SilverStone FT03 Mini Review: We'll Make You Fun Size
by Dustin Sklavos on May 22, 2012 1:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Mini ITX
- SilverStone
Noise and Thermal Testing, IGP
Given the relatively small size of the SilverStone FT03 Mini, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect in terms of performance. It's true that an intake fan having a straight shot through all of the system's components can work wonders (see the FT02 and TJ08-E), but the FT03 Mini is more cramped and the air still has to wend its way through the cluster of power cables tucked inside. At the risk of spoiling the results, though, I was pleasantly surprised by just how well the FT03 Mini performed. Ambient temperature was ~24C at time of testing.
Without the dedicated graphics card, the FT03 Mini still put in a stronger performance than the much larger, ATX-sized GD07 (compared here due to the GD07 being tested with the Mini-ITX testbed, which was in turn tested with the Mini-ITX testbed due to having a very low heatsink clearance). The SSD ran toastier, but that's to be expected and still acceptable.
Thermal headroom in this configuration also looks to be roughly the same, if the fan speed is any indication.
The FT03 Mini doesn't just perform well, it's also pretty quiet. Without a dedicated graphics card we're looking at just three fans in the enclosure: the intake, the CPU heatsink fan, and the power supply. Given the efficient thermal design, none of them have to work terribly hard, and the result is a system that runs quietly.
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dalenchm0b - Saturday, May 26, 2012 - link
Newegg has it.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
terragb - Tuesday, May 29, 2012 - link
I got mine from Performance-PCs.comThey are in Florida but mine was drop shipped directly from Silverstone in California.
mcbowler - Friday, May 25, 2012 - link
I always wanted someone to build a case around the graphics card... check out the perfect fit on silverstone web site... http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=333I wish more companies did things like this. 1 HD and 2 SSD is all I need. A 450w power supply should be good enough for an Nvidia 680 and a stock voltage 3770. If not, I will be melting something.
terragb - Tuesday, May 29, 2012 - link
Yup. Mine runs fine on the SilverStone 450w PSU. Reference GTX 680 and stock voltage 3770.Death666Angel - Thursday, May 31, 2012 - link
Hey!You write:
"There are five points to screw in the PSU, but there were only enough screws available to do the four corners."
All PSU I have laying around and the few I looked at online only have 4 screw holes, however, most cases I owned had 5 holes. In those cases this was so that the PSUs could be installed with either the fan up or down. Not sure if this is the case here, but it might be. :-)
Interesting case, for sure. :D
caycep - Saturday, June 9, 2012 - link
1) How have the FT03-mini's been in terms of rattling? SilentPCReview didn't like the full size FT03 at all, but the mini seems to be substantially revamped. Is the build quality better?
2) How does this compare w/ the lian li PC-Q11A?
3) will a 350 or 450W sfx psu be enough to run a nvidia gtx 670 class gnu?
s7r83dg3 - Sunday, October 28, 2012 - link
1) Please move the buttons 180° so all the cables can be shorter and in the right position justabove those pins !
2) Make all cables sleeved & short & soft !!!
3) Make the legs 2 cm shorter and the case 2 cm taller so my gfx card will fit.
4) Use a standard FOUR PIN fan so it can be replaced, which is currently not possible.
5) Change your company logo =)
6) Make silent sfx PSU with good modular cables (like superflower psu)