Cooler Master Sileo 500 is a mid-tower case targeted to the user that wants a nice and affordable case. Here is a summary of what we thought about it:

Strong Points

• Anti-static foams for reducing noise installed on all panels.
• Screwless mechanisms for all disk drives and daughter boards.
• Aluminum front panel.
• eSATA port.
• No live edges where you could cut yourself while building your PC.
• Excellent cost/benefit ratio for the average user.

Weak Points

• The power supply that comes with it isn’t good.
• No anti-vibration mechanisms for the hard disk drives.

In summary, we liked Sileo 500, as we think it provides a good cost/benefit ratio for the average user looking for a sober-looking mid-tower case with good construction quality for building a quiet PC. For many, having the option of installing “only” four or five hard disk drives may be seen as a drawback, but a user that has this amount of hard drives will probably be looking into more high-end models anyway.

The only real problem with this case is the eXtreme Power Plus 500 W power supply that comes with it. So our “Golden Award” seal is specifically for the case, not for the case + power supply combo.