Silverstone Sugo SST-SG02B-F review

If you want a compact PC, you could buy a barebones chassis from a manufacturer such as Shuttle.

However, its integrated motherboard and power supply may not be right for your needs. The SST-SG02B-F is designed to fit a wide range of standard components in a relatively small case.

It is designed to take a microATX motherboard, giving you a wide range of options. You can use any standard ATX power supply, so power- hungry graphics cards won't be a problem. The supply sits directly above the motherboard, which limits you to processor coolers of up to 87mm in height, but both Intel's and AMD's stock designs will fit.

Measuring 212x270x393mm, the SST-SG02B-F certainly isn't as small as a Shuttle XPC. The front panel has a glossy black finish, with a large flap hiding the front ports. These consist of the usual audio-in, audio-out, FireWire and two USB ports. One oversight is the lack of drive bay doors for optical drives. This means you'll have to find one with a glossy black fascia to match the chassis; LG's GGW-H20L should fit the bill.

There are two 5¼in external drive bays, the lower of which can be converted to a 3½in bay using the supplied adaptor. This means there's not enough space for a memory card reader and two optical drives. Beneath these is an internal drive bay with space for two hard disks. These must be screwed on to metal caddies, which slide into the bay. There's no vibration dampening provided to help reduce noise. An 80mm intake fan at the back of the bay draws cool air over the drives.

Silverstone claims you can fit even the largest graphics cards in this case. However, any card over 245mm in length will prevent you connecting the SATA cable to one of your hard disks. If you want two hard disks and a large graphics card, you'll need to replace the 80mm intake fan, which is 25mm deep, with a more slender 10mm or 15mm design. You can then move the hard disk bay back, giving you more space. Choose your replacement fan carefully to make sure that you get a silent model that won't make your PC noisy.

The plentiful ventilation holes let cool air in, but no exhaust fans are provided with this case. Fortunately, there are two 80mm fan mountings with vents on the top of the case, so you can fit your own. With both 80mm fans fitted, we can't imagine you will have any overheating problems. Again, choose your fans carefully to make sure that you keep your PC silent.

A range of specially designed accessories is available for this microATX case. These include the ST50EF-PLUS-EC power supply (as none is supplied with the case), which has short leads that won't clutter up your case. There are also processor coolers and fans, and even a carry bag. None of these are essential extras, though. At £47 including VAT, plus the price of one or two 80mm fans, the Sugo SST-SG02B-F is good value, and a fine choice for those wanting to build a mini PC.

Author: Seth Barton