Silverstone Grandia GD02-MT Case
Introduction
Published: 16th November 2008 | Source: Silverstone | Price: £289.99 |
Introduction
Home Theatre PC's were going to be the next big thing a few years ago, if Microsoft were to be believed. When they released XP Media Centre Edition, a new breed of PC's appeared, which aimed to bring the PC into the lounge, and to unify the whole PC / home media experience from one central PC. Sales of these systems were very slow, partly due to the initially high prices, and partly because the consumer was slow to pick up on the new technology.With the growth of home built PC's, the HTPC has seen a resurgance in popularity amongst enthusiasts. Also responsible was the falling prices in the required hardware. Most major PC case manufacturers offer some HTPC cases within their product range. Some are no more than a reduced sized enclosure, whilst others offer true HTPC friendly features. Today we are reviewing Silverstone's latest offering, the Grandia GD02-MT, and we aim to see which catagory it falls into. But first, a little information on Silverstone.
About Silverstone
Silverstone Technology Ltd. was founded in 2003, and since then have consistantly brought to market attractive PC cases, both in terms of design, functionality and aesthetics. They have also generated some innovative solutions and gained a respectable reputation amongst PC enthusiasts. The SilverStone Technology’s philosophy is based on their recognition that merely having innovative expertise within the industry is not enough. Their objective is to ensure that their expertise is delivered to all products with consistency, in response to user’s needs, and with maximum user satisfaction.
Silverstone Technology Ltd. was founded in 2003, and since then have consistantly brought to market attractive PC cases, both in terms of design, functionality and aesthetics. They have also generated some innovative solutions and gained a respectable reputation amongst PC enthusiasts. The SilverStone Technology’s philosophy is based on their recognition that merely having innovative expertise within the industry is not enough. Their objective is to ensure that their expertise is delivered to all products with consistency, in response to user’s needs, and with maximum user satisfaction.
So let's now move onto the subject of our review, the Grandia GD02-MT, which is classified as a Micro-ATX HTPC case. It features some welcome additions, which are ideal for HTPC use and we will be putting the case through it's paces. Firstly, let's take a look at the case's specifications, which we obtained directly from the Sliverstone website's product page.
| Model: | SST-GD02B-MT (Black w/ multimedia + 4.3” touchscreen) SST-GD02S-MT (Silver w/ multimedia + 4.3” touchscreen) |
| Material: | Aluminum front panel & corners, SECC body |
| Motherboard Size: | Micro ATX, DTX, Mini-ITX |
| Multimedia: | 4.3” touchscreen, IR, remote control with on/off function iMON media center software |
| Resolution: | Native resolution: 480 x 272 Supported resolution: 640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768 |
| Drive Bay: | External: Slim optical drive x 1, 3.5” x 1 Internal: 3.5” x 2 (vibration dampening) |
| Cooling System: | 2 x 80mm exhaust fan, 2050rpm |
| Expansion Slots: | 4 |
| Front I/O Port: | USB2.0 x 2 IEEE1394 x 1 Audio x 1 MIC x 1 |
| Power Supply: | Optional Standard PS2(ATX) |
| Expansion Card: | Compatible with expansion card up to 11.5 inch |
| Net Weight: | 7.86kg |
| Dimensions | 430mm(W)x155mm(H)x360mm(D) |
Let's see what Silverstone have to say about their new offering on their product page:
Grandia represents brilliance, and SilverStone’s Grandia GD02 is certainly a brilliant chassis that seamlessly integrates innovation and aesthetics. For the first time, a unique optional 4.3 inch touchscreen makes a debut in a home theater PC enclosure along with a brand new multimedia interface. Its friendly interface allows users to easily control onscreen actions while also providing a dedicated media player right on the front panel. An HTPC enclosure also has never been so powerful yet so compact like the GD02. With a depth of only 360mm, it will comfortably fit inside home theater cabinets but still accommodate a regular sized power supply, Micro-ATX motherboard, and even high end graphics cards up to 11.5 inches. With exquisitely finished hair-brushed aluminum front panel and organic spherical appearance, GD02 is not only designed brilliantly but also looks brilliant.
So there are some big claims there, and we aim to see if they hold true or not.
Moving swiftly on to the next page, we shall discuss the packaging and contents of the product.
Most Recent Comments
Thanks mate.:)
Great review. Dont see enough of these reviews about.
Fair comment with the construction points and limitations.
Personally I think the prices of these scare people. They look good, have some nice gimmicks, but when all the screws are taken out - it's a pc case. For the same price u can get one of those oversized LL server eatx thingies.
Fair comment with the construction points and limitations.
Personally I think the prices of these scare people. They look good, have some nice gimmicks, but when all the screws are taken out - it's a pc case. For the same price u can get one of those oversized LL server eatx thingies.
Great review as always Stuart, and I'm inclined to agree with Rast's comments above. A thoroughly enjoyable read though :)
Thanks alot fellas, glad you liked the review. I was concerned over the price too, till I found out the price of small LCD's alone. I was shocked to hear how much they retail for (around £150ish). Considering this, I don't think that the price for the case was unfair. As Rast mentioned though, the LCD's are quite gimmicky and the novelty would soon wear off.
Thanks alot fellas, glad you liked the review. I was concerned over the price too, till I found out the price of small LCD's alone. I was shocked to hear how much they retail for (around £150ish). Considering this, I don't think that the price for the case was unfair. As Rast mentioned though, the LCD's are quite gimmicky and the novelty would soon wear off.
Thats exactly what I found, it was also rather frustrating getting it to diplay my music :(
It seems crazy they cost so much, I looked into it a while ago, you can get a reasonable desktop LCD for the same cost.
A good gimmick would be for the lcd to display what something like vlc or mediaplayer displays, like the scope/equalizer/album info etc etc - or equally an itunes output, that'd be something apple would jump on (for their pc-itunes ofc :p)
(this is where u step in and say they do :p)
(this is where u step in and say they do :p)
They do:D
It has a graphic equaliser function, with the track name etc. when playing music. I don't think it shows the album art though or works with iTunes.
It has a graphic equaliser function, with the track name etc. when playing music. I don't think it shows the album art though or works with iTunes.
Yeah it's their "own thing" type of equalizer aint it. I reckon some1 should be bold and map exactly what the players display.
Good review, but I think you should change the load/idle temp graphs so they both scale in x from 0 to 70, as at first glance I thought you were getting lower load temps! I dunno whether I could be fussed with an LCD tbh, does add a bit of wow factor to the case though.
"Take, for example, the very limited space between the PSU and the hard drive when installed. I cannot understand why Sliverstone did not pick up on this when the case was still in the design stage."
Don't you think a 750 watt ps is overkill? 400 should be more than enough for a htpc and you can find a smaller size ps that won't have the space issues. IMHO Thanks for the review the build is helpful b/c I am about to use a simular case if not the same.
Don't you think a 750 watt ps is overkill? 400 should be more than enough for a htpc and you can find a smaller size ps that won't have the space issues. IMHO Thanks for the review the build is helpful b/c I am about to use a simular case if not the same.
CSS Valid