SilverStone Temjin TJ09 review

SilverStone doesn’t do things by half and the TJ09 is a monster of a case. At 600mm deep, you’ll need plenty of room for it, but it does offer masses of space inside to install just about any hardware you like. There’s 350mm between the back of the case and the mid-mounted fan, allowing even the longest of graphics cards to fit with room to spare.

At the front are two removable drive cages, capable of holding three hard disks each. You simply squeeze the plastic handles together and each cage slides out so you can install disks easily. Thin foam strips are a token gesture at reducing vibrations; they’re not very effective.

The front panel lacks a door to keep lines simple, but it does offer four 5.25in bays and a 3.5in bay. Two USB ports, FireWire and headphone/mic mini-jacks are cleverly hidden in a pop-up section on top of the case, making access simple if the case is on the floor.

Cooling was obviously a major factor in the design process, and there are no less than five 120mm fan mounts. One is at the rear, two at the top and a fourth horizontally between the hard disk cages. The fifth is in the middle of the case and cleverly draws fresh air from vents in both sides of the case. Only the rear and middle fan are included, though.

It’s also a surprise that the expansion slots and drive bays aren’t tool-less, so maintenance isn’t as easy as with the completely tool-less Cooler Master. Plus, unlike the Antec P180, there are no separate chambers – it’s just one huge space inside.

The power supply mount is at the bottom, which makes room for a second 120mm fan at the top. This is more effective at expelling heat from the CPU, graphics card, memory and motherboard. It’s also good to see vents beneath the PSU and hard disk cage to allow the best possible airflow, and there are pre-drilled holes for an external watercooling reservoir too.

But, while design and build quality are impressive, the latter due to the chunky aluminium panels, the Antec P180 is equally good at cooling and is less than half the price. Ultimately, the choice between the two is an easy one.