SilverStone SG05

Testing and Final Thoughts

While getting the hardware into the SG05 proves challenging, the case’s thermal performance proved excellent thanks to the close proximity of the 120mm intake fan to the core hardware and the large amount of pre-cut ventilation in the SG05’s steel casing.

We’ve previously tested this combination of an Intel E6700 and Zalman CNPS800 in reviews of both the SilverStone Sugo SG03 and SG04, where the CPU temperatures idled at a whopping 79°C and hit up to 83°C at load, in comparison to a test bench temperature of 33°C idle and 55°C – disappointing performance from both cases considering the sustained 22°C ambient temperature of the bit-tech labs.

The SG05 however performs brilliantly, with the 2.67GHz dual core CPU idling at just 36°C and hitting 59°C at load, just a few degrees warmer than if the hardware was running on a bare test bench! GPU temperatures are equally encouraging, with the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB idling at 59°C and reaching 78°C under heavy graphics load, a perfectly acceptable operating temperature that’s undoubtedly down to the heavy use of side panel ventilation to ensure a steady flow of cool air into the chassis.


The thermal performance evident here really is a triumph for SilverStone considering the density of heat producing components that can be fitted into the SG05, and with such low CPU temperatures you could even justify some CPU overclocking (motherboard providing) – there’s clearly plenty of overhead for it using our test setup.

However, all the pre-cut ventilation does have the drawback of readily exposing the interior components to dust and foreign objects, and while the front fan is fitted with a removable dust filter, the rest of the ventilation is sadly unprotected. The significant use of grills also means that there’s no muffling or deadening of noise from components inside the case, although this is eased by the extremely quiet PSU, which is all but silent, and the well behaved 120mm intake fan, which while not mute, is far from intrusive.

SilverStone's SG05 might be a clear winner when it comes to performance, but looking at its value things get decidedly less rosy. This is a small form factor steel case, and yet SilverStone has chosen to sell it for a few quid shy of £90. When you combine that with the cost of the Zotac 9300M Mini-ITX motherboard required to put together a LGA 775-PCI-Express mini-ITX system, you’re looking at paying over £200 for the privilege. For the same sort of money you’d pay for an SFF Shuttle XPC with similar functionality, but much more attuned cable routing and notably better build quality.

Shuttle’s brand of barebones small form factor systems, ever popular among those looking for a fully functional PC in a pint sized housing, was always going to be the main competition of the SG05, and it’s perhaps a shame SilverStone hasn’t been more aggressive with its pricing.

£180 will easily get you a Shuttle XPC boasting similar features to the Zotac 9300M, although you’ll need to stretch to around £220 for a P-series chassis to accommodate a dual slot graphics card - of which the longer XPC will take a 10.5" card though. Shuttle also offers far better support for standard 3.5” and 5.25” drives, multiple hard drive places in the P-series and will usually come with CPU heatpipe cooling system integrated into the design as well – all big advantages for any system builder.



What the SG05 does have as it’s trump card however is ultimate customisation. With a Shuttle XPC you’re upgrade options soon dry up once the CPU socket has been retired, and you cannot customise chassis to motherboard. Comparatively, thanks to the SG05’s support of the standard Mini-ITX motherboard format, there’s no reason that you couldn’t still be using this SSF case with the next few generations of hardware.

The choice to use a standard 120mm cooling fan for cooling also opens the door for custom cooling, and we’d love to see a miniature watercooling loop make its way into the SG05 – something that needs a significant amount of effort to accomplish within the rigid design of a Shuttle XPC, but which we imagine isn’t out of the question here.

The competition from an established brand like Shuttle in the small form factor market makes things a whole lot tougher for SilverStone. Don’t get us wrong, we love mini-ITX and we've been looking for a gorgeous chassis to fit our wares in for a while - because, lets be honest, most of what's out there for this size motherboard looks very naff.

However, SilverStone deserves credit for taking the plunge into the evolving mini-ITX market, and the impressive thermal performance of the SG05 shows that you can have both a compact and cool chassis, married with powerful hardware. While the choice of whether to go for a Shuttle XPC or a custom high end mini-ITX build is still a tough one, the SG05 has proven itself an capable case despite being difficult to build in and lacking the quality of its bigger brothers, for now at least, is the best choice to pair with a high spec mini-ITX motherboard.

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Score Guide