SilverStone Sugo SG03

SilverStone Sugo SG03

Manufacturer: Silverstone
UK Price (as reviewed): £86.99 (inc. VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): $149.99 (ex. Tax)

Unless you’re some kind of gruff, Land Rover-driving old man, you have to admit the SilverStone Sugo SG03 has the cute factor pretty nailed. Walking with this tiny micro-ATX case from the lab to our desk coaxed the words ‘Aawww, it’s so small!’ from several passing girls. That said, we wouldn’t recommend taking it out with you on a Friday night in a bid to increase your pulling prowess. It is just a PC chassis after all.

There are often many downsides when building small form factor PCs, one of which is the lack of stylish cases available. In this respect the Sugo is something of an anomaly. Not only are the sleek angles attractively put together, but opting for a miniature tower design gives the Sugo a similar appeal to other miniaturised goods such as netbooks or mini cheeseburgers. With the combination of good looks, miniature appeal and great build quality the Sugo SG03 is a tidy bit of kit.

Exterior

The shiny brushed aluminium finish is a pleasure to set your eyes on even if it’s inevitably easy to fingerprint or scratch. Vanity panels run either side of the case, hiding the I/O ports to keep things looking tidy. The panel on the left hand side of the fascia hides two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, headphone and mic ports and a vertically orientated external 3.5in bay. Should you decide not to install a device here, a smart brushed aluminium blanking panel will keep things looking fittingly smart in its stead.

The vanity panel on the right hand side of the fascia hides the reset button and the retention clips to remove the mesh portion of the fascia. The power button sits atop the case to the left hand side and fits suitably into the Sugo’s subtle styling with a black finish and chrome-touched edges.


The removable mesh panel portion of the fascia can hold two 120mm intake fans though Silverstone has disappointingly decided to skimp on the fans and the Sugo ships with just the one. More mesh can be found on the left-hand side panel where it’s positioned so as to line up with intake fan of the PSU. This provides clean, room temperature air for your power supply which is then exhausted immediately out the rear of the chassis.

The rest of the rear panel is similarly littered with holes to aid the ventilation process. Considering the size of the little bleeder, the Sugo is pretty well-equipped in the cooling department, though installing that second 120mm in the front panel is absolutely recommended.