MetallicAcid Case Reviews: Silverstone Precision PS10

[MetallicAcid]

Hello and welcome to another unboxing and review of the...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been given the opportunity to take a look at the Silverstone Precision PS10 case by Silverstone, with my own style of unboxing and review of this case. The Precision series from Silverstone is a line of budget orientated cases aimed at those of you who are looking for the quality of Silverstone, but do not want to pay the premium for features that you may not need or want. The precision series is all about silent functionality - at an affordable price. Let us take a closer look at the case shall we?

 

 

 

 

 

Model No. SST-PS10B (Black)

Material High-strength plastic front panel, steel body

Motherboard ATX, Micro-ATX

Multimedia Drive Bay

External 5.25" x 4

Internal 3.5" x 5 or 2.5” x 5

Cooling System

Front 1 x 120mm intake fan, 1 x 120mm fan slot

Rear 1 x 120mm fan slot

Side --

Top 2 x 120mm fan slot or 2 x 140mm fan slot

Bottom --

Internal --

Expansion Slot 7

Front I/O Port 

USB 3.0 x 2

Audio x 1

MIC x 1

Power Supply 1 x optional standard PS2(ATX)

Expansion Card Compatible with expansion cards up to 11.5”, width restriction - 6.14”

Limitation of CPU cooler 169mm

Limitation of PSU Unlimited

Net Weight 6.2KG

Dimension 219.9 mm (W) x 480mm (H) x 521.5mm (D), 55L

Extra Support Kensington lock

Support VESA Mount -- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A small look at the packaging reveals a brown box with black text and black images. This is the best packaging for the environment, and for your wallet. When we take a look on the inside, we find that the case is protected against fingerprints from the factory, and scratches during shipping from this plastic, and both the case and plastic are protected with very thick styrofoam.This also helps hold the case in place during shipping. Inside the case you will find an instruction manual and the various screws and standoffs for this case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Firstly the front panel - straight away we can see that the Silverstone PS10 is very generous in the expansion bay department including 4x 5.25" bays. This is perfect if you have an optical reader such as DVD or BluRay, a 2 bay water cooling reservoir/pump combo and a fan controller. We can also see that there are 2x USB 3.0 ports, and a mic and headphone jack, plus the on/off buttons and power LED.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Removing the front panel is a breeze - one just has to pull the panel from the bottom, and the rubber pegs which hold it in place just come right out. Behind this panel we can see multiple fan mounting options - which is really nice indeed. Here we can see space for 2x 120mm fans, there of which 1 is already included. You can also forego the dual fan set up and install a large 180mm fan instead if you so wish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The side panels are identical to each other, meaning that there is no window to show off your prized components. It is worthy to note here the aggressive styling of the popouts on the side panels, with this case being aimed at the enthusiast PC user. Another feature we can see here are the side intakes where the front 2 intake fans suck in their air. These are removable and easily cleaned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

both side panels have this sound dampening material to help reduce noise levels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the rear of the case we can see 7 expansion slots, which is standard on mid tower cases. There is space to install a 120mm fan beside the motherboard, and also where you can install a PSU. Note that the mounting holes for the PSU allows you to install it in which ever orientation you feel best suits your needs. Above the 120mm fan space there are 2 holes with plates covering them. These can be removed if you wish to mount a radiator outside of the case, then to route the tubing inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is worth a special mention: With most budget orientated cases there are these expansion covers which are simply pressed into the sheet metal, and have to be broken off to install a GPU or sound card etc. This saves money for Silverstone and for you - the end customer. Once these are broken off though, they may not be in the best condition to be re used. There is always the option of buying extra PCI slot covers though if you so wish from the many manufacturers that make them. There is also this plastic cover which hides the screws for the PCI slot covers. This plastic cover is used to hide the screws and PCI brackets from the GPUs because the motherboard IO panel and PCI area are just pressed into the sheet metal, once again saving on manufacturing costs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underneath the PSU is an easily removable dust filter, and clip on rubber feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the top of the case we see a magnetic dust filter which simply sits on top of a perforated space for fans. Once we remove the dust cover, we can see there are fan mounting options for 2x 120mm or 2x 140mm. I also must note that the magnets under the mesh are not noticeable when the filter is installed. Only under these special lighting conditions are they visible. One thing that I must note is that there is alot of room between this space and the top of the motherboard to this raised section. This is wonderful news for those wishing to install a custom watercooling loop or even an All In One (AIO) solution from the oversaturated market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So next we take a closer look on the inside, and we first start off with the HDD/SSD bays. These are riveted into place and cannot be removed, so if you were planning to place a 240 radiator in the front for water cooling, then you will have to drill this bay out. There are 5 tool less bays which hold a total of 5 HDDs or 5 SSDs. These bays are only accessible from the back side of the case. Once all the bays are removed we can see how the fans are installed, and how tidy things are inside the case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because of the HDD/SSD being pop riveted into place, the maximum GPU length you can have is 290mm (29cm/11.5") and width of 155mm (15.5cm/6.14").

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here we can see the 4 5.25" bays with their tool less locking mechanisms. They are easily removable if you wish not to use them, or cover the bays with an acrylic/aluminum panel to tidy things up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Around the back side of this case we can see many M3 holes which can be used for p-clips for cable routing, and rounded cable routing pass-through holes from the back side to the front, for such cables as the 24pin and GPU cables. These routing holes are not sharp and will not damage your cables. There are also some tabs to attach cable ties to further clean up the back side. There is a total of 13mm space to route your cables here, which you may think is a little tight, but do not forget that the side panel bulges out. This gives you at least another 5-8mm to tame those cables. Last to note is a large CPU cutout which suits all current motherboard models.

 

 

 

 

 

Final thoughts:

 

Ok guys and girls, time to get down to the nitty gritty of it all. I have to say that this case provides great value for money. This gives the PC builders with even the humblest of budgets an opportunity to have a taste of the Silverstone logo. With this said though, I feel that there are some missed opportunities which Silverstone could have capitalized on to appeal to an even wider audience, without making the case cost that much more than it already does. Firstly is the HDD/SSD bay which cannot be removed without the help of drilling out the rivets, or just cutting away the bay altogether. This would allow for two great points: 1. Longer GPUs can be used without restriction and 2. You could fit in a 240mm or 180mm radiator in the front. 

 

With a market which has many cases for roughly the same price, I would have like to see Silverstone be a little more innovative with it's features instead of just ticking the boxes. Innovations seen in the PS07B made that case stand out, and it would have been nice to see something in the PS10 that really made this case stand out from all other manufactures. I am also a little disappointed that there was a noticeable difference between the plastic and metal colors. It would have been nice to have matching so that the front panel doesn't stick out like a sore thumb and didn't draw attention to the fact that they are two different materials. 

 

Please do not get me wrong as I really like this case, and have the opinion that provides good value for money, but I can't help but think that it could have been better with some tiny alterations. All in all I think it is a solid case, which is definitely worth what you pay. The market at the recommended price point of just 31€ is definitely stiff, but I think that this is the standout in that price category.

 

 

 

 

 

Pros:

Dust filters on all intakes which are easily removable

Great options for storage

Tool less HDD/SSD sleds and 5.25" bays

Foam padded side panels to reduce noise

Great fan mounting options

Native radiator support in the top of the case

Low price tag

 

Cons:

Only one fan included, which is unsleeved

Cannot remove HDD/SSD drive bays without drilling out pop-rivets

Plastic and metal colors do not match

 

 

 

 

 

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this review as much as I enjoyed reviewing it. I also hope that you can now make a more informed decision regarding your next PC case purchase.

 

Best regards,

Justin "MetallicAcid" Ohlsen

 

[thedigitalmilk]

Feels like you haven't posted in ages, nice review.

[MetallicAcid]

Feels like you haven't posted in ages, nice review.

Thanks mate. The TJ07 has been a little slow as I am waiting for funding and parts. I have been working on plans for my own personal modding project using the FT03 though. There is no thread, but I have posted alot of renders on my Facebook

 

Best regards,

Justin

[thedigitalmilk]

Thanks mate. The TJ07 has been a little slow as I am waiting for funding and parts. I have been working on plans for my own personal modding project using the FT03 though. There is no thread, but I have posted alot of renders on my Facebook

 

Best regards,

Justin

Yeah i seen the renders of it on your instagram, they are looking great, any idea what will be going into the FT03?

[MetallicAcid]

Yeah i seen the renders of it on your instagram, they are looking great, any idea what will be going into the FT03?

Well I am still sorting that out.. But so this is what is decided:

 

Intel Core i7 4770k

ASUS Z87 Gryphon mATX with Thermal Armor

Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR3 1866mhz 4x8GB (32GB for rendering awesomeness)

Corsair AX850 PSU

GPU? Something next gen I hope... Otherwise GTX780

Samsung 840 Pro 512GB SSD

Silverstone Fortress FT03

Phobya 400x200x60 radiator

Swiftech Apogee Drive II CPU block + pump combo

hard acrylic tubing (straight runs)

 

I have CADed up all of the panels and hope to have sponsorship to have them cut out. I will have some vanity panels to hide some of the ugly original panels, like the floor and behind the motherboard. Custom LED lighting as usual

 

It is an understatement to say that I am excited!

Best regards,

Justin

[thedigitalmilk]

Well I am still sorting that out.. But so this is what is decided:

 

Intel Core i7 4770k

ASUS Z87 Gryphon mATX with Thermal Armor

Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR3 1866mhz 4x8GB (32GB for rendering awesomeness)

Corsair AX850 PSU

GPU? Something next gen I hope... Otherwise GTX780

Samsung 840 Pro 512GB SSD

Silverstone Fortress FT03

Phobya 400x200x60 radiator

Swiftech Apogee Drive II CPU block + pump combo

hard acrylic tubing (straight runs)

 

I have CADed up all of the panels and hope to have sponsorship to have them cut out. I will have some vanity panels to hide some of the ugly original panels, like the floor and behind the motherboard. Custom LED lighting as usual

 

It is an understatement to say that I am excited!

Best regards,

Justin

Nice, it looks like its going to be a beast, I take it the theme of your renders will carry on throughout the inside, with the purple and black sort of thing? It must be great being able to make crazy builds.

[MetallicAcid]

Nice, it looks like its going to be a beast, I take it the theme of your renders will carry on throughout the inside, with the purple and black sort of thing? It must be great being able to make crazy builds.

Oh it is great. But people have to remember that I am no pro modder. I do not have a workshop and live in a 2 bedroom apartment with my wife and daughter. Most of my modding is done at work on my lunch hour or before my shift starts, or even on my 3x2m balcony

 

Anyone can mod. But in the end it is the attention to detail that matters, and to thoroughly think and plan the project out before you start.

 

The theme will be black on the inside as well, but I am considering using Mayhems Pastel white and having an RGB LED system in the case to light up the white, effectively changing the colour theme without having to worry about clashing accent colours. Otherwise I will go for Mayhems Pastel purple and just run the one colour. 

 

Best regards,

Justin

[thedigitalmilk]

I think running RGBs throughout the whole thing even on the outside where it looks like you had some purple light effects  it wouldn't be a bad idea as you can mess with the colours and see what you prefer because black and white can go with anything. You might not be a pro modder but you certainly get good end results.