Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
As we mentioned in the introduction, the SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF is a refinement of the original Lucid LD03 with a few improvements around the case. However, the design and shape of the chassis has not changed. As such, we have a three-sided glass exterior, while the fourth side is part of the metal frame of the case. The two glass panels have the same flair with their sloping top and bottom edges to make for a trapezoid panel. The front panel has a bit more plastic, but it shares the same sloping look. Overall, the case is not exactly symmetrical, though the two side panels have the same slope direction. Overall, SilverStone has not changed a whole lot with this design, but that is not too surprising considering this shares the same name with the original. The top part shows some ventilation, as we will see later on. The top also slopes slightly in to create a notable gap between the two side panels. Overall, I think the Lucid LD03-AF still stands out when we compare it to other tower-style mini ITX cases for its fully black exterior and glass panels.
The SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF also keeps the same case dimensions, making it slightly big when we consider it is designed for smaller motherboards. At dimensions of 265mm in width, 414mm in height, and 230mm in depth, this case is taller than it is deep or wide. As for the weight, the Lucid LD03-AF weighs in at 5.22kg, which is actually lighter than the original Lucid LD03. The reason for this will become clear as we continue on. Even so, we still have the same mixture of plastic, glass, and steel to make this exterior. The composition of these premium materials makes the case feel quite solid, though I would have liked to see more metal and less plastic on the exterior. In addition, glass acts as an excellent fingerprint magnet, so do take caution when handling the case.
The top panel of the SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF looks mostly familiar, though there were some updates here. The majority of this panel here is made up of a hatched pattern, which should not inhibit airflow from passing out here. Due to the layout of the case, we have a stacked chimney-like design, which means the top is where the air exhausts out of the case. Even though air is blowing out the top, I still think SilverStone could have put some sort of mesh here to prevent dust from entering through the top. On the right side of this picture, you can see all of the I/O you would expect at the front. The one change here is that SilverStone has swapped out one of their USB 3.1 Type-A ports for a Type-C port instead. You can see that the opening is still a square cutout with the newer Type-C port retrofitted. It would have been nice to see two USB 3.1 Type-A ports here in addition to the Type-C, but this is a compromise. Otherwise, we have the same microphone and headphone jack. Towards the corner, we have a square power button surrounded by translucent area that illuminates blue when the computer is powered up. Under that, we have a smaller reset button and a final blue LED to be used for hard drive activity. Otherwise, there is the same rectangular cutout on the top to let you run cables through here.
The top panel of the SilverStone Lucid LD03 brings some familiar items as well as some lesser expected ones. The majority of the panel here is made up of a hatched pattern to allow for maximum airflow. Due to the layout of the case, we actually have a stacked chimney-like design, so the top is where the air is expected to leave the enclosure. As such, we have as many holes as possible to let air flow out. I still would have liked to see a mesh pattern on the plastic frame to prevent air from settling inside the case. On the right side, we have all of the I/O you would expect. This includes two USB 3.1 Type-A ports surrounding a microphone and headphone jack. Underneath, we have a square power button surrounded by a blue LED for power status, pinhole reset switch, and a blue circle LED for the hard drive activity light. With the pricing of this case, I think users should expect a USB Type-C header exposed here at the top. You may notice at the top, we have a rectangular cutout that can be actually removed. This is to allow for cables to run through here, as you will see shortly.
To remove the plastic top, you can push down two tabs at the back and slide the whole piece off. This reveals the top pane, which is really the "back" of the case since all the cables route out here. As you can see, we have a motherboard cutout near the backside of the case. A honeycomb cutout area is where you can see the already mounted exhaust fan. There are two expansion card slots on the panel to let you install a single dual-slot card. As I mentioned a paragraph back, the cutout area pops out to allow users to plug their power cable through here. Otherwise, a large engraved "Made in China" mark can be found on this panel, just in case users forgot where this case was made.
From the other side of the SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF, there is another area that has been updated. You can see we have a similarly cut tempered glass side panel, but this time, we have a plastic frame on this side as well. This is actually a mesh filter to allow air to pass through here. As you normally would have a video card here generating lots of heat, it is good to see even more airflow allowed here so that we can have more fresh air pulled in on this side. This is different from the original LD03, which had a solid glass panel. There was previously some extra ventilation on the metal side, but it is clear users and SilverStone wanted more access to fresh air here. The metal panel on the other side also has a ventilation area, with another plastic frame on top of the steel body. This ventilation spot is where you would mount your power supply and its fan intake, so having the mesh filter is understandable.
On the bottom of the SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF, we have a raised foot in each corner to lift the case off the surface. Each foot is padded with a rubber lining to prevent vibrations between the case and the flat surface the system may sit on. The rest of the base is a large opening with another plastic frame and mesh area. Once again, this prevents dust from entering at this point, because the base is the intake area of the Lucid LD03-AF. This plastic frame is also easy to remove to keep clean of accumulated dust. This follows the chimney flow design that SilverStone has implemented in this case.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
