Silverstone Tek Temjin TJ06s.
As the anti-Beige box (aBb) movement amongst PC users, both those building their own rigs and those looking to purchase something that doesn’t look like a time-capsual centrepiece from 1985, goes from strength to strength, the market for well built, well designed PC chassis that look as good as they perform is also growing at an exponential rate. It is almost unthinkable now, that the average self-built PC is not housed in a classy looking steel, or more likely aluminium case, in keeping with modern PC trends. Supplying the required cases to the demanding masses are several well established companies, who have been churning out enclosures for the aBb devotees to house their latest self-build in for many years.Very much a newcomer on the scene, Silverstone Tek were founded as recently as 2003, but have in that short space of time quickly established themselves as a producer of quality components, both great looking and strong performing, to the extent that there products are now viewed by system builders as a name that can be absolutely trusted. With this trust comes expectation; the desire for and in most cases the demand for products which give the end user the best of both worlds. Members of the aBb do not want performance at the expense of good looks, nor do they want a pretty lump of aluminium on their desks if its going to perform at anything less than the highest standards – no, the market demands that both of these qualities are to be offered if you are to make a name for yourself.
A quick look at the Silverstone website will leave you in no doubt that Silverstone are a company that understand this situation completely, both in the design of their site, which is as stylish as it is functional, and also in their stated aim of ‘creating functional artworks out of ordinary electronics and computer components’. It’s a bold statement, but one which shows that an understanding of your target market is just as important as the ability to produce products which perform to the expected levels of that market. If Silverstone truly can ‘live up to the original vision of creating the most advanced and beautiful products available on the market’ as they state, then we, the end users, should be in for a treat or two along the way.
With the technologically aware coterie now almost exclusively using non-standard PC chassis, and the production-line look now making the owner of such a case very much persona non grata when attending a LAN party, or other such event, cases such as the Temjin series from Silverstone, from which this particular review sample is taken, are now both a standard and essential accessory. Looking at the entire Temjin range, it’s clear from the off that Silverstone are acutely aware of the styling of their products, sticking closely to an established visual image. This is not simply a case of the SilverStone designers adding a few cheap, tacky, blue cold cathodes and a uncouth set of day-glo green internals, no - this is something that can not be defined exactly, nor agreed upon from one person to the next, but also something you’ll know is there when you see it; namely style.
Let me show you what I mean…