SilverStone Sugo SG05: The Mini-ITX Standard Bearer
by Dustin Sklavos on August 19, 2012 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- SilverStone
- Mini ITX
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- HTPC
Noise and Thermal Testing, Dedicated GPUs
It's funny, when we put together the revised testbeds, the Zotac GeForce GTS 450 Eco was chosen because it employed a single-slot cooler and would be indicative of the kind of video card most HTPCs would use. Yet many modern Mini-ITX cases (and even comparatively old standards like the SG05) include two expansion slots. The solution? Test the case with the GTS 450 and our standard ATX testbed card, the ASUS GeForce GTX 560 Ti! That's exactly what I've done here with the SilverStone Sugo SG05.
CPU temperatures are still pretty solid and consistent with the SG05, even when we include the GTX 560 Ti with its 170-watt TDP. Note that idle thermals actually increase a little with the GTS 450; I suspect this is at least partly due to the way the 560 Ti directs airflow directly at the CPU by effectively blocking the front of the video card off completely from the rest of the system.
The SG05 again produces moderate temperatures for both the GTX 560 Ti and the GTS 450. In fact, impressively enough the GTX 560 Ti's temperatures are roughly on par with many ATX cases; the ventilation on the side of the SG05 definitely seems to be doing its job.
Unfortunately, SSD temperatures are where things get a bit sticky with the GTX 560 Ti. Because of the way it blocks off the side vent coupled with the heat it generates, airflow around the drive bay winds up being fairly minimal. Heat gets trapped between the video card and the drive bay, just like it does in Cooler Master's enclosure.
The CPU fan also seems to be working a bit harder, though ~2% is essentially within the margin of error. SilverStone's FT03 Mini has a superior airflow design for the CPU, no way around it. It shares the same basic chassis as the Sugo SG05, but enjoys a beefy 140mm Air Penetrator intake fan.
Once again fan speed falls in line, though I'm keen to point out the GTX 560 Ti's fan speed in the SG05 is actually comparable to some of our best ATX form factor case results. That extensive ventilation pays big dividends for SilverStone.
The noise results bear out one of my main theories of case design, too: smart airflow design can do wonders for keeping noise levels low. By being a bit more closed off, Cooler Master's design actually increases the amount of noise generated since the fans have to work harder. The SG05 is by no means quiet, but it's not spectacularly loud either. I'm not sure you could really make a case this small that runs much quieter; at that point you really need to start cherry picking components.
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Grok42 - Sunday, August 19, 2012 - link
I'm building a new mITX system this month to be my primary workstation/game rig. So far this case seems to be my case despite it not having very well ventilated drive bays. Anyone have alternate suggestions?Intel core i7-3770
Nvidia GTX 660ti
16GB RAM
128GB 2.5" SSD
No Optical
No 3.5" hard drive
DarkStryke - Sunday, August 19, 2012 - link
Go with the Asus P8Z77-I DELUXE, and that system will be a monster.Grok42 - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
Thanks for the feedback, this is for sure the board I'm going with. It's amazing how much they can get on these tiny mITX boards these days.Japanesus - Sunday, August 19, 2012 - link
For those willing to spend more (~$200) I'd recommend the SG08 . Although slightly taller and about 2 inches deeper, the extra room allows for a more efficient design I think.Some differences:
- HD tray accommodates two 2.5" drives underneath and has silicone grommets to reduce vibration from the 3.5".
- 600W bronze rated PSU
-180mm Air Penetrator fan (which you can easily replace - I went for a Corsair H80 and replaced the noisy stock fans with one 38mm thick intake fan).
-Nice looking brushed aluminum front panel.
Easily got a mild 4.2GHz overclock on an i5-3750k with the H80's fan controller on low speed. Can always ramp things up if you don't mind a bit more noise.
Anyways it was my first build and came together effortlessly. I gave it to my dad to replace his 10+ year old crappy Gateway... It's not cheap but neither are the components you would put in a case like this, so I think it's worth it.
daar - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
Having looked at both, from my recollection the depth of the SG08 is about the same as a regular PC tower, and a 5" difference from the SG05 (if it is the one I'm thinking of).Perhaps not an issue for some, but that difference was for me as I was sticking it inside a drawer. Otherwise, I'd just stick with the Prodigy or a mini tower for flexibility. Even if it's for home entertainment, TV stands generally space for a DVD player, and you can get a horizontal tower to fit in those.
pdjblum - Sunday, August 19, 2012 - link
I must be in the minority, because no one else seems to mind that the material of the cases reviewed are not stated up front in the specification box. I am a snob when it comes to cases, and the first thing I want to know is if it is made from aluminum or not.Dustin Sklavos - Sunday, August 19, 2012 - link
It isn't, but in my experience aluminum isn't necessarily desirable or even appropriate for the design. The SG05 uses plastic for the front fascia and steel for the chassis, and while a brushed aluminum fascia might be more attractive, the SECC steel is exactly the right call for the chassis itself.Keep in mind that the aluminum someone like Lian Li or Cubitek uses is also going to be different than the aluminum SilverStone uses.
MadAd - Sunday, August 19, 2012 - link
With all the recent buzz about SFF/ITX and the inevitability that PCs must shrink or die It would be great if we had a dedicated SFF forum here at Anandtech.Currently all SFF talk is drowned out by laptop and gaming posts, im sure there would be better discussion in its own home, currently the sheer volume of laptop posts deters anyone from even trying to discuss SFF, it feels pointless posting discussion if its just going to disappear.
Fantastic review otherwise, really enjoying the series, im determined that my current ATX builds (x3) will be my last and anything i need going forwards can be done on either SFF graphics free, or a uATX for a main gaming box with several hdd.
Samus - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
@ the GTX560 in that thing. Ridiculous...ly cool.miahallen - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=22055...nuff said 8)