SilverStone FT03: Nothing Else Like It
by Dustin Sklavos on April 28, 2011 12:25 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- SilverStone
Noise and Thermal Testing, GeForce GTX 580
To put some real stress on the SilverStone FT03, we've added the GeForce GTX 580. We don't expect most of you to be running a card like this, but it does help to put things in perspective and the cooler isn't overpoweringly loud like its predecessor was. If a case can handle the thermal load of a GTX 580, it should be able to handle more mainstream configurations without incident.
The GTX 580 radiates a lot of heat on its own, but due largely to the "wind tunnel" design of the FT03 it doesn't produce much in the way of collateral heat. Our i3-530 doesn't warm up that much as a result of the increased ambient temperature, and the chipset doesn't have to contend with helping drive the IGP so it breaks even. Only the memory shows signs of substantially increased ambient heat. The idle temperature of the GTX 580 is actually pretty impressive, but under load it rockets up to 89C. Keep in mind that's a worst case scenario we're testing with, though.
At this point the extra noise is attributable almost entirely to the GeForce GTX 580. It's definitely audible, and subjectively it does appear to drown out the existing fan noise. The FT03 is a great design but it seems to have some difficulty muffling video card noise.
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Metaluna - Thursday, April 28, 2011 - link
The consensus over at SPCR is that the white plastic grilles make it look like a cheap clothes hamper :).Kudos to Silverstone for trying something unique. Sadly not every radical concept works out, but I hope they keep trying.
Egglick - Thursday, April 28, 2011 - link
I agree that the white plastic vents look terrible on the silver model. If you look at the Black version though, it's a huge improvement.bman212121 - Monday, May 2, 2011 - link
And one day you accidently overheat your computer when you mistakely throw your clothes on top of it...darkvader75 - Thursday, May 19, 2011 - link
I agree that it should be either clear plexi right there or just drilled holes in the alluminumTh-z - Monday, August 8, 2011 - link
That's the removable dust filter.---
AnandTech, you guys should mention any dust filter feature in your case review.
ckryan - Thursday, April 28, 2011 - link
This is far and away one of the most interesting case designs out there. Unique cases are not plentiful and Silverstone at least has a couple to offer. I like cases that are a little different, ones like the Lian Li A05 which reverses airflow and motherboard placement to focus cool air one the processor. In that way, the FT03 is not alone, but it's not a huge crowd either. With enough money to spend on the extras, the Silverstone seems like it would make a fantastic system. Too bad slim line ODDs are the devil.michael2k - Thursday, April 28, 2011 - link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Mac_G4_CubeNot really that unique. Vertical square orientation, upward ventilzation, etc.
mados123 - Thursday, April 28, 2011 - link
Exactly. That was one of the earliest designs that I saw from Apple where my jaw dropped due to its creative thermodynamics and use of Acrylic.nubie - Thursday, April 28, 2011 - link
They took an idea that has been floating around in my head and made it work.Vertical cooling and square footprint (or nearly). Also access to all ports without going behind the PC.
I can't afford it, but it is nice to know it is out there.
Fantastic, very forward thinking. I hope this spawns more (Lian Li are you listening? Maybe Power Cooler too for those like me: short on the green stuff.)
SilthDraeth - Thursday, April 28, 2011 - link
I am guessing that was a strange attempt at a pun, or you were still hung up about noise levels!:P
Back to reading the rest of the review now...