SilverStone Precision Series PS11 Case Review

Building in the SilverStone PRECISION Series PS11-Q Computer Case
Building in the case will take the usual tools that I always use on almost every build that I have done in my life. From the looks of them you can see they have seen many years of work and they should. One should always try to buy one tool a paycheck and a nicer one than the average tool so that you only need to buy them once and then you can leave them to your grandchildren after you are gone.

I also buy the 100 count bag of wire ties at my local auto-parts store because I have never been able to do a build with just 3 or 4 wire ties included in a case kit.

tools used

I have also added a couple of 140X140 mm fans to test the clearance of the front of the case and there was just enough room for them but not one hairs more space left.

SilverStone Precision PS11Q page 4 140 mm fans

After mounting the front fans in place I popped off the entire front panel from the case frame. There are two screws at the top front of the case frame for holding the top panel so you have to take disconnect the front panel and it fits really tightly to the front so be careful to pop out the each side’s three rounded securing posts from the case frame before taking out those two front top panel screws in the front.

140mm Fans installed

As I started my usual procedure of placing the motherboard CPU wire into the back and putting in the back I/O shield, I immediately realized that I would have to take off the top to get to the top of the motherboard screws and even to mount the motherboard standoff pins and the cpu fan plugs.

I love the little tool that looks like the top of a auto tire valve and it fits over the standoffs so you can properly secure them to the motherboard tray. It works great and I highly recommend keeping it in your tool box for later builds as not all cases come with one.

IO back plate

VERY IMPORTANT !!!
Funny that they don’t ever mention this in any of the literature or manual that is included with the case, but in order to properly do a build into the case one must take out the following screws from the top of the case and remove the top case cover to get to the top of your build. If you do not do this you will be making up new words to add to your local dictionary.

Flat top cover explained

See how easy it is now to plug in your top fan and to screw the board down and attach a fan on the CPU cooler with the Flat Top Cover removed. It is so easy now I don’t think I have ever had so much ease of mounting a motherboard than with this case with the top down so to speak.

top view build

Notice the front panel is loosened away from the case as I build in it. This is because I will need to attach the Flat top back on after everything is plugged in and ready to go. Be sure to triple check your connections before replacing the top. You only want to take those ten screws out once.

top view wire and hardware

I really tried to stay away from routing any wires behind the motherboard tray unless they were control wires, usb, fans or Sata wires as thicker wires around the edges can cause a little issue with closing the panel or even bending the panels.

Wire management

I used the be quiet! Shadow Rock 2 CPU Cooler which is a full 160mm tall and it fit just right. Remember that in the specifications the case only allow for 161mm clearance, so they are on the mark accurate on that number. One more millimeter might have fit, maybe. Actually, I thought that this cooler might be too big to fit but I had no clearance issues with it what so ever. I was really surprised that this cooler fit actually fit into this case but it does seem to be big enough for a 161mm tall cooler as is stated in the SPECS but no more.

Clearance

Once I had finished the build I replaced the top cover back on with the ten screws that originally held it down. No troubles, actually it was kind of nice working in a case with a convertable top cover. It made it exceptionally easy to build inside the case. Also notice that the power supply is in the fan up position, so I don’t have to turn the case over to replace or clean the bottom dust screen ever.

Wire management was a mess and I was blessed to get the non-windowed (Q) version of this case as my wires were all routed toward the front of the case because I knew there would be no window and I didn’t want to play with the rear of case any since I would have to stay in the center of the tray to keep the wires hidden.

build final

As I close the panels the back did give me a little problem at the top back corner but not as much as the first version of the Cooler Master Storm Scout did for us. That case needed two people to put the back panel on so this was truly easy in comparison but don’t look for these panels to fit perfectly. The size tolerance has been compromised as well, so the panel edges don’t actually close all the way to seal with the front cover. Not a big problem unless you plan on using lighting somewhere inside. If you do you will need something to keep the light from peeping out of the side panel edges.

Profile finished build

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