sg07b

 

When we reviewed SilverStone’s SG05 case back in April, we were very pleased with the experience and attributed the few small problems we had to small form factor hardware in general. Dealing with small parts can sometimes be difficult because of the lack of room to maneuver inside the tiny enclosures. While we understand the need to keep the cases small, we would gladly trade some desk space for a slightly larger case that was easier to work with.

Imagine our joy when we got a look at SilverStone’s latest addition to the Sugo series of SFF cases. The SG07 is a giant step up from previous models, with changes both inside and out. The exterior has been completely redesigned while the (cavernous by comparison) interior has a few surprises as well. The chassis is complete with a custom 600W power supply which is plenty for a gaming system build. For complete specifications, check out the SilverStone product page.


Packaging

It seems clear from the start that the SG07 is a higher end model due to the retailer friendly packaging. The case is well protected and arrived in perfect condition.

sg07-44

sg07-46

Accessories

The case comes with a bag of screws for mounting the various hardware, the PSU power cord, tie straps, manual, and the VGA air duct that can be mounted to the side of the case to help direct air into the video card fan (if an add on card is installed).

sg07-1

Exterior

The exterior has been dramatically overhauled compared to the SG05. The front fan has been replaced by a brushed aluminum plate to give a high class look. The power button is high quality and has a satisfying click when pushed. The front LED has been moved off of the power button and is a nice soft light that will not distract people when in use. The back of the SG07 was a small surprise to see as the power supply seems to be missing from the picture. The power plug is visible, but the PSU has been moved to the front of the case. There are two vented slot covers available in case your video card takes up two slots. Finally, the reset button and fan speed switch are located back here as well.

The bottom of the case has a filtered air intake for the PSU fan and vents that seem to help direct cool air to the video card.

sg07-51

sg07-56

sg07-76

sg07-54

sg07-55

sg07-57

Interior

The first thing you’ll notice after removing the cover is the huge AP181 Air Penetrator fan. The fan has a filter covering it, but unfortunately it can only be removed after the case cover is removed. In front of the fan is the bracket for mounting a slim optical drive. If no drive is needed, the slot has a cover preinstalled. Under the optical drive bracket is the removeable hard drive cage. The cage has room for one 3.5″ drive and up to two 2.5″ drives. The cage includes rubber grommets to prevent vibration.The PSU has been moved to the front of the case and turned sideways. A power extension cable must be used to route power to the back of the case where it will be plugged in at. This design has the benefit of allowing larger CPU fans to be used because the PSU is no longer blocking tower style coolers. Coolers up to 117mm can be installed without removing the top fan.

Speaking of size limitations, a graphics card up to 12.2″ can be installed in the SG07. PSU cables will have to be carefully tucked away to allow a card that big, but the fact that these cards will fit is incredible. There are multiple spots to tie down power cables, so routing should not take too much effort. The one thing to be careful of is that you will need right angle SATA cables due to the PSU being so close to the hard drive side of the case.

sg07-72

sg07-74

sg07-70

sg07-66

sg07-11

sg07-13

sg07-15

Testing

Thermal tests were run using Speedfan 4.41. Two instances of Prime 95 were used to max out each CPU core for max load. Ambient room temperature is 78 Degrees Fahrenheit. The temps are very good for the SG07. Even with only a single 180mm top fan, the temps stayed well within safe margins, even at the low fan speed setting.We used the following parts for our SFF build:
  • SilverStone SG07 SFF case w/ 600W PSU
  • Intel stock CPU cooler
  • SilverStone SOD01 slim optical DVD combo drive
  • Intel Core i3 530 CPU
  • Gigabyte H55N-USB3 Mini-ITX motherboard
  • 4GB of G-Skill DDR3 1333 memory
  • Intel Integrated HD Graphics (Radeon HD5670 was installed to test fit)

There is a specific order to installing parts into a SFF chassis. The CPU, and memory should be installed outside of the case. Once the board is installed, Install the CPU Cooler (if using stock cooler), plug in your power, data, and front panel connectors. If a video card is installed, put it in last. For this installation, you will need 90 degree right angle SATA power and data cables for plugging in the hard drives.

sg07-20

sg07-47

sg07-35

sg07-36

sg07-41

sg07-43

sg07-85

sg07-82


Thermal Tests

sg07

Conclusion

The temperatures were definitely improved by using the high fan speed setting, but the low speed setting cooled the SG07 just fine. Both settings were very quiet and is ultimately user preference. With major manufacturers starting to take notice of the Mini-ITX formfactor, building a SFF PC has never been easier. It is totally possible to build a high performance PC in the SG07 with its support for extra long video cards. The build went extremely well. We also have to mention that the PSU voltages were excellent for our review case.

The overall fit and finish of the SG07 won us over from the start and the smooth building experience sealed the deal. The SG07 is now the case to beat for a Mini-ITX build. If we had to nitpick at all, we would recommend support for at least two 3.5″ hard drives if at all possible. This case would make an ideal home for a HTPC or media server. The SG07 MSRP is $199.99, but that includes the 600W PSU. The SG07 has successfully surpassed previous Sugo models and is awarded our top pick recommendation.



Post to Twitter Tweet This Post