Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
The most obvious aspect of the SilverStone Grandia GD09-C that has stayed the same is the exterior look. As such, in 2020, you might think the case is looking a bit outdated. However, I still think it has a place in the current market, especially when we consider this product was made for the home theater personal computer crowd. With that perspective in mind, the Grandia GD09-C looks quite normal in an entertainment stand or underneath a television. It is true that many people nowadays may not have much else under their television as content is nowadays delivered digitally. But for those with equipment like audio/video receivers, the SilverStone Grandia GD09-C will fit in nicely. Its subtle black look is clean, while the front plastic has a brushed finish to make the appearance a bit more interesting with its contrasting texture. Overall, the design may not have changed much, but I think it fits nicely in with the intended environment.
In terms of dimensions, the SilverStone Grandia GD09-C is relatively compact. This spans 440mm in width, 170mm in height, and 358mm in depth. Just based on the design, you can probably take a stab at how the motherboard is installed respective to the rest of the components, but we will explore this later on. As for the weight, the Grandia GD09-C weighs approximately 4.2kg. Considering tempered glass was not a common material on cases until the recent years, most of the materials used are relatively light. The choice to use plastic on the front and around the chassis also reduces some weight. Otherwise, the rest of the enclosure is steel. Overall, the build seems alright, but there is nothing to write home about.
At the front, the SilverStone Grandia GD09-C has a few inputs and outputs of interest. From the left side, we have a single USB 3.1 Type-A port, headphone and microphone jack, and a USB Type-C port. Similar to some other SilverStone cases, you can see the Type-C port has been retrofitted on the front, as the older revisions of the GD09 used two Type-A ports instead. I would have liked to see two full-sized USB in addition to the USB Type-C port here, but I am glad to see the newer plug in general. On the right side, we have a square reset button and a larger square power button. A slim LED exists right above the power button to indicate power status. Finally, on the top right side, you can see an opening for a 5.25" optical drive bay. As this is a media PC, it is not too surprising to see this slot, especially as users may still have an internal DVD or Blu-ray disc reader. We will be utilizing this slot as you will see later on. On the left side, you can see we have two fan slots with a removable plastic fan filter for each opening. This is not held by magnets, but rather plastic tabs that slot into the side.
Flipping the case over, you can see the right side has a single removable plastic fan filter. This is, once again, held by plastic tabs and covers two fan slots. On both of the sides, you can see two screw holes near the front. This provides the ability to mount the Grandia GD09-C on to a server rack. You will need to purchase the handles separately from SilverStone. At the bottom of the Grandia GD09-C, there are four feet. The front feature plastic feet with a large base and a foam ring to cushion the enclosure on top of its resting surface. These feet are silver and look like the feet you would find on the aforementioned audio/video receivers, and they function well in providing stability. The back two feet are smaller rubber bumps that will serve the same function. Otherwise, there is not much else at the bottom of the SilverStone Grandia GD09-C.
At the back, we have a pretty traditional layout when the SilverStone Grandia GD09-C is standing on the side. At the top of this image, we have the opening for the motherboard and two openings for 80mm fans. Underneath, we have seven expansion slots covered with silver expansion slot covers. This is probably more slots than you might expect for the GD09-C's purpose and size, but the reason behind this will become clearer later on. We also have a single slot that is perpendicular to the rest. Otherwise, you can see there are perforations near the expansion slots to increase the airflow around any expansion card you may put here. Finally, at the bottom of this image, we have a large opening that perfectly fits a standard ATX power supply. Despite this smaller form factor, it is nice to see SilverStone support the ATX standard rather than forcing users to buy an SFX or SFX-L unit instead. Otherwise, it is time to crack the SilverStone Grandia GD09-C open to get a better look inside.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
