COOLER MASTER Silencio 450 RC-450-KKN1 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Pros: Very quiet. Dual fans. Sturdy build.

Cons: Wiring of front fan interferes with placement of hard drive.

Pros: - Silent
- 2x120mm Ultra Silent Fans
- Plenty of space for a mid ranged gaming rig.
- Dang sexy minimalist design.
- Plenty of accessories.

Cons: - I didn't have much trouble, but there is not much space behind the motherboard for cable management.

Other Thoughts: Spectacular case for the price I was blown away by the quality of this case. The only thing I hear out of this case occasionally is my stock CPU fan, but that should change when I install my Corsair H60.

Pros: SD card reader
Front is 140mm fan ready....and it needs it!
Removable front dust filter
Top located power button works well
Noise dampening foam

Cons: Ridiculous USB3 passthrough cable
Blocked air flow
Bad placement for 2.5" drive, see "other thoughts" below.
Little room for cables behind motherboard.
Cheap air filter under power supply.
Plastic feet

Other Thoughts: Putting my Plextor SSD on the floor of the case directly in front of the PSU did not appeal to me. It would be too close to the bottom of the motherboard connections for the 18" of sata cable, plus making it equally ackward for the power supply connection. I avoided this and the rats nest of power cables that would have covered it by moving the SSD to the plextor 3.5" tray and mounting that just below the 5.25" drives but on top of the of cables coming out of the front panel. The tray had to be turned upside down for the screws to line up properly; but, at least the cable connections are now at a more user friendly distance. Air flow over the SSD is not an issue since they do not produce much heat. I did, however, replace the front fan with a 140mm fan for more air flow. Also removed the middle 3.5" drive cage. Its not great but it works!

Pros: Front panel SD card reader. Very quiet. One very subdued blue led for ON light. Reversible front panel door. Pre-drilled holes to mount a SSD on bottom of unit.

Cons: The front panel USB3 hook-up detracts from what is otherwise a very pro looking unit.

Pros: For the price this is by far one of the highest quality cases I have worked with. The Front Bezel design is very nice; The case is very light; It has a decent cooling layout and enough room for elegant cable routing; the tool-less drive mounting worked reasonably well

Cons: I am not a huge fan of how there are only a few expansion slot covers (2) provided with the case and the fact that you have to snap off the metal placeholders when you need to add another expansion card. The only other thing is that there is not USB 3.0 header, simply a plug that you route out the back of the case to take up a back panel usb 3.0 port, The one nice thing about this is because 2.0 and 3.0 headers are different, but the male/female connectors are not if your MB does not have 3.0 functionality you can still gain use of the port by plugging it into a back panel 2.0 port.

Pros: 1. sound proof foam: it is the reason i bought this case, it is supposed to be silent.

2. decent price, I paid $55 after rebate

Cons: 1. poor cable management: if you are going to route the cables behind the panel, it will squeeze the foam.

2. very poor air flow: the lower part of HDD cage is a disaster, it block half of the air flow, this is a very stupid design flaw. Should use screws to hold it, so the user has choice to use it or remove it to improve the air flow.

3. Plastic foot should be replaced with robber foot, so it can reduce some vibration from fans.

I will try to post a video to demonstrate its poor air flow and the stupid HDD cage at the bottom.

Other Thoughts: On the description, it says it can have up to 3 x 120mm fans, I don't understand this one. one 120mm fan pre-installed in rear, one 120mm fan pre-installed in front, where to install the 3rd 120mm fan? I am 99% sure there's no way to install 2 x 120mm fans in front because the vent is so small, and there isn't enough screw holes.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We are sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction on our case. If you any questions or concerns please contact us on live chat so we may resolve any issues you may have.

Respectfully,
CMUSA Customer Support

External Link(s):

Live Chat|

Pros: HIGH QUALITY, LOW PRICE, VERY QUIET, BOTTOM MOUNTED POWER SUPPLY UNIT, NICE PAINT INSIDE AND OUTSIDE, USB3.0 PASSTHRU CABLE AND REAR RUBBER GROMMETS TO EXIT. A NICE CASE THAT IS PRICED RIGHT.

Cons: LEFT SIDE PANEL OVERLAPS 120MM FAN/RADIATOR FASTENERS IN BACK, CAUSING INTERFERENCE WHEN TIGHTENING SIDE PANEL FASTENERS. TRIMMING THE PANEL AN ADDITIONAL 1/2 INCH TOP AND BOTTOM ON THE REAR FLANGE AROUND THE REAR FAN WOULD ALLOW A NON INTERFERENCE FIT.

Other Thoughts: THE PLASTIC HDD MOUNTS WOULD NOT WORK FOR ME. I TRIED A WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR BLACK, A SEAGATE BARRACUDA, A HITACHI DESKSTAR AND A COUPLE OF OLD MAXTORS BUT THE TWO PLASTIC PINS WOULD NOT ALIGN WITH THE HOLES IN THE SIDE OF THE WESTERN DIGITAL. THE OTHER DRIVES DID NOT HAVE NON THREADED SIDE HOLES. I WAS NOT ABLE TO USE THE PLASTIC FASTENERS AND ENDED UP USING A SCREW. COULD BE MY STUPIDITY AND I DO WEAR BIFOCAL GLASSES. I WILL BUY THIS CASE AGAIN WHEN I NEED ANOTHER ONE.

Pros: Very quiet, almost completely dust free, compact, lightweight, easy to work with, and a sharp looking design.

Cons: Needs a MB USB3 plug and not one that comes out of the back of the case to plug in externally. Needs a proper HD audio plug that registers as HD when plugged in to all MBs. Also needs a little bit more space between the MB tray and right cover for easier wire management.

Other Thoughts: I was skeptical of this case at first, but have come to realize that the Silencio Series cases are what I've been looking for all along. I hope CM continues to update and add new versions of these cases.

Pros: Quite. Fit Intel Cooling radiator. SSD mounted to the bottom of the case.

Cons: Missing quick connect items.

Pros: Cheap, decent construction, front panel USB 3.0 and SD, reversible door

Cons: Poor airflow, front panel USB 3.0 is an extension cable, very little space for cable management, flimsy HDD plastic mounting tabs

Other Thoughts: Save your pennies to buy a better case than this one..poor airflow paths and resulting high temps. I know its a silent case but there are better designs out there that have solved these problems. Going to return this and grab the Antec Solo II

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We are sorry to hear that you are having trouble with our case. We thank you for your comment as we always strive to improve our product, please let us know what specs you are using as this is only a mid tower. Please contact us on live chat if you have any questions or need of recommendations.

Respectfully,
CMUSA Customer Support

External Link(s):

Live Chat|