A Niche Case for Niche Users
We have been reviewing Small Form-Factor PC cases for quite some time now, and the question always pops up – who needs a SFF case anyway?
This style of case is the type of product that is often the solution with no problems. Or at least, the solution to a very specific problem. For instance, if you are looking for a full ATX case that is not much bigger than a Playstation 3, you should be looking at the GTR Tech GT3. If you want to build a SFF system similar to those made by Shuttle, but want to use your own components, look no further than the SilverStone Sugo SG01.
Today, we’ll be looking at SilverStone’s newest mATX SFF case, the SG04.
Like the SG01, the SG04 supports mATX motherboards, and full sized power supplies. However, it features a taller (36cm over 21.6 cm), narrower (20 cm over 26 cm) design, and larger intake fans (it comes with one 120 mm fan, and 1 more can be added, as opposed to the 80 mm fans on the SG01). Most importantly though, the SG04 is possibly the smallest case that can accommodate a full-length 10.5″ video card. This includes the GeForce GTX 280, and Radeon HD 4870. On top of that, it will fit these cards in SLI mode.
Despite having beautiful aluminum exterior components, the chassis is made from SECC steel. Therefore, its net weight (4.79 kg) is quite a bit heavier than the all-aluminum SG01 (3 kg). After installing a system in the SG01 (2 hard drives, one video card, one optical drive, 500W PSU) the total gross weight came to be 22 lbs (10 kg). Quite heavy for such a little system! Luckily, SilverStone offers a custom sized carrying bag for this thing – I wouldn’t want to try carrying it around in a cheap backpack.
As you know, we don’t like wasting time with specs pages (if you need that, you can visit SilverStone’s specs page), so let’s get right to it and build a system with the Sugo SG04.
