SilverStone’s $799 Alta D1 chassis hits retail — modular workstation case is flexible and capacious at 79 liters
Flexible internal layout provides lots of options, too.
PC cases, cooling, and power specialist SilverStone has launched its new Alta D1 workstation chassis, and it is a big one. The marketing blurb heralds the new SilverStone Alta D1 as the “pinnacle of modular and flexible workstation chassis design.” Indeed, the scale of this chassis is impressively flexible, boasting of compatibility with specialist motherboards up to 15.12 x 13.2-inches, 11 PCI slots, GPUs up to 407mm in length, dual-PSUs, triple 360mm radiators, twin 5.25-inch optical drives, and much more. The new SilverStone Alta D1 has an MSRP of $799.
SilverStone has gone big with flexibility and capacity to try and make the Alta D1 a compelling offering. The product pages show examples of an Alta D1 build / layout purposed for hyper-converged, high-computational, and AI development systems. They are all packed with GPUs but vary with their cooling, storage, power, and motherboard choices, as appropriate. A big factor in the Alta D1’s flexibility is its modular bay construction, which accommodates a range of modular cages and fan/radiator brackets.
Motherboard | Specialized form factor (15.12 x 13.2-inch), SSI-EEB (12 x 13-inch), SSI-CEB (12 x 10.5-inch), Extended ATX (12 x 13-inch), XL-ATX(13.5 x 10.3-inch), ATX (12 x 9.6-inch), Micro-ATX (9.6 x 9.6-inch), Mini-ITX (6.7 x 6.7-inch) |
Physical | 265mm (W), x 651mm (H), x 457mm (D), 78.84 liters, 21.3kg, hewn from steel and aluminum |
Front I/O | USB Type-C x 1, USB 3.0 x 2 |
Drive bays | 5.25-inch x 2 / 3.5-inch x 2 / 2.5-inch x 4 (Two drive cages are included, with a maximum of six cages that can be mounted inside the chassis. Additional cages can be purchased separately.) |
Expansion slots | 11 (without modular kit occupied), 7 (with modular kit occupied) |
Cooling fans | Fans: Up to 180mm x2 in the front (included), 140mm rear (included), 120mm x 3 in the bottom, 120mm x 6 to the left, 120mm x 3 to the right. |
Radiators | Radiators: Up to a 120mm in the rear, 360mm on the bottom, 360mm x 2 on the left, and 360mm on the right. |
Max compatability | CPU coolers up to 191mm tall, GPUs up to 407mm long and 194mm thick |
PSU | Twin standard ATX PSU mounting spaces |
When you check through the specifications table you will perhaps start to appreciate the Alta D1’s sheer capacity and flexibility – plus options for customization. However, this is a large case, measuring 265 x 651 x 457mm (10.43 x 25.63 x 18-inches), and 78.84 liters, and weighing 21.3kg (~47 pounds) unpopulated.
Other features we feel compelled to bring to your attention are the 11 expansion slots with 1.5x height clearance, and the preinstalled 2x 180mm intake fans and 140mm exhaust fan. Moreover, there are the twin 5.25-inch bays – a rarity nowadays – for optical drives, disk caddies, etc.
SilverStone previously showed off the Alta D1 at Computex 2023 and 2024. So, it is good that it has now, at last, hit retail – even at the $799 MSRP. If you would like wheels for your D1, they are listed at an extra $20, which can’t really be complained about.
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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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thestryker When I saw the launch price I was actually surprised they got it below $1000. I looked through all of the configurations available and was pretty much sold before realizing I needed to measure my vertical space. Fortunately for my wallet there wasn't enough room, but the possibly layouts are just amazing. I hope this does really well for Silverstone as I think there's room for them to make a slightly smaller one, or perhaps a version that leverages depth instead of height.Reply -
RobFisher11
Unfortunately for mine, my vertical space isn't limited. But I'm certain this case is going to last me at least a decade so it'll be good value!thestryker said:Fortunately for my wallet there wasn't enough room, but the possibly layouts are just amazing. I hope this does really well for Silverstone as I think there's room for them to make a slightly smaller one, or perhaps a version that leverages depth instead of height.
The only thing I'm not sure about is it looks like the front panel connectors are behind both the door and the dust filter. -
thestryker
I was also looking at it as a long term likely multiple system (I usually swap case when doing new platform) investment.RobFisher11 said:I'm certain this case is going to last me at least a decade so it'll be good value!
Yeah they're located behind the door so you wouldn't be able to use them for anything that sticks out without leaving the door open. That is the only downside I could find which would give me any pause. I realized that since I switched to an external sound card the only thing I ever plug in are USB drives which is always temporary. I've also used USB extension cables from the back before when I had a closed case front so I wouldn't mind doing so again.RobFisher11 said:The only thing I'm not sure about is it looks like the front panel connectors are behind both the door and the dust filter. -
thestryker
Silverstone tends to have limited NA availability especially on the low volume parts. The only place I'm aware of them being available in the US is Amazon.farmfowls said:And where do we buy them? I'm not seeing them anywhere in Canada....