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There is no denying that the SilverStone LUCID LD03-AF is a very pretty looking mini-ITX case. Personally, I think it is one of the best looking mini-ITX cases available right now. The modern three-sided smoked tempered glass aesthetics shouldn’t look out of place in either the home or in a modern office environment. The only problem with all that tempered glass is fingerprints, so you might find yourself spending a lot of your time polishing away.
In terms of quality, the materials used in the construction of the LD03-AF are of a good standard. Tempered glass panels are smooth with bevelled edges, the plastics feel high-quality with a nice satin finish, and the buttons and front I/O connections all have a solid feel to them.
The only issue I have with the build quality is the chassis frame. With all the tempered glass and plastic panels removed from the chassis, there is a lot of flex to the frame, almost to the point of where you feel like it could bend out of shape. Once the outer panels are refitted, the case feels sturdier. However, the addition of extra support to the frame would have been simple to implement and would help the case feel a little stronger.
SilverStone’s main aim with the LD03-AF is to improve airflow to the GPU. The original LUCID LD03 case had very good airflow to other components in the system, but with the graphics card being so close to one of the solid tempered glass panels, airflow to the GPU was strangled and therefore meant that under load, the GPU ran hotter than it should.
During our thermal performance test, where we simulated GPU load during gaming using the 3DMark Time Spy stress test loop, with the new GPU side panel vent open, we saw a considerable drop of around 5⁰C in GPU temperature compared with the vent blocked, which shows that the new side panel vent is doing its job well.
With this being the first time I had built a system inside a mini-ITX case from start to finish, prior to starting the build I was a little concerned about how much space there would be inside the case to play around with. It turns out that there is plenty of room inside the chassis and installing a system was very easy and a pleasure.
SilverStone has made good use of the space, access around the motherboard is excellent since all three tempered glass side panels can be removed. All the motherboard power connectors are easy to access, and the front panel cables are routed perfectly for the ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/AX motherboard we selected.
Installing the power supply with the motherboard fitted to the case is tight but not impossible and there is space behind the power supply to bundle up excess cables. However, there are no cable management features built into the case for power cables, maybe SilverStone could have integrated a shroud or cover to tidy cables up, but I can see how this might be difficult due to space restrictions.
An area which is a little disappointing is the lack of cooling options, other than the two pre-installed fans that come with the case, there isn’t a lot you can do. A 120mm AIO could be fitted in place of the bottom case fan but I would have liked the option to fit a 240mm AIO somewhere, again this is due to the available space and to enable 240mm AIO support, the dimensions of the case would have to be increased.
The main issue I have with the SilverStone LUCID LD03-AF isn’t the build quality or component support, it’s the pricing. You can currently purchase the original ‘non-AF' LUCID LD03 for £89.99 from Overclockers UK, but the revised LD03-AF is £119.99 from Scan – or even £150 on Amazon. SilverStone does say that the RRP of the LD03-AF is £109, but it is impossible to find it for that price currently.
So, with the LD03-AF priced at £120, that means consumers are forking out an extra £30 over the original LD03, which seems a little steep considering the only differences are that vented side panel Type-C instead of USB Type-A port. I would still say it is worth buying, but we'd rather it was only a £10 difference between the two LD03 models.
The SilverStone LUCID LD03-AF is available to purchase now from Scan, priced at HERE.
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Pros:
- Great looking case.
- Easy to install a high spec system inside.
- New GPU airflow panel works well.
Cons:
- Frame isn't very rigid with panels removed.
- A bit pricey considering the small upgrade over the original.
KitGuru says: In terms of appearance and performance, the SilverStone LUCID LD03-AF is an excellent choice for your next mini-ITX system. We would rather it wasn't as expensive as it is, relative to the original model, but we think it is still worth buying for those in the market for an ITX chassis.
