Customer Reviews

SilverStone Front Panel and SECC Body Micro ATX HTPC Computer Case GD04B (Black)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I stumbled across this case when researching cases that used the profile of a DVD player. The trade-offs of those cases (more expensive processors, proprietary components, limited optical drive options) made me look at Micro-ATX cases. The main problem I had with these was they wouldn't fit under my TV (I only have 14" available depth) or they wouldn't look at home next to other stereo components - until I ran into this beauty.

This case is a marvel in packaging design, and should be on anyone's short list where depth is a major consideration. It's smaller than most audio receivers, yet has space for a Micro-ATX motherboard, a full-size power supply, a full-size DVD/Blu-ray drive, two hard drives and three full-length expansion cards. It has amazing airflow management, with three 120mm fans literally pushing air through the case at all times. The front of the case is brushed aluminum, and looks right at home next to my Denon receiver. While it's a little more than twice the height of a cable box, the trade-off is more than worth it insofar as I have much more expansion flexiblity (e.g. low profile cases don't support full-length cards or Cross-Fire/SLI configurations, both of which this case can easliy accomodate.)

There are two odd quirks that peoople should people should be aware of with this case. While neither, in my opinon, is a show-stopper, they are unique aspects of this design that anyone doing a build should be aware of:

First, to give the front panel a uniform appearance, there's a piece that attaches to the front of the optical drive with double sided tape. This setup doesn't work with full-width drive doors, like the ones found on most LG units, but shouldn't be a problem with any Lite-On or Samsung drive I've seen. If you are in this unlucky group, take a look at the Silverstone GD05 case, which foregoes the brushed aluminum fascia and leaves the bare drive face exposed.

Second, there's only 70mm of clearance above the CPU if you're using an optical drive. While this is not an issue if you use a typical HTPC processor, investigate the Silverstone NT01-E if you're going to use a 95w or higher powered processor with this case. (On a side note, from a cost/performance/noise standpoint I can't recommend Pentium E6500 with the stock cooler hightly enough for use with this case.)

One other item worth noting is that while you can hear the case fans spinning at full speed when you're right up on top of the case, at normal living room distance you're not going to hear them. If this is an issue for you, replace the standard fans with a set of Silverstone Suscool 121s, and everything should be bliss.

I was suprised just how well everything worked and how easy it was to build a near silent gaming system. Lots of airflow and very little noise even for for some one that is very sensitive about this. Ii was able to fit a small tower CPU cooler in with a small CD player but if you want heavy over clocking you will want a slightly taller case. This is for a HtPC and does that job very very well.

Looks great and fits into my entertainment system perfectly. Very solid construction.

The only issue I had was that the CPU on my MB is directly under the DVD drive, which prevented good airflow. This caused the CPU to overheat and the system to periodically shutdown. I never used the DVD drive, so I just took it out. Since then I haven't had any problems.

Yes, this case is great as you can see from other reviews. I'll add a bit more info, in case you're concerned with selecting components. I'm not sure which LG drives one of the reviewers was talking about, but I can tell you that LG BH10LS30 fits perfectly. I was concerned about the little silver strip in the front and the low profile button, but it works great with this case. Memory with heat sinks is fine too, as long as they're reasonable. G.SKILL ripjaws fit fine. No issues with Core i3/i5/i7 stock fans. Get a highly modular power supply if you can. You may not be able to use the same power cable for the hard drive and the optical drive, esp. if you have expansion cards. So, try to get one with a very short SATA power cable for the hard drives, regular length for the optical drive, and a very short molex for the fans - sorry, no suggestion here. You will be cramped with a non-modular power supply, but you will probably fit. I'm using Antec Basiq 550W - it's a bit more cramped than I'd like, but it works fine.

Pefect case. A little cramped in regards to adding a second hard drive, but overall, the best value in an HTPC case today.

The fans are quiet enough and it remains cool. Shopping for an after-market CPU cooler is tricky since it's a little tight on headroom.

I was debating between this case and the GD05. Both cases were very similar but I got this case because it had the front bezel for the optical disc drive because I don't like seeing the LED flash every time I would be watching a DVD/Blu-ray movie.

The case is very well built. The paint is even and it arrived without any scratches. The fans have filters on them. There were many places for wires to be tied down to. I wasn't so sure about the black divider above the power supply. It seemed to get in the way instead of directing wires. My SSD was in that bay so it was hard to get the power cable into the drive. However, I'm guessing it is better for the air flow since it restricts the motherboard heat from getting into the drive bay. It is held on by adhesive so I can remove it later if I don't like it.

Motherboard was easy to get into the chassis. I would recommend routing the PSU 4 pin connects under the motherboard if the connectors are on the top of the board. I also routed the fan cables under the board to hide them. PCI expansion slots seemed like it would fit a high end graphics card if needed (I think about 10.5").

Fans were not loud but they are audible. They come with the 3-pin connectors. There's an optional 4-pin to 3-pin converter (1 4 pin to 3 3-pin). I used my motherboard to turn down the fan speed.

Overall I would recommend this case. I wish that it had an IR receiver on the front panel. I might have bought it too early since it didn't have the USB 3.0 ports of the front panel yet. Besides that installation was a breeze and perfect for a HTPC.

Pros:
Nice look, metal construction that matches components well, small size allows it to fit nicely on component rack as well. Looks durable and likely to last. Fans keep the system cool and are quiet enough I shouldn't hear them at all from the couch.

Cons:
Defective reset button, when connected to motherboard the system would not post. This added about two hours time to build when considering troubleshooting, time spent with support and installing the replacement switch silverstone mailed to me.

Bad QC, should never have to deal with issues like this when spending over $ 100 on a case, I don't like wasting my time in this manner.

This is case is very quiet (with appropriate fan control) and has a nice layout. It's all screws (that require a screwdriver), inside and out, so quick changes are a little bit of a nuisance. The screws are worth it to keep noise down, I just wish they would have used one fewer size (there are three different sizes and two are hardly distinguishable). Plenty of extra hardware is provided. I didn't have to make any odd modifications to get everything to fit.

This was my fifth or sixth PC build over the last 20 years. I bought this case because it was one of the few micro-ATX cases that is shallow enough to fit shelving for home theater components. Compared to all cases I've used in the past, for the money the GD04B has exceeded my expectations by far. Build quality is excellent, right down to the countersunk screws which hold everything in place better. I use it as an HTPC in the living room with an Intel i3 processor and only need one of the three case fans to keep it cool, and that runs only around 500-600 RPM. The case itself is dead quiet. The only real noise comes from the stock Intel CPU fan, but even that is inaudible with anything playing on the system.

The case has a really nice to look at, is very well made, and has good air flow but the interior layout leaves a lot to be desired. It is very cramped with awkward hard drive placement. If you plan on building a media center computer with multiple drives look elsewhere.

The optical drive bay is placed right over the normal Micro ATX motherboard power connector unless your power supply cables are flexible this makes for a difficult connection with lots of strain that could result in motherboard damage. If you have a video card with a top located power connection forget this case there is not enough head room to make the connection without taking a chance of damaging the card.

If you are intent on using this case I strongly suggest a modular power supply to cut down cable clutter and obstruction.

If SliverStone had made the case a little higher, placed the power supply so it sits on its side for more room this would allow at least one more hard drive and moved the optical bay to the left of the case this could be the perfect HTPC case. As is I would not recommend this case to anyone not using a Mini-ATX motherboard.

I ended up sending the case back because of the video card connection issue and got the SilverStone LC10B-E which has similar issues with the motherboard power connector but is a good deal bigger has 7 3.5" hard drive bays and is still sized like a AV component and IMO looks better.

If you are aware of the limitations this is a really nice looking case if you need more room or to expand later look at something else