SilverStone GD02 mATX HTPC Case Review

[Capper]

SilverStone has continued to win us over by proving themselves to be a true "Iron Man" in the computer industry, regularly turning out a wide range of products (enclosures, power supplies, coolers and much more). We have reviewed several SilverStone products here at HL and we have been very impressed with the quality of their products. While we have appreciated the thought and effort that have went into the functionality of their products, feedback from many enthusiasts has shown that many are pleased with the aesthetics as well.

SilverStone GD02 mATX HTPC Case Review

Matthew Page

[Tech Geek Deluxe]

More "night owl" posts Capper.

Nice Review Matthew.

[screwballl]

looks great! nice review!

[gvblake22]

That's a slick looking case! There are very few of Silverstone's cases that I don't like the looks of, they do an awesome job. Thanks for the review Matt!!

[PrOLifIC_onE]

Thanks guys.

Yeah it is a fairly slick looking case. It was funny when my wife saw it though, she thought it looked more like an old VHS player... I think the aluminum finish reminds her of those old 70's/80's style stereo receivers with the aluminum face. (She wasn't as impressed) hahaha

Everyone has their own opinion on it but I think the case will go well with many of the silver-finish TVs/Surround Sound Units that are being sold today. And they also have a black version as well, for those that would like a different color.

[Boy'nBlack]

Picked up one recently. I had been using the Silverstone SG01's for media PC's. one problem there is that they look like a computer sitting there. Recently another problem came up when I replaced the old component shelving and the SG01 wouldn't fit. I saw a pretty good deal for the GD02 and figured I'd give it a shot.

eSata isn't a big deal for my usages. The motherboard has it on the rear I/O, and the only thing I can think of for needing it is an external drive.

Owners that may have toddlers will find the buttons really nice and un-attractive to them. Big plus! My buddy's kid just loves to push buttons on all things electronic wise. The old ones have a big shiny round button that glows blue screaming "Push me!". The dial on the HK deck is also big and glows blue that yells "turn me!". Quite a treat to kick back to find the PC turned off, get up to turn it on, and then the deck is turned all the way up. The GD02 has pretty much recessed and camouflaged buttons. They've yet to be found.

One big beef I have with it is in it's PSU and rear 80mm fan's proximity to the CPU's sides. I could only fit the OEM Intel cooler and not the current line of Zalman CNPS 8000's that I had been using...too wide. If I turn it to miss the fans, it hits the power supply.

I had initially ran into the S/ATA optical hitting the PSU, but got around that with some re-work and a lot of trial and error.

The look is nice IMO. I like that it now fits in with the other gear...and onto the shelf. I'm mixed on it only because I'd hate to open it to work on it or add/swap anything out. It's also very warm around the PSU conjunction junction. I ended up flipping the PSU over so that the fan is on top and thinking of how to put some vents on top that are tasteful...maybe some large slots on the rear of the lid's bevel. Something...it's just hot to the touch right around there with so much stuff jammed in that small area.