Final Thoughts & Conclusion

Silverstone managed to pack several fantastic features in to the ML-02 case. From MoDT support to an iMON VFD and IR receiver, the case is well featured. We like the external powersupply, make the case less than 19 inches in length so the case itself is much smaller than even a 1U Rackmount.

The addition of a multi-card reader and slim optical drive gave us all the multimedia options we needed, but they also gave us front USB ports and Firewire so we're able to hook up extra devices for even more expansion. Speaking of expansion, the inclusion of the hard drive mounted to a rubber grommet against the bottom of the case was something unique to the case, with no formal drive cage.

With all these features included in the case, internal space comes with a premium price tag. Without decent wire-routing skills, the case's internals can turn into a mess very rapidly. The mess of wires can then lead to blocked airflow from the cases single fan, or merely prevent you from closing the case. In a worst case scenario, you may force the wires into the case and break a component from the motherboard. Uh-oh!

Of course, we can ignore the shortcomings since the iMON components are supported in Linux. =D

Pros

• Great Form Factor
• Attractive
• Some expansion
• Near silent!
• Supported in Linux
• Comes with Media Center software

Cons

• Limited Space
• External powers supply isn't very powerful

Rating

9/10

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