During our visit with SilverStone at CES 2018, we got a chance to check out two of their upcoming MicroATX cases. The LD01 and LD02 are from the Lucid line of cases, and offer builders a “clear view” into their case, via tempered glass. One thing that makes the LD01 and LD02 quite unique are their inverted motherboard layouts, placing the CPU at the bottom of the case, and the PCIe slots towards the top. This also means the view into the case will be from the right side, as opposed to the standard left. Both cases also offer multiple fan options, with the fronts supporting either three 120mm fans or two 140mm fans, and the top supporting two 120mm or 140mm fans. SilverStone has also included two USB 3.0 Type A connectors, as well as a Type C connector on the top of the case, something we hope to see more and more of as the Type C standard becomes more common.
Lucid LD01
The LD01 makes use of tempered glass on both side panels, as well as on the front of the case, giving a multitude of viewing angles of the interior. SilverStone has gone with an all black color scheme on the LD01, both inside and out. There is a nice stainless steel banding that encircles the top and bottom edges of the case, and gives the case a bit more of a “high-end” look, though we would like to see less seams in this implementation.
Seen below, the interior of the LD01 offers a power supply shroud that runs most of the length of the case, but also allows for front-mounted radiators and fans to be utilized by removing the 3.5″ drive bay at the bottom of the case.
Lucid LD02
Building on a black and white chassis, the LD02 offers standard, non-window side panels, along with an interesting take on the front panel. While there is a tempered glass portion of the front panel, the left side of the front of the case is home to a square “tube” that runs the entire height of the case. Open from top to bottom, this tube is mostly an aesthetic feature, though it does open up to the front fans to allow a bit of air intake in addition to the right side’s cutouts.
Again, the LD02 features the same inverted motherboard orientation, and the combination of black and white case components really starts to become apparent internally.
A look behind the motherboard tray shows us the two 2.5″ drive mounts towards the top of the case, and plenty of cable routing options towards the front of the case. We also expect to see rubber grommets to populate the motherboard tray cutouts, but they were not present on the display units.
As far as pricing is concerned, we expect to see the LD01 somewhere around the $100 range, and the LD02 right around $70. Availability for both of these cases is expected to be right around Computex time.