Silverstone GD11 ATX HTPC Case Hides in Plain Sight
It is a new member of the Grandia range, with support for ATX and Micro-ATX motherboards.
Borrowing the styling of a Bluetooth speaker or soundbar, Silverstone's GD11 is a Home Theater PC (HTPC) case which Silverstone describes as compact and "stereo shaped." Despite the lack of verticality this case looks to be a capacious option for HTPC builders, offering room for up to a full ATX sized motherboard, standard ATX PSU, 240mm radiator, and up to 340mm GPU. The front 'speaker mesh' is in fact used for air intake, providing a full width air-flow source.
At the time of writing Silverstone doesn't have any details of the GD11 on its official website. Instead, our source is a Weibo social media post and an Australian retailer, which has kindly shared specs, data sheets and pricing.
With capacity for full sized ATX components and beefy graphics cards, this 'compact' desktop chassis is of course not one of the smallest around. It looks big, even among the Grandia series. However, with it hidden in plain sight as a Bluetooth speaker lookalike, its bulkiness doesn't affront your sensibilities – or that seems to be the theory. It certainly looks more stylish than the similarly sized Silverstone GD10 (from 2014). We've described the size and appearance of this HTPC case, and you can see it in various images in this article, but now it is time to share some cold hard specs.
|
Specs |
Silverstone Grandia DG11 chassis |
|---|---|
|
Material |
Steel mesh, plastic front panel, steel body |
|
Motherboard |
SSI-CEB, ATX, Micro-ATX |
|
Drive Bays |
Internal 3.5” x 3 (compatible with 2.5” x 1) |
|
Air Cooling System |
Front 120mm x 2 (120mm x 1 fan included), Rear 80mm x 2, Right Side 120mm x 1, Left Side 120mm x 2 |
|
AiO Radiator Support |
Front 120mm / 240mm |
|
Expansion Slots |
7 |
|
Front I/O ports |
USB Type-C x 1, USB 3.0 x 2, Combo audio x 1 |
|
Max compatibility |
GPU: Length 340mm (2nd – 7th slot), Width 151mm CPU cooler: Height 146mm |
|
Power Supply |
Standard PS2 (ATX) |
|
Dimensions |
440mm (W) x 176mm (H) x 399mm (D), 30.9 litres |
|
Other |
Support Kensington lock |
is worth highlighting here that the 440mm (W) x 176mm (H) x 399mm (D) and 30.9 liter capacity of the GD11 is quite sizable, but it is indeed compact for an ATX case in our reckoning. Those dimensions are probably more in keeping with a Micro-ATX case. The other aspect of this case is that Silverstone uses a horizontal desktop form factor rather than the much more common tower.
If you are considering an HTPC build and find yourself steering towards more sizable and powerful components, the new Silverstone GD11 might be a good choice, if you like the style. Given that, it seems to check the boxes for expandability, accessibility, and cooling. The huge choice of desktop PC components that is open to the GD11 builder is another plus point.
In the Australian listing, the Silverstone GD11 has a price of AUD$205, which is $144 at today's exchange rates. Those that are in the market for a PC case, but don't see the appeal of the GD11, might be advised to have a look over our recently updated Best PC Cases of 2022 guide, with 11 great designs for your consideration.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
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G.A.D I’ve had the GD10 for several years and have really liked it. Had some major compromises in the design, but it still works great as part of a htc system.Reply -
g-unit1111 Good to see this option exists and I hope they improve cooling options for HTPC builds. The only thing I don't like about building in mITX rigs is that they can overheat very easily especially if you use a full size GPU.Reply -
tennis2 Reply
Not necessarily. All has to do with airflow. Both to the component(s) and through the enclosure.g-unit1111 said:The only thing I don't like about building in mITX rigs is that they can overheat very easily especially if you use a full size GPU.
I actually tested this by installing a a GPU inside a small cardboard box. As long as you have requisite airflow to cycle the air volume out of the enclosure as fast or faster than the GPU fans blow air across the heatsink, you're fine. Hence why stuff like the Mac Pro and Xbox-X are viable designs. Beyond the simple math of CFM, design considerations like not orienting heatsinks to directly re-breathe waste heat from other heatsinks is obviously important the smaller you get. -
Mr5oh I do like Silverstone HTPC cases, have 4 of them actually. I have to admit though, I'm a little surprised at how many HTPC cases are made without optical bays? In the living room DVD and BluRay are still very much a thing. I'd like to see something like the GD09 mixed with this one's mesh front.Reply -
bmtphoenix Other than appearance, I don't see how this is an "HTPC case." It's not small, looks heavy, and has no hotswap bays or optical drive support. So what makes it an "HTPC case," other than marketing?Reply -
tennis2 Reply
The fact that it's oriented horizontally so as to fit in a home theater cabinet.bmtphoenix said:Other than appearance, I don't see how this is an "HTPC case." It's not small, looks heavy, and has no hotswap bays or optical drive support. So what makes it an "HTPC case," other than marketing?