VPN: ML03B
Product ReviewsSILVERSTONE Black MILO Series ML03B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
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With 15 User Reviews
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 Rating: Review Date: 10/16/13  |
Cons: Missing stand-off screw holes for MATX 9.6" x 8.98" boards.
Pros: Great valueQuality brandNice designFront USB 3.0Decent room insidePlenty of spots to install HDDs (2.5" or 3.5")Lots of cooling potential |
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Rating: Review Date: 05/31/13 |
Cons: It could have a front cover for the DVD drive bay and even some large crome feet to make it integrate better into my AV rack
Pros: Case is an excellent chice for your HTPC, the big advantage is that is is not as deep as other pc cases, I have had two NMediaPC cases and have swapped them out due to the depth of the case. Other cases will not fit into normal media cabinets. Comment:
Just purchased my second case. Overall a great little case that is affordable and easy to work on. A bit tight inside so you have to manage your cables but everything fits with some effort. |
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Rating: Review Date: 01/19/13 |
Cons: Very tight inside, especially between the optical drive and PSU. A right angle SATA cable is highly recommended. for this spot.Yellow vibration dampeners tend to tear apart when screwing something into them.Case seems a little flimsy (sides and top).
Pros: Looks nice from the front Comment:
Bought this for my first HTPC using an older AMD 240e CPU and Gigabyte 785 motherboard. Added an old Fortron Blue-Storm 500w PSU, Samsung 18x DVDR, 5450 fanless GPU and a WD640AAKS (for now).It's a very tight, annoying fit. The placement of the ATX power on the motherboard directly interfers with a black plastic (removable) HDD 'holder', but I had to use it since there was nowhere else to put the HDD.Under the optical drive is where i had to cram all the unused PSU cables.Now I remember why I don't like small cases like this :) |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/19/12 |
Cons: Difficult interior designBuild quality relatively weak
Pros: AttractiveInexpensiveCompact Comment:
Great case for the price point. Main complaint is that the internals are very difficult to work with - however, it is a half-height case, so that's understandable. Best used with one internal 2.5" drive with network access to NAS. Very crowded once you start adding a 5.25" optical drive and additional hard drives. Be wary - your PSU needs to be small enough to not get in the way of the optical drive. Otherwise, great product. Looks great - serves its purpose well as an HTPC case |
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Rating: Review Date: 11/28/12 |
Cons: Half-height
Pros: Great valueQuality brandNice designFront USB 3.0Decent room insidePlenty of spots to install HDDs (2.5" or 3.5")Lots of cooling potential Comment:
I've bought this case for a few builds. It's easily the best valued HTPC case out there. I haven't seen another HTPC case with front USB 3.0 ports for even close to this price range, even by cheap brand names. Silverstone is known for making quality products.You can install several HDDs in this case, especially if you don't include an optical drive. My HTPC has 2 3.5" drives and an SSD.My only complaint is that it only takes half-height cards, so that really limits your choices for a video card. Really can't complain much considering the price, but I would gladly pay 10-15 more if it was slightly bigger and could fit full-height cards. |
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Rating: Review Date: 09/28/12 |
Cons: None
Pros: Looks great, easy to assemble, good ventilation, very sturdy construction Comment:
This chassis was very easy to assemble, except for one minor little hiccup when I was putting it back together. There is a diagonal cross-bar to make the whole thing sturdier, but it only goes in one way and it's not obvious from looking at it. If you put it in backwards, the top cover will not fit so don't try to force it.Besides that little confusion, it's a top-quality chassis that looks perfectly at home in an entertainment unit. |
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Rating: Review Date: 07/31/12 |
Cons: Expansion cards must be low profile.
Pros: Looks very good in a home theater setup. Affordable price Comment:
The only drawback was actually the motherboard I used in the case: F1A75I-Deluxe. I decided to try and maximize the free space inside the case with a mini-itx Llano mobo and the Silverstone SFX 450W power supply. The problem was that the 24pin connector would not reach the motherboard!!! Ah well, live and learn. Ended up putting in a full size Antec Neo450W. Booting with a Crucial M4 SSD, with a Samsung Blu-Ray drive, and two 2TB hard drives for media, all running under XBMC. Cool, quiet and AWESOME! |
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Rating: Review Date: 07/21/12 |
Cons: Small size, No optical drive cover
Pros: Small size, Low Cost Comment:
Great case. Looks good along side my other stereo components. Just wish it had some sort of cover or flap to hide the optical drive (when installed). I picked up an asus dvd burner which has writing and logos all over it, kind of ruins the slick black minimalistic look. Of course you could always go with no optical drive, which when not installed allows mounts for 2 more 2.5" drives.Here are the component size limitations from the manual:Cpu cooler height: 70mmPower supply depth: 140mmOptical drive depth: 170mm (w/ 90 degree sata cable) |
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Rating: Review Date: 07/02/12 |
Cons: Can be a little cramped.
Pros: Solid case, inexpensive, good aesthetics. Comment:
I really like this case despite having a couple problems with the build process. A screw for a strut was loose and therefore I had to take the case apart to fix (tedious) and I (stupidly) didn't read the note about using a shorter PSU (140mm depth) bu8t tried using a PSU I had lying around. Other than that, the case is very solid and works perfectly for what I am using it for.If you buy one, make sure to get a short PSU (140mm depth). I ended up buying the Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-430CXV2 from NCIX and it worked great. |
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Rating: Review Date: 06/11/12 |
Cons: Hard drive bracket extends over the motherboard too far, leaving too little room to plug cables in.
Pros: Looks great!Accepts 2.5" drives with no adapterLots of good places to hide cablesComes with cable ties and cable tie mountsPlenty of ventilation Comment:
This is a very good case. It would be a great case with a few simple modifications. For example, the bracket that accepts either 2.5" or 3.5" drives is a great idea, but the execution falls short. It overhangs the motherboard ever so slightly, just enough to make plugging the USB3 connector into my motherboard very, very difficult. A few mm in the other direction and it would be fine. It would also be nice to have larger screw holes for the 5.25" drive so that you could position it with more precision.The case redeemed itself by including cable ties and cable tie mounts, and having plenty of air holes for ventilation. It also looks great!The docs state the maximum depth of a power supply is 140mm. They're not joking; I wouldn't have wanted it any deeper. However, if you don't have a DVD or Blu-Ray drive, it should be possible to use a deeper supply. |
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Rating: Review Date: 04/12/12 |
Cons: -Back feet are just stuck on with adhesive, and fall off easily-The magnetic fan filter that is (presumably) intended to go on the large vent over the CPU isn't the same size/shape as the vent, and interferers with the support brace inside the case-Lack of filters on the other vents on the case may negate the positive effect of the existing filters-Finish on the front isn't overly appealing-HD LED about twice as bright as the power LED (though this might be the motherboard's fault)
Pros: -USB3 on the front-Lots of 2.5 and 3.5 in. drive bays-Two 3.5 in. drive bays with rubber grommets for noise dampening-Small exterior size-Two 120mm fan dust filters Comment:
Overall, I'm happy that I chose this case for my new HTPC. That said, you can tell that it's not one of the more expensive cases available.One of the biggest pro's of this case is it's age; it's a new design. It includes USB3 on the front (with a proper motherboard header, unlike some cases), and plenty of places to mount 2.5in drives. It's also a nice size, and looks at place with other home theatre equipment. Working in the case is a comfortable affair too. It's void of the jagged edges and other annoyances that you see all too often on cheaper cases.However, it does have flaws. One of the back feet fell off the case while I was putting it together, seemingly on it's own. The foot itself is just a self-adhesive deal, so it's not too surprising. I wouldn't doubt that this would be a common issue for other people, particularly if the case is slid into and out of shelving, etc.Also, I'm not particularly fond of the finish on the front. It's one of those rigged plastic stickers (think: the rigged clear plastic finish you get on those "3d" stickers or buttons where the image "moves" as you tilt it). It's not really a big deal from afar, but it doesn't exactly scream "classy" to me.Other notes are listed in the "pros/cons" above. Overall, I'm happy with this case, and I would purchase it again. If this is your budget for a HTPC case, I don't think this one will disappoint. |
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Rating: Review Date: 03/27/12 |
Cons: - front finish is plastic and feels a bit cheap - optical drive is not hidden- too small form factor
Pros: - Good looking overall- ATX power supply- small form factor Comment:
I bought this case as a HTPC and was quite happy at first with this case. It doesnt look like a pc, but more like an audio equipenment. On a closer look at the front bezel, it feels a bit too plasticky and seems easy to scratch. Everything fitted inside the case without issues(1 hdd mounted but 2 are no problem). There is no door for the optical drive, so it is apparent and can clash with the front bezel. I then realised the problem with this case : it is a low profile only case. If you want to build an HTPC with a video card, forget about this one. Low profile cards are more expensives, are rares, and there is simply no high end low profile GPU. If you consider to use only the onboard video, then this is a good choice. But again, dont buy this one with the intention to get a "good" low profile card as you will be disapointed when realizing than you could have got a lot better GPU for less money by going with a 1.25 inch higher case...If this form factor is ok for your needs, you will be happy with it, as this is an nice case overall. Me? I just returned this one for a full height case. |
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Rating: Review Date: 10/16/11 |
Cons: Originally I thought the case was smaller, but that was my own fault. No Cons
Pros: Tons of room for cable management, Power Supply to breathe, Expandabilty Comment:
I absolutely love this case. Has nothing wrong with it. Love the fact that theres two 3.0 USBs on the front, so much space inside of the case to run cables so that they don't touch the board, and the ability to expand the board for later use. |
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Rating: Review Date: 09/21/11 |
Cons: -Difficult to plug SATA power connector for the bottom mount HDD-Half-height slots-Front USB 3.0 ports are connected with a female motherboard USB 3.0 header (which most motherboards don't have as of now). It does come with a USB 2.0 motherboard header adapter though.
Pros: Decent looking HTPC caseRelatively cheapFront USB 3.0 portsAccommodates several different sized motherboardsSeveral places to mount an HDD (2.5" or 3.5")Decent qualityFits full ATX PSUPSU fan filter and top magnetized filter for the topComes with cable management tiesDecent amount of space to work in for a HTPC case Rubber grommets for the HDDActually comes with more than enough screws! Comment:
I'm still waiting for my power supply, but I installed everything else and so far, it's been relatively easy to work in for a relatively small HTPC case. One issue I read was that the it's difficult to plug the SATA power in the bottom mounted HDD (the one under the 5.25" drive bay). The HDD sits too flush against the bottom leaving not much room. One review said he had to use a flat SATA power cable/adapter.I believe you can mount up to 5 2.5" HDD's or up to 3 3.5" drives if you don't install a 5.25" optical drive. I'm gonna attempt to install 2 3.5" drives and possibly a 5.25" optical drive.As I mentioned, the front USB 3.0 ports are connected with a motherboard header which my motherboard doesn't have. I have rear ports so I had to buy a USB 3.0 male header to female port adapter.Recommended for a budget HTPC case. By far the best valued HTPC case with USB 3.0 ports. I give it a 4.5/5. |
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Rating: Review Date: 06/18/11 |
Cons: You need a compact power-supply which silverstone has if you want to add a CD/DVD/BLU-Ray drive. If it was only a bit longer by 2.5 inches I would have given it a 5 star had to settle for 4.
Pros: Price(got mine at $55),small,compact,good air flow case & looks nice. Comment:
Overall not a bad case I use it as a HTPC. Had to sacrifice a Drive bay but I don't really needed cause all my movies are on a external hard-drive. Would recommend to anyone who wants a budget HTPC case. |
Pictures don't do this case justice. I love the texture on the front bezel. My brother-in-law was looking at it the other night and couldn't make it out what it was, so it blends in nicely in the TV stand. Like the extra dust filter and plentiful hardware.While it is tight to fit everything inside, if you pay attention to the size of PSU and follow the installation order in the instructions, you will get it all in, will buy again