SilverStone ML04 & ML05 Slim HTPC Cases Review
by E. Fylladitakis on April 18, 2014 2:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- HTPC
- SilverStone
- desktops
Silverstone Milo ML05 Overview
The Silverstone Milo ML05 is supplied in a brown cardboard box similar to that of the Milo ML04, except the size hints at the proportions of the case, which is not much larger than an ATX PSU. There are few items bundled with the case, limited to the necessary mounting hardware, a 120mm fan filter, a few cable ties, rubber feet and a manual.
It appears that Silverstone tried to make the ML05 as compact as it gets while maintaining the ability to use optical disks and relatively common hardware. It is not as small as an Antec ISK 110, but the Antec has no optical drive and very limited upgrade capabilities. Silverstone sprayed the Milo ML05 with a matte black paint, with most of the faceplate covered by a mirror. Although the mirror is made of acrylic plastic and not glass, the visual effect is very good. We should note that it is extremely prone to fingerprint stains, like most such surfaces.
The company logo is printed on the left side of the mirror and the optical drive slot is discreetly placed at the top right side of the faceplate. Two rhombus-shaped buttons can be seen at the lower right side of the faceplate as well, with the smaller one being the reset button and the larger one the power button. As there was no room on the faceplate, Silverstone moved the I/O ports to the right side of the case, where two USB 3.0 ports and the headset jacks may be found. The rest of the right side is entirely perforated and there are mounting holes for two 80mm cooling fans. There are no vents on the left side of the case but there are two perforated areas on the top of the case, above the CPU and the PSU, with the former being capable of holding a 120mm fan. A bit more additional ventilation is provided through the perforated expansion card covers.
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Meaker10 - Friday, April 18, 2014 - link
Wow F-I90HD, that brings back memories, one of the first generation of performance based uATX options.homer_pickett - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
I agree, it does bring back memories. But I don't get how it's going to stand a chance on todays market. /Homer from http://www.consumertop.com/best-desktop-guide/britjh22 - Friday, April 18, 2014 - link
I think the MLO5 set up with the ASRock AM1H-ITX, Kabini Athlon 5350, a SSD and just use the DC in with a laptop power brick would be an awesome media front end for a basic FreeNas setup. That Keep the budge fairly low since you don't have to worry about SFX PSU's.johnny_boy - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
There are much better options if you don't need the graphics power of the 5350, which you wouldn't for freenas.teldar - Saturday, April 19, 2014 - link
Have it. No case. Just a bare power switch, while thing mounted on lexan on back of tv. Motherboard gets hot with the dc in. But a good little computer. Using 120gb crucial m500.DanNeely - Friday, April 18, 2014 - link
(all switching PSUs are extremely efficient if the magnitude of the load is below 20% of their rated capacity).this is backwards; very low (or high) loads result in inefficient performance, although with the newest efficiency standard specifying performance levels at 10/90% the efficient operation range is being forced wider (there's not much room left to improve in the middle any more).
E.Fyll - Friday, April 18, 2014 - link
That actually was a typographic mistake on my part (efficient instead of inefficient). It has been corrected. Thank you.Samus - Friday, April 18, 2014 - link
Ive been using an ml05 for awhile with a Pico PSU (90w) and a Brazos E350. Ive been looking into upgrading the board (and CPU) for awhile but keep putting it off hoping for more sub-20-watt desktop CPU options, although the new AMD A1 at 25watt is on the hot list right now. It seems to be the natural successor to Brazos, which to this day is still surprisingly competent.jlockheart - Friday, April 18, 2014 - link
I like the smaller size of the Milo ML04, constraints can sometimes make you more creative. For the full PCI slot above the motherboard I wound up using 4-port USB and ran the cables back to headers on my mobo. Also made good use of the VGA knockout with a spare half height AMD 5450.Brainonska511 - Friday, April 18, 2014 - link
A few years ago, I built my htpc system with an ML03b case. Looks to be the same design as the ML04, minus that weird faceplate on the ML04. It's been pretty solid. As far as airflow, I threw 2 quiet 80 mm fans on the side mounts, to help pull some air through the case. As for the noise the system produces: between the Scythe Big Shuriken heatsink (120mm slim fan), 2 80mm fans, and a PSU fan, I can't really hear it in a silent room if I'm more than 3 feet away. If you're watching something on TV, then any noise is drowned out completely.