Custom PC - UK (2019-12)

A

long-timesupporterofmini-ITX
casesandpioneerofSFXPSUs,
SilverStonehasgenerateda lotof
interestwiththeLD03,asit seemstotick
severalkeyboxesformodernmini-ITXPCs.
It’sattractive,withtintedtemperedglassside
panelsanda pleasinglyangularventilated
roofsection,allofwhichslideorpopofffor
accesstotheinterior,althoughthismeans
cable-routingspaceisverylimited.It has
190mmofCPUclearancetoodespiteits
diminutivesize,309mmofGPUclearance
andcanevenhousea 120mmliquidcooler.
Thepriceis reasonabletoo,atjust£90,
althoughthebuildqualityis satisfactoryrather
thansublime,aswiththeLianLiPC-Q37WX.
Slideoffthetoppanelandit revealstheback
ofthemotherboardandothermainexternal
connectivity,aswellasa 120mmrooffan.
Nexttothisplasticrooffasciais the‘front
panel’,whichofferstheusualtwoUSB 3
ports,audiomini-jacks,powerandreset
buttons.Thefasciahasa holeinonesideto
allowcablestoenter,muchlikethePhanteks
EnthooEvolvShiftAir,whichis theonlyother
casewitha towerarrangement.

SilverStoneLD03/£90incVAT

SUPPLIER scan.co.uk

SilverStone seems to know a little more

about thermodynamics, though, as both its

120mm fans, with a second in the base of the

case, point skywards, making use of the

chimney effect when it comes to heat and

airflow. However, the graphics card might not

thank SilverStone for being positioned facing

the side panel, potentially impacting its

ability to cool itself. The CPU, though, is well

placed, thanks to the motherboard being

rotated 90 degrees, so if you end up making

use of that 190mm of heatsink clearance, the

roof fan will vent your CPU cooler fan for

better cooling.

To prevent dust ingress, the LD03 sports

a huge underside air filter and includes a

separate filter on one of the side panels to

cater for the PSU, which is limited to SFX or

SFX-L in size. To allow air into the bottom

120mm fan, the whole case sits on feet that

raise it up an inch or so to allow air to enter

more easily. For GPU cooling, there’s a small

vent next to the GPU mount to either let in or

exhaust air depending on the cooler style,

although this vent isn’t equipped with a dust

filter. There’s only space for a single 3.5in

hard disk and 2.5in SSD, but ditching the

formerwillgiveyoua second2.5inmount.

The chimney cooling clearly works, as the

CPU delta T of 54°C was the lowest on test by

far, beating the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift Air

by 5°C and the Metallic Gear Neo Mini by a

massive 11°C. Even the GPU delta T was one of

thelowestontest,at50°C.What’smore,the

casewasreasonablyquiet,withjusta light

airflownoisethankstotheglasssidepanels.

Conclusion

TheSilverStoneLD03ticksmoreboxesthan

anyothercaseontestwitha reasonableprice,

excellentaircooling,roomfora largeaircooler

aswellasliquidcooleranda funky,compact

layout.Cableroutingisn’tgreatandyou’llneed

touseplentyofcabletiesbutapartfromthis,

theLD03is a fantasticmini-ITXcaseforair or

AIOliquidcooling.

VERDICT

Superb air cooling, compact size and

reasonable price

ROBOCOP

+ Small footprint

+ Excellent cooling

+ AIO liquid cooler and

large air cooler support

ROBODOG

• SFX or SFX-L
  PSUs only


• Limited storage options


• Nowhere to
  store cables

LABS TEST / MINIITX CASES

SPEC

Dimensions (mm) 265 x 230 x 414 (W x D x H)

Material Steel, glass

Available colours Black

Weight 5.34kg

Front panel Power, reset, 2 x USB 3, audio jacks

Drive bays 1 x 3.5in/1 x 2.5in, 1 x 2.5in

Form factor(s) Mini-ITX

Cooling 1 x 120mm roof fan mounts (fan included),

1 x 120mm base fan mount (fan included)

CPU cooler clearance 190mm

Maximum graphics card length 309mm

COOLING

29 / 30

DESIGN

23 / 30

FEATURES

15 / 20

VALUE

18 / 20

OVERALLSCORE

85