Page 2 – Physical Look – Outside
Since the SilverStone Redline RL07 is the first product in its series with a tempered glass panel, the designer definitely wanted to highlight it. In the picture, you can see there is a red line around half of the left side panel. Of course, the other side panel has the same red line, but there is nothing to highlight. The other side panel is made out of steel with a matte black finish. It is not likely to show any fingerprints left behind on the steel side panel, unlike the tempered glass side. You probably would want to have some cloth around to clean these marks up after working on your computer. The front panel is very stylish. The whole front panel has two asymmetrical sections. Air intake can be found on both left and right sides, and pulling off the front panel by hand will reveal a magnetic dust filter. Unsurprisingly, there is no opening for an internal 5.25" drive, which means internal CD/DVD drives cannot be installed. I think it is a good idea, since nowadays almost nobody uses these things on a computer. The dimensions of the RL07 are 226 mm in width, 488 mm in height, and 465 mm in depth, which is interesting in a way that the depth is less than the height. This configuration reminds me some of the old 486 full towers, haha.
The top panel has no ventilation opening. This design will not allow users to mount cooling fans and radiator on the top of the case, which is disappointing. On the other hand, there is no need to worry about dust entering here to the computer. It also avoids the use of dust cover, which, in my opinion, kills the simplicity of the top panel. A power switch, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and audio/microphone jacks are located on the top panel. It is worth noting the case does not come with a reset button or any USB-C ports. There are also no controls for the front panel LED lighting effects, which means it cannot be turned off without disconnecting the LED power plug. Another thing worth mentioning is the connection between the side panel and the front panel. As you can see from the photo above, the connection is pretty smooth. First, the gap is really small, and second, there are no sharp edges between the two panels.
The back of the SilverStone Redline RL07, like the rest of the case, is simple and clean. There are four major sections at the back; namely, the power supply mounting place, motherboard I/O backplate, rear exhaust, and expansion card slots. According to the shape of the power supply mounting hole, the power supply is horizontally mounted at the bottom section of the chassis. Since the power supply has already taken this bottom position, the motherboard can only be located above it, meaning the I/O backplate opening is at the top. There are seven expansion slots available on the SilverStone Redline RL07, which is standard for an ATX mid-tower. As for the rear exhaust, as you can see from the photo above, there is a 140 mm fan included from the manufacturer.
There are two rows of red plastic stands and four rubber feet on the bottom of the case to support the SilverStone Redline RL07, rising the case up about 2 cm on top of the resting surface for better ventilation. The stands are extremely strong. Four rubber feet are provided to enhance the grip of the stands. These rubber feet can offer enough friction to hold the case in position firmly, even though they are not big in size. You can also see from the above photo a washable filter is attached to the bottom grille of the chassis. The filter is reinforced by a hard plastic structure, and they are removable for cleaning as well. Note the power supply of this case is bottom mounted, therefore the ventilation area behind the filter is actually designed for the power supply.
Overall speaking, the SilverStone Redline RL07 is one good looking computer case made out of sheet metal and tempered glass. The gaps between panels are small and even, which shows a high level of assembly quality. The tempered glass also exhibits quality attributes in terms of distortion, or lack thereof. The asymmetrical design of the front panel is really cool in my opinion.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
