SilverStone SETA Q1 Case Review

Final Thoughts

As I mentioned in the beginning of this review there is a whole segment of users who don’t want the whole “gamer” look when it comes to their computer. They want something that can handle the latest hardware and is not all that loud. SilverStone’s SETA Q1 does a pretty good job at accomplishing those goals.

Inside you can definitely fit the latest hardware, but you also have room for more uncommon hardware like SSI-EEB, SSI-CEB and E-ATX motherboards. There is ample room for cooling in this case as well. There are three included fans with support for up to seven and of course you have watercooling support as well. I was a bit disappointed that while the case supports up to six hard drives out of the box, only 2 of those are actually 3.5-inch. Many professional users have RAID arrays that make use of multiple 3.5-inch drives and that support is not here.

SilverStone of course markets this case as a quiet case and in some aspects it is, but in others it is not. This has a lot to do with the fans. SilverStone has gone with RPM instead of PWM fans. This means they do not adjust their speed based on the temperature of your system. So at idle this case is not the quietest out there. The sound dampening built into this case really shines during load though as the noise levels are not much more than what we noticed at idle. As far as temperatures go this case sits in the middle of the pack in our test group.

I think if you are looking for a quiet case the SilverStone SETA Q1 should be on your list and keep in mind there are not many cases this size that actually support SSI form factor motherboards. Right now you can pick up this case at our favorite online retailer for $194. Overall ThinkComputers gives the SilverStone SETA Q1 Case an 8 out of 10 score.

rating8 10

Pros:
– Supports SSI and E-ATX motherboards
– Very quiet during load conditions
– Three included fans
– Can remove sound proofing material on the top of the case if you want to install fans
– Supports up to six hard drives out of the box
– Easy installation

Cons:
– Fans are RPM not PWM
– Only two 3.5-inch drives supported
– No standoff tool included

About Author