SilverStone Sugo SG08 Mini-ITX Case Review

Assembling the SilverStone Sugo SG08

As I mentioned on the previous page, assembling a Mini-ITX build is almost never going to be easy. SilverStone doesn't really do "entry level" or "novice" cases, either; their cases aren't overly complicated and they do make sense, but if you're new to building computers they're more challenging than most. The Sugo SG08 doesn't buck this trend. Thankfully, it's about as painless as you could hope for, with only a couple of minor hiccups along the way.

Like most SilverStone cases (and most Mini-ITX cases), assembly of the Sugo SG08 must be done in steps. Nothing in the SG08 is toolless; that's to be expected. After removing the shroud you'll need to unscrew the fan bracket and the slimline optical drive tray. Note that even the shield for the optical drive bay is screwed into place. At this point you'll also want to unscrew the storage drive cage, and you can get started actually putting the SG08 together.

Since there's pretty much only one motherboard form factor going into the SG08, the motherboard standoffs are already installed in the tray. There's exactly enough clearance for you to tilt the motherboard gingerly into the SG08 without getting ticked off about things being in the way, and connecting the case headers isn't too difficult. With the power supply already installed, it also makes sense to wire up the power cables at this juncture before crowding the interior further.

Unfortunately I'm not as sold on the drive cages and expansion slot covers. Slimline optical drives require these epically fiddly, tiny screws, and I feel like better allowances could've been made to getting an optical drive installed securely. I have bad nerves and my hands aren't super steady, so installing a slimline DVD burner required an epic amount of patience and skill. It's one of the few times I've been really happy to be intensely nearsighted; removing my glasses allowed me to see things much more precisely.

As for the storage drive cage, there are rubber vibration dampening rings for the 3.5" drive, but 2.5" drives are only screwed in on one side. The way the other side of the drive just sits on a lip in the tray makes me nervous. SSDs will be a non-issue, but mechanical drives could potentially be more problematic. I feel like the supporting lips of the tray could've been positioned in such a way for you to screw in the sides of the drive and then one of the bottom mounts, which would allow for much more security.

The expansion slots are fine if you're going to fill them both up, but with just the shields in place, they're more problematic. There's a small piece used to cover them held in place by two screws, and that piece has pegs that fit into the screwholes for the slots themselves. The thing is, this solution isn't that secure. With an expansion card being held in place by both the pegs and the expansion slot on the motherboard, it's not really a problem, but if it's just the shields, the situation is a lot more hairy. I've accidentally knocked them out by just tilting the case. I don't think it's a dealbreaker, it's just something to keep in mind.

Getting everything wired and closed up is about as difficult as you'd expect, and there's nothing that can really be done. Make sure the mess of cables inside the case doesn't get into the fan blades on the CPU cooler, though the top intake fan is actually capable of moving so much air you may not even need to plug that cooler in. Thank heaven for small mercies, though: the shroud is actually comparatively easy to replace.

Honestly I was surprised by aspects of the Sugo SG08's design. SilverStone kit is usually pretty well designed, and most of the SG08 is no different, but the loose 2.5" drive seating and the loose expansion slot shields struck me as being odd oversights that could've and should've been corrected. This is an otherwise excellent design given its size, and it surely wouldn't have taken too much to fix these two minor problems.