SilverStone WS380-E Workstation Case Review

As an active home lab enthusiast, I have been rocking private servers since before the term had been made popular.  This all started with a singular server that I setup for application development and then expanded to become a network storage appliance.  When I needed more power, I upgraded the machine and if I needed something different I would actually setup an additional physical server.

Modern hardware has changed the home lab dynamic considerably.  Instead of needing multiple servers you can often fire up a VM and build whatever you need.  That is what I am currently doing and it is extremely powerful.  Despite this there are limits, some practical and most financial especially when you start to dive into the world of AI. 

In this review we looked at the SilverStone WS380-E.  This is a workstation class chassis designed for the professional.  The case does not have any of the conveniences found on high end gaming cases and is extremely flexible when compared with existing enterprise offerings.  Overall construction is good with the galvanized steel measuring in between 1.0 and 1.2mm thick.  This not only makes the case extremely sturdy but also a bit on the heavy side. 

Storage is handled across a par of four drive hot-swap SATA/SAS drive cages.  A single Mini SAS connection provides connectivity with a single four pin Molex power connector.  Each high-quality drive tray has provisions for both 2.5” and 3.5” drives and is constructed from a plastic wrapped metal frame.  Additionally, there are two external 5.25” drive bays available along with a single 3.5” external drive bay ideally for optical and removable backup solutions.

Cooling is handled by a part of 80x38mm fans located at the back of the case and three 120mm fans located in the middle.  The interior fan bracket supports radiators up to 360mm and serves as the primary intake for the entire case.  When compared to a desktop PC the cooling options are rather limited.  There are no free-flowing vents and the primary intake fans are located behind an array of hard drives and solid plastic panels.  Vents are located on the external panels though fully expect to have high speed fans running full tilt to keep an active server cool.

For multi-GPU AI systems the WS380-E has external GPU coolers available to support fan less server grade GPUs and provide additional cooling if your build requires it. 

While the SilverStone WS380-E is not your standard desktop PC it is fully compatible with consumer grade hardware supporting standard ATX power supplies, ATX motherboards from Mini ITX up to SSI-EEB and Extended ATX.  While you can get most of that from a desktop PC the WS380-E is unique in that it provides the features that professionals need in a package that allows that professional to build exactly what they want and have options to install the build as a standard tower or be placed inside a server rack.  Overall, this is one of the best examples of a multipurpose workstation chassis I have ever seen and cannot wait to migrate my AI enabled home lab into it.

Excellent Construction
Standard 4U Design
High Quality Hot Swap Trays
SATA and SAS Backplane
Standard ATX Motherboard Support
360mm Radiator Support
Security Features

Limited cooling intakes
Long cases are long
Requires a special motherboard to use all available features