
Memory: 1 GB Crucial DDR2 667 MHz
HDD: WD 3.5″ 640 AKKS
Fan: Scythe S-Flex 1600 RPM
Power Supply: Seasonic S12II 500W
We installed a non modular ATX PSU just to test the wire management capabilities
The WM holes are placed well, we didn’t encounter any problems and our PSU doesn’t have that long cables to start with.
We ‘sacrificed’ one HDD location in order to hide the extra cables.
As you can see, all went smooth.
If you take your time, use cable ties and your PSU has cables with decent length you will get good results even with a non modular PSU.
We had no problems fitting our 10.5″ long dual slot MSI N9800 GX2 video card.
Conclusion
We are impressed for a budget case that has this versatility and overall quality.
The looks may be subjective but its strengths are in functionality.
We like that it’s all black even inside, we appreciate the dual foam padding feature on the side panels, but some may prefer the option with a clear window.
Another plus goes to the fact that you can install dual radiator on top with a total clearance up to 60 mm.
The only minor thing we encountered, we tried a little to fit the panels correctly, you need a 3rd hand to align everything together, but other then this for its price and what you get is a very good product.
Many thanks to SilverStone for sending us this sample !
Globetrotters “Excellent Value for Money” Award – 4 out of 5
