SilverStone ML04 & ML05 Slim HTPC Cases Review
by E. Fylladitakis on April 18, 2014 2:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- HTPC
- SilverStone
- desktops
Silverstone Milo ML05 Interior
Unlike the Milo ML04, the interior of the ML05 has been sprayed black as well. It is made from the same 0.8mm SECC steel, which is more than adequate for such a small case. As expected from a design of such proportions, the interior is not exactly roomy but the desktop format allows for direct access to all of the components. There is a small support bar, the use of which feels a little redundant, as it is only 3cm away from the massive multipurpose bracket. A small drive cage can be used to hold up to four 2.5" drives, which should be plenty for such a small system.
The multipurpose bracket has four functions, but sadly it can only be used for a single one of them at a time. It may be used to hold a slim optical drive, two 2.5" drives, one 3.5" drive, or a 120mm cooling fan. As there is already room for four 2.5" drives on the cage next to the PSU, the second option feels redundant for such a case. Unfortunately, the user has to select between optical disks, a 3.5" device, or extra cooling. We should also note that only slot-loading optical drives can be installed in the Milo ML05. The purchase of such a drive is optional but Silverstone sells such devices and provided us with one for this review. Not that it matters, but it is somewhat funny that "Drive by Toshiba/Samsung" is printed on the box of the optical drive whereas we found an LG drive inside.
Another limitation of the Silverstone Milo ML05 is the PSU. Due to the proportions of the case, an ATX PSU obviously won't fit, so Silverstone designed the ML05 with an SFX PSU compartment instead. This is a more versatile option than having a proprietary PSU attached to the case, but the selection of SFX PSUs is rather limited. Silverstone provided us with one of their best SFX units, the ST45SF-G, an 80Plus Gold certified PSU capable of continuously outputting 450W. Such a unit however will burn a $94.99 hole in your wallet and it's probably overkill for such a low-power system. The modular connectors also add depth to the unit and the cables will be tightly pressed against the HDD cage. Most Milo ML05 users would be far better off with a simpler PSU for half the money, such as the ST30SF. If however you are planning to fit a tiny powerhouse inside the Milo ML05, the option to go with a high-performance PSU is available.
The Mini-ITX board fits comfortably in the Milo ML05 but the cables will be a pain to manage. Even with the simple system we are using to depict the installation of components inside the case, the cables cause chaos above half the motherboard. A low profile expansion card may be used, or a single-slot full size expansion card with the use of a riser. If a full size card is used, coolers taller than 36mm will not fit beneath it -- and that's assuming that the card has no cooler or components extruding from it at all. We would strongly suggest sticking with onboard options over discrete graphics, or at most use a low profile GPU. Depending on the budget, the Milo ML05 can house anything from a low power Atom/Brazos-based up to a rather powerful Haswell/Piledriver-based setup, which ought to be more than enough for the intended use of such a system.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
39 Comments
View All Comments
johnny_boy - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
The ML04 looks alright (not great, not terrible) but the ITX ML05 is terribly ugly. Diamond buttons? Big plastic strip across the front? There's a serious lack of nice, affordable, ITX cases especially in this HTPC form factor.Dave12311231 - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
I would like to use the Milo ML05 with a 19V DC connector equipped motherboard and a Broadwell or future AMD system. This would negate the cables from an internal PSU whilst still having a very small case, hopefully cheaper than a NUC system overall.jabber - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
These are NOT great looking cases.C'mon people try harder!
Alan G - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
Well they do look better than the traditional cable box that comes courtesy of your provider!I've built several HTPCs for family and friends over the past six months and these cases should be OK. You don't need any graphics cards with new CPUs (I use Intel but I'm sure the same is true with AMD on board graphics). In addition HTPC systems are not energy demanding and I've got one in a Lian Li PCQ-27 case which is passively cooled. Temperatures under operating conditions with only the Intel stock cooler run just over 30C which is fine. The review is correct about the lack of choices in PSUs for these applications. I've been using Seasonic G-360s which work just fine and are silent.
Thanks for this posting and continue to find some small HTPC case to review.
irusun - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
Agree.And especially the "mirror" front on the ML05 sounds awful... why would I want that sitting under/next to my TV bouncing all sorts of reflections?
jtd871 - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link
Silverstone now offers the recent ML06, which is the same chasis as the 05, but dumps the acrylic front panel for anodized aluminum like the 04.irusun - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
I'm aware others have had similar comments, and I'm sincerely not trying to hurt E. Fylladitakis feelings or question his technical competence, and I'm rooting for him to succeed, but he really needs help with the writing. It's pretty obvious that english is not his first language, and it results in wordy paragraphs, weird phrasings (at times it sounds like it was written by a bot), and it's just plain difficult to follow at times. I expect better writing at Anandtech.irusun - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
I'm surprised there's so little mention of "noise" in HTPC case reviews where noise is one of the primary issues of concern. I understand what was stated in the article about not being able to quantify results above background room noise, but how about some subjective comments just based on experience. Were the supplied PSUs "quiet"? Do the cases offer any advantages or disadvantages for building a quiet system? It's understood that there are an infinite combination of coolers and fans and PSUs, but I would expect some further thoughts on the noise front, even if they're just informed opinions.Daniel Egger - Monday, April 21, 2014 - link
When building an HTPC noise is completely in your hand. Even if the case contains fans you almost certainly don't want to use them without any sort of fan controller if at all. Getting a mainboard with enough 3 or even 4 pin connectors for controlling the fans is highly recommended. In my setup I connected the 2 case fans only to provide some general airflow through the case so the rest of the components will also receive some cooling (and the CPU fan blowing out at the top can run at the slowest level for a longer time) but they're setup to run at the lowest possible speed so they're inaudible unless you hold your ear right next to them. Before changing the fan controller setup they were blowing at full pace making some unacceptable amount of noise.Voldenuit - Sunday, April 20, 2014 - link
OK, I can understand why the ML04 doesn't have one, but wth didn't Silverstone design the ML05 with a GPU riser card to accommodate at least a medium to high end GPU? Even if a user opted not to turn their HTPC into a gaming device, this would open up the possibilities for more expansion cards that are not half height.