Silverstone PS 08 Case Review

The Build

When compiling a list of the tools you require to undertake a build you don't really expect  to have to add a pair of side cutters and a small metal file, yet it was these two items that were placed top of our list.  Why?  Well as with the Anidees case we reviewed a while back, some of he rivets protruded just a little too far.  With the PS 08 the offending rivets were in the top rear corners and prevented the PSU from being slid into place.  Attempting to do so resulted in a small scratch of the PSU before it refused to be pushed home any further.

Granted we could have drilled the rivets out and replaced them, doing a much neater job in the process, but we're not here to re build cases.  A few minutes and a good going over with the tools above and we had taken the tops of the rivets allowing the PSU to make it all the way to the back of the case and be secured in place.  Don't go thinking this was a huge and onerous task, it wasn't, but at the same time you shouldn't have to do it.  We can only assume that this is a rare example of a slip in Silverstone's usually excellent build quality and QA standards.

It's not until you see the PSU and Motherboard mounted in the case that you start to get a feel for just how small the PS 08 actually is.  We've used a Mini ITX board here, but the case is also able to accept the larger Micro ATX form factor which would pretty much fill the remaining space and as such would look better proportioned in the interior.

Another advantage of using a Micro ATX board is that the majority of the connections and headers would be down the right hand side of the PCB.  With the board used here the 24pin power, USB3, SATA and front I/O connections are all butted right up against the PSU.  This not only makes installation hard (and as we found out de-installation) but also has potential to interfere with the PSU's air flow.  

Once the metal blank has been twisted and pulled out expansion cards are clamped and screwed in place.  Four slots are perfectly sufficient for a case of this size.

The 4pin CPU power connection on this motherboard is placed between the CPU and the GPU, which is just as well really as we don't think we'd get anything else plugged in up tom.  As there's little to no cable management to speak of we're run the cable along the floor of the case and fed it up through the little cut out in the GPU. 

As a basis of comparison we usually show the NZXT Havik 120 inside a case, that way you guys get a feel for the proportions on offer.  However, as it's 160mm tall, short of modding an Impreza style power bulge into the side there's no way it's going to fit in here.  What will fit though is any stock CPU cooler fan combo, or any smaller tower cooler such as the Scythe Katana4 pictured below right.  

Although there's no space to speak of behind the motherboard it's still possible to pull of a decent wiring job on the PS 08.  OK so we're using a semi modular PSU and we've had to stuff quite a lot into the unused 5.25" bays, but remember a tidy wiring job isn't just about having the inside of your case look clean and tidy, it's also about maximising through case airflow which is particularly important in a case such as this which has only a single 120mm fan.