SilverStone GD06 Review

Each of the two bays can be released with a flick of the plastic locking mechanism to either expose or add some precious storage. The particularly useful design allows you to upgrade or add storage without having to remove the GD-06 from its home in your entertainment center. The bottom bay features an activity LED in the same cosmic blue that the Power LED / HDD LED uses on the bottom of the front bezel.

The rest of the case is made from thick metal and has a nice matte black finish. The chassis construction is sturdy and tight but it leaves me wanting. Wanting aluminum, more aluminum, the same luxurious aluminum that the front panel is made from.

Each side of the GD06 is able to accommodate 120mm cooling fans, one on the left, and two on the right. The cooling aspects of this chassis are hands down one of its most attractive features. Most of the HTPC cases I see are expected to cool your components by a couple of measly 80 mm fans while being crammed into your entertainment center with plenty of heat creating devices like receivers, cable boxes, PS3’s, Wii’s, XBOX’s and whatever else we may stuff into these tiny spaces.

The positive pressure cooling design of the GD06, Plus use of dust guards on each of the installed fans helps to keep your system clean.

Computer chassis are typically equipped with many case fans, some are designed for exhaust and others for intake. When intake fans’ combined airflow is greater than exhaust, a positive pressure is created inside the chassis. Conversely, when the airflow is greater for exhaust than it is for intake, a negative pressure is created.

Having an HTPC means that your system will likely be installed in a tight space, ala entertainment center. The dust guards are, unfortunately, installed on the interior of the chassis and requires that you pull nearly everything out to clean them. Had SilverStone figured a way to mount these on the exterior of the chassis instead of the interior they would have done everyone a favor.