Conclusions

To alleviate system admin boredom, you can even watch DVDs on the small front panel display

A server rack in the living room is something that nobody ever dreamed of in years gone by, but this light, all-aluminum case is almost too pretty to confine to a server cabinet. To add to the hi-fi look, the unit even boasts hefty silver-colored feet. If its standard dimensions weren't built for 19" rack mount, the Silverstone LaScala LC18 could surely find a role as a good-looking and spacious home theater PC case.

The touchscreen is a nice gimmick, but won't really be useful until the final 800x600 resolution version is released - the pre-release version we tested was equipped only with a 640x480 display. As a control monitor in a server room or cabinet, where chronic space shortages reign, this offers an interesting implementation approach to that problem. Because the touchscreen can even manage remote units, it could theoretically work with a KVM as a display for other computers in a server room or cabinet as well.

At $650 retail, this case clearly resides at the high end of the market; its high price is directly attributable to the $200-plus cost for the touch panel display.

The LC18 is also available in silver