Page 4 - Installation and Conclusion
As expected by now, my first step is to install the power supply at the bottom of the SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF. As this case only can hold SFX and SFX-L power supplies, I installed my FSP Dagger Pro 650W into the internal bracket. To do so, you need to remove the bracket first with a screwdriver, mount the power supply with four screws, and install the bracket back into the case. Just to note, this Dagger Pro 650W is an SFX unit, so it is not the longest unit that you can fit here. From the photo above, you can see that even with my cables installed, the power supply did not take up that much room. SilverStone does not recommend using a unit longer than 130cm. After plugging in the modular cables, I routed these wires to the right places in the computer and continued my installation process.
On the side of the SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF, I installed a Gigabyte UD PRO 256GB SSD and plugged in the cables. As I have mentioned previously, you can install two drives here, whether you choose two 2.5" drives or one 2.5 and one 3.5" drive. This side area also provides an area to keep cables out of the way of the rest of the case, which is important in cable management. I secured most of my excess cables here. Even so, I would have liked to see some cable tie points to anchor the excess to something solid in the case.
Installing the motherboard and main components into the case is pretty straightforward. I mounted the Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 in, which is holding an Intel Core i5-6600K under a Noctua NH-L9i chromax.black. The RAM on the motherboard is the Patriot Viper Elite PC4-24000 2x8GB. As we can see, the Noctua NH-L9i chromax.black is a very short processor cooler at 37mm, but SilverStone this case can handle a cooler up to 190mm tall, which is actually quite a bit of clearance. For your reference, coolers like the Noctua NH-U12A should easily fit in this case, as it sits with a height of 158mm. If this is not your thing, you can also install an all-in-one cooler and mount it to the bottom or the top, though this is limited to 120mm radiators. One thing I should note is that the back of the motherboard is not easily accessible when installed, which means accessing a possible back-mounted M.2 PCIe SSD or the mounting bracket for most coolers would require you to take the motherboard out. Afterwards, I mounted my Elgato HD60 Pro, which is a short single-slot capture card. You should be able to easily mount larger dual-slot video cards up to 309mm in length. The extra ventilation here is helpful in those circumstances too.
Overall, the build experience was pretty seamless in the SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF. SilverStone provided some amenities like a fan splitter to let users plug in the included fans into the motherboard header. Most mini ITX motherboards lack in the number of fan headers, this gesture is nice to see. The case was a smaller case to work in, but I enjoyed building in the Lucid LD03-AF.
With the system installed in the Lucid LD03-AF, I pushed the square power button the SilverStone case and the blue ring LED illuminated. Once again, you can see the tinting on the glass is almost dark enough to make for a solid panel. According to the standard APH Networks sounds scale, where 0 is silence, and 10 is loud, the SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF is a noticeable 4.0/10 under full load. It is slightly louder than the original Lucid LD03, which is understandable. For one, the new fan installed spins at a higher RPM. Secondly, there is a large hole cut out on one side of the case, which so happens to also face me when I am using the system. In normal circumstances, the computer does only emit a slight hum, and it is nothing too noisy. I am glad SilverStone threw in their own PWM fan here, even if it is only at the intake, as it is able to move more air than the original fan.
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When SilverStone sent us their Lucid LD03 the first time around, I really appreciated the case, especially with the premium design, build, and layout. As such, it is no surprise that our LD03-AF is also built with the same attention to detail and superior elements. The materials and build make for a very solid construction. Furthermore, they have kept the clever implementation of mounting the glass panels in place for a hidden but sturdy way of keeping everything together. Inside, we have a great support for taller CPU heatsinks, longer graphics cards, and even some room for AIO cooling. Drive storage is still limited to two drives plus however many M.2 slots you have on the motherboard, but I think this is acceptable for a case of this size and purpose. With our LD03-AF today, the updated case has updated features, including an improved intake fan, an extra intake ventilation area for the expansion card, and a USB Type-C port at the top. This answers almost all of my concerns with the original Lucid LD03. Installation overall was a smooth process and there was a sufficient amount of space for cabling. I still would have liked to see some more cable tie points and increased compatibility for ATX power supplies, but I am still quite happy with the improvements seen on the airflow variant of this case. Overall, I really like the looks and finish of the SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF. At press time, both the original and AF versions are available, with today's LD03-AF holds an MSRP of $140 USD. This is notably cheaper than the original launch price of the LD03, but that case now has an MSRP of $120 USD. Those with the original Lucid LD03 can also buy the updated side panel separately from SilverStone too. As such, the improvements alone may not be necessary for previous owners of the LD03, but the LD03-AF is still a smart choice for a premium, compact case with great compatibility.
SilverStone provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.7/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
If you want a premium compact case that has increased airflow capabilities, then the SilverStone Lucid LD03-AF is an slick pick.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
