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
Conclusion: Still a Strong Contender
Having put the SilverStone Sugo SG05 through it's paces, I can see why our SilverStone rep was so interested in having us take a look at it, especially on the heels of our other Mini-ITX reviews. The SG05 has been around for a little while, but you can argue that it's still among the best at what it does. The next smallest case we've reviewed is the Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced, a case which supports larger components and also has a cheaper sticker price. Both of these things make it an appealing alternative, at least at first, but what happens when we break things down?
First of all, once you factor in the price of a power supply (because remember, the SG05 includes one and the Elite 120 Advanced does not), the difference drops to about $20. Also consider that given the size of these enclosures, there's no real benefit to getting a power supply that supports more than 450W since using components that are going to need as much or more than that means generating more heat than the Elite 120 Advanced is probably capable of handling. Really the major benefits of the Elite 120 Advanced are the full size optical drive bay and the increased capacity for storage; if those things are important to you, then your decision is made, but keep in mind a slimline blu-ray reader/DVD writer combo drive can be had for not much more than a full size one if you're willing to chance eBay.
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The fact is, the SG05 offers incredibly compelling performance and a solid value for the money. I think there are still a few quirks with the design (the drive caddies probably need an overhaul), but it holds up remarkably well for a three year old, incrementally-updated enclosure. Just like SilverStone's enormous FT02, sometimes a design is so right on the first try that not a whole lot really needs to be done to improve it. That seems to be true here, and at less than $120 for a complete enclosure (with quality power supply), it's hard not to recommend it. If you're looking to do a Mini-ITX build and want something smaller than the BitFenix Prodigy, shortlist the SG05.
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cjs150 - Tuesday, August 21, 2012 - link
That is one beautiful creation. Not convinced by the reservoir location or the carbon fibre but still beautiful.Just shows Water cooling and mini itx go together.
geniekid - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
In my opinion (yours may vary), not being able to use a power supply of my choice is a deal breaker. Maybe one day the standard size of components like power supplies and graphics cards will go down to where I'm comfortable with Mini-ITX, but until then, micro ATX is the lowest I'm willing to go for a gaming rig. HTPC...okay, you got me there :)Zap - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
You can easily swap out the PSU. It is a standard "SFX" size that you can find replacements for at Newegg and other popular retailers.Besides the two Silverstone PSUs, FSP (who makes them for Silverstone) makes these PSUs in 300/400/450 wattages. Heck, Seasonic makes them in 300/350W. Silverstone has a new one that is 450W (maybe made by Enhance) but fully modular and 80Plus Gold!!! I used to own an Enermax 320W. SPI (Sparkle, part of FSP) has 300/350W versions. Some of these companies such as SPI/FSP also make lower wattage units down to 180W, but AFAIK those are older and less efficient designs.
There are also a bunch of lesser quality units on the market from companies like SilenX, Ultra, Apex, Athena Power, etc. but I wouldn't normally use them.
LostBeacon - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
I've owned the USB 2.0 variant for 2 years and the 450W PSU is very quiet, same for the front 120 mm fan. I would deinitely recommend for a SFF PC build. I am using a Sandy Bridge corei3 with a 60 GB SSD, a 500 GB HDD, and a slim ODD.JohnMD1022 - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
20-30 sec per photo, with Photoshop Elements or similar would make a world of difference.I used version 2.0 and adjusted the Brightness/Contrast.
See the difference:
http://www.picpaste.com/Large__2_of_14__575px-dNTn...
hasseb64 - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
- Remove external bay- Add a 250W GOLD PSU
- Add 1 or 2 [2,5"-3.5] internals
And we have a winner!
Sm0kes - Monday, August 20, 2012 - link
Thanks for the great review! I actually just pulled the trigger on a SB08 in hopes that it does a better job with noise / temps (and aesthetics). It'll be interesting to see how it compares with a Z77 + 3750k + 660Ti.Also, I wanted to echo the comment about creating a SFF forum section that is separate from laptops. It would be nice to try and get some more discussion going around these types of builds without being buried.
Nuschwander420 - Wednesday, August 22, 2012 - link
Can be had for about $20.Also a complete system based on this chassis can be had for $420- way beyond. This is the smallest possible system that can support a dual slot GPU! Look up the PICS for the SG05-bb on Xoxide.com or on google and you will find it next to a 12oz pop can. Small! I can't wait to build this pc with a Corsair H60 watercooler,GtX 660 ti,Core i7 3770k,Asrock z77 mini itx, and 16 gb of Corsair Vengence Ram.
HardwareDufus - Wednesday, August 22, 2012 - link
Think I just found my next case.... I'll tweak the drive caddy a bit to sling another 2.5drive under the other one..HardwareDufus - Saturday, November 24, 2012 - link
Heres' what I have:SG05BB case...
I7-3770k CPU
Asus P8z77i-Deluxe motherboard
OCZ Vertex4 Sata3(6G) 256GB SSD (2.5")
Seagate Hybrid HD (4GB SSD w/ 500GB 7200) (2.5")
I really like this case.. I'll harp on two things that could use work..but other than that...fine case!
wish harddive mounting were more flexible... lot of extra work and wasted space to use two 2.5 drives...like I have in my setup.... I will get out a dremel and rivit gone..and rework this someday... for now.. I put the SSD in the native 2.5" space... then I used the adapter that came with the SSD to mount the 2.5" HD in the 3.5" space... again cumbersome, time consuming and a waste of steel and space.
The front 120mm fan is louder than I would expect at slow speeds.. I will yank this for a quieter model.
Again.. I like this case... I'm at 4.225Ghz on all 4 cores of the I7, 1250Mhz on the built in HD4000 IGP and at DDR2400 (1200Mhz) on the 16GB of memory. Stock cooling... stock intel hsf and stock silverstone case fan...