SilverStone Precision PS05B

[phoronix]

Phoronix: SilverStone Precision PS05B

Most people would agree that SilverStone cases are great. In fact, many of our most favorite computer cases over the past five years have come from SilverStone Technology, including the very wonderful Temjin TJ10, the incredibly small Sugo, Raven RV02, and most recently the Fortress FT02, among others. The only issue that most computer enthusiasts and system builders gripe with regarding SilverStone enclosures is their price-tag, which usually don't come cheap. For example, the TJ10 that has been on the market now for some three years still sells for nearly $300 USD. While those cases are often worth the price, one of the newest ATX cases from this seven-year-old manufacturer sells for just $50 USD, so we decided to check it out. In this review, we are exploring the SilverStone Precision PS05B.

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=15378

[Xake]

I must say when I am looking for a case I rather take a case with max 2 5.25" places and a lot of 3.5" places (like Fractal Design R2 where you in all of the 8 mountingpoints for 3.5" devices can mount 2.5" devices).

I have a hard time seeing many people needing more then 2 5.25" mountings in this day an age, except for stuff like fan controllers and front-displays, but frankly the cages behind take just too much space for those few use-cases.

[etnlWings]

I really wish the case market didn't seem to be aimed squarely at people who think The Matrix is cool. Having recently put together a PC, I ended up buying a flimsy POS case (Thermaltake V3 Black), just to get something that was half-way tastefully designed and I still find it overdone.

[devius]

I really wish the case market didn't seem to be aimed squarely at people who think The Matrix is cool.

Couldn't agree more. It's so hard (or expensive) to find a case that doesn't look like a part of Robocop or Kit (from knight rider). I ended up buying a NZXT Duet which is the exact oposite of all the other cases from NZXT, i.e. it's small, simple and very plain.

The one reviewed here is hideous, which is strange since, as a budget case, it should be simpler to save costs. Still, it's much better than this piece of shit:

What the hell!!?? It looks like a vacuum cleaner at best.

PS: The Matrix IS cool.

[mattmatteh]

i thought it was only me that thought most of the computer cases were ugly, and that red thing is by far the ugliest and most retarded. what i look for is large quiet fans infront of the disk bays. something you would think is sooo simple yet hard to find. and if you find one, its got leds all over and a clear case making it look like christmas decoration.

[etnlWings]

Still, it's much better than this piece of shit:

What the hell!!?? It looks like a vacuum cleaner at best.

Oh my, hahah.

Also an addendum: while black is certainly the best tone for the outside of the case, it's not for the inside. Both my case and the SilverStone reviewed here are black throughout, meaning you need high-powered lighting when fiddling with the insides. It also makes dust show like crazy.

[Xake]

<snip> meaning you need high-powered lighting when fiddling with the insides. It also makes dust show like crazy.

I often need it anyways, because most cases are so filled with sht that you need a flashlight to even be able to see where you put that cable.
Dust I do not have so much problem with, maybe because I prefer cases with filters over the air-intakes.

[frantaylor]

I must say when I am looking for a case I rather take a case with max 2 5.25" places and a lot of 3.5" places (like Fractal Design R2 where you in all of the 8 mountingpoints for 3.5" devices can mount 2.5" devices).

I have a hard time seeing many people needing more then 2 5.25" mountings in this day an age, except for stuff like fan controllers and front-displays, but frankly the cages behind take just too much space for those few use-cases.

I prefer the opposite, because I HATE opening up cases to deal with hard drives. They die 10X more often than everything else in the computer so I prefer to not have to open the case to deal with them.

I use external SATA hot-swap enclosures on all my drives now. No more opening cases, no more sheet-metal cuts. Sure there is an extra cost but it pays off the first time you swap out a drive without having to go through the agony of disconnecting and reconnecting everything. You can get a five-drive hot-swap enclosure for $100, it uses three 5.25" drive bays.

Also you can keep drives with different operating systems on them and swap them in and out very quickly. I have one test server that I can boot up as Solaris or RHEL or SUSE just by powering down and swapping out a drive.