Verdict: The successor of the great TJ09 adds little, and even that isn't well implemented.
It doesn't matter how high you are on the CPC benchmark leaderboard, if your PC looks rubbish then people will think it is rubbish. Unfortunately, many case manufacturers think that plastic fins or daft robot faces are impressive, and some think you want your PC to sport a blue glow. SilverStone knows better, however; to make a PC case that stands self-assured like techno royalty, it needs to be unashamedly massive with clean lines and a smooth fascia.
This is what you had with the Temjin TJ09, and this updated model offers the same features. However, like acquiring a peerage in the real world, to be part of the techno gentry, you need to splash some cash. The TJ09 cost £173.48 when we first reviewed it (it costs £160 now), so any improvements that SilverStone has made had better be worth £45 if the company wants to have a chance of receiving another award.
Let's cover the similarities first, in case you've forgotten the TJ09. Apart from being an incredibly well-made aluminium case with a cool flip-up panel of ports, the TJ09 stuck in our minds, thanks to the big hole behind the isolated hard disk cage at the front. A vent at the bottom of the front section allows air to enter the two cages. Each of these has a thin rubber layer to stop vibrations being transmitted into the case, and can house three hard disks. There's a 120mm fan mount between the two caddies, so if you're a storage nut, you can use this to draw air over the bottom three disks and push it over the upper three. Behind the hard disk section is a massive hole extending from one side to the other. This serves as the case's main air intake, with a 120mm fan fitted behind to suck air into the cavernous main chamber.
Another trick carried over from the TJ09 is the vent in the floor at the rear of the case. It's possible to mount your PSU in such a way that its intake (if it has one) faces downwards, sucking air from under the case and exhausting it via the rear. The chunky feet provide enough clearance for air to enter (provided you don't place it on a very thick carpet), so you can effectively isolate your PSU from the heat of the rest of the case. If you're building a monster PC to take on the likes of Mr. Dizzy (currently the CPC benchmark leaderboard champ), this will be handy for the beast of a PSU that you'll need. Our review case has a side window to show off your kit (remove the '-W' from the SKU code to remove this and save £10). Similarly, the silver version is the TJ10S.
The basics of the TJ10 haven't changed since the TJ09, just a few of the details. The most noticeable is the new front door. The TJ09 had exposed 5.25in drive bays that interfered with the sleekness and elegance of the rest of the case, especially if you couldn't match your drives to the case. In the TJ10, the door can be mounted to open either way but the hinge feels flimsy. The magnets used to lock the door in place could be stronger too, as the door opens too easily and sometimes doesn't shut properly.
We like to think that our criticism of the top-rear air vent in the TJ09 has prompted another change. This vent was split in two by a strip of metal that prevented the fitting of a dual 120mm-fan radiator. SilverStone has seen sense and removed this strip, so you can mount such a radiator at the top of the case. Nowadays, however, a triple 120mm-fan radiator would be nice. At least the holes for tubing are still present in the removable motherboard tray.
Retention points for extra-long graphics cards are the only other improvement. However, no tools are supplied for this, although there's a profusion of everything else you might need. The SilverStone website shows these retention points being used by an OEM ATI Radeon HD 2900XT card. These cards not only had extra long PCBs, but massive fans hanging off them. If you're more of an artist than a gamer, and own a Quadro-series graphics card, these retention points will also be useful. Hopefully, ATI and Nvidia will not release anything this big again; if they do, however, the TJ10 is very well equipped.
However, one area that SilverStone needed to improve on the TJ09 is the hard disk cabling. The hard disk bays are miles away from the front edge of an ATX motherboard, and stretching the S-ATA cables usually leads to clutter behind the recessed intake fan, especially if you want to use more than one of the six hard disk bays. If the caddies allowed you to install the disks with their I/O connections towards the motherboard tray, routeing would be tidier and airflow less restricted.
Conclusion
The basic design of the TJ09 was sound, so the tweaks to the TJ10 should have added to its appeal, despite also adding to the cost. Sure enough, the new door looks neater, but it's also introduced a flimsy feel to the case - SilverStone needs to work on a sturdier door hinge and use stronger magnets. The only improvement of note is the top vent, which can now accommodate a dual 120mm-fan radiator. The TJ09 costs £45 less than the TJ10 and is a superior product, even if it also makes routeing cables to the hard disks a difficult process.
