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
Conclusion: You Already Know If You Want It
Honestly, you probably already knew whether or not you were interested in the SilverStone FT03 Mini from the moment you looked at it. There are plenty of Mini-ITX cases out there, but none of them look like this one, so what the review is really about is answering questions and determining whether or not it has personality to go along with its looks. I'm happy to report that it does.
I liked the FT03 to begin with, and the FT03 Mini is in many ways a direct improvement on that design. In addition to shrinking the form factor, SilverStone fixed one of the main problems: the side panels. There's also no more bottom fan filter falling off, and assembly is actually much simpler in the FT03 Mini than it was in the FT03 proper. The engineers did their homework and came back with something not only improved, but I think shrinking to the Mini-ITX spec actually serves the design better. Aesthetically it's more interesting by being smaller, and physically it allows SilverStone to go down to a single 140mm intake fan in the bottom doing all the work.
The funny thing is that in the process, SilverStone continues to prove that you don't need to throw six fans at every problem when one or two smartly placed fans will do the job. The aforementioned FT02 and TJ08-E along with Lian Li's PC-90 are evidence enough of that. I've been increasingly of the opinion that the low-front-intake-to-top-back-exhaust design, however popular, is inefficient. Tiny wind tunnels like the FT03 Mini seem to prove that.
If you're interested in the FT03 Mini, hopefully this review assuages any concerns you might have about it. Assembly is relatively easy apart from the slightly unusual mounting for the drive cages, and thermal performance and acoustics are both excellent. It's at least as good as it looks if not better, and SilverStone's engineers are showing real progress in their designs. Taken as a whole, that makes the FT03 Mini Bronze Editor's Choice award material.
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Spunjji - Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - link
Given that the power/cooling requirements of a Voodoo 3 barely register on the current graphics-card radar, I'm afraid I have to back up the "horrible ventilation" comment.GotThumbs - Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - link
I'm sure Jobs would want you to take it as is...and be happy with it. Your such a good Ifanboy. Good boy.Oh...and "You're holding it wrong!". Words from a man who thinks everyone but him is an idiot. Maybe some are...but NOT the ones who can think for themselves.
Best wishes,
jonyah - Tuesday, June 5, 2012 - link
Ya, cause the Cube was such a big success. Ugh. Thank god we can build quality machines with parts off of shelf.mmagnum77 - Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - link
95% sure that's a SG05BB with nice fancy aluminum panels slapped on each side.Either way... I'm not complainin'. I've been prepping a i7 3770S + AMD 7970 ITX build on Newegg, gonna be hard to pass this case up.
ViperV990 - Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - link
As an SG05BB owner, yepp, the FT03-mini pretty much that.I hope the review will be amended with tests done with the GTX 670/680. I have a hard time figuring out just how much air the bottom intake can supply a 680.
Another interesting tidbit about this case is that apparently you can fit a closed-loop water cooler in it easily.
Personally, I'd probably prefer a version without the optical drive opening.
slacr - Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - link
In this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTdUpSukEt8 the Silverstone rep states this exactly, so it's not something they're hiding.I would also prefer one without the optical drive bay, i'm in the process of modifying my mATX FT03 by removing the drive bay and relocating the PSU to allow better air inlet.
mmagnum77 - Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - link
Just kidding about the 7970. Apparently I glossed over the 10" GPU clearance spec, sigh... back to the Lian Li PC-Q08Br3loaded - Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - link
Why not the GTX 670/680? Both are quicker than the 7970 and use less power. The 670 is very short and costs less too.mepenete - Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - link
This looks like an incredibly sexy (with the thermals/acoustics to back it up) case for an HTPC. I've been becoming more and more interested in Silverstone's case designs and this looks really promising. Simple lines yet still classy and not too understated. This would look excellent in a home theater cabinet.Great review as always.
Samus - Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - link
put a Geforce 670 in there and you'd have something ridiculous.