SilverStone Primera PM02 Overview
Designed for mATX and ATX systems, the PM02 is considered a mid-tower case, and includes many of today’s most popular features. The case is available in two color schemes; black with red highlights, and white with gray highlights. The PM02 has a pretty standard rectangular shape, keeping with the popular trend of a more discreet exterior image. As we examined the case in further detail, we were really impressed with the build quality and finish of the PM02. The steel body of the case was robust without making the case too heavy, and the white paint job was top-notch on all painted surfaces. The finish is quite glossy and doesn’t have any of the orange peel texture that you can encounter with lower quality paint jobs.
The left side of the PM02 consists of a full-sized tempered glass side panel to give a good look into the case. While slightly tinted, the panel doesn’t diminish the view of the build within. The glass panel is kept in place by two flat thumb screws at the top of the panel, while the bottom edge has a metal frame that pairs up with the bottom of the case. The four borders of the glass panel are treated to a black finish that hides the interior framework of the case, providing a cleaner looking exterior.
On the right side of the case we find a plain white side panel that is held in place with two rear-mounted thumb screws. Nothing special to note here, other than the great looking white paint job.
At the front of the case we are greeted with a unique front panel design that should provide plenty of airflow to the three 140mm fans positioned just behind. This perforated front panel is constructed of metal and has the same great paint as the rest of the metal components of the PM02. The design of the small vertical lines found on the front panel starts out symmetrical at the top of the panel and then begins to become a bit more random at the bottom quarter. This design looks great in person, and we think it would look even better with some RGB strips behind the panel. The bottom portion of the front panel features a bit of an angled opening that looks innocent at first glance, but is home to a really neat hidden feature we will highlight later on. Users looking to utilize a 5.25″ drive in their build will need to look somewhere else as the PM02 features no such support. Also of note is the lack of any exterior SilverStone branding on the PM02; this is a very clean case exterior.
With the front panel removed from the PM02, we see that SilverStone has provided three 140mm PWM fans at the front of the case, all guarded by a removable dust filter. The front of the PM02 supports up to three 120mm or 140mm fans, as well as radiators up to 360mm. While you would think that a 420mm radiator might fit here as well, there isn’t quite enough room for one to squeeze in. Partially blocking the bottom fan is that hidden feature we mentioned earlier. This black box acts like a mini “projector” to project “SilverStone” just below the front of the case. Our white PM02 review sample features a blue LED for this feature, while the black and red scheme features a red LED. Not everyone will like this sort of lighting, and those that don’t can simply choose not to connect the projector’s SATA power connector. You can also remove the box to improve airflow for the bottom fan.
Moving up top brings is first to the “interactive” area of the case exterior. At the front of the top panel from left to right are an illuminated power button, reset button, three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a single USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C port, and a microphone and headphone jack. Now you might want to go back and read that again, because, yes, we did say USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C. We have been waiting for this type of port to show up on a case, and we have finally gotten our hands on one that has it. Kudos to SilverStone for including this port on the PM02!
Taking up most of the remaining top surface of the case is a removable mesh filter that is concealing the mounting locations for the top panel fans. There is room for up to two 120mm or 140mm fans and associated radiators, but leaving this section bare will allow for some passive airflow thanks to the large size of the ventilation holes.
Making our way to the back of the case, we come across a very typical layout. A single fan mount supports both 120mm and 140mm fans, and comes equipped with a 140mm PWM model. Seven add-in slots sit below the motherboard I/O shield area, and a hinged door secured by four screws keeps add-in cards in place. As is common, there are two sets of holes for the bottom-mounted power supply to allow users to choose either a fan up or fan down orientation.
