SilverStone PS06 Review

SilverStone PS06 Performance Analysis

Having fitted our thermal test system into the PS06, we tested the case with its roof 180mm intake fan at both its full and low-speed settings. However, the CPU temperatures were disappointing regardless of these settings. With the roof intake at full speed, our CPU reached a delta T of 52˚C, a solid mid-table result; at low speed it peaked at 57˚C, which is much warmer than many of the cases we’ve tested.

While we’ve no doubt that CPU cooling would improve if we orientated the CPU cooler to be in line with the roof intake, this would mean exhausting the heat from the CPU cooler onto the back of the GPU, with no clear exit flow out of the case.

GPU cooling was also poor. Our Radeon HD 5870 2GB hit delta Ts of 44˚C and 48˚C at high and low fan speeds respectively. While 44°C is a reasonable result, a delta T of 48˚C is one the highest GPU temperatures we've seen using this test gear.

Disappointingly, the PS06’s fans were also fairly noisy, particularly the front 120mm fan that you’re unable to tie into the rear-mounted fan speed switch. The 180mm Air Penetrator is quiet alone, but this is irrelevant as it's the front 120mm fan whose noise you'll notice.

Conclusion

SilverStone has been on a roll with its new cases of late, but the PS06 is a rare misfire. Its noisy, all-intake fan setup doesn’t deliver competitive cooling, and the lack of space behind
the motherboard tray is also disappointing.

While the case has highlights such as the integrated front hard disk bay and tool-less drive bays, the end product is lacking. With excellent cooler and more feature-rich cases such as the Fractal Design Define R3 available for the same price, you’re better off looking elsewhere or raising your budget to £135 and grabbing SilverStone’s far superior RV02.