Page 3 - Physical Look - Inside
Removing the side panels on the SilverStone SUGO 14 is straightforward, as all of the screws to loosen and remove the panels are located on the back of the case. All of these screws are also captive so you will not lose them, unless you lose the whole panel. As such, you will just need to loosen the two screws for each panel and slide off the panel. While this might not be a tool-less experience, I do appreciate the captive thumbscrews and how easy it is to get inside. The panels are a bit on the thinner side again, but they do not flex about too much and are generally quite solid.
Once you remove the side panels, you can get a better look at the interior. The structure is very solidly built with no flex in the frame even with the panels removed. From this vantage point, there are two things to point out. First is the large white panel with the circular cut out. This allows for a single 120mm fan to reside here to blow air directly over your processor. I should note placing a fan here will limit the cooler height. The large, unobstructed hole is filtered by the side panel. The other thing to note is the large rectangular opening near the front of the case. This is the large opening for the power supply, which explains why a black power cable can be found near this area. As you can tell by the opening size, the SilverStone SUGO 14 accommodates full-sized ATX power supplies, which is pretty great to see. You will need an additional adapter to mount the smaller SFX size, but most power supplies of the smaller form factor come with one. If you need one, you can also purchase one separately from SilverStone.
Getting closer to the main area, you can see the SilverStone SUGO 14 has a large open area for mini ITX and mini DTX motherboard form factors. Just for your information, mini DTX is an extended version of mini ITX with extra space underneath the PCI Express slot. Otherwise, you can also see the white standoffs that are bolted to the case and the large opening that would expose the back of the motherboard. This opening means that you can install third party CPU coolers, whether air or all-in-one. There is also an extended bottom to make space for a back-mounted M.2 SSD. At the back of the case, you can get a better picture of the SilverStone-branded fan, which is not a retail fan, but rather a rebadged Hong Hua HA1225L 12SA-Z 120mm, which is a 3-pin voltage-controlled fan that spins at 1200 RPM. This is the only fan included with the SUGO 14, and I wish SilverStone added an additional one for some air intake. Underneath, we have the three expansion slots.
Near the front of the SilverStone SUGO 14, you can see all of the cables coming from the front. All of them are sleeved with black insulation and are pretty typical. Unfortunately, the front I/O pin cables are not grouped into a single block connector, which is something I would have appreciated. Moving on, one interesting thing to take note of is the black foam that lines the metal divider in the middle of the photo. This ensures expansion cards like graphics cards do not vibrate against the case. In addition to this rubber, you can see there is a plastic and foam-covered brace on the bottom right corner of the photo. This is a graphics card support bracket to keep your video card in place. I really appreciate the fact SilverStone has included these sort of support brackets because they are usually not part of most cases, but are helpful for thicker and heavier cards.
Removing the front panel requires you to remove two screws that are underneath one of the side panels. From here, you can see SilverStone provides a 5.25" drive bay for you to slot your DVD or Blu-ray drive. Alternatively, you can also install a 3.5" drive near this area. The next thing to note are the two white 2.5" drive sleds, which are each fastened by a captive thumbscrew. From here, you can mount a solid state drive and cable through the front opening beside the optical drive. One more 2.5" drive bay is available inside the case, near the motherboard area. Finally, you can also see the cabling for the front I/O and the separate power button.
The last area to take note of is a multipurpose bracket, which is used for mounting various storage or cooling options. Again, these options are dependent on what you want to install in the SilverStone SUGO 14. For example, if you mount an 5.25" device, you cannot use this area for anything else. Alternatively, you could mount two 3.5" drives, 240mm radiator, or a 3.5" drive and 120mm radiator together. This area also hovers near the top of the mini ITX motherboard, so your CPU cooling options may affect what you can mount on this bracket too, especially for larger air tower coolers. Overall, I am generally pleased with the flexibility of the bracket to fit various storage and cooling options. In addition, build quality internally is quite good, as all the edges are rounded off with smooth finishes to avoid accidental cuts or nicks on your hands when working in the SilverStone SUGO 14.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
