Review for Silverstone LC03

The Silverstone LC03 stands as living proof that companies are practically tripping over themselves to construct brand new cases for this swiftly growing HTPC market. The first generation LC01 from Silverstone was a very remarkable offering, but the newer LC03 is just as impressive.

First off, the LC03 isn’t merely a revision of its precursor. Rather, it is an entirely new case that is meant to be marketed side by side with its predecessor. So how exactly is it different? Well, the LC03:

• Is slightly smaller in length.
• Has one 60 mm. fan as opposed to an 80 mm. fan.
• Offers the option of adding and extra 80 mm. fan.
• Only has four 3 ? slots
• Has a piano black finish with a contoured aluminum front bezel.

In terms of performance, both the LC01 and the LC03 do quite well. Tests have shown that the LC01 reached temperatures of 53 degrees on the CPU and 35 degrees on the motherboard. The LC03 was a bit hotter with temperatures of 58 degrees on the CPU and 39 degrees on the motherboard. This was with the 60 mm. fan alone. When the additional 80 mm. fan was enabled, the temperatures dropped by 1 and 2 degrees respectively.

Here’s a look at the pros and cons of this device:

Cons

• Has a smaller fan, although there is room for expansion
• Temperatures reach a little higher than the LC01, although they are still within the acceptable range.
• Using the hard drive tray can be a little tricky.
• Could use a couple more motherboard mounts.

Pros

• The exterior finish gives it a very stylish, expensive look.
• The construction is quite durable.
• It is available in many colors
• Both the hard drives and the DVD drives can be expanded.
• Has front USB, stereo and Firewire ports.
• Aluminum doors conceal the jacks as well as the drives.

One of the best features of the LC03 is its appearance. You get a high-end look without having to pay a high-end price. The LC03 is a great value for a machine that shows no major faults. The biggest complaint is the size of the fan, which is 20 mm. smaller than that of the LC01. This can be overcome by adding an 80 mm. fan to the allotted space at the front of the machine. Overall, the LC03 is great machine that can fit in with any home theatre system.

Silverstone LC03 images:

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