Silverstone's TJ08-E mini tower differs
from the other contenders in this group as it is so large that it packs in two
5.25" optical drive bays. The TJ08-E looks like a conventional tower,
except that it measures 374mm tall and 385mm deep. This is almost exactly 100mm
smaller In those two dimensions than a typical ATX mid-tower case, although the
width of the case is a conventional 210mm.
Silverstone
TJ08-E
Silverstone divides its range of cases into
HTPC/desktop, slim HTPC/desktop, SFF and tower chassis and the TJ08-E falls
into the latter tower category. In other words, Silverstone has supplied us
with a tower case for a micro-ATX motherboard, which is perfectly valid for a
small PC build but it wasn't quite what we expected. The TJ08-E saves a few inches
over a regular tower case but manages to pack in all the features you get in a
regular tower along with a couple of unusual touches.
The layout is conventional, with a steel
frame and an aluminium front panel that gives a nice cosmetic touch. On the
front panel there are two USB 3.0 ports on either side of the headset jacks,
which is something we expect to see on a modern case. In the event you choose
to install a motherboard that doesn't have USB 3.0, then you will find an
adapter in the Silverstone package that allows you to use a USB 2.0 header
instead.
While we're discussing cosmetics, it's
worth pointing out that the two 5.25" drive bay blanks are held in place
with a couple of screws, instead of popping into detents, and do not look
especially sleek or flush.
we
like the Silverstone TJ08-E a great deal, but it is rather too large for our
tastes and would benefit from being more compact in size.
The two main side panels are each secured
with a pair of thumbscrews, so it only takes a moment to gain access to the
innards. Once you're inside you'll find a drive cage at the front that can
accommodate four 3.5" hard drives, or you can secure a 2.5" drive to
the floor of the case. In the first of the unusual features that Silverstone
provides, you also get an external 3.5" drive bay at the very bottom of
the case. This bay cannot be intended for a floppy drive but perhaps you have
some extra USB ports that require a home, or maybe some FireWire ports.
Remove six more screws and the top cover
lifts away to pretty much strip the case bare, which makes it a doddle to
install the power supply (not supplied) at the top of the case.
Installing the drives is a simple matter,
because you can pull out the cage once you have removed two screws (we're up to
12 so far) and that also reveals the enormous 180mm fan that sits behind the
front panel. The fan is filtered and has a speed control flick-switch on the
left side of the case.
That's a decent list of features, but you
only appreciate the true nature of the TJ08-E when you install your micro-ATX
motherboard and realise it goes in the case upside down with the CPU at the
bottom and the graphics card at the top. If you're using a low-power processor
with integrated graphics, the layout of the case doesn't much matter and you
would probably be better off with a more compact case that saves on space.
On the other hand, if you have a large CPU
cooler and a hefty graphics card, this is where the Silverstone comes into its
own. On the floor of the case there's a plastic scissor jack that you can raise
to support the weight of your CPU cooler. The other novelty is the plastic pad
on top of the drive cage, which is perfectly positioned to support your
graphics card, provided it's longer than 240mm/9.5". If the card is shorter
than that, it doesn't require extra support.
Overall, we like the Silverstone TJ08-E a
great deal, but it is rather too large for our tastes and would benefit from
being more compact in size.
|
Details
|
|
Price
|
$120
|
|
Manufacturer
|
Silverstone
|
|
Website
|
www.silverstonetek.com
|
|
Required spec
|
Internal ATX PSU, micro-ATX/mini-ITX
motherboard
|
|
Verdict
|
|
Quality
|
8/10
|
|
Value
|
7/10
|
|
Overall
|
7/10
|
|
Make And Model
|
Akasa Crypto Vesa
|
Cooler Master Elite 120
|
Cubitek Mini Ice
|
In-Win BL641
|
Silverstone TJ08-E
|
|
Price
|
$105
|
$60
|
$180
|
$85
|
$120
|
|
Manufacturer's Website
|
www.akasa.co.uk
|
www.coolermaster
co.uk
|
www.cubitek.com
|
www.inwin-style
com
|
www.silverstonetek
com
|
|
Type Of Case
|
Slimline desktop or Vesa
|
Desktop
|
Mini tower
|
Slimline desktop
|
Mini tower
|
|
Motherboard
|
Mini-ITX
|
Mini-ITX
|
Mini-ITX
|
Micro-ATX/mini-ITX
|
Micro-ATX/mini-ITX
|
|
Type Of Power Supply
|
External 12V DC adapter
|
Internal ATX
|
Internal ATX
|
Internal 300W
|
Internal ATX
|
|
Is Ihe PSU Included?
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
5.25" Drive Bays
|
One slimline optical bay
|
One
|
One
|
One
|
Two
|
|
External 3.5" Drive Bays
|
None
|
None
|
None
|
One
|
One
|
|
Internal 3.5" Drive Bays
|
None
|
Three
|
Four
|
Two
|
Four
|
|
2.5" Drive Bays
|
One
|
Two
|
Two (one with adapter)
|
None
|
One
|
|
Expansion Slots
|
None
|
Two
|
Two
|
Four low profile
|
Four
|
|
USB Ports
|
Two USB 2.0
|
One USB 3.0, two USB 2.0
|
Two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0
|
Four USB 2.0
|
Two USB 3.0
|
|
Other Ports
|
Headset jacks
|
Headset jacks
|
Headset jacks
|
Headset jacks
|
Headset jacks
|
|
Installed Cooling
|
One 50mm fan
|
One 120mm fan, one 80mm fan
|
One 140mm fan
|
None
|
One 180mm fan
|
|
Optional Cooling
|
None
|
One 120mm fan
|
One 140mm fan
|
None
|
One 140mm and one 120mm fan
|
|
Access To Rear Of CPU Socket
|
None
|
None
|
None
|
None
|
130mm x 130mm
|
|
Dimensions H x W x D (mm)
|
68 x 245 x 227
|
207 x 240 x 401
|
339x230x363
|
330 x 96 x 365
|
374x210x385
|
|
Quality
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
7
|
8
|
|
Value
|
6
|
9
|
8
|
8
|
7
|
|
Overall
|
7
|
9
|
8
|
7
|
7
|
