I have decided to go back to my Lian-Li pc1200b plus.
Quite frankly, I was very disappointed with the TJ09. It all started as soon as I took of one of the side panels and realized how incredibly thin they were. This really irked me for some reason.
When I built my first pc, I went to this tiny hole in the wall computer place and bought this 60 dollar all aluminum case. It reminded me of some Lian-Li cases that I had seen, so I was super-stoked to get it. My friend and I used to laugh at how thin the case was. You could bend the panels while they were attached to the case, and the entire case was ridiculously light.
The second case I bought was a Coolermaster ATC-710. Man, what a beast. I LOVED this case, though. The only thing I disliked about it was the weight, but I still regret selling it. That thing was a freaking tank, and it just felt like quality.
The last case I had before the tj09 was a Lian-Li Pc1200b plus. I love this case still, and overall it is probably the best case I have built with yet. The layout is logical, its relatively light, it looks good and it has good, thick aluminum without being too heavy. This is where Silverstone let me down.
My friend built a few pcs with Silverstone cases, so I thought I would give them a shot since he never had a bad thing to say about them. Well, I should have stuck with my Lian-Li.
Problem 1.
It blew my mind how thin this case was.
I still wonder about this. I mean, I paid over 200 bucks for this thing, and I cant get any thicker aluminum than this? Maybe I am just used to owning thicker cases, but I just thought that the thickness of the TJ09 was absolutely absurd for a top of the line case.
Problem 2.
One of the door panels doesnt line up correctly with the case.
This is quite possibly just me being anal and way too particular, but it still bugs me to death. The left door panel wont slide all the way forward to line up with the case. The back lip of the panel isnt flush with the rest of the case. I have tried pushing as much as I could and i tried screwing in the thumbscrews as far as they would go, but neither of them worked. So, I guess its just something I have to deal with. Honestly, I think this was probably some kind of error with shipping or a freak incident, because i know you dudes are just as anal about this stuff as I am and wouldnt tolerate it.
Problem 3.
The slots on the case that the lips of expansion cards slip down into are too small.
This got me extremely pissed off. I had everything ready to go except for putting in my video card and sound card. So, I go to put in my fresh new 8800 only to realize that the lip on the 8800 would not fit down into the case. The slit on the case was too damned small. So, I had to get a screwdriver and bend the slits so that my cards would fit. Absolutely ridiculous and completely unacceptable.
My other complaints are completely personal. After using my Lian-Li, something about the standard atx format just doesnt do it for me anymore. I think the Lian-Li layout is much better, and much easier to work with. Personal preference, of course.
All in all, I expected more from Silverstone. I would still like to try a TJ07, but that definitely wont be anytime soon.
Also, SILVERSTONE NEEDS TO MAKE DRIVE BEZELS.
Back to my Lian-Li tomorrow, and sorry for the lengthy post.
Quite frankly, I was very disappointed with the TJ09. It all started as soon as I took of one of the side panels and realized how incredibly thin they were. This really irked me for some reason.
When I built my first pc, I went to this tiny hole in the wall computer place and bought this 60 dollar all aluminum case. It reminded me of some Lian-Li cases that I had seen, so I was super-stoked to get it. My friend and I used to laugh at how thin the case was. You could bend the panels while they were attached to the case, and the entire case was ridiculously light.
The second case I bought was a Coolermaster ATC-710. Man, what a beast. I LOVED this case, though. The only thing I disliked about it was the weight, but I still regret selling it. That thing was a freaking tank, and it just felt like quality.
The last case I had before the tj09 was a Lian-Li Pc1200b plus. I love this case still, and overall it is probably the best case I have built with yet. The layout is logical, its relatively light, it looks good and it has good, thick aluminum without being too heavy. This is where Silverstone let me down.
My friend built a few pcs with Silverstone cases, so I thought I would give them a shot since he never had a bad thing to say about them. Well, I should have stuck with my Lian-Li.
Problem 1.
It blew my mind how thin this case was.
I still wonder about this. I mean, I paid over 200 bucks for this thing, and I cant get any thicker aluminum than this? Maybe I am just used to owning thicker cases, but I just thought that the thickness of the TJ09 was absolutely absurd for a top of the line case.
Problem 2.
One of the door panels doesnt line up correctly with the case.
This is quite possibly just me being anal and way too particular, but it still bugs me to death. The left door panel wont slide all the way forward to line up with the case. The back lip of the panel isnt flush with the rest of the case. I have tried pushing as much as I could and i tried screwing in the thumbscrews as far as they would go, but neither of them worked. So, I guess its just something I have to deal with. Honestly, I think this was probably some kind of error with shipping or a freak incident, because i know you dudes are just as anal about this stuff as I am and wouldnt tolerate it.
Problem 3.
The slots on the case that the lips of expansion cards slip down into are too small.
This got me extremely pissed off. I had everything ready to go except for putting in my video card and sound card. So, I go to put in my fresh new 8800 only to realize that the lip on the 8800 would not fit down into the case. The slit on the case was too damned small. So, I had to get a screwdriver and bend the slits so that my cards would fit. Absolutely ridiculous and completely unacceptable.
My other complaints are completely personal. After using my Lian-Li, something about the standard atx format just doesnt do it for me anymore. I think the Lian-Li layout is much better, and much easier to work with. Personal preference, of course.
All in all, I expected more from Silverstone. I would still like to try a TJ07, but that definitely wont be anytime soon.
Also, SILVERSTONE NEEDS TO MAKE DRIVE BEZELS.
Back to my Lian-Li tomorrow, and sorry for the lengthy post.