By: Ben Joubert
March 8, 2024
As I have grown up, I have realized I am a very task-oriented person. I have seen this clearly in conversations with my wife. Sometimes when we talk about ideas or what we could do, she would share all sorts of ideas and activities. I would always respond with the practical tasks of what would be required to accomplish whatever the activity is. Often, this means mean we cannot do whatever we thought we should do, which causes my wife to ask, "Can't you just let me dream a bit?" It is a funny little reference that has developed between us, since I am so focused on what needs to be done to accomplish whatever the idea is, but she is an excellent "ideas" person. I think I sometimes need to step back and let her ideas flow. As for myself, I think my focus comes from the games I loved from my childhood. Something like "Where's Waldo?" was a huge hit, and I would spend hours searching through the pages for all the characters. To me, it was clear the task was to find the characters rather than just staring at the pictures. It was a huge time sink, but plenty of fun. Other similar games, like finding the differences between two pictures was something I would enjoy spending time on. I enjoy looking at the details and seeing if there are any inconsistencies. Today, we are taking a look at the SilverStone KL07E, which is a refresh of the Kublai KL07 from a few years back. There are many similarities between these two cases, but also a few key differences. What are these changes and what effect does it make to the computer case? Let us read on to find out!
The SilverStone KL07E arrived in pretty good condition here in Calgary, AB. The case traveled from SilverStone's offices in Chino, California, USA. It shipped with FedEx and their International Ground service. The packaging had limited damage with some dents along the edges. As usual, the shipping box is the retail packaging for the case, so an image of the case is printed on the front. The rest of the box has the rest of the details of the case, like the size specifications or some of the cooler limitations. Do note the box calls this the "Kublai 07E", but we will be referring to it as the KL07E for the rest of the review to be consistent with the website marketing material.
Before we move on, here are the specifications from the manufacturer’s website:
Model no: SST-KL07B-E (black)
Material: Plastic front panel, steel body, asphalt board
Motherboard: ATX (up to 12" x 11"), Micro-ATX
Drive bay:
- Internal: 3.5" x 3 (compatible with 2.5"), 2.5" x 3
Cooling system
- Front: 3 x 120 / 140mm fan slot (2 x 140mm intake fan included)
- Rear: 1 x 120 / 140mm fan slot (1 x 140mm exhaust fan included)
- Top: 2 x 120 / 140mm fan slot
Radiator support
- Front: 120mm / 240mm / 280mm / 360mm x 1
- Rear: 120mm /140mm x 1
- Top: 120mm / 240mm x 1
Limitation of CPU cooler: 170mm
Expansion slot: 7
Limitation of expansion card: Length: 388mm Width: 172mm
Power supply: Optional PS2 (ATX)
Limitation of PSU: 190mm
Front I/O port: USB 3.0 x 2, USB Type-C x 1, Audio x 1, MIC x 1
Dimension: 222mm (W) x 510mm (H) x 467mm (D), 52.8 Liters
Net weight: 9.23 kg
Extra: Support Kensington locks
There is not much out of the ordinary with the internal packaging for the SilverStone KL07E. Two large Styrofoam blocks hold the case on either end to absorb any hard hits on the corners, while the case is also placed in a plastic bag to prevent small surface damage. The Styrofoam itself cracked easily when I was removing the case from the box. The packaging is adequate to keep the case during transport, especially considering there is no tempered glass that could break.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
