SILVERSTONE LASCALA LC03V-B HTPC CASE
In building a home-theater PC, one of the most
important components is the case. A poorly
designed case would cause your HTPC to overheat.
Using a standard PC tower or desktop for your HTPC
is certainly possible, but it would definitely look
out of place beside your TV and AV components.
The solution is simple - get a true HTPC case!
SilverStone makes the best PC cases by far.
No other manufacturer has come close to the breadth,
creativity, and stylish design of the SilverStone
product line. Amongst their HTPC cases, we
elected for the
LaScala LC03V-B, a full-sized desktop-style ATX
case with a stylish aluminum front panel and
impressive Vacuum-Fluorescent Display.
As with the rest of
their products, Silverstone ships the LC03V-B in a
well-packed, double-walled corrugated shipping box
with a full-color glossy-like outside printing.
This is unusual for most case vendors, but more like
the norm for the high-end manufacturers. If
retailers decide to stack boxes of product on their
showroom floor, consumers can easily see what the
SilverStone product looks like. A clever
marketing investment!
Inside the shipping box,
we see the product enveloped in a clear polyethylene
bag, with the associated documentation and spare
hardware in neat little zip-top resealable bags.
Again, you don't see low-end case supplier do
anything like this. Even the Styrofoam
supports exudes strict QC.
This is a close-up shot
of the surface of the case cover, reflecting some
afternoon SoCal sunlight. The case cover is
painted with a thick, glossy coat of metallic paint.
The surface is very flat and even - something you'd
expect from a home appliance where painted surfaces
are either baked or electrostatically painted.
I have never seen anything of such exceptional
finish - not even on many production vehicles!
Here is more evidence of
the reflective, glossy nature of the case cover.
Clearly, SilverStone did not cut any corners when
creating with masterpiece. Your 7.1 receiver
and 60-inch DLP TV would be very jealous of the
LC03V-B's skin, compared to their plain-ol'
single-coat paint jobs.
Here is a full-frontal
of the LC03V-B. The case cover and the front
panel are the only finished surfaces here, simply
because the rear panel and underside are not seen
from the front. The case cover is the standard
U-shape, covering the top and sides of the case.
The front panel is made of aluminum. As you
can see, it has a very stylish, machined and brushed
look to it, while remaining simple and elegant.
The VFD on the left side above the power button,
LEDs, and a recessed reset button too. In the
middle is the flip-down door covering the two 3.5"
bays. Beside it on the right is the bigger
door, covering two 5.25" bays. Pieces of green
tape hold the door shut during shipment.
Here are close-up shots
of the VFD area. The apertures for the power
and HDD LEDs are deliberately made smaller, creating
an illusion of size for the case, not to mention a
modern point-source effect for the LEDs when lit.
 
This is the LC03V-B when
both doors are open. SilverStone includes bay
covers for all four bays, in case you decide not to
populate all of them. If you examine the lower
left side of the door hinges, a gearing mechanism
allow the doors to open slowly. It is a small
detail, but SilverStone never neglected it.
Here is the business end
of the LC03V-B. Now, you are beginning to see
the skeleton of the case. It is a standard
sheet-metal case, in the standard grayish finish.
There is the standard ATX PSU space on the left,
standard ATX mobo arrangement with all 7 slots
available, and two 60mm fans are included with
chrome fan guards too. Very efficient use of
rear-panel space!
Here is an angled view
of the side of the case. The sides of the case
cover is peppered with holes for cooling the
interior. Also, you can see a DB25 parallel
cable poking through a rear slot. This
connects to the VFD in front. The problem with
this cable is that it is socketed at the VFD end,
and the pins are not labeled. When you unplug
that side, be sure you remember how it was plugged
in.
Now, we go inside.
Looking in from the rear, you can see the VFD on the
upper right, the 3.5" bays in the middle, and the
5.25" bays on the left. Beneath the two 5.25"
bays is a small, removable HDD tray. Also, you
can mount another HDD in the third 3.5" bay, which
is below the two outisde-accessible ones in the
middle. At the base of the case, you can make
out part of the removable MB tray. Another
small yet important detail.
This is a full-frame
shot of the case from the same rear angle.
Looking closely, you can see two thin bars extending
from the front corners to the rear corners of the
case. These are solid chrome reinforcing rods,
and are easily removable. There is another
reinforcing beam in the middle, mounted between the
rear exhaust fans. However, this is a
sheet metal beam, and is not removable.
Just under the middle
3.5" cage, you can see a set of holes shaped for an
80mm fan. Here, an 80mm intake fan can be
mounted to suck in cool air. However, one has
to be careful when doing so because if the HTPC is
placed in a dusty area, more dust and debris may
collect inside the case than desired.
The LC-03B-V features a two-line VFD which can be easily configured using readily available tools on the web. It interfaces to the PC via the parallel printer port. This may pose a problem with a small number of systems which no longer have an LPT port, but there may be solutions out there such as a PCI parallel port card, USB or even serial port adapters and/or converters. Silverstone prefers a couple of software applications to run the VFD, and the links can be found on their website. This VFD provides information limited only by the software running it. From ten feet away, it looks to be a bit small, but it does its job well enough to be useful. A four-line VFD or colored LCD would have been better.
One way to mod the case quickly and elegantly is to
paint the bare metal skeleton black. In doing
so, take basic precautions to cover screw threads
and other areas of tight clearance with masking
tape. The photos below show a dramatic
difference in appearance, and should also improve
heat dissipation.
The LC03V-B is an
excellent case. There are only very minor
issues with it, such as the VFD cable and the
bare-metal color of the inside of the case. On
its own, the Silverstone LaScala LC03V-B deserves
very high praise:
Overall.....98%
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