Cooler Master Silencio 352 mATX Mini Tower Review

Peter Donnell / 11 years ago

Final Thoughts

The Silencio 352 is full of surprises, from the exterior it is a fairly standard looking chassis, it has a fairly understated design that while nice to look at, you typically wouldn’t notice it or remark upon it if were next to someone’s desk. The black paintwork is fairly stealthy, something that drove my camera crazy since this case just absorbs most light, even from my cameras flash! Yet for all its quiet looks, it still packs a mighty punch in terms of component compatibility.

It holds an impressive amount of storage in its stock configuration, perfect for those wanting a small NAS solutions, networked system or some kind of server. Yet there is more fun to be had here thanks to the movable and removable HDD bays, this allows for more cooling in the front panel, I could have easily gotten a push pull configuration radiator in the front here, but still had room for a pair of 2.5″ hard drives, often more than enough for most end users. The cable management space behind the motherboard is a little tight, but that can be fixed with the cable ties and a little extra care.

It is very easy to maintain too, a clip-in dust filter in the front, a slide out dust filter at the back for the PSU and a cover for the top fan mount to keep dust out and noise in. The side panels and front panels features padding that will help keep noise to a minimum also and if you are wanting a powerful, but compact work station computer, then the last thing you want is to have to listen to it buzz and hum away all day, so the sound proofing is more than welcome.

Pros

The price makes this excellent value for money, something that is going to appeal to a lot of system builders.
Component compatibility is high, mostly due to the very flexible interior.
Quiet, stealthy and understated looks means it will look great in almost any environment.

Cons

More space behind the motherboard would have been nice, but it is hardly a deal breaker.

“For £50 this is an incredible chassis, it offers a lot of options and plenty of quality in return for not a lot of money. I’m a big fan of the Cooler Master N200 chassis, but the Silencio 352 is just that little better in every way.”