Cooler Master Sileo 500 Mid Tower Case

Boasting sound-dampening foam, anti-vibration HDD mounts, and two silent-running 800RPM 120mm fans, the Sileo 500 is an interesting break from Cooler Master's usual chassis design. A long-time manufacturer of high-end gaming cases, it appears Cooler Master is now adding silent computing to their arsenal. Benchmark Review will take a closer look at the RC-500-KKR3-GP model and finds out if the Sileo 500 worthy of the name and your money.

The Cooler Master Sileo, can be found in two versions: one with a 500W power supply and one without. The RC-500-KKR3-GP model that we're testing today comes with the power supply and can be found at retailers for around $100. At that price, it's certainly not a budget case, but still not as expensive as some of Cooler Master's gaming cases. Over the next few pages, we'll examine the Sileo 500's appearance, features, and construction quality, as well as it's relative value at this price point.

Cooler Master Sileo Features

Sileo 500 is Cooler Master's latest introduction of a silent mid-tower chassis. It is fully equipped with acoustic foam sound insulation material on the top, bottom and sides. It also includes anti-vibration pads inside the detachable HDD trays to reduce noise and noise reduction pads for the power supply. The Sileo 500 also has tool-free 5.25" and 3.5" drive bays for easy installation and maintenance; a true testament to silent computing.

• Sound-proof design for a quiet computing experience
• Subtle ventilation holes located between side and front panels
• Easy access front I/O panel with support for e-SATA
• 5.25" and 3.5" tool-free design for easy installation and upgrade
• Aluminum bezel with Elegant design
• Detachable anti-vibration HDD pads for noise reduction
• Stylish front LED

Sileo RC-500-KKR3-GP Specifications

About Cooler Master

Cooler Master was founded with the mission of providing the industry's best thermal solutions. Since its establishment a decade ago, the company has remained faithful to this mission, emerging as a world leader in products and services for companies dealing with devices where heat issues must be resolved.

In pursuing this mission, Cooler Master is absolutely committed to delivering solutions that precisely meet customer requirements for features, performance, and quality. Moreover, we strive to be a reliable long-term partner for our customers that they can truly depend on. Cooler Master aims to be the first and foremost name that comes to mind for companies around the world seeking thermal solutions, and seeks to build such a reputation through outstanding technology, sophisticated design, and superior service.

Cooler Master's current business encompasses a comprehensive lineup of thermal solutions for a full range of applications. Our products range from heat sinks and fans to component housing, chassis, and ducting for computers, industrial machinery, telecommunications equipment, and many other devices.

Closer Look: Exterior

Even without it's silent design features, the Cooler Master Sileo 500 is an attractive mid-tower case. The brushed aluminum front bezel has a subtle, but professional appearance. Looking at the exterior, we can also see room for five 5.25" drives as well as one external 3.5" drive.

The bottom half of the front panel contains the front I/O ports and the usual power button, reset button, and status LEDs. It also appears that the I/O ports can be removed to accommodate another external 3.5" drive if needed.

With the Sileo 500 turned at an angle, we can see the side in a bit more detail. Notice that the brushed aluminum front panel gives way to a painted back side panel. This doesn't come as much surprise, though. It's a common practice among case manufacturers and helps keep the cost down.

On the back side, we find the power supply mounted at the top of the case--a common location for most mainstream cases, although bottom-mounted power supplies seem to be gaining popularity. Also visible on the back side of the Sileo 500 is the rear I/O cutout for the motherboard, the expansion slots, and one of the two 120mm fans.

Beyond the standard features, the only other thing of note on the back side of the case are the thumbscrews. This ties in directly with the tool-less design of the Sileo 500. We'll cover the other tool-less features a bit later when we get to the interior section.

Detailed Exterior Features

For the most part, the outside of the Cooler Master Sileo 500 follows a standard mid-tower case design. There are, however, a few features worth pointing out and examining in a bit more detail.

First up is the finish of the front panel. As I mentioned earlier, Cooler Master went with an aluminum front bezel coated with a brushed black finish. The finish and material is also used for the drive bay covers, a design that helps differentiate the Sileo 500's exterior from that of a budget case.

Below the 5.25" bay covers, you'll find the exterior 3.5" drive bay and the front I/O ports. The USB and audio ports come as no surprise, but it's great to see that Cooler Master included an eSATA port as well. Of course, given the design, the front I/O ports can be removed completely and replaced with a third-party solution if desired.

Moving on to the bottom of the Sileo's front panel, we find the power button, reset button, and hard drive LED. The power LED sits just behind the power button and illuminates the entire length of translucent buttons in blue light.

Finally, a closer look at the side of the Cooler Master Sileo 500 reveals a series of vents. It's not much, but should be enough to feed the 800rpm 120mm fan. Any larger and the vents would threaten the Sileo's silent design.

Closer Look: Interior

Following a fairly uneventful tour of the Sileo 500's exterior, it's on the inside that we find most of the unique features. With the side panel off, the most obvious of these features can be seen: the side panel itself. A large piece foam has been glued to the panel in effort to reduce the amount of noise that passes through from the internal components.

The foam has also been applied to the Sileo's bottom panel and, although can pictured here, the top and other side panel get the treatment as well. Combined, these panels should help quiet down any noisy hardware components.

Of course, the goal should be to use quiet components to begin with. That's where the 800rpm fans come in. You can see the rear fan in the photo above, while the front fan sits directly in front of the Sileo 500's hard drive bay. Both fans utilize 3-pin power connectors and can be slowed down even further by the motherboard. For those that prefer a direct connection to the power supply, Cooler Master includes the 4-pin molex adapters.

Fans and foam aside, some of the more standard features we find on the interior of our Sileo 500 are three internal 3.5" drive bays, room for a full size ATX motherboard, and the included 500 watt power supply.

The power supply that comes with the Sileo 500 is Cooler Master's Extreme Power Plus 500w unit and retails individually for roughly $50. It has two 12v rails, each capable of 18 amps and a combined rating or 360W. To my disappointment, however, it does not use an active PFC. Still, the built-in 120mm fan manages to keep it cool while staying whisper quiet.

Detailed Interior Features

Working with the Sileo 500 during installation was a fairly painless process. Except for the motherboard and power supply, all the components can be installed using Cooler Master's tool-free design. There are, however, a few things worth pointing out.

If you intend to install your own power supply, you'll find that the fit is a little tight. Beyond the foam padding on the top panel, Cooler Master also added padding to all of the power supply mounts. This should help reduce vibration, but it takes some extra effort to get the power supply in place.

One other issue I ran into was with the Sileo 500's tool-free expansion slots. I installed a small network card and the plastic clamp held it in place perfectly well. However, with larger video cards, the clamps didn't feel nearly as secure. It's purely subjective, but I wouldn't feel comfortable using this system with a high-end video card. Fortunately, the Sileo 500 also includes the option to use screws without interfering with the tool-less system.

After my experience with the expansion slots, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy and efficient the tool-less hard drive installation was. After attaching two rails to either side of the drive, you simply slide it into the bay. A reaffirming click lets you know it's locked in place. The whole process took only five second and felt very secure.

Unfortunately, the 5.25" drive installation wasn't nearly as quick. While still tool-less, the entire front bezel of the Sileo 500 has to be removed before the drive can be installed. After that, though, the drive simply slides into place and the clip moves forward to lock it down.

Cooler Master Sileo Final Thoughts

Cooler Master is no stranger to award-winning gaming cases. Take, for example, the CM Storm Sniper and Scout Benchmark Reviews covered earlier this year. With the launch of the Sileo 500, though, they now have something to offer the silent computing community.

As I mentioned, there were a few issues with the tool-less design features. However, once everything was installed, we were rewarded with an extremely silent case. Paired with an equally quiet heatsink and two Western Digital Green drives, the computer was virtually inaudible.

Sileo RC-500-KKR3-GP Conclusion

The Sileo 500 arrived in Cooler Master's signature white and purple box with full color graphics and detailed specifications. Cooler Master also maintains an excellent website to showcase their products and provide support. I did, however, have difficulty finding the specifications for the power supply.

Once outside the box, I was impressed by the Sileo 500's brushed aluminum finish and minimalist features. Both contribute to an overall appearance of quality and professionalism. This case would work well in an office or at home.

True to Cooler Master's reputation, the Sileo 500 is also very well constructed. I didn't notice any sharp edges during installation and it felt solid to work with. My only complaint is that the tool-less expansion slots felt a bit insecure when loaded with a heavy graphics card. Fortunately, the tool-less clamps can easily be bypassed in favor of screws.

Installation issues aside, the Cooler Master Sileo 500 truly does excel at it's namesake: silence. The two 800rpm 120mm fan are nearly inaudible, while the insulating foam helps dampen any additional noise. Top it off with a decent 500W power supply, and the Sileo 500 is a great starting point for any silent build.

The power supply does add to the cost, but at $99.99 from NewEgg, it's still a great value. If you prefer to use your own power supply, though, you can find the base model on sale for just $54.99. At that price, anyone looking to build a silent home or office PC would be hard-pressed to find a better deal.

Pros:

+ Truly silent
+ Attractive brushed aluminum finish
+ Tool-less HDD installation
+ eSATA port built-in
+ 500W PSU included

Cons:

- Tool-free expansion slots insecure
- Must remove front bezel to install 5.25" drives

Ratings:

• Presentation: 9.5
• Appearance: 9.5
• Construction: 8.5
• Functionality: 9.0
• Value: 9.0

Final Score: 9.1 out of 10.

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

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