Today we will be taking a look at Silverstone’s new addition to their Precision Series, the PS11 ATX chassis. Silverstone made two distinct models for the PS11 which aims to address two different types of users, the performance builders and the silence/stealth builders. With that, the PS11B-Q and PS11B-W came into creation. These cases are oriented to the budget builders with it priced at $59.99.
Key Features
- Quick access filters for easy cleaning
- Motherboard back plate opening for quick CPU cooler assembly
- Mesh front panel intake maximizes airflow with side window for viewing system innards (PS11-W)
- Front-side intake vents with foam padded side panels to minimize noise (PS11-Q)
- All black painted interior for stylish look
- Supports graphics cards up to 16.2 inches
Specifications
Model No
- SST-PS11B-W (performance)
- SST-PS11B-Q (silence)
Material
- Mesh front panel, steel body (SST-PS11B-W)
- Plastic front panel, steel body (SST-PS11B-Q)
Motherboard
- ATX
- Micro-ATX
Drive Bays
- External: 5.25” x 2
- Internal : 3.5″ x 3 , 2.5” x 2
Cooling System
- Front: 2 x 120mm/140mm fan slot (1 x 120mm intake fan included)
- Rear: 1 x 120mm fan slot
- Top: 2 x 120mm fan slot (SST-PS11B-W)
- Bottom: 1 x 120mm fan slot
Expansion Slot: 7
Front I/O Port
- USB 3.0 x 2
- Audio x 1
- MIC x 1
Power Supply: 1 x optional standard PS2(ATX)
Expansion Card
- lengths up to 16.2”
- width restriction – 6.1”
Limitation of CPU cooler: 161mm
Limitation of PSU: 225mm
Net Weight: 4.825KG
Dimension: 215.3mm (W) x 426.5mm (H) x 481.5mm (D), 44 liters
Closer Look – Exterior
The PS11 cases come in a typical cardboard packaging. Both the models have identical set of accessories included which is a pack of screws, four cable ties and a user’s guide. The PS11B-W’s front case badge is included in the bag of accessories.
Here are the two PS11 cases side by side. The PS11B-Q on the left and the PS11B-W on the right with a windowed side panel and front mesh panel.
Both models have the same right-face side panel.
Both models also have the same front I/O which has 2 x USB 3.0 ports, a set of audio ports, a power button on the left and a tiny reset button on the right which is beside the power LED and HDD LED. The power button is not a spring loaded button and is rather hard to press. The reset button is hard to use using fingers alone. You would need to grab a pen and poke the switch to use it.
The front panels of each model is different from the other. The PS11B-W on the left has a mesh front panel and behind it is a blue LED fan. On the left is the PS11B-Q’s front panel which has ventilation holes on the side and the included fan is also different all of which aims to make the case performance silent.
The rear of both PS11 models is the same. There’s a 120mm fan mount for exhaust, bottom PSU bay, 7 expansion slots and two liquid cooling tubing holes.
At the bottom of the case, you can find a fan filter directly below the power supply bay and a single 120mm fan slot.
The top of the cases is different. The PS11B-Q on the left has a solid panel while the PS11B-W on the right has two 120mm fan mounts for cooling.
Closer Look – Interior
Both models of the PS11 have the same layout inside with only the included fan as a difference.
The PS11B-W’s left-face side panel has a huge acrylic window on it meanwhile both the side panels of the PS11B-Q has noise dampening foam on the inside.
Even the top of the PS11B-Q on the left image has noise dampening material. On the PS11B-W, there’s a fan filter installed on top.
Here’s a look at the power supply bay at the bottom of the case. The power supply would be sitting on three rubber feet.
The hard drive cage in front of the chassis doesn’t have racks. You simply slide the 3.5-inch hard drives in which locks into place. This entire drive cage module by the way is removable.
This is one of the two 2.5-inch drive bays found on both chassis. The other one is directly above this one featured on the image above.
As mentioned earlier, the drive cage module can be removed if desired leaving plenty of space for custom water cooling setup particularly for the PS11B-W. The front can accommodate a 240mm or a 280mm radiator for that matter.
Assembly
I will be using an ATX motherboard and a GTX 770 graphics card for this build on both the PS11B-W and PS11B-Q. Added two 120mm fans on the front and the stock 120mm fan of the PS11B-Q for both builds so that we can see the difference in cooling performance and acoustics if any.
Free space behind the PS11 cases is quite challenging. It would appear as if you only have 1 centimeter of space to spare but the convex side panel adds another 1 centimeter giving you 2 centimeters for cable management which is enough.
Here’s a look at the back with all the cabling tied up as neat as I can.
As mentioned earlier, the 3.5-inch hard drives just slide into place inside the drive cage. There’s a latch that locks the hard drive in place.
Here’s a look at the finished build. Clearly the case have plenty of space for long graphics cards and large power supplies.
Here you can see the finished build from the outside. To the left is the PS11B-Q wherein you won’t see much from the outside. To the right is the PS11B-W with its huge window and mesh front panel. If you go with a LED lighted fan, it will visible on the front mesh. The huge window will also display what’s inside.
Conclusion
Silverstone had a good idea to target the performance builders and silence builders in one chassis which came into the creation of the PS11B-Q and PS11B-W. Now let’s discuss about the difference between performance and silence as we delve deeper to the differences of these two cases.
Performance
Performance for a case spells cooling. The heat that the hardware produce inside depends on your build and for this review, I used an identical configuration for both models which is an Intel i5-Z97 build with a single fan air cooler and two hard drives since these also produce heat. Under load, the PS11B-W is cooler than the PS11B-Q by more or less 10°C based on the readings of MSI Afterburner.
Silence
Some builders are very particular when it comes acoustics. If you are looking for a silent and stealthy case, the PS11B-Q can definitely suppress noise inside thanks to the noise dampening foam plus the lack of open holes for the noise to leak out. In my test, I had all the fans inside the build running at maximum RPMs and found out that the PS11B-Q is 4dB quieter than the PS11B-W at 70dB taken 5 inches away from the front of the case. At a reasonable distance away, you could hear a tolerable hum inside the PS11B-Q.
Now let’s see how well these cases go on the following aspects below.
Build Quality: The PS11 cases are very light for its size but the construction is very sturdy. The side panels doesn’t flex or bend easily also thanks to its convex design. The plastic component of the case is molded properly. I could say the quality of the case’s materials and construction is very good for its price.
Functionality: Given that Silverstone gives you two options between performance or silence, it gives you a more flexible option with regards to what you want to achieve which is a huge plus in my book.
Bundle: It pretty much comes with the bare essentials; pack of screws, four cable ties and a manual but a bit more cable ties would be great.
Value: With a standard retail price of $49.99, you can get a case with good performance and a huge clear windowed side panel for you to feature your prized hardware or a silent and stealthy case that hides all the mess inside. The removable front panel cover and hard drive cage is rarely seen in cases on this price range which for me ups the value of the chassis.
The PS11 cases clearly can be any entry-level builder’s chassis. It doesn’t look cheap and it offers just enough features for a good gaming build. The PS11 happens to share the same layout with Corsair’s Carbide SPEC-02 with it also coming from the same OEM but with the PS11 having more options and an additional 2.5-inch drive bay.
Silverstone gives the PS11 case a one year limited warranty. We give the Silverstone Precision Series PS11 cases our Best Value award.
3 Comments
SilverStone Technology MASTER RACE!
that’s a nice looking entry level case, been a cm n200 user and i could say that swelling side panel really helps a lot in cable management
SilverStone Technology is <3 ~ Nice review ! more pleaseeeee :3