[Pc_Support] SilverStone SG01 adds its MicroATX/ATX-PS combo SFF ...

[Bryan J. Smith]

I think mainboard manufacturers need to start paying attention.

If my Chenming 118 and Aspire X-QPack purchases say anything, consumers
like the size and portability of these new breed of small form-factor
(SFF) cases using _standard_ MicroATX mainboards and ATX power supplies.
In a desktop, most people just need four (4) mainboard slots with
today's on-board peripherals, while only two (2) 5.25" bays are enough
with (2) 3.5" internal bays for hard drives (JBOD, RAID-0 or RAID-1).
But at the same time, with today's CPUs and video cards, they still need
a full ATX power supply (as most MicroATX PSes that can handle the load
are _rare_ -- my 460W MicroATX2.0 was clearly a "long" MicroATX PS ;-).

SilverStone has added their own solution in the SG01.  It is about 1" x
1" shorter and narrower than the Chenming/Aspire, while being about 1"
longer.  What does this mean versus the Chenming/Aspire?

Positives / Nice Touches:  
1.  The 5.25" bays have more room for cabling/length (1" longer)
2.  The 5.25" bays are offset to the right, more room/easier access on
the card slot side
3.  The internal 3.25" bays for hard drives are sideways mounted and
easily accessed
4.  The internal 3.25" bays have their own fan blowing right over

Negatives:  
1.  No external 1" floppy (1" shorter)
2.  The ATX PS is above the CPU, not the slots (1" shorter), so CPU
fansink height is more limited
3.  The fan is above the slots and only 80mm, instead of 120mm
4.  No handle (at least I couldn't see one / didn't see a spec)
5.  Cost:  $190 without a CPU!

Nothing I'd buy for the price, but I figured it's a sign of more to come
from other vendors.  If the SilverStone TJ-06 was any indicator,
SilverStone licenses their designs from others, so clones will follow
(at a cheaper price point):  
  http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20050720/index.html  

-- 
Bryan J. Smith     b.j.smith at ieee.org     http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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