Introduction and First Impressions
A new consumer case from an enterprise company
Supermicro recently entered the consumer space with a new line of enthusiast motherboards and today we’re looking at a gaming enclosure from the well-known enterprise manufacturer.
While many component manufacturers have diversified their product offerings to include everything from cooling fans to thumb drives, Supermicro is not a name that anyone familiar with the company would have likely suspected of this trend. With recent Z97 and X99 motherboard offerings Supermicro has made an effort to enter the enthusiast market with boards that don’t exactly look like gaming products, but this is to be expected from a company that specializes in the enterprise market.
It was something of a surprise to hear that Supermicro had created a new enclosure for the consumer segment, and even more so to hear that it was to be a gaming enclosure. And while the term “gaming” gets thrown around quite a bit the new enclosure does have the look we tend to associate with the moniker, with flashy red accents and a brushed aluminum front panel to go along with all-black steel enclosure.
First we'll check out the specs from Supermicro:
Specifications
- Motherboard Support: ATX 12" x 10", Micro ATX 9.6" x 9.6"
- Expansion Slots: 7
- Drive Bays: 6x 3.5", 4x 2.5", 2x 5.25"
- System Cooling: 3x 120/140 mm top fan mounts, 2x 120/140 mm front fan mounts (2x 120mm fans included), 1x 120 mm rear fan mount (1x 120mm exhaust fan included), 1x 120 mm bottom fan mount, 2x 120 mm (or 1x 140 mm) side fan mounts
- Front Panel: Power, System Reset, HDD activity, Power Status LED
- Dimensions: Height: 18.1" (460mm), Width: 7.9" (200mm), Depth: 19.4" (493mm)
Our thanks to Supermicro for providing the SuperChassis S5 for this review!
- Supermicro SuperChassis S5: Newegg – $94.99
First Impressions
Moving past the box (completely plain brown shipping carton) and padding (the case is well protected) we have a look at the S5 enclosure.
I won’t pretend that I was expecting much in the way of looks, but I was pleasantly surprised with the very nice finish of the front panel, which is brushed aluminum with a large fan opening and red accents that nicely set off the silver and black colors.
A closer look at the S5's front I/O
The sides and back of the enclosure are a flat black color, and beyond the front panel the case is very much a standard ATX mid-tower.
Here we see that the entire top is protected from dust by a full-length flexible screen filter, and this is secured with magnets and very easy to remove for cleaning:
Around back is standard ATX with a 120 mm fan mount which is populated with one of the included fans.
The front panel intake is easily removed with a spring latch at the top, and here we have an additional pair of 120 mm fans positioned for air intake. This panel is also lined with a screen material to protect the system from dust.
Finally we have the case bottom, which also has a long screen filter held on with magnets. Unfortunately this means that the case would have to be turned over to pull off the filter.
Before continuing here's a look at the hardware package included with the S5:
Next we'll take a closer look inside the SuperChassis S5 and cover a quick build.
Looks like a computer case!
Looks like a computer case! Just wouldn’t pay $94 for it.
Did the case have the usual
Did the case have the usual non-standard Supermicro standoffs for the motherboards that they do in their server cases? I’m guessing not since I’m not seeing that mentioned as I glance over the article.
It has regular standoffs
It has regular standoffs
Believe i’d choose the
Believe i’d choose the Fractal Design Define S over this.
I don’t know why, it looks
I don’t know why, it looks like last generation case. Is it the side panel (nothing more to say, bro?) or those square 5.25″ cuts on the front. Just a glance, it’s just unappealing although close-up I admit that is a nice brush on the front panel.
Looking at the inside, wow this case has 10 hdd trays in total plus that two 5.25″ that can be converted for hdd too. I say this case is more for a media/ database server, that is tucking it away somewhere and not for show. Also, rubber grommets but no window seems pointless, a plus and nice to be tidy but nobody will visit anyway.
Nice review, Sebastian, you’re PCPer’s employee now? ;D
Cheers.
I agree on the last-gen
I agree on the last-gen looks. As far as being a PCPer employee, all I am able to say is there are ongoing negotiations with JoshTekk.
Generic case for a slightly
Generic case for a slightly expensive price? No thanks… Sebastian, how are those Naidec fans though? Those caught my interest.
Very good, actually. Moved a
Very good, actually. Moved a lot of air without much noise. If I put an ear close to the fan I could hear a slight rubbing sound in time with the revolutions, but nothing audible from a couple of feet away.
For me the red accents make
For me the red accents make it look cheap. Take that away and it would look like something from Lian Li.
Looks like it’s “inspired by”
Looks like it’s “inspired by” an H440 but with 5.25″ drives and no side window.