SilverStone Sugo SG08 Mini-ITX Case Review
by Dustin Sklavos on May 13, 2013 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Mini ITX
- SilverStone
In and Around the SilverStone Sugo SG08
If you review computer hardware for long enough, your relationship with aluminum becomes a fairly complicated one. Review cases and you start learning all kinds of crazy things about building materials, eventually developing your own preferences. I'm pleased to say that this is one thing SilverStone continues to do very, very right.
There isn't anything especially outlandish about using a brushed aluminum fascia with an SECC steel chassis and shroud, but SilverStone opts to use thick material in the construction of the Sugo SG08. The front fascia is 10mm aluminum while the external shroud is exactly the right thickness of steel to be flexible enough during reassembly without being chintzy or overly fiddly. SilverStone's aesthetic with the SG08 is tame and effective, with a completely flat, unventilated front followed by a veritable mountain of ventilation on the top and sides. Interestingly, there's virtually no ventilation on the rear of the case; I suspect this is a deliberate choice to channel air as directly down to the CPU as possible.
Instead of thumbscrews, the SG08 has three standard screws that hold the single piece shroud in place. Remove that, and you're left looking at one of SilverStone's classic puzzle boxes.
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While the interior of the SG08 is fairly intimidating at first, there's always a logic to SilverStone's designs. Like a good sandwich, a "stacking order" must be adhered to. At the top of the case are the intake fan bracket and the slimline optical drive tray. Remove those and you have access to the motherboard tray itself and the storage drive cage. Remove the drive cage and you're left with the preinstalled power supply. It should come as no surprise that interior real estate is at an absolute premium, yet what's perplexing is that SilverStone opted to install the reset button on the back of the case. Leaving it in the front where it typically resides, even recessed, would've been much more ideal, as you now have front panel headers crossing essentially the entirety of the interior.
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There aren't really a lot of surprises when it comes to the Sugo SG08. I like the aesthetic overall; it's simple but effective and won't look out of place. It's easy to be intimidated by the internal layout and you can tell almost immediately that closing up is going to be a pain, but when you get down to an enclosure this size, a lot of sacrifices are going to be made. Could the design of the SG08 be simpler? Probably, but how much so I'm not really certain.
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flemeister - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
Yes, the Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe fits with no issues. The VRM daughterboard only covers the bottom half of the ventilation holes on the closest side panel.I'm using an SG07 (identical to the SG08 apart from the front fascia), and have managed to cram a buttload of goodies inside it, with some modding: http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php...
ven - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
Nice build.HardwareDufus - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
Yes,I am using this board with an i7-3770k overclocked to 4.2Ghz. Using HD4000 for graphics...
I wish they had designed the cage to support 2 2.5" drives right below the 5.25 slim dvd... Instead of the clumsy 1 3.5" & 1 2.5" cages. My only gripe.
HardwareDufus - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
I should add.. I have the SG05BB... not the SG08flemeister - Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - link
If one of those two 2.5" drives is a SSD, then check if you've got a little space above the optical drive: http://oi48.tinypic.com/10fuuyp.jpgThat's in an SG07, but the SG05 might have that space too.
HardwareDufus - Friday, May 17, 2013 - link
The SG05 is much tighter above the Slim 5.25 bay than the SG07.Personally, I'd like to see a mini-ITX that doesn't permit anything other than 1 slim DVD 5.25 and 2 2.5" HDD/SDD drives. Scratch the FULL length PCI-x cars too.... (does anyone really expect to be able to cool a monster DUAL GPU video card in a mini-ITX case and still be quiet?). Also just support for the SFX Power Supplies.
JDG1980 - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
It's interesting to note that Silverstone's biggest design wins - not just this case but the Fortress FT02 and Temjin TJ08 - all have one thing in common, the 180mm 'air penetrator' intake fan(s). I wonder how much of the performance we're seeing is due specifically to those fans. Few other cases have a 180mm input, but NZXT's upcoming H630 has two front 200mm intakes that might be able to be modified for the Silverstone fans. I suspect that would provide excellent performance.Dustin Sklavos - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
I don't think it's the 180mm AP so much as where it's positioned. In each of the cases you mentioned it's blowing almost directly onto the CPU.creed3020 - Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - link
Don't forget the AP technology though. This fan is pushing air down in a column, e.g. ||| and not a cone /// \\. Re-test with a traditional 180mm fan and the thermals won't be as impressive. Likely the thermals will still be competitive but not the same figures you're seeing now which are excellent.I do own a 120mm AP and use it on a Samuel 17 heatsink in my HTPC. Works wonder and with a LNA it works wonders for temps and acoustics.
extide - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
If any of you guys are interested in this case, but perhaps want to do things like watercool, or use a large/dual slot GPU, etc, then you will probably be interested in the NCase M1. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1039867428Check it out, it is a case designed by the community in that forum link and will go into production in the next few months. They already have a few prototype cases made and they looks AWESOME.
To the editors, will you guys be reviewing the NCASE M1?
Thanks!