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SilverStone Sugo Series SG08
0December 11, 2011
by Keith Soreghen
in Reviews
It’s been a while since a Sugo series case has landed in our lab for testing. The last one to be reviewed was the SG07 back in August 2010. That model earned a 9 verdict for it’s sturdy construction, good looks and many great features. While the SG07 set the bar for small form factor enclosures, SilverStone’s latest SG08 takes everything we loved about the previous model and adds some improvements. The new case sports two USB 3.0 ports, something SilverStone has included with all recent product lines. The front panel has a fresh new design, made from 10mm thick aluminum. The SG08 includes the features from the previous model like the ST60F-SG 600W custom power supply, the AP181 Air Penetrator fan, removable fan filter and positive pressure design.
Since we haven’t tested a SFF case in a while, we thought this review would be a great opportunity to change out our testbed parts. We have updated all of our components to build an ultra compact gaming system that can handle most games with ease while barely taking up any space on our cluttered desk. To find out how the SG08 did, check out the full review after the jump.
SilverStone Precision Series PS07
0December 3, 2011
by Keith Soreghen
in Reviews
The Precision series from SilverStone was created to bring cases with high end features to builders with a lower budget. The latest model, the PS07 is the first Micro-ATX enclosure in the series. While the design is strikingly similar to a recent offering in the Temjin series (TJ08-E) the exterior elements and the case cooling have been changed to fit into the budget mindset. First off, the front panel is plastic. The look of the case remains high quality, however, and allows the PS07 to blend in well within almost any environment. The case can accommodate one 2.5” and six 3.5” hard drives, has room for power supplies up to 180mm long, and can accept MIcro-ATX, DTX, and Mini-ITX motherboards. Cooling is handled by two included 120mm front intake fans and room for an optional 120mm rear exhaust fan. These fans are hidden behind a door and feature an easily removable filter for maintenance. The front panel includes two USB 3.0 ports, mic and audio ports, and the power and reset switch. The PS07 is shipped with an adapter to convert to USB 2.0 if your motherboard does not have the required header for USB 3.0.
We recently decided to update our test bed components from a full size ATX motherboard (P67) to a Micro-ATX model (Z68). We felt we could design a high powered gaming system that had a much smaller footprint. Moving to a smaller case definitely has it’s challenges, but the PS07 seemed up to the task. How much hardware were we able to fit inside? Check it out after the jump.
Windows Home Server 2011 Build
0October 5, 2011
by Keith Soreghen
in News
We recently traded our trusty Synology Disk Station NAS box for a Windows Home Server built from scratch. We wanted a low powered system with room for up to six hard drives. The entire build was cheaper than many of the high end NAS boxes you can buy. We selected components that would offer fast processing for file transfers while conserving as much power as possible so that it could be left running 24/7. The following is the list of parts for this build. Let us know what you think.
Home Server Build
Case – Lian Li PC-Q25 – $120
Motherboard – ASUS E35M1-I – $125
Memory – G-Skill ECO DDR3 1333 4GB – $32
PSU – SilverStone ST50F-P 500W – $80
OS Hard Drive -Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB (WD3200AAJS) – $43
Storage Hard Drives – 2x Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB (WD5000AAKS) – $100
OS – Windows Home Server 2011 OEM – $53
Total Cost: $553
$1000 Gaming PC Build
0October 5, 2011
by Keith Soreghen
in News
We have been quite busy lately testing some new gaming components. Some of the parts used for the $1500 Gaming PC a few months back have been updated and we are planning to do a refresh video on the new parts if all goes well. The theme is going to focus on the budget build. While our build comes in at over $1400, we are sure you can build a decent box for under the $1000 mark. Check out the specs after the jump.
