SilverStone Fortress FT02: True Classics Never Go Out of Style
by Dustin Sklavos on August 15, 2011 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- SilverStone
- Full-Tower
Noise and Thermal Testing, Overclocked
Remember when I mentioned the DigitalStorm BlackOps using the SilverStone FT02 for cooling, and its stellar noise and thermal performance? Now we're going to apply some very real pressure to the FT02, and this is where it should start to really acquit itself.
Unfortunately thermal performance doesn't quite work out that way. While the CPU temps are still reasonably low and most of the cases are bunching up at the top of the chart, the RV03 is actually able to keep the processor nearly 5C cooler under load. Graphics card temperatures, on the other hand, are among the lowest we've recorded, suggesting the FT02 may, if nothing else, be ideal for multi-GPU setups.
When we test acoustics, though, the FT02 comes out ahead. Under load it's one of the quieter cases we've tested (at least at low fan speed), and winds up actually being one of the more efficient designs. The Level 10 GT still manages to produce better performance overall, though.
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dac7nco - Wednesday, August 17, 2011 - link
Edit: and your love for Lian Li's side-mounted optical bays is bizarre. Those are an abomination, which I'm sure you fancy, but have never used. New to this, eh? Replyhurrakan - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
I've been planning to get this case for my next build.scan.co.uk seem to have a new version with USB 3:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silverstone-fortres... Reply
bramdb - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
I just emailed SilverStone sales with a request to give me a price for the part. My request got forwarded to RMA EU (I live in Slovakia).Here's the result:
part (no G113032): 20 euro
shippping: 19 euro
VAT on both: 7,58 euro
total cost: 47,48 EURO
outrageous!
I expected it to be somewhere around 10 euro for the part (they're already making a profit like that) and another 5 or so for the shipping (this thing fits in a bubblewrap).
This is the last time I bought a Silverstone case with this kind of aftersales on such a high-end product. Reply
Gonemad - Thursday, August 18, 2011 - link
I guess vertical (90º rotated, whatever) cases like this are not something extraordinary, but I guess they are not exactly common either. I've been under a rock in the past 6 months and didn't see many of them, nor I know anybody that owns one. So I ask this, isn't it a bit of a concern the PCI-E socket being forced in a specific direction (I am trying to say short-circuit sliding here) specially if the case is under a desk where it may be close to people with 'happy' feet?Y'know, won't some bumping and nudging cripple the graphics cards, especially our 2-pound gaming rigs? Yes, mine is screwed tight and all, but running it on vertical still looks dangerous to me. Bending it on the side, OTOH, never appealed to me either. I'm still looking for a good design in desktop fashion, where the card sit its weight straight on the slot...
On another view, USB ports are closer and more usable than ever. Instead of being tucked in the back, they are on top, which is great for cases that will be on lower shelves. I liked the design, and I'll look into it... Reply