Once the optical drive is installed, it’s time to install the motherboard. First, you must insert the standoffs yourself – 8 more screws to install. I’m not sure why SilverStone doesn’t do this for you – most motherboards have identical layouts, and if some use less standoffs, you can easily remove them.
Motherboard installation is quite straight-forward, as are any expansion cards. Since the SG04 is relatively big (compared to the likes of the GT3), no whacky expandable brackets are needed.
Once that is done, pop the hard drives back in, and slide them back together. Fasten the bottom back in, and then you can begin the most labrous part of the entire install (besides all the screws!): fitting in the power supply.
Keep in mind that I used a power supply that is specifically designed for small cases. This made it a bit easier, since I didn’t have to contend with yards of tangled cables. Still, it took quite a bit of effort to route all the cables in such a cramped space.
I can only imagine how difficult this would have been with a 1000W power supply and a pair of GTX 260′s. Still, that blame doesn’t exactly fall on SilverStone does it? Just one of the things you have to give up to have the smallest, most compatible system possible. An even better solution would be to use one of SilverStone’s modular PSU, along with this custom short modular cable set.
Conclusion
After putting together a system using the SG04, I am reminded how much extra effort it can take to install a SFF system. I can only imagine how much extra effort is required to design a case like this in the first place!
The question is; who is this case really for? Do you really need a mATX case? If so, there are much smaller ones out there. And if you are building a high-end SLI rig, mATX isn’t exactly the most likely scenario. Unless you are a hardcore LAN gamer on-the-go. If this describes you, that is exactly who this case is for; people who need a very capable system that is still under 30 lbs, and can be carried around with (relative) ease. If you like playing around with a system, upgrading components regularly, a case like this will give you headaches.
If you are anyone but that person, I’m not sure if you really need a case like this. If you are building on mATX, you are most likely either building a budget system, or an HTPC. At $150, this isn’t exactly a budget case, and is way too big to be considered for HTPC use.
But again, if you are in that very small nice that needs a case like this, it doesn’t get much better. SilverStone has put together a case that caters to a particular crowd, but it caters to that crowd exceptionally well.
[...] first thing I thought of when I heard we were receiving this board was how sweet it would be in the Silverstone Sugo SG04 case we reviewed a while back, with a pair of Radeon 5970’s running… Yum!One of the [...]