Moving to the inside of the LC09 you can see that thing are layout in a
precise pattern with each component segregated from the other. The
largest area of course will be for the motherboard, the tray visible at the
front of the case will of course hold the CD/DVD drive that you install.
You can also see the cable that lead away from the side connector of the
case, these are for the USB, FireWire, Headphone and Speaker.
To
the right of it is the internal portion of the power supply, since this is a
AC-DC-DC power supply, meaning AC voltage is supplied to the external brick
which in turn converts that voltage to DC voltage at high current which is
supplied to the case via the power cord at the rear of the case. That DC
voltage is then fed into the internal power supply where it is once again
converted to the various voltages we will need to operate our motherboard,
12V - 5V.
Here is a close-up of the spring actuated power switch
along with the two LED bulbs that we mentioned earlier in the review.
The switch offers a positive feel to it and you will have no problem
knowing when you have turned your computer on or off.
We mentioned the CD/DVD tray earlier, but located
directly beneath it are four holes that will align with the four holes
on the bottom of a standard size
hard drive. The drive is simply slid under the tray with
the connectors pointing towards the rear of the case and the drive is then
secured using the four screws provided with the case.
This is where we found one fault with this case, being
that this is a Mini-ITX case there are a large number of use that use
laptop hard drives in our computers, it would have been nice to see this
area drilled to accept both the standard size hard drive as well as the
2.5" drives.
ACCESSORIES
As far as PCI risers go Silverstone has covered all the
bases, they not only provided a right-angle riser but a PCI Slot
Extender which will come in handy if you happen to have a video or other
PCI card that doesn't align quite right with the rear of LC09. By using
the Extender you will more than likely be able to make the card fit
properly.
Silverstone also provides you with the necessary cables
to power your computer by supplying the 24-pin power connector the
branches off into a pair of Molex connectors and a single floppy
connector which will be used on the CD/DVD drive.
Since the CD/DVD drive are intended to be used in laptop computers we
need some means to connect our cabling to our computer and Silverstone has
once again made sure that you won't need to go out shopping by providing you
with this adapter that bolts to the rear of the drive and allows a standard
IDE cable to be attached to it.
The power supply provided with the LC09 is a 60 watt model made by M&P,
at first glance you might think the supply is rated at 80 since it has 80 in
rather large numbers. But if you multiply 12 volts X 5 amps = 60 watts
and then reading the sticker closer you see that it is actually 80 watts PK
(PEAK).
Motherboard Installation
Installation of the VIA Mini-ITX motherboard into the
Silverstone LC09 case was surprisingly simple thanks to ample run you
have to work with in all directions. One other thing that made the
installation go exceptionally fast was the fact the all of the risers
aligned perfectly with the motherboard. This may sound rather trivial
but I have bought and review some Mini-ITX cases where this is not the
case.
The fact that the tray that the Slim-line CD/DVD
mounts to is completely removable makes it far easier to work on that
some cases that make you attempt to thread the micro-screws while the
tray is in the case. Once the drive is secured with the holes on the
tray there is no further need to align the drive to get that perfect
reveal we all want, it will be perfect when you finish fastening it in
place.
As you can see from the photographs wire management is not a problem with
the LC09 either, the two biggest cables will of course be the IDE drive
cables and they can be pretty much hidden beneath the drive tray thereby
insuring the case remains open and has good air circulation.
I have had the chance to test 6 different Mini-ITX cases
and I would have to say that the Silverstone LC09 is hands down the
easiest case to work on. Total time to install a VIA Nehemiah
motherboard once the first screw was removed from the top of the LC09
was a total of 20 minutes and I stopped to let the dog out once.
CONCLUSION
The Silverstone LC09 AKA Piano Master is truly a one of a kind case which
offers you features not found in other Mini-ITX cases. The ability to use a
full-size hard drive and still have room for PCI card makes this case number
1 in my book for cases to be considered for those people looking for a case
to built a HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer). The only other case
type I know of that offers this feature is the cube type cases and I really
don't consider those Mini-ITX cases but more dwarf-ATX cases.
Silverstone has also designed this case with the Home Theater in mind,
and how it will blend in with what you have. The clean shapes and lines of
the LC09 insure that this case will be at home in any decor you place it in
thanks to it's unobtrusive appearance. If you're going to buy a case
for your next Mini-ITX project why not buy the best - buy a Silverstone and
look long and hard at the LC09 you won't be sorry.
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