Internals
Off come the side panels and you’re greeted with a vast amount of space. Remember this is basically a full tower without the 3½ inch drive bays. It’s also a case that can accept extended ATX motherboards, so there is tonnes of room for hardware or a watercooling kit.There are a few features that always bring a smile to my face when I see them included in special cases like the SilverStone TJ03. There’s nothing new within the TJ03 that we haven’t already seen in previous cases but this is just a stunning example of how good quality materials/craftsmanship are blended together to create an action packed computer case suitable for all computer users.
The main feature I like to see in computer cases is the removable motherboard tray. It’s often not included within some cases, but I personally wouldn’t buy a case without a removable motherboard tray. It’s such a nice useful feature that allows quick and easy access to the hardware inside, even more so when it’s held securely in place with 6 thumbscrews.
When you remove these 6 thumbscrews and slide the motherboard tray out of the PC, the chassis still feels very strong due to the extra supporting bar which we have seen before within the Cooler Master 110. Most Cooler Master cases that could accept extended ATX motherboards have had these extra supports to strengthen the case. Due to the case being so deep to accept the extended ATX motherboard, these supports are required; otherwise the case would be too flexible and possibly cause an electrical short with some of the hardware.
One thing I noticed that was missing on this case is the lack of thumbscrews on the PCI expansion slots. This isn’t really a problem as you rarely remove AGP or PCI cards from your system. Instead of thumbscrews they have been replaced with normal screws. Is this a step backwards? Even cases for £30 have normal screws holding the PCI cards in place. The thumbscrews were always a nice feature and gave a feeling that you’re getting something extra. To access the screws there are small holes cut in the chassis. This is to allow the screw driver to gain direct access to the screw and prevent chewing the screw heads up from trying to unscrew them on an angle like some cases force you to do.
Silverstone supplies a PSU plate which allows you to install the PSU to the plate and then install the plate and PSU into the case. This allows the PSU to be installed externally and save damaging delicate components inside. Imagine trying to install a PSU into the case and accidentally hitting the top of the HS/F which could possibly damage the core of the CPU. By installing the PSU from the rear of the case it means it is very easy to push through your cables and secure the PSU in place. As power supplies get larger in capacity they get hotter as they are required to do more work. We have some 550W PSUs out at the moment with 4 x 80mm fans. Within the TJ03 there are additional holes within the PSU housing to allow these PSU’s to be effective. It would be rather silly to have lots of fans within a PSU if they are going to be blocked by an aluminium cage that supports the power supply unit.
I have a concern about the 5¼ inch drive bays which would have been easily resolved within the design/manufacturing process. I picked up on this problem with the Chieftec BX case that I have recently reviewed too. If you have a CD drive with the Cooler Master aluminium CD bezel, it means the facia for the CD drive is sticking out further. So when installed into a case with industry standard drilled holes it sticks out by a few millimetres. Some cases have holes that are actually adjustable as the fixing points are a long slit which allows the CD drive to be tweaked so the drives sit flush with the front of the case.
