One of the selling points of the new Silverstone TJ11 full-ATX case, on display at Computex 2010, is that access panels would be supported by a solid, one-piece aluminum frame.
But the frame of the demo TJ11 was clearly made out of several pieces. The Silverstone rep quickly pointed however that the unit was simply a mockup, designed to show off component layout and fan placement. He assured us that the final production case would be as advertised, when it hits the market by the fourth quarter of 2010.
In any case, the TJ11 will feature the same unconventional motherboard placement as Silverstone's current flagship Raven. Motherboards mounted on this case will expose their back-plates to the top, instead of the usual rear.
Directly below the motherboard mount will be two of Silverstone's AP181 fans, advertised as a new case cooling solution that concentrates airflow better than your usual case fan. The two AP181s will suck air in from the side, then blast it upwards towards the motherboard's components. A cover-plate goes on top to keep things neat. Silverstone believes this setup encourage the hot air to evaporate up out of the case.
Also apparent from the TJ11 mockup was the high number of drive mounts. Aside from the nine 5.25" slots gracing the front, and three 2.5" slots hidden somewhere inside, there are six 3.5" mounts on the bottom of the case. The latter are oriented towards the side, on slide-out rails to facilitate drive installation. Directly behind these slide-mounts (on the opposite side in other words) are two smaller 120mm fans for cooling. Last but not least, there's space for the PSU below the AP181 duo.
We're not sure how well Silverstone's compartmentalized cooling setup will work, especially considering that the AP181s have to suck in air through a relatively small side opening. For sure it will take a little money to find out. The TJ11's projected price will be in the $500 to $600 range. A figure totally justified according to the sales rep, to reflect Silverstone's provision of "its most advanced case construction and technology yet".
