SilverStone Grandia GD04

While we have a passion for Linux benchmarking, drivers, and delivering all sorts of performance metrics on Phoronix, once in a while it's enjoyable taking a break from that usual spin to look at other hardware components. In particular, checking out the latest computer cases from SilverStone Technology is usually the preferred choice. SilverStone has been around for seven years now yet they continue putting out some of the best and most innovative products on the market, with cases, power supplies, coolers, and other products. Their computer cases are among the best and the Temjin TJ10 and Raven RV02 have been personal favorites but they have dozens of other enclosures that range from low-profile SFF boxes to large towers. Back in October the Grandia GD03 was reviewed, but SilverStone has since sent out the Grandia GD04 to be tested, which is the focus of today's review.

The Grandia GD03 was one of the less interesting SilverStone cases that we have tested over the years, but the GD04 design is different while still catering to HTPC (Home Theater PC) customers. The GD04 is smaller than the earlier Grandia cases and in fact is even smaller than their very popular Sugo SFF chassis. While only providing room for a micro ATX motherboard, there is room within the GD04 for one 5.25-inch optical drive, two 3.5-inch hard drives, and even a 2.5-inch SSD/HDD. There is also sufficient room for up to two high-end graphics cards. SilverStone has made it possible to pack a lot in such a small package. SilverStone's Grandia GD04 comes with three 120mm fans installed, is designed around having positive air pressure for cooling/quietness and dust prevention, the front panel is constructed out of 8.0mm aluminum, 0.8mm SECC body, and there are also cable routing/management optimizations. The weight on this case is 5.54 kilograms while the dimensions are 440 x 150 x 323 mm.

With SilverStone cases not being the normal bargain computer case, they are usually packaged quite well and it is certainly no different for the GD04. The SilverStone Grandia GD04 was housed within a thick cardboard box while resting amid two large Styrofoam blocks on each end. Residing outside of the HTPC case was a smaller box that contained the user's manual, mounting hardware, and other accessories. The Grandia GD04 was provided for review by SilverStone Technology and arrived in fine condition without any damage. There are the SST-GD04B and SST-GD04S models for the GD04 with the later having a silver exterior while the former is black. The model we received was the black SilverStone SST-GD04B.