A Closer Look - Outside

There is a vast difference in price between the 550D and the 650D, as the latter clocks in at 109 Euro MSRP compared to 75 Euro for the smaller one. To justify this price tag, Cooler Master has changed things around considerably, offering a full aluminum front cover with an embedded CM logo and a different chassis frame along with additional features. It will be interesting to see, how the case will stack up against the Corsair 550D or other silent enclosures.


In the front, the 650 actually looks completely symmetrical, which is something the 550D is not. The front door is made of a single, thick Aluminum sheet with diamond cut edges. It may be set to flip open to either side, as the pins acting as door hinges may be moved from one side to the other. A thin layer of sound dampening material has been placed on the inner side of the door to maximize the effects of sound encapsulation.


Taking a quick peek at the rear, one can clearly see the bottom mounted PSU bay. To keep the noise incased, solid expansion slot covers have been employed here as well. Both sides of the case are completely solid as well, further adding to the sound dampening attributes.


Going back to the front of the chassis, while the door is made of aluminum, the rest of the front is made plastic. A simple air vent has been placed over the bottom two intake fans, which also comes with a built-in dust filter. Above that are three drive bays, with the bottom one acting as a simple, but surprisingly effective hot-swap bay. Due to the modular design, you may even remove this device and use the bay as a traditional 5.25" unit if need be.


Turning the Silencio 650 around, the bottom mounted PSU bay has two sets of holes to hold a PSU in place. This means, that you may mount it with the fan either facing up- or downward within the enclosure. Above that are the 7 + 1 expansion slots, with the latter placed vertically next to the standard ones. This one is intended to be used with mainboard I/O or a fan controller for example. The very top part is filled with a 120 mm exhaust fan and two holes for water cooling tubes in the very top.


Cooler Master has hidden an extensive I/O panel in the top of the chassis. Behind a sliding plastic cover, you will find two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, pair of audio connectivity and an SDHC card slot. On top of that, there is a simple, but effective fan controller and diamond cut power & reset buttons. In the rear of the top panel is another sliding cover, which gives way to an air vent right above the CPU cooler.


A large dust filter has been placed on the underside of the chassis, protecting the inside parts from dust and dirt over time. You may easily remove it for cleaning purposes.