SilverStone Temjin TJ09

They must be putting something in the water over at SilverStone, because those guys just won’t stop cranking out big, dreamy cases. In 2004, the SilverStone Temjin TJ03 housed our Maximum PC Dream Machine in style, our 2005 Dream Machine sported the TJ05 chassis, and the TJ07 graced our dreamy 2006 model. While we weren’t exactly wowed by SilverStone’s mini-tower TJ08 (reviewed in August 2006), the Temjin series is back in black with the TJ09, and we’re more than a little enamored with this highly evolved enclosure.

While not quite as tall as the TJ07, the TJ09 is nearly as spacious, giving you plenty of room to thrash around in as you work, and providing ample area for you to run (and hide) your cables. And if you don’t manage to cram every inch with hardware, there’s even space for additional fans (complete with three empty fan slots) or room enough to mount a complete internal water-cooling system (complete with radiator and pump). If you do run out of interior space, a pair of outlets precut into the aluminum casing let you run hoses out the back without altering the case or taking up valuable PCI slots.

Like the TJ07, the TJ09 includes two hard drive cages with room for three drives in each. But the TJ09 improves on its elder by offering quick-release rails on the cages so they slide out in a second and give you easy to access your drives. There’s even a clip for a 120mm fan between the two cages, so you can keep your drives cool when the fragging gets fierce.

We’re less jazzed about the massive lip that covers the rear edge of the chassis, which makes it tough to reach the screws on your peripheral slots with an electric screwdriver. And while we generally love all the cooling options we can get in a tower, the TJ09’s massive induction fan takes up a little more of the case’s otherwise roomy interior than we’d like.

Fortunately, the fit and finish on this sleek, brushed-aluminum enclosure—complete with a nifty little pop-up door that lets you quickly reach your USB and headphone ports—easily make up for its few shortcomings. We’d be happy to build a system in this bad boy any day.

Month Reviewed: December 2006
Verdict: 9
kickass=yes
URL: www.silverstonetek.com