SilentiumPC Ventum VT2 – budget case with high airflow potential

Behind the brand SilentiumPC hides a manufacturer of PC hardware which was founded in 2007 in Warsaw, Poland. The company puts the main focus in the development of your products on the cheapest possible, but still well equipped components with a solid workmanship. The focus is mainly on cases and cooling products such as CPU coolers, fans and AiO water cooling systems.

Without much advance notice SilentiumPC introduced the new case series Ventum VT2 at the end of November. As the name already suggests, the focus of this midi tower is mainly on a high airflow. In addition, the case series should convince with a low price. Depending on the variant, this lies between 35 and 55 €. SilentiumPC offers the Ventum VT2 in four different versions (VT2, VT2 TG, VT2 TG ARGB, VT2 EVO ARGB). In this review we take a look at the cheapest version without tempered glass and RGB.

Technical Details

Scope of delivery

As usual with SilentiumPC, the Ventum VT2 also comes in an unobtrusively designed cardboard box. This is printed mainly brown and partly black. In addition to a picture of the case, numerous technical data are printed on the sides. Inside the cardboard box, the VT2 is wrapped in normal styrofoam and a plastic film. The included accessories are located in a small plastic bag behind the mainboard tray. It contains all screws necessary for mounting, an attachment for screwing in standoffs, a handful of cable ties, a mainboard speaker, four metal PCI slot covers and a short assembly instruction with pictures. For a budget case this is a solid scope.

Outside impression

Externally, the Ventum VT2 in its basic version can definitely be described as simple, understated and timeless. The front is dominated by a large mesh grid that spans the entire panel and is bent backwards at the corners. A plastic frame behind the mesh provides a certain stability without affecting the airflow. Unfortunately there is no additional dust filter behind the mesh. With a strong jerk the wireless front panel can be pulled off to the front and thus gives a view to the mounting rails for fans or radiators. There is room for up to a 360 millimeter oeRadiator.

SilentiumPC also designed the lid with the same background. There is a slightly asymmetrically oriented fan grille, which is covered by a magnetic dust filter. A 240 millimeter radiator or two 120 millimeter fans can be mounted in the lid. The top of the VT2 also houses the normally equipped I/O panel. There are two USB 3.0 ports, two connectors for headphones or microphone and two buttons for power or reset.

In the basic version, the side panels follow the specification of an unobtrusive case. Both are made of steel, are completely closed and have a stability that is okay for the price range aimed at. They are connected to the body by two knurled screws each and a recessed grip at the rear end is intended to facilitate disassembly. Unfortunately, however, the assembly of the side panels is suboptimal. In the front area they are hooked in via steel straps, but fall off again without the knurled screws at the slightest touch. Here we have already seen better solutions.

Unagitated it goes on at the back. The manufacturer relies on a proven layout, where the power supply is mounted at the bottom. Above it, seven non-reusable PCI slot panels for expansion cards can be seen. These must be broken out and the screw connection of the expansion cards is made outside the case. Finally, the pre-mounted 120 millimeter fan can still be seen at the rear.

The VT2 has four conventional plastic feet for a secure stand. Although these do not win any beauty prizes, they do serve their purpose and have each been fitted with a layer of foam rubber. To protect the VT2 from dust SilentiumPC has added a mesh dust filter mat. To our astonishment, this covers the whole lower area and also has magnetic strips. Especially the latter makes cleaning very easy.

Inside impression

To keep the price as low as possible, SilentiumPC of course does not reinvent the interior of the Ventum VT2. Instead the well-known two-chamber system with a black painted interior is used. In the upper main chamber there is a lot of space for the components and behind the optional front fans there are no elements that could influence the airflow. But since the Ventum VT2 does not support external drives, the mainboard tray is hardly wider than a normal ATX mainboard. Features include numerous openings and cut-outs for cable management and for mounting CPU coolers with backplate.

The lower part of the interior is protected from prying eyes by a large power supply cover. This is not completely closed, however, and instead has two cable management openings and a large ventilation grille on the upper side. In addition, two further cut-outs allow a view of the power supply’s nameplate and the installation of a deep radiator in the front.

Let’s now turn to the back of the mainboard tray. There is a little more space here than we thought. In some places there is up to 28 millimeters space for cables. Additionally the backside has many steel straps to which you can attach cable ties or cables. Below the power supply cover the power supply is mounted and on the left side there is the mounting place for a large 3.5″ hard disk. The manufacturer does not use decoupling elements for the power supply.

Inside the SilentiumPC Ventum VT2 only three data media can be stored. Either a 3.5″ or a 2.5″ HDD can be mounted decoupled on the mounting place in the bottom of the case. The mounting is done by means of oblong screws and rubber rings. There is also space for two additional 2.5″ data carriers behind the mainboard tray. These are screwed to the corresponding mountings using normal screws. But there is no decoupling here.

Overall, the external and internal workmanship of the Silentium Ventum VT2 is OK and in line with its price range. With a total weight of only 3.5 kilograms, you can’t expect miracles, of course. The material is therefore quite thin in places. But there are no sharp edges where you could cut yourself and the quality of the paint is fine.

System construction in SilentiumPC Ventum VT2

Now we come to the system installation. As hardware we use a AMD Ryzen 5 1400 on a MSI B350 PC Mate with 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport LT grey DDR4-2666. The Ryzen is cooled by an EKL Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure and is overclocked to 3.8 GHz (1.25V). For the image output a GTX 1060 6GB from Gigabyte AORUS is responsible. Power is supplied by the fully modular LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum with an efficiency level of 80 Plus Platinum.

Despite the low price, we had a lot of fun installing all components in the SilentiumPC Ventum VT2. As mentioned before, the VT2 offers a lot of space in some places despite its compact dimensions. The components were basically quickly installed and wired. In addition, the pre-installed spacers were designed for mounting a normal ATX mainboard. This also saved time. Since there is relatively much space behind the mainboard tray and under the power supply cage, superfluous cables could be neatly stowed away and lashed. The overall result is satisfying and looks tidy.

In terms of overall hardware compatibility, the Ventum VT2 cannot quite keep up with the competition. With a maximum height for CPU coolers of 159 millimeters and a maximum length of 290 millimeters for graphics cards, certain restrictions have to be accepted with regard to component selection. There is a maximum of 180 millimeters of space for the power supply unit with mounted HDD. Furthermore, two radiators can be accommodated simultaneously within the Midi Tower. A front radiator then naturally further limits the maximum possible graphics card length.

The SilentiumPC Sigma HP fan supplied has a frame width of 120 millimeters and has a black 3-pin cable for connection to the mainboard. The nine fan blades lie close to the frame in order to generate the highest possible air pressure. At the maximum speed of 1250 revolutions per minute, the fan is audible, but can also move air noticeably. However, in all speed ranges it produces noticeable running noises.

Finally we come to the temperatures reached in the SilentiumPC Ventum VT2. During the load test, Prime95 and FurMark were run for 15 minutes at a room temperature of 20°C. In addition, the test was performed with two different fan constellations (series, 3x 120 millimeter fans).

The Silentium Ventum VT2 is an airy case, which is already noticeable when only the standard fan is used. It moves enough air to cool the processor and graphics card sufficiently. If you add two or three additional fans in the front, the maximum temperature of the CPU is visibly reduced. In terms of cooling, the Silentium PC Ventum VT2 is a perfect fit for any application.

Conclusion on the SilentiumPC Ventum VT2

Basically, we are always quite skeptical about a cheap case with low weight before testing. But in this case the skepticism was unfounded. SilentiumPC has managed to develop a cheap but solid case with the Ventum VT2. So the Ventum VT2 is a compact midi tower, but still offers space for many components and can cool them well due to the mesh front. This overall package is rounded off by an unobtrusive appearance and the existence of further variants of the case. So the buyer has the choice.

Basically, however, one can also notice that the VT2 is a case in the budget segment. The total weight of 3.5 kilograms is not as high and the thickness of the material is correspondingly less at one point or another. The fastening of the side panels and the compatibility with only three data carriers could also put off one or the other buyer. However, if you are looking for an inexpensive and compact case that also has a high airflow potential, then you can definitely take a closer look at the SilentiumPC Ventum VT2. But of course you shouldn’t expect miracles at this price.