Final thoughts and rating
Let's get the obvious out of the way: Cooler Master's Silencio 550 claims to be prepared to take on powerful hardware, but in our experience it struggles to cope with a high-end Core i7 980X processor and a Radeon HD 6970 graphics card.
Stress-testing either of the two aforementioned components resulted in higher temperatures than we're comfortable with, and anybody planning a similarly high-end build would do well to heed our advice and install a second 120mm front intake. The out-the-box airflow simply isn't suited to high-end configurations.
It's a shame, really, as the Silencio 550 is excellent in many other regards. The chassis is well built, it looks sleek and refined, it's well equipped with USB 3.0, an SD card reader and a hot-swappable 3.5in hard-disk bay, and its foam-padded panels do help minimise noise.
This could be a well-rounded case for a quiet mid-range build, but it should be considered only by those who're willing to sacrifice thermal performance in favour of a quieter computing experience.
The Good
Simple-but-sleek design
Keeps noise levels in check
USB 3.0 and SD card reader
Hot-swappable external 3.5in drive bay
The Bad
Default 800RPM fans struggle to cool high-end components
Little room for cooling upgrades; supports only one additional fan
HEXUS Rating
Cooler Master Silencio 550
HEXUS Where2Buy
The Cooler Master Silencio 550 chassis is available to purchase from SCAN.co.uk*.
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.
*As always, UK-based HEXUS.community forum members will benefit from the SCAN2HEXUS Free Shipping initiative, which will save you a further few pounds plus also top-notch, priority customer service and technical support backed up by the SCANcare@HEXUSforum.
