Page 4 – Installation and Conclusion
The computer building process was extremely enjoyable with the SilverStone Precision PS14. It was really easy to work with, since everything was laid out in pretty standard manner. I first installed the power supply into the PSU chamber. The power supply used for this computer was the SilverStone Nightjar NJ520 520W, which features a fanless design. Thanks to the grill, it is possible to use a fanless power supply like the Nightjar NJ520. If the PSU was not raised up by the four foam blocks, the ventilation of the NJ520 would have been blocked, and consequently may cause overheating problems with the PSU. A Scythe Mugen 5 cooler was mounted on my Gigabyte GA-H170-D3HP motherboard. The position of the motherboard tray opening of the PS14 matches perfectly for the CPU position, therefore the heatsink can be installed without any trouble. If you like water coolers such as the NZXT Kraken X52, the radiator can be mounted behind the front panel.
The installation of the solid state drive was fairly easy. First, I pushed the SSD tray downward to get it detached from the chassis. Then, the OCZ Trion 150 480GB SSD was screwed onto the tray. As the final step, putting the SSD tray back was also very easy. The four holes on the tray just needed to be lined up with the clips on the motherboard tray, and a slight leftward push secured it into position. The rest of the installing process was really smooth. Since I did not have any 3.5" drives, the power supply chamber was very roomy. The big opening besides the motherboard tray was very handy. I would have still liked to see rubber grommets, not for the safety of the cable, but just to prevent the thick power cable from moving too much. As you can see from the above picture, the thick motherboard power cable can be fitted into the opening in my case. There is still plenty of room for other cables.
After everything has been installed properly, it is time to press the power switch. As you can see from the above photo, the only thing to light up on the entire case is the LED backlit power switch. Yes, my anti-RGB friends, the power switch is the only thing that is surrounded with a LED light. As you can see in our photo above, after the power is on, the PS14 keeps the cool stealth looking. I am the kind of person who really cares about the noise level of the computer. In this build, I had three fans running in the case. As it turned out, my computer was really quiet, thanks in part to the sound insulation material applied to the case and the high quality case fans. On the scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is totally silent and 10 is a jet taking off, I would rate my system at 3.0/10 regarding noise emissions. Please note the fan speed control on the motherboard can further bring down the noise level by reducing the RPM of the fans when the computer is not at high working load.
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Coming back to the question I proposed in the introduction of this review, can the SilverStone Precision PS14 be considered as the right budget computer case for you? My short answer is yes. The build process was very smooth, and cable management was especially straightforward thanks to the big opening besides the motherboard tray. After a few days of using the computer I built out of the PS14, I found myself enjoying its simple and clean design. Whether having a window or not makes no difference to me; instead, I really appreciate the clean side panels so I do not need to show anything inside the case. All in all, the SilverStone Precision PS14 is one decent computer chassis with a stylish front panel design. The interior design of this case is also very good. All of the components you need for building a computer can be nicely accommodated and kept cool in this mid-tower. More importantly, you do not need to be an expert to route your cables well, since there is plenty of room for zip ties and cable routes. However, the PS14 still has some room to improve. I would have liked to see some rubber feet on the stands. I would have also liked to see a rubber grommet around the cable management opening. In addition, seeing some help with cable routing in the form of Velcro straps would be nice. To conclude this review, I can confidently say the SilverStone Precision PS14 is definitely worth considering if you need a clean and well-built mid-tower with an affordable price tag. The price of this product retails for just under $53 USD at the press time. Even for a budget friendly case, its features and ease of installation make it very competitive.
SilverStone provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that aren't 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 Numeric Rating is 7.7/10
Please note that the APH Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other sites.
As a budget computer case, the SilverStone Precision PS14 strikes a perfect balance between aesthetics and price.
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Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
