Review: SilverStone TJ08-E
Category : Cases
Published by Marc Büchel on 30.08.11
Since ASUS has released its Rampage II Gene motherboard back in 2009 which features a mATX formfactor it is possible to build a high end PC using a mini tower. These days you find mATX motherboards from almost every motherboard manufacturer regarding every chipset that has been released. On the other hand, a closer look at the case market reveals that there is only a hand full of midi tower which can cope with high-end hardware. 
On the following pages we will show you the strengths and weaknesses of the SilverStone TJ08-E.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Right side |
| Page 3 - Front | Page 7 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 4 - Back | Page 8 - Conclusion |
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Preview
Specifications
| Model | SilverStone SST-TJ08-E |
| Case Type | Mini Tower |
| Dimensions | 210 x 374 x 385 mm(W x H x D) |
| Material | Steel, aluminium |
| Color | Black / Black |
| Weight | aprox.5.3 kg |
| 5.25'' drive bay | 3 x external |
| 3.5'' drive bay | 2 x 5.25'' 5 x 3.5'' 1 x 2.5'' |
| Expansion slots | 4 |
| Form factors | Mini-ITX, Mini-DTX, mATX |
| Cooling | 1 x 180 mm Front 1 x 120 mm Back (optional) |
| I/O ports | 2 x USB 3.0 Audio in / out |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Right side |
| Page 3 - Front | Page 7 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 4 - Back | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Discuss this article in the forums [pagebreak]
Front
Overview |
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| The front of SilverStones TemJin 08 simply elegant and therefore timeless. In the bottom area there is a 180 millimeter fan which is able to operate with a high throughput. Between front plate and fan there is an easily removable air filter. Right below the fan there is a 3.5'' bezel which can be removed if you should decide to install an appropriate device. Above the fan there are two USB 3.0 ports which are backwards compatible to USB 2.0, an audio out as well as an audio in. On the right hand side you find power and reset button an at the edge there is a switch to set the fan speed from 1'200 rpm to 700 rpm. | |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Right side |
| Page 3 - Front | Page 7 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 4 - Back | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Discuss this article in the forums [pagebreak]
Back
Overview |
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| Next to the usual slot bezels of which you're going to find four, there is space for an additional 120 millimeter fan which will be placed right behind the CPU cooler. In general the back of this case looks quite unspectacular. Both side panels are kept in place by the use of four thumbscrews. You might notice that the motherboard find place on the left side of the case (viewing from front perspective). Furthermore the board will be put into the TJ08-E upside down. This allows SilverStone to use the space more efficiently and furthermore they could also optimize the cooling of this mini tower. One thing one might notice when putting the hardware into the case are all the edges which are quite sharp. People which aren't very skillfull might injure themselves when they slip off something. | |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Right side |
| Page 3 - Front | Page 7 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 4 - Back | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Discuss this article in the forums [pagebreak]
Left Side
Overview |
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 |
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| The
left side panel looks quite unspectacular. If you remove it,
you'll find quite a big hole which allows a comfortable installation of
a CPU cooler even when a motherboard has already been put in place.
Furthermore cables can be routed through the case well. Furthermore
there SilverStone equipped the TJ08-E with a removable motherboard tray
which is very handy the first time you assemble your computer. We also like the neat wiring this case come with as a "factory default". The cables are tied to the case and routed through a hole in the motherboard tray. This has the positive side effect that also novices will understand what the holes in the motherboard tray are for. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Right side |
| Page 3 - Front | Page 7 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 4 - Back | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Discuss this article in the forums [pagebreak]
Right Side
Overview |
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 |
| Like the
left side panel also the one on the right side of the case is
unspectacular. If you take it off you'll see for example the hard drive
cage which is thightened to the case by four screws. To install hard
drives comfortably one has to remove the hard drive cage. Right in front
of the hard drives there is a 180 millimeter fan which can run at 700 or
1200 rpm depending on the position of the dip switch at the front panel.
A further look at the distance between DIMM slots and hard drive cage
shows that SilverStone sucessfully payed attention to details. Therefore
memory modules can be up to 54 millimeter high. The power supply is mounted with the fan facing upwards. This way all the small connector cables wont interfer with the power supplies fan and things can be done neatly. Another hint which shows that SilverStone thought of a lot of thing concerns the graphics cards. There even is plenty of space for a GeForce 9800 GX2 which is one of the biggest cards every made. |
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| A total of four slot bezels
found their way into the TJ08-E. Each of them is kept in place by normal
screws. Below the slot bezels there is space for an optional 120
millimeter fan. Once you've released all four screws regarding the hard drive cage you can simple take it out of the case in order to put your disks in there. Doing so you'll notice that there is foam which should absorb unwanted vibrations. The cage offers space for a total of four hard drives and one additional 3.5 inch drive. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Right side |
| Page 3 - Front | Page 7 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 4 - Back | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Discuss this article in the forums [pagebreak]
Top
Overview |
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| Like the side panels the top is unspectacular. The only thing which is special concerns the air filter below which the power supplies fan will be. The air filter comes with magnets and can therefore be remove very easily. | |
Bottom
Overview |
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| At the bottom of the case you find for example the four screws which have to be untightened to remove the hard drive cage. Furthermore there are four rubber feet which are quite soft. | |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Right side |
| Page 3 - Front | Page 7 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 4 - Back | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Discuss this article in the forums [pagebreak]
Conclusion
| General | + | - | |
| The SilverStone TJ08-E is a very well though, compact mini tower case. Especially the interior layout is very well done and one can see at a first glance that the engineers at SilverStone have thought a lot to make this case even practical. There are only two small things we would wish to see improved: first there are the edges which could cause injuries when one is not very skilled and second you have to release quite a significant amount of screws to install your hardware. | - Design - Interior layout |
- Numerous screws | |
| Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics | + | - | |
| Overall the build quality is on a good level. The side panels could be a bit stiffer but on the other hand the thin material keeps the total weight low. As we've already mentioned there are sharp edges where not so skilled or impatient people could injure themselves. Keeping in mind that this is a very compact case made for high-end hardware the cooling solution is adequate. The operating noise the 180 millimeter fan produces is on a reasonable level when you set it to 700 rpm. At 1200 rpm it is quite lound and we would only recommend to do so when you're playing a game with your headset on. | - Build
quality - Interior Space - Weight |
- Fan loud at 1200 rpm - Sharp edges |
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| Design | + | - | |
| SilverStone equipped the TJ08-E with its characteristic front plate. As usual this part of the case is made of aluminium and it therefore leave a high qualitative impression. Generally the tower comes with a design which is nice to look at and targets a broad audience. Nevertheless the tower wont be overlooked at a LAN party. | - Design | ||
| Recommendation | + | - | |
| We can recommed the TJ08-E to everybody who's looking for a mini tower which can cope with high-end hardware. | -
mATX Gaming-PC - Desktop PC |
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| Rating | |||
| The SilverStone TJ08-E receives four out of five stars. The case comes at a price piont of est. CHF 109.- (est EUR 91.-). | |||
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Left side |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Right side |
| Page 3 - Front | Page 7 - Top / Bottom |
| Page 4 - Back | Page 8 - Conclusion |
Discuss this article in the forums
Author: t.rothenburg@ocaholic.ch Redacted by: m.buechel@ocaholic.ch