SilverStone Sugo SG10 Review

SilverStone Sugo SG10 Review

Manufacturer: SilverStone
UK price (as reviewed): £98.34 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): MSRP $129.97 (ex Tax)

The Sugo SG10 bears the same relationship to the SG09 as the SG08 does to the SG07, in that it's essentially a follow-up to the micro-ATX chassis with a minor revision rather than a major overhaul. It comes in at around £15 more than the SG09, and what this pays for is the new 7mm thick aluminium front panel, as the cases are essentially identical in every other way.

The extra £15 may seem like a lot, but it's difficult to deny how much more appeal the new front panel has over the plastic original, which was poorly received if the review's comments are anything to go by. The amount of mesh around the chassis might still be off-putting to some, but from the front at least things are much improved. It's a shame SilverStone hasn't taken the opportunity to really upgrade the SG09 in any other way, but in fairness said case is already an excellent bit of kit for small form factor enthusiasts.


With the same dimensions as the SG09, the SG10 is likewise able to cram a full micro-ATX system into a case that has less volume than the mini-ITX BitFenix Prodigy (although bear in mind that BitFenix has now announced a micro-ATX Prodigy with the same dimensions as the original). It's also much smaller than the water-cooling friendly Corsair Obsidian 350D. As such, the name of the game here is saving as much space as possible, hence the decision to include a single slimline optical bay at the front instead of a full sized one. This makes perfect sense to us, and has the added advantage of looking rather sleek too.

The large metal mesh section beneath the optical bay protects the PSU, which sits in the front of the chassis, against dust and can be fully removed with a firm tug. Likewise, the long plastic filter that covers the three side intake fan mounts and the large roof filter can easily be removed in the same way, so cleaning them is a simple task.


The final notable feature on the redesigned front panel is the set of I/O connections, which have been preserved from the SG09. The power and reset buttons have been given an upgrade, however, and the new metal buttons not only look better but also have a lovely action to them.

With its trio of fans and three extra fan mounts, the SG10 is a well equipped air cooler for so small a case, especially as it includes one of SilverStone's much celebrated 180mm Air Penetrators in the roof, which is designed to blast cool air downwards over nearly every component. This fan is wired up to the fan controller on the rear of the chassis, which now features three as opposed to two speed settings. Sadly, neither the side 120mm intake nor the rear 120mm exhaust fan can be connected to the controller.


Each side of the case sports an exhaust vent, with the left one meant for the PSU and the right one for the optional 80mm fan. There's also a slight extrusion on the right hand side to make some extra room for PSU cables. The front mounted PSU is wired through the case to a power connection at the rear of the chassis, while the bottom of the case is empty – you'll need to stick the supplied feet on yourself.

Specifications

• Dimensions (mm) 220 x 354 x 295 (W x D x H)
  
• Material Aluminium, steel
  
• Available colours Black
  
• Weight 5.8kg
  
• Front panel Power, reset, 2 x USB 3.0, stereo, microphone
  
• Drive bays 1 x external slim optical, 2 x internal 3.5in, 4 x internal 2.5in
  
• Form factor(s) Micro-ATX, DTX, mini-ITX
  
• Cooling 1 x 120mm/92mm and 2 x 92mm/80mm left side fan mounts (1 x 120mm fan supplied), 1 x 180mm/140mm roof fan mount (1 x 180mm fan supplied), 1 x 120mm rear fan mount (fan supplied), 1 x 80mm right side fan mount (fan not supplied)
  
• CPU cooler clearance 165mm
  
• Maximum graphics card length 338mm
  
• Extras Removable dust filters