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Breathing New Life Into Older Computers with SilverStone
Pros
  • Great build quality
  • Easy to install
  • Great variety of product offerings
Cons
  • All-in-one Water Coolers not available in Canada (yet)
  • PM02 Case needs a rear removal option for PSU
9.8Overall Score
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Overall Thoughts and Conclusion

SivlerStone - Breathing New Life into Old

Receiving all the SilverStone products at once was a bit overwhelming, but I was looking forward to unboxing and setting up all the components.

The SilverStone Argon CPU cooler was, of course, the “most difficult” thing to do. I did seem to have lost the thermal paste that was included in the box, so I bought some from good old Amazon and used that. I also noticed that I had the orientation of the tower wrong with how I mounted the 140mm fan. That was an easy fix, and luckily enough, I could () get my fingers in around the screws to remove the heatsink from the CPU and remount it properly. The installation guide doesn’t mention that the arrow on the top of the heatsink indicates which way the air should flow through the aluminum fins for optimal heat dissipation. All the tests I put the CPU through never had the 140mm fan spin faster than  35%, and even then, it was whisper quiet.

The SilverStone Primera Series PM02 case, I think, is beautiful. Not only is it easy to install the components I used, but it was also easy to hide the cables away from prying eyes give the whole setup a beautiful clean look. The one downside I found with the case was the PSU area. It would have been nice to be able to slide the PSU in from the back. I had connected all the items I needed first, then angle and contort my way into putting the PSU in place so that I could mount it to the rear of the case. The PM02 includes a PSU fan filter, so I did not make use of the included magnetic fan filter that came with the Strider ST70F-TI PSU.

SilverStone Strider ST70F-TI PSU - Ratings

The last but not least, part of the package from SilverStonew as the Strider ST70F-TI 80 Plus Titanium PSU. Overkill for this computer’s particular components, but it allows one to be ready for future upgrades. The 700W could be utilized in a newer Intel i7 setup or AMD Ryzen setup without worry. The ST70F-TI came with a bunch of different power cables, which is helpful if components need to swap out and require more or fewer pins present. The Argon CPU cooler has mounting hardware for both Intel and AMD as well, so that could be utilized in a new build down the road too.

SilverStone Premier Series PM02 Case

SilverStone also provided a bunch of miscellaneous cables as well. They supplied a 3-way fan splitter cable (CPF02) that allowed me to hook up the three front case fans to a single header on the motherboard.  Various sleeved extension cables in white so that I could carry on the white look of the PM02 case.

Overall I have loved working with these components from SilverStone. Everything was easy to install and work with, and I think it looks good! I can proudly display this computer on top of the desk, and people will take notice!

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