Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited By: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Silverstone
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PRODUCT PICTORIAL AND WALKTHROUGH
With the packaging removed, we can get our first good look at the GD06. The overall dimensions and brushed aluminum front door give it the look of an A/V component, without the display or control knobs. The top features a vent to help exhaust air from the three intake fans, and there are a couple of other vents on the left side and rear panel. Up front, the SilverStone logo is silkscreened just below the door lock boss, and a small arrow at the bottom right indicates the area to press to open the panel. Just under the drop-down front panel, the power button, with its lighted surround indicating power status and HDD activity, is centered in the chassis.
After pressing the panel at the arrow, it glides smoothly open to reveal the two hot-swap bays, the ODD bay and the I/O ports. Front I/O consists of the customary audio ports flanked by a pair of USB 3.0 ports that can also be connected to USB 2.0 pinheaders via the included adapter. There is also a reset button here, and the whole package works quite well, both for HTPC and desktop PC applications.
Out back, the GD06 has a relatively conventional layout, but there are a few nice features, nonetheless. For example, four expansion bays, with replaceable, vented covers are located in the expected location while a fifth lives above the PSU opening. One can install an expansion or daughter card in this location, or as we'll see in a bit, a 2.5- or 3.5-inch hard drive can be installed in this area. The PSU opening will allow the unit to be installed in either orientation, and a filtered intake area for cooling fan intake is also provided. Another large vent area is located just above the mobo I/O area and will support a pair of optional 80MM exhaust fans, should the user wish to add them. On the left, we can see the other two 120mm intake fans.
The GD06 rests on two front aluminum feet (with rubber inserts,) and three hemispherical shaped rubber feet. A fan filter is provided for the PSU intake fan, but like the other three filters, the user will have to do some rather extensive disassembly to service them. Let's remove the top panel and take a look inside.
