SWITCHING to the SilverStone Grandia 11 PC CASE

[@trishpipkins]

I'm so glad you did this. Now the theater looks much better. Great decision. 💖

[@jebo4jc]

You say "not a big deal" when you encounter those little/big issues that make me completely furious and frustrated. You must be more chill than I am 😅

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

Haha! I think having built quite a few PCs over the years I kind of just roll with the punches. I actually find the process of PC building to be incredibly relaxing even when shooting a video. I had a lot of fun doing it! However, if I'm fixing things around the house, that's when I get really frustrated pretty quickly, especially when I don't have the right tools for the job.

[@welderfixer]

Brad, that desktop case looks great in the cabinet! I didn't know that there is a case like that. Really makes your system look high-end. You're a talented guy. Keep up your great efforts. All the best to you and Trish!

[@Techthusiasm]

Nice! This is definitely the case to be using for a "console" HTPC build now. Excellent. I have definitely considered it for my future builds.

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

It's an awesome case. I do enjoy the aesthetic of my old case but it stuck out like a sore thumb. Really happy with this case!

[@hdmoviesource]

Thats a great change, looks much better now. Good idea.

[@jebo4jc]

I have the Silverstone GD-09 for my HTPC. It's a little cheaper but I like the look of an all aluminum front. It looks like a premium home theater component in the cabinet. Just don't look inside. As you pointed out, not much room for cable management. For noise levels, I recommend Noctua fans. I want to be able to leave the PC on and have it not be noticeable during quiet scenes.

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

Awesome! I initially looked at the GD-09 as well but I really wanted something with radiator/liquid cooling support along with the mesh front panel. Which, obviously, led me to the Grandia 11 (technically the GD-11 I guess). I may eventually replace all the fans with Noctua's, even the front Corsair fans because I typically don't have RGB turned on. Though admittedly it does look pretty cool through the front mesh panel. Even so, with the fans all set to Quiet Mode in iCue, I never really hear them. The 4070 Super fan really only spins up and becomes noticeable while gaming thankfully, and I typically play at volumes where that isn't an issue. But I'd be interested to see what difference going to Noctua fans makes, and I think I also have enough room to do push/pull fans on the radiator up front. There is always something to improve upon, am I right? Haha.

[@joby602]

@@HomeTheaterGamer Another GD-09 owner here. I'm thinking of upgrading mainly because of the shift in the PSU location. The GD-11 has the PSU out of the way on the other side, allowing 2 side fans to blow intake air directly on the GPU. That seems to be the big difference for me - I'm not too bothered about cpu cooling, as ryzen CPUs need so little of it. The GD-09 has terrible GPU cooling in comparison as only one side fan blows on the heatsink, and the air has to work it's way around the PSU. Kind of a shame they don't put a grill above the GPU - that would allow for great airflow from the side fans, over the GPU then out the top.

[@stevexc222]

I bought one of these and even test fitted my existing rig. But it just seemed kinda cramped and while the side fans have nice dust filters the front fans just have the mesh grill. Also it was a bit cheap looking compared to my much older Lian-Li full aluminum HTPC case. In the end I've decided to wait for something better and I think Silverstone has made it - the CW04. Hard to find much info on it at the moment but it's at Computex 2024.

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

It’s definitely a bit on the cramped side but it kind of comes with the territory I think. Lian Li makes amazing cases with awesome build quality at pretty much every price point I’ve encountered. I just did a build in the 216 for my in-laws and was just amazed at what you get for the price point. I saw the CW04 coverage from Gamers Nexus and while it does look amazing, it’s simply too large for my use case. I’d also imagine it’ll be pretty price and if I’d wager a guess, we’re looking at a $250 to $300 price point considering the feature set.

[@stevexc222]

@@HomeTheaterGamer I still haven't completely ruled out using the GD11. Problem is to use it for my main rig means buying some 80mm fans (i'd buy Noctua) and a new CPU cooler, and I would also need a 12VHPWR or 12v2x6 90 degree power connector for my 4070 Ti Super. I don't need any of this stuff for the CW04 so that does offset the cost a bit. I'll just wait and see.

[@smietniknautube]

Hi, I'm waiting on CW04 also, and I sent an email to Silverstone about specs and asked them to compare side by side both of the cases. Unfortunately they didn't answer... I wish to build a new pc by the end of a year, just waiting now on the intel ultra 245 processor being tested. I had a hope to see more reviews of GD11 and asked about it Gamers Nexus, but it's a niche product, so they probably won't do it. Maybe if more people would ask them... Stylish cases are coming back (with wooden front panels), so it indicates demand for more mature look from customers. I'm based in the UK and as I could easily buy a GD11 that is now out of stock in most places... Shame. I'm going to wait till the end of the year and if CW04 won't come out then I'll buy GD11.

[@spaghettilocomotive]

Great choice in case. I swapped out my Fractal Design Node 605 for a GD-11 last year, I was intrigued by the cases cooling capabilities as the Node 605 left much to be desired in that regard.. I had to get it from Amazon because it was still very new, and no retailers here in Norway had begun selling it yet. It was quite expensive, but well worth it imo. It's currently filled with an Asus z690-g m-ATX motherboard and an AVX512 enabled (for PS3 emulation purposes) 12900k running 5.3GHz and 32GB 6400c32 DDR5 ram, the GPU is an RTX 3090. And all is watercooled with a custom loop comprised of two 240mm radiators with Phanteks T30 fans, an Aquacomputer Ultitube 50 D5 reservoir and pump, CPU is direct die cooled with an Iceman DD block and the RTX 3090 has an EK waterblock and active backplate. Just yesterday I upgraded the PSU to an FSP Hydro Ti 1000w to get something more efficient than the old Fractal Design 650w bronze unit. I think it's the most powerful unit possible to fit with my space constraints without going SFX with an adapter etc.

[@datpspguy]

Thank you, I'm looking to move my ATX server motherboard from my huge Tower case into a HTPC build like this. Luckily the Noctua CPU fan for EPYC CPU's fits within the 146mm threshold so that was one of the requirements that this case meets.

[@Bradimus1]

I still have a Silverstone HT PC case from my old gaming PC. I don't have time to build a new ine, but ine day. Mine is very old now, but was meant to hide like an amp or something with a flip down aluminum panel. Goid airflow, but not as good as what you have. I recommend the brand for sure.

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

Definitely worth the money if you're after this aesthetic! I also looked at other cases that allow you to remove the bottom feet and lay horizontally, but those had their own sets of issues. Mainly, the AIO pump being at the top of the loop (a non-issue if I would have swapped to air cooling) and none of them would have fit into my entertainment stand. I'm thinking of doing a follow-up video already talking about some things I've noticed in more detail, but that'll be after I do a few tutorials on some home theater stuff.

[@GamingTech-YouTube]

Hi Brad, I just read your Discord message. Sorry for getting back so late ! How are you doing? I love your cinema! Looks fantastic!

[@45eno]

You can easily sell that B450 Tomahawk for $70-80. I owned 5 of them and sold them off when Infound good X570 deals. I wanted at least 3 full speed gen4 NVMe drives and b550 usually only provides 1 full speed slot. But I’m selling my last two x570s combos as soon as I find cheap 7600/7600x on the used markets. Already have $60 B650 Aorus elite ax boards and top shelf ram standing by.

[@-onemoretry]

Are you still doing an updated version of the minidsp subwoofer calibration?

[@45eno]

I’ve been using Silverstone cases for over 15years now for HTPC gaming builds. Currently have two GD09 in service but can’t fit bigger GPU’s so I’m limited to my smaller 6700xt. I have two 6800xt’s but are about 330mm in length. This is logically the case to buy but sheesh $167!!!!! I have been looking for mid tower cases that look clean with the feet removed. If I can find a good clean looking case that I can lay on its side without looking like trash then I will go that route. I wish I could find one for about $80-100. Just thrifty and not wanting to spend that much. But it would house a 7800x3D/x670/32gb cl30 6000/ 5 TB Samsung NVMe so it wouldn’t be a bad pairing.

[@jonjohansen9461]

I have this case, and the side panel filter is completely choking the GPU. The difference with the filter on and of can be as much as 15c on my 4090. It is just way to restrictive, not just because of the filter itself, but because of all the metal and plastic in the filter frame. I think they wanted it to look good, and just ended up blocking off 50% of the airflow

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

You know that’s something I haven’t tried. I’m curious now to see what kind of difference removing that filter makes. Typically GPU temps are ok but the hot spot temp can creep to the 90s on occasion. Still within tolerance but I wouldn’t mind a lower temp.

[@neccros007]

new here... Do you ever show the games you play in your home theater??? Didnt see any in your videos

[@atomiczombie22]

Question: What resolution are you using to game and what games are you primarily playing?

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

I play at 4K/2160p, though for Alan Wake II I played at 1800p so I could switch to path tracing. I also always use DLSS set to balanced or performance if a game offers it (or Quality if depending on performance) and will kick on frame gen if I need to. I primarily stick to single player games but do play coop games like Helldivers 2. Currently going through Jedi Survivor finally and also have been playing Outcast A New Beginning. I strongly dislike competitive multiplayer games so I never play PvP games.

[@atomiczombie22]

@@HomeTheaterGamer what kind of FPS are you getting @ 4k on these games/settings?

[@fezzle81]

That's a sweet case, curious that you're not using the PC for MadVR? Your specs are perfect for it to run 4k rips with tone mapping.

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

I haven't dabbled into the MadVR world yet but I plan to since it's free. But yeah, you're right; the specs on the PC are definitely up to doing some MadVR goodness!

[@fezzle81]

​​​@@HomeTheaterGamer I sense a new series coming from you 😊 yes you definitely should! I run Kodi with a Plex plug-in and have the launcher open mpc-be with MadVR and I'm golden! Plus you can still game with the HTPC

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

I wouldn’t rule anything out haha. However I need to first deliver out eh promised miniDSP updated tutorials, MultEQ-X tutorials, etc. I’ve fallen behind due to just life in general but I’m getting back to making videos now. Woohoo!

[@Godsrocker1970]

Love it, except front panel power and reset buttons are soft and usb c with panel on will not hold usb c cable front panel off and usb c cable is secured. A modular power supply is required to minimize cables

[@pedroortiz9744]

Nice!

[@goldenheartOh]

Im an air cooler guy. I wonder whats the biggest cpu air cooler thay will fit? My Noctua NH-D15 certainly wont fit. I need to convert my gaming pc to a horizontal case that fits in my tv stand. (5950x cpu)

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

The max height limit is 146mm, which does limit the air cooler selection. Before I just said screw and went with an AIO, I was considering air and was looking at the Bequiet! Dark Tock TF2. Ultimately because of my past experience with the Commander Core from Corsair, I wanted to stick with that so it made more sense to go AIO. But that’s really just a preference.

[@goldenheartOh]

@HomeTheaterGamer oh my. That's a single cooling tower one. I've checked a few dual towers. All too tall. I can see why you went liquid. I really prefer the higher reliability of air though.

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

For sure. If I ever have a major issue with the AIO I’ll likely go back to an air cooler as long as I don’t have issues with RAM clearance. I’ve built 3 PCs in the past 8 months for my in-laws, and only one is liquid cooled (with my original H115i). Everything else is on air but they are in traditional PC cases.

[@foxmino]

I have the same case and I used a Noctua C-14 on a 13900k undervolted and pl1 and pl2 at 200 watts

[@graysonpeddie]

3:23 Seems like your camera's going crazy. It's like parts of the screen is flickering. For me, I'm going to go for the Silverstone RM52 Rack Mount case. It's very pricey but hey! I want to fit in a full-tower CPU for the best heat dissipation and can look really sleek while hiding that PC case hidden away in a 35U or 37U enclosure. And yeah that case is going to have rails installed. I just don't really care for all the RGB looks and tempered glass side panels. I'm a "hide your computer away if it's working" kind of guy. The only parts that are in front of me is my LG C2 42" TV, keyboard, and mouse.

[@HomeTheaterGamer]

Yeah that’s the autofocus trying to figure out what to focus on causing the flicker. Recording a TV screen is always a challenge for any camera’s auto focus system due to the pixel structure and proximity. Probably should have went for single point focus on the DJI OSMO Pocket 3. I don’t have a rack and I don’t know if I’ll go that route anytime soon. Other things are of a higher priority now, namely a mini split haha.