SilverStone Grandia GD03
Examination:
The SilverStone Grandia GD03 is laid out horizontally like the Lascala LC13-E with the aluminum front panel having two areas that flip down for exposing the dual hot-swappable 3.5" HDD drive bays on one side and on the right side below the external 5.25" drive bay (with cover) being another 5.25" drive bay and then a third 3.5" drive that is external. Next to the two hot-swappable drive bays are vents for the two 80mm intake fan slots while below that are the two USB 2.0 ports, one IEEE-1394a Firewire port, and two audio jacks. The reset switch is also concealed behind this door. Fortunately, a dust filter covers the 80mm intake fans mounts, for cutting down on any particles entering the chassis, but the door will restrict much of the airflow. Directly behind these intake fans are the five internal 3.5" drive bays. The GD03 is designed to be rackmount compatible, but the power button is located along the top edge of the chassis, which may be problematic depending upon the size of any device stacked on top of this case.
On the left hand side of the Grandia GD03 there is a ventilation area for the power supply while on the right hand side there is room to mount an 80mm fan. On the bottom of this HTPC enclosure are four large metal feet, similar to other high-end SilverStone cases.
At the rear of the SilverStone GD03 are two 80mm exhaust fans (pre-installed), seven expansion slots, the PSU mount, and I/O panel. The expansion slot covers are slotted to allow for additional airflow as is the area directly above the expansion slots. Just like the left and right sides, the rear of the GD03 is very similar to that of other SilverStone's similarly laid out products.
Opening up the SilverStone Grandia GD03 is a layout not very different from their other HTPC layouts. However, this layout is pretty standard and effective. Depending upon whether an ATX or micro ATX motherboard is used, as well as how much other hardware you will be packing in the chassis, the layout can get cramped. The two hot-swappable drive bays also decreases the room on the left side of the chassis for the power supply and attached cables. Unlike many other cases that pride themselves on tool-free features, SilverStone continues to use screws throughout for ensuring all components are secured well.