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| Case | Type | Size WxHxD | Weight | Cooling | 5.25” Bays | 3.5” Bays | I/O panel | Noise | Approx. Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silverstone KL03 Kublai | ATX mid tower | 220 x 500 x 597 mm | 28 lbs | 2x 120mm (opt. 2x 120mm) | 4 | 2 ext. 4 int. | 2x USB, 1x 1394, HD Audio (on top) | 38 db | $150 |
Specifications
At 28 lbs, the Kublai KL-03 is one of the heaviest cases in the roundup. This speaks to the large size and copious amounts of metal used in the construction of the case, notably including the large metal door – the other full-doors reviewed in the Sigma Unicorn and Metal Suit GD are plastic.
Cooling is provided by two 120mm fans, notably less than other offerings in this roundup, but providing the advantage of quieter operation. There are two optional placements for additional 120mm fans on the side of the case.
The Kublai has an average I/O panel, with two USB ports, a Firewire port, and the usual audio jacks available. The panel is located on the top of the case, convenient if your case will be placed on the floor.
Unique Features
While the Kublai doesn’t have any revolutionary features, there are some very welcome evolutionary ones. For instance, the front door of the case can be hinged on either side of the case, or even completely removed! If you’ve ever had a hinged case that opens the opposite way you need it to, you know how wonderful this option is.
The front of the case is designed to allow hard disk hot swapping for RAID configurations that support it. The strange part is that it only comes with a single hot swap connector — RAID would require at least two — but you can buy more connectors from Silverstone.
Another unique feature is a metal arm in the case that not only supports up to two extra 120mm fans, but sports adjustable sliders to hold in your expansion cards, making it unnecessary to screw them in to the chassis if desired.
The case also offers compatibility with larger extended ATX motherboards. The Kublai KL03 is also designed to support redundant power supplies; it comes with adjustable feet that spread out for more stability if the user desires.
Appearance, Fit & Finish
The Kublai KL03 has a very unique appearance that utilizes a rounded-edge theme, and even though it isn’t particularly flashy, it does stand out in the crowd.
The metal front door of the case continues this theme, and although it’s classy, this reviewer admits it wasn’t quite to his taste. Strangely enough, since the door is removable, I personally think the KL03 looked better with its door removed entirely — in fact, the fit and finish of the front panel is definitely attractive enough that the door can be left off.
Speaking of fit and finish: Silverstone is well renowned for its high-quality metalwork, and the KL03 is no exception. While the case isn’t one of their premium offerings, they certainly didn’t cut corners.
User Experience
Silverstone has a reputation for using little plastic in favor of metal, and it shows; the case is built like a tank and is reminiscent of much more expensive offerings. The Kublai is very sturdy, and while this adds weight, if you plan to carry your case around to a lot of LAN parties you probably won’t be looking for a large mid-tower in the first place.
The Kublai has two 120mm fans. While this is a lot less than many of its competitors in this price range, airflow isn’t bad, and more importantly — it’s very quiet! The Kublai was second only to the 3R System R240 Grace in this respect, pulling a low 38 dB. You can add up to two 120mm fans to the Kublai if you wish, but if you have a dual-slot video card that expels its air outside the case, we suspect that the included fans will be sufficient. To be fair, you can always turn the extra fans off when they’re included, and the Kublai KL-03 doesn’t include those extra fans with the case.
Assembly is tool-less, with drive clips and even expansion card retainers on the side. This case has a lot of space available, which makes for a really nice assembly experience. The metal arm side bar frame, where the optional 120mm fans can be installed, holds the expansion card retainers — it’s in the way during installation, but can be removed easily enough.
The Kublai KL03’s offers some high-end functionality and manufacturing quality that we haven’t seen in many of its competitors at its $150 Price point . If you’re in the market, this case is a good option for the price.
- 1 / 4
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Nothing on the Thermaltake Armor?
One of the best case designs and plenty of room and features.
Every one of those cases is butt ugly, unwieldy and depressing.
Nothing from Lian-Li, Thermaltake or Antec? In that price range you could review a nice case from any of those companies.
Yep is a very poor roundup allright !
Where is Antec Nine Hundred or the new Twelve Hundred and the excelent P182 ???
The Cosmos S seems to be out of place here.... its in another league: Armor+, Silverstone TJ07B, Stacker
Simple is an uknown word in the aesthetics of the east.
Lazy review, the guys from TOM's couldn't find more attractive PC Cases? It's all made in "China"-like?
poor Roundup.. no Enermax Chakra/uber Chakra no EZCool .....
I have my doubts about your praise on 3R System case. I have similar model. Exactly the same inside structure but without the remote control, display and with different front side.
First of all, it's not that well-built. Sides bend and that inside metal (Al?) is really soft. And if you want to remove the front there are like 6 almost unreachable screws to be unscrewed which is pain in the a**.
Fans are really quiet though.
All mid tower cases... not one Full Tower! I haven't purchased a mid tower case in nearly 8 years for any of my builds because they are too crammed for my liking. As stated by other commenters, where's the Thermaltake Armor? Where's the Antec Twelve Hundred? etc. These were nice looking cases, but they are all middle of the road as far as I am concerned. You need to do a cases revisited or an enthusiast case round up! ...please do that
only Cosmos S look good to me.
well its not bad information but they really could have done a better job picking out cases to review.
Funny how you keep referring to the Antec case(s)but do not include one in the review. Why buy an imitator when you can get the real thing?
No need to add the good old 900 and P182. We all know they're good and it's not a coincidence that the NZXT and the Raidmax looks so much like the 900
As for the 1200 : it's a bigger 900 so there's nothing much to say about it.
But yeah it would have been more appropriate to use case from all company to make a round-up.
I have the Cosmos S, its the best water cooling case out there next to the Mozart. You can easily get 2-3 Radiators in and installed with no mods what so ever. Plus the heat sensitive power button is very impressive. It may not get you laid, but it sure will fit into any modern or high tech lifestyle. The Nine Hundred is quite old in comparison to these cases. I have not seen a new stacker... I think the Cosmos is closest thing to them.
I was skeptical of the Cosmos s at first. But after everything went in without a hitch, I had to really appreciate the work that had gone into this case. The thing I like the most is the rails. Its not that easy to move a 60+ lb case with 2 rads and at least a liter of water.
Good job guys. I enjoyed the round up. I would like to see a more practical round up in the future for more budget PC's. To see more cases that have good practical usage and lower prices. They should all have 2 120mm fans minimum though. 40$-100$ cases.
It would be really cool if for another roundup they did all of the Maximum PC cases that won a "Kick Ass Award". Yeah you may be using info from a competitor, but it would make for one really interesting read to see who would be the best of the best!
No Antec 900 or P182? Certainly two of the best cases on the market.
I also find it funny that the Antec Nine Hundred was mentioned about five times (and the NXZT Tempest is a clone of it) but was not in the review. How about a Nine Hundred vs. Clones comparison?
Why do people love the Thermaltake Armour cases so much? It was the hottest case I ever owned. When I switched to my CM 690 my cpu temps dropped 10 degrees.
not toward this but everyone needs to start measuring the distance between the processor and the wall. because i want a IFX-14
We really need a list of full tower cases.........High end if you wish............Pretty Please.
Most of the cases you picked out I wouldn't consider at all.Mid tower is not where things are going....Some cases have 10 Expansion slots.......I belive we need a review thats with the current trend...as we live in the now ...not the past.