SilverStone Crown CW01

Performance:

Like the Temjin TJ08, the CW01 is targeted to offer a great deal of cooling possibilities with the number of fan slots and ventilation areas. For seeing how well the case truly functioned we had loaded it up with the following components:

Installing the components was effortless and there were virtually no problems. However, when using the case itself we had run into one minor issue. The optical drive covers for the CW01 had caused the DVD tray to be stuck when removing or inserting DVDs. This issue was fixed by manually pulling down the door further to allow the tray to protract/retract smoothly. Other than that minor issue the entire build process was pain free and we had not run into any other shortcomings. The included 80mm exhaust fans were relatively quiet and the case had excellent ventilation for the AMD Athlon 64 X2.

Conclusion:

The Crown series is brand new to SilverStone and from looking at the CW01 it looks like this may be another successful product line. SilverStone already manages the Milo, Sugo, Lascala, and Temjin, while the Crown and Grandia (GD01MX) are just the latest additions. The CW01 is based upon the Lascala LC18 design while still offering more than a simple product re-branding. The SilverStone Crown CW01 is selling for approximately $264, which is significantly less than the $600 USD price tag for the LC18 (keeping in mind the 7" touch screen display). The only notable problem we had run into with this case was the DVD tray being caught on the metal flap for the drive covers on the 5.25" drive bays. This problem should not affect all CD/DVD drives. The ATX CW01 offers excellent ventilation and a very thought out design to offer the maximum benefits whether the chassis is for use as a HTPC server or traditional desktop computer. We look forward to seeing what a potential Crown CW02 may hold in store for SilverStone Technology.