Interior and Build Notes
The primary chamber of the PM01 is an example of the modern open internal layout, with no 5.25-inch external bays, and all storage located on the opposite side. The bottom of the enclosure is covered by a partition to hide the power supply and associated cables, and this has become a common design element in cases accross the industry.
For their part the door panels are of the standard slide-off variety, but from this close up shot you can see that even the backs of these panels are coated with the glossy enamel paint. From the even coverage I assume these panels were dipped, but in any case the finish does make them a bit thicker than they would otherwise be, so sliding them on and off requires additional force.
Inside the rear of the PM01 is your standard ATX mid-tower layout, though the CPU cutout is huge. The pre-mounted exhaust fan is 140 mm, and this spot is also compatible with 120 mm designs.
Up front we have no fewer than three 140 mm LED intake fans, and looking down at the bottom of the case you can see a rather clever panel which slides back to allow for the added thickness of a radiator up front.
Removal of the top panel first requires removing a couple of screws from each side. After that, it simply lifts out.
With the top panel removed you can see the recessed area for additional fans or radiators, but this location does not have its own screen filter. That rear exhaust port on the back of the top area provides the exit airflow, and the positive pressure negates the need for a filter here.
The front panel comes off as easily as the top, with a pair of screws on each side of the interior to remove first.
Once removed we have full access to the screen filter and fans. As I mentioned in the intro, our black PM01 is equipped with red LED fans (140 mm), while the white version is equipped with blue fans.
The area behind the motherboard is quite busy, as has become customary with cases with this layout. All hard drive and SSD storage mounts reside back here, and the power supply will be hidden from view from the front thanks to the partition. In the middle of things there is a powered fan hub, and the included fans were connected with this during my review. (This is not a PWM controller, so the fans run at a fixed speed.)
The power supply will rest on a pair of pads to prevent vibration
Storage Support
The 3.5-inch hard drives are securely mounted via screws to the plastic trays, with rubber washers preventing vibration.
The SSD mounts are located below the CPU cutout, and are removed with a single thumbscrew. The drives themselves mount conventionally to these trays with screws.
Build Notes
What is there to say about building a system in a case this wide open? I installed my ATX motherboard without issue, and all of my usual build components fit with tons of room to spare. There is enough room behind the system to effectively manage cable mess, and the included velcro straps are very welcome.
As for cooling support, there was enough room to easily install a liquid cooler on the top or rear, with the front mounts out of reach of all but longer AIO hoses. This case offers good support for liquid cooling, with plenty of space for reservoirs, radiators, and fans. The grill on the back of the upper panel is the only exit for hot air from a top-mounted liquid cooler, but it's large enough that this isn't an issue.
There is a potential issue with mounting liquid coolers up top, as the chamber above strangely has no opening for fan cables. This chamber seems perfect for the exhaust fans for a top mounted rad, but without drilling a hole there was no way to rout the fan cables down. A slim top-mounted AIO cooler is an option, but that upper mount will present a challenge for any thicker radiator/fan combo.
This Cooler Master MasterLiquid Pro 240 just barely fits over the RAM
Next we'll look at the completed build, and see how the system performed.
Gold award? Are you F’ing
Gold award? Are you F’ing kidding me?!!!
– Can’t fit any kind of dual fan radiator in the top of the case
– You have to unscrew the front panel to be able to properly clean it
Those two points there are major issues and make it pretty much a no-buy for a large number of people. If you’re planning on doing a air only build you can find better options at lower price points.
agreed
this Hardwarecanucks
agreed
this Hardwarecanucks review that explain such issues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO_7wKw8jlM
You certainly can fit a
You certainly can fit a dual-fan liquid cooler up top, but it is very odd there isn't an opening up there to route fan cables down from the upper chamber. It seems perfect for the fans in a pull configuration. As is any slimmer AIO system (not necessarily one of the slim models SilverStone sells like the TD02-SLIM , though that would obviously work). RAM was the only clearance issue in my setup.
Regardless, I updated the review after revisiting the top mount with my sample here and finding some clearance issues, depending on AIO cooler. I still feel the case overall is worth our gold award, but the little things like this keep it from our highest award level (editor's choice). I can see the argument against the gold award level, but given the excellent temps and added value from the integrated lighting, it stands as reviewed.
SilverStone is hit or miss. I
SilverStone is hit or miss. I feel like this case is a big miss for them. The gimmicky plastic front and top need to go. They should have gone for a nice clean, sleek look to be competitive IMHO. My Phanteks Enthoo Pro is a much better value than this, and a much better case for so many reasons. There are also many other cases out there that are better. SilverStone makes some nice products, but I just don’t think they got this right.
fugly../.
fugly../.
Great post! I am actually
Great post! I am actually getting ready to across this information, is very helpful my friend. May 2018 Calendar
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