SilverStone Grandia GD07 Review: Centering and Serving Your Media
by Dustin Sklavos on April 29, 2012 1:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- HTPC
- SilverStone
Introducing the SilverStone GD07
The last time we reviewed one of SilverStone's Grandia enclosures, it was the GD04, and it was a review that launched the first major revamp of how we test cases. Since then SilverStone has kept the Grandia series relatively staid, but at CES they were showing off the new GD07 and GD08, and today we have the GD07 in house.
SilverStone has turned the GD07 into an enclosure designed to cram as much computer into as small a space as possible within reason, and the horizontal orientation seems to make it ideal for use as a media center enclosure. However, inside it also has a tremendous amount of storage capacity that suggests it could also be used as a media server. The GD04 was a fine case once you tweaked it and added a fan controller; is the GD07 ideal on the first go?
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It's pretty impressive at first glance, with four external 5.25" drive bays. You're going to find that's something indicative of the rest of the enclosure, as the GD07 is rife with storage options. But we also had the chance to meet with SilverStone at CES 2012 and get a proper tour of the GD07, and so as this review goes on I'll talk a little more about the decisions that went into designing this major update to the Grandia series. Suffice to say it's an excellent update that may be just what you're looking for if you want to build a combination media center/file server (similar to what I use at home), but there are definite drawbacks compared to the previous GD04 and GD05.
| SilverStone Grandia GD07 Specifications | ||
| Motherboard Form Factor | ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | |
| Drive Bays | External | 4x 5.25” |
| Internal | 2x 2.5" and 5x 3.5" | |
| Cooling | Front | - |
| Rear | 2x 80mm fan mount | |
| Top | - | |
| Side | 1x 120mm intake fan and 1x 120mm fan mount | |
| Bottom | 2x 120mm intake fans | |
| Expansion Slots | 7+1 | |
| I/O Port | 2x USB 3.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic | |
| Power Supply Size | Standard ATX | |
| Clearances | HSF | 138 mm |
| PSU | 220 mm | |
| GPU | 13.5" / 343mm | |
| Weight |
15.4 lbs. 7 kg |
|
| Dimensions |
6.9" x 17.3" x 17.1" 175mm x 440mm x 435mm |
|
| Special Features |
Large removable drive cage Locking hinged front panel Extra horizontally mounted expansion slot USB 3.0 via internal header |
|
| Price | Online starting at $140 | |
The GD07 is larger in pretty much every way than its predecessor, the GD04, which means it doesn't necessarily obsolete that model so much as exist alongside it. In exchange for the extra real estate, SilverStone bumps the number of drive bays up substantially as well as allowing for a full ATX motherboard instead of just Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX. We also get front panel USB 3.0 connectivity through an included internal header.
Just like the GD04 was a sibling model with the GD05, differing in front panel layout, so the GD07 and GD08 are similar. The GD07 has more exposed expansion and a locking front door that hinges downward, while the GD08 has just two exposed 5.25" bays and no door. I personally prefer the door; the power button is still exposed, you don't have to lock the door, it offers a cleaner finish, and it hides the optical drive activity LED. If you prefer the alternate configuration, however, the GD08 will retail for $145 and is currently available for pre-order at some retailers.
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Chaitanya - Monday, April 30, 2012 - link
Silverstone certainly makes some good enclosures.seanleeforever - Monday, April 30, 2012 - link
nice case indeed. i have the GD05 and it sure shows the craftsmanship.However, i found the this review uses ITX MB in a ATX Case to be... interesting yet pointless. who in their right mind would use ITX MB in this case?
and for CPU coolers, you are just not exploring all the options (or even tried). allow me to copy and paste part of my reviews for GD05 (i have it config with 16G RAM +i7-2700+ SLI GTX 560TI)
...CPU cooler: cooler Master Vortex Plus. VERY IMPORTANT. this is the ONLY after market product that will fit EXTREMELY tightly in this case while giving you the option to have a disk drive. and with powerful setup, you know you need a cooler to replace stock intel cooler (as they are absolutely crap)....
bear in mind, you WILL BE able to fit CM s524 in GD07 since it is a bigger case and you won't run in the problem of having the disk drive blocking additional CPU cooler clearance.
seanleeforever - Monday, April 30, 2012 - link
buy "you", i meant Dustin.Samus - Monday, April 30, 2012 - link
FT01 owner 3+ years. Amazing case, doubt I'll ever replace it.After owning a number of Antec and CoolerMaster cases and replacing them every time I upgrade the motherboard, that has yet to happen with the SilverStone.
My only complaint is the proprietary 180mm fan's that were included with the case (sleeve bearing) both failed after 2 years and although 120mm fans can be installed in their place, I opted for replacement FM181 Silverstone 180mm fans, which are very expensive $25/ea.
Dustin Sklavos - Monday, April 30, 2012 - link
Did you just not actually read the review?seanleeforever - Monday, April 30, 2012 - link
yes Dustin, i did read the review. i don't any post comments before finishing reading. great review by the way.i understand where you are coming from: to have a standardized test bed, something to compare with. and since the ATX test bed uses H212 that is a bit to tall, you were forced to use ITX board.
However... the fact remains that, for folks who plan to use ITX board or mini ITX, the are not going to get ATX case.... is there value to measure the noise/thermal of mini ITX in a full ATX case? maybe,but it probably makes as much useful data as measuring how much towing power does a Ferrari California have (i.e. no one cares). i think it would be much more useful should you use the ATX testbed with stock cooler because that is much more likely situation.
on to the product itself. i see some of the problem with GD05 still reminds: unable to mount water cooling solution. also, could you comment on how many type of screws does this case have? the GD05 they had like 5 or 6 type of screws when it really should be 2 or 3.
anirudhs - Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - link
The config you have is a gaming PC rather than a media center/server. This case is not intended for your config. A CoolerMaster HAF912 at $60 will be more suited.mepenete - Monday, April 30, 2012 - link
It looks like a great case overall, but for me the price tag is a bit much considering its just for an HTPC.Origin32 - Monday, April 30, 2012 - link
And just last week I ordered an Aerocool M40 because there wasn't a better case to put my HTPC/Home Server in. And that thing only has room for 3 or 4 harddisks, and then you have to get a little creative already. FMLcjs150 - Monday, April 30, 2012 - link
I think you got it right, very good choice for people who use the media centre as a 24/7 server as well, but otherwise wholly unconvincedAs a straight media centre it is way too big.
Obviously everyone has slightly different views but here are mine:
1. Blu ray drive is a must - should be vibration dampened. Do not mind if full sized or slim line, slot or tray.
2. SSD + 2.5" HD is enough for me - I have a big NAS to download stored content to. Maybe 2xSSD would even better.
3. One expansion slot is enough, 2 would be nice, 3 is unnecessary, 4 is overkill. For a media centre what would you put in the expansion slots? IGP should be good enough now, but some would prefer a discrete GPU, sound card is an obvious choice, may be a TV tuner but that is it.
4. Silence is golden. 30db is already too loud because you can hear it during quiet sections on movie playback. Obviously not a problem if media centre is in different room.
5. Heat has to be controlled - obviously this causes an issue with the silence is golden concept!