SilverStone Primera Series PM01 ATX Enclosure Review

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.