SuperMicro Gaming S5 Special Edition Chassis Review

Introduction

SuperMicro is better known for their enterprise solutions. They create high-end workstation motherboards, server rack mounts and other professional solutions, but now they’re taking a shot at the consumer level market with the release of their Gaming S5 Mid-Tower chassis, a gaming focused tower and that is something that really caught our attention. It wouldn’t be the first time a company like this has gone from industrial to consumer markets, but SuperMicro has a rock solid reputation and a lot of industry experience, so we were very excited to be able to check out their first consumer chassis product.

The S5 has all the features you would expect from a mid-budget gaming chassis. There’s a gamer friendly design thanks to the nice mixture of black and red, enhanced even further by the use of brushed aluminium on the front panel. There’s also lots of storage space, tool-free drive installation, cable management with rubber grommets, dust filters and more. There are two versions available with one having a raw metal interior and one having a black powder coated interior which is what we’re looking at today, hence “special edition”

“Supermicro Gaming S5 is a precisely crafted chassis that marries classic simplicity and modern functionality. Inspired to fill the gap between conventionally dull and over-stylized enclosures, Supermicro designed the S5 with a clean, sleek brushed aluminum fascia accented featuring premium paint for a sophisticated look with a striking red trim. The S5 sports features for gamers and power users alike with nine fan mounting locations for high airflow, liquid cooling support for up to a 280mm radiator, a dedicated slide out 2.5” SSD cage, an easy to remove magnetic dust filter, excellent cable routing, and tool-less drive installation. The Supermicro S5 is the ideal chassis for high performance gaming systems or workstations.”

The left side panel has a double height ventilated section, this is great for providing extra airflow to your hardware, especially if you’re running a multi-GPU configuration. What really stands out is that the air holes fade off towards the edge, giving a nice blended appearance.

The red plastic trim on the aluminium front panel cover looks stunning, providing a nice contrast of colours and there’s some diamond-shaped air holes that match the front and side panel ventilation design.

The front panel certainly has a premium quality look, again that brushed aluminium looks incredible.

At the top, you’ll find all the usual I/O ports, including dual USB 3.0 ports.

There’s a good size air vent on the front that provides a practical purpose in terms of airflow, but also adds to the overall design thanks to its glossy black and red finish.

The right side panel is just a blank panel, but as you can see, the red trim of the front panel continues on both sides of the front of the chassis. Both the left and right side panels are held in place by quick release thumb screws, providing easy access to the chassis interior.

The rear of the chassis comes with extra ventilation, as well as two pop-out covers for external water cooling solutions; there’s a set of circle rubber grommets included in the box should you need them. There’s a 120mm fan pre-installed and you’ll also find seven expansion slots; more than enough for a multi-GPU configuration.

The top panel offers even more ventilation and comes fitted with a full size magnetic and washable dust filter for easy maintenance.

Under the filter, you’ll find a vast array of mounting holes to choose from, giving you virtually endless fan and radiator mounting configurations.

On the base of the chassis, you’ll find yet another full-size magnetic dust filter, giving you even more options for mounting cooling solutions, as well as providing clear airflow to the PSU mount.