External Design (cont.)

Moving to the right side of the bezel, we see how deep it protrudes, about 2.5". This thick casing provides a cover for the hardware used for the LCD temperature display and the auxiliary ports, which are located on the right side of the case.

The TJ05 is the first case that we have seen with the USB, audio, and FireWire ports on the side of the chassis instead of the front. This design helps the façade keep its sleek look without the clutter of various components that may distract us from the main theme. There are 2 audio ports, one for mic and one for headphones, and 1 FireWire port. In addition to those, SilverStone has added 2 USB ports to the standard 2 ports, which we see on most other cases. This helps expand the possibilities of adding more devices on the fly. All of these ports sit flush to further reduce their visibility when looking at the TJ05 from the front.




Click to enlarge.


On the left side of the bezel resides a key lock for the bezel. When unlocked, the entire bezel opens to the right to show the wiring, intake fan filter, a 3V CR2032 Lithium Ion battery for the LCD display, and the mountings for each component shown through to the front of the bezel.




Click to enlarge.


We saw this key lock feature as being unnecessary, since there are no security features to prevent access to the inside of the TJ05.

The left side panel is secured to the case by using either thumbscrews or the plastic locks, which slide up and down to lock in the panel. When in the "lock" position, a stopper protrudes from the fixture to keep the panel from sliding back. This is another great tool-less feature that increases the overall attractiveness of the TJ05. There is also a grill to allow air circulation to the inside if fans were to be mounted in that area.




Click to enlarge.


The right side panel is secured to the TJ05 using traditional hex-nut Phillips head screws. To keep the theme going, SilverStone should have either used thumbscrews or implemented the same locking mechanisms on this panel.

External Design Internal Design
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  • masher - Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - link

    Why does the reviewer call a concave door "convex"?
  • JustAnAverageGuy - Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - link

    [i] "The TJ03 Nimiz was a monstrous product that had great features, such as a sliding removable motherboard tray, a seemingly endless potential for expandability,"[/i]

    [i] "The Bad
    - No removable motherboard tray
    "[/i]

    ?
  • Modal - Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - link

    Wow, that's a really nice looking case. Great review, and thanks for picking a non-ugly case to review this time. :)

    Almost makes me wish I had waited until now to build my machine... I like that case a lot better than my current one.
  • ciwell - Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - link

    Finally a case that does not burn out your retinas by looking at it. Great review.



    P.S. Is there a Thermaltake Tsunami Case Review in our near future? :D
  • Spacecomber - Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - link

    I appreciate the inclusion of more pictures showing the case with the components installed. For example, seeing a full size motherboard installed gives me a better feel for the actual dimensions of the case, and I can see how easy it would be to work inside of it. The highlighting of the space between the bottom of the power supply and the motherboard is also important to me, since you sometimes have to worry about CPU heatsinks overhanging the edge of the board, depending on how close to the motherboard edge the socket is placed.

    Thanks for the review.

    Space
  • skunkbuster - Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - link

    at least it looks better than the last one that was reviewed here.

  • oupei - Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - link

    page 11, chart units should be "decibels"
  • Operandi - Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - link

    Agreed with #1...
  • Deinonych - Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - link

    Looks like the author edited the sentence, so n/m.
  • Deinonych - Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - link

    #2
    I agree. In context, it seems like the author meant to say "an entirely ALUMINUM chassis would have appealed more..."

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