Silverstone FT03... matx

Kirinji: I have the H60 installed and it not only does it fit perfectly, leaving plenty of room for the intake to spread the air, but it also has awesome performance and is a lot quieter than my previous H50.

I'm using it with just the one fan replacing the silverstone 120mm up top so as to suck all the air through the rad and pass it out the top.

Although I'm only using an i5 2400, at 3.2ghz 1.02v Prime 100% load for over 6 hours and the temps never hit 60'c and that's with all fans running 50% through MSI control panel.

hope this helps.
 
lunatyc420 said:
Kirinji: I have the H60 installed and it not only does it fit perfectly, leaving plenty of room for the intake to spread the air, but it also has awesome performance and is a lot quieter than my previous H50.

I'm using it with just the one fan replacing the silverstone 120mm up top so as to suck all the air through the rad and pass it out the top.

Although I'm only using an i5 2400, at 3.2ghz 1.02v Prime 100% load for over 6 hours and the temps never hit 60'c and that's with all fans running 50% through MSI control panel.

hope this helps.
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This must be the most useful information I got to hear in a while...thanks. Now I know a bit of research on Egg will reveal, but does H60 come with fans? I still haven't quite figured out why it costs $20-30 less than H70.

Either way I think I'm going with H60. Thanks once again.
 
Kirinji said:
This must be the most useful information I got to hear in a while...thanks. Now I know a bit of research on Egg will reveal, but does H60 come with fans? I still haven't quite figured out why it costs $20-30 less than H70.

Either way I think I'm going with H60. Thanks once again.
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It comes with one fan if memory recalls correctly. The reason it's cheaper is because it pretty much slots performance-wise in between the H50 and H70. It's a slightly lower-performing but quieter option to the H70. Areas like a reduced radiator footprint and such result in the reduced cost.
 
jeremyshaw said:
hee hee, I'm WCing mine (though dirty trick - via external rad).
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So i took your advice, couldnt find a typhoon 15, so ended up with a s-flex ssf21f. 1600 rpm, 63 cfm.

its not any louder than it was, especially since the crossfires dont spin at higher rpms now.

got temps down to 86' :p better than the 91-93 i was getting with the twin noctuas.

was a bitch to get the bracket in there, especially at back where sata plugs come out of the p8p67-m pro.

pretty much have to turn the sata plugs 90 degrees right away, just to clear the bracket.

now i shouldnt have to open the case for awhile, (unless i decide to put in slot load bluray) although no real point in doing that for a gaming rig. Probably spend the $100 on a das keyboard ultimate instead. :p
 
Gentle Typhoon AP15 are hard to find in stock, now :( But they have much higher static pressure than most fans at the same RPM, so they can litterally force air ito an area.

But yeah, that bracket was a serious pain with just two GTX570s, argh!!
 
I just got my ft03b yesterday and I'm considering doing an external watercooling setup in a couple months, anyone have any pics or at least elaborate on where/how you have your loop set up? :D
 
before I sold it, Phobya external WC rad stand, and I had the tubes going out the fan mount area above the CPU. :) 3/8" tubes.
 
Kirinji: no problems, anything else you need just ask.

In the retail package I received from DirectCanada.com, the H60 has one fan, and the install brackets.

The fan is a PCM controlled 4 pin, and the pump uses a normal 3 pin.

I also found both the wires for the pump and rad fan to be plenty long enough and are made using all black wiring, not sleeved, which makes then not only very easy to route in the case, but also very slim.

I've been running mine for a week now, and I'm more than happy with it.

The only problem I have is a little bearing noise on low rpm's but that is barely audible in a very quiet room at 2am.
 
So does anyone have any experience of using a Noctua NH-D14 in this case?
According to the specs and the height of the cooler it should fit, but I have my doubts in regards to its width.. :p

I want this case for a new p67 build with nh-d14 and sli 560's :x
 
shylock said:
Probably spend the $100 on a das keyboard ultimate instead. :p
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Why not Realforce 103UB 55g? Crazy price, but Topre switches are kinda worth it. If you do get a Cherry-based keyboard, I'd suggest going with Browns (Ultimate Silent) or Blacks. Das Keyboard Ultimate has Cherry Blues and sounds like a typewriter.
 
JimmyN said:
So does anyone have any experience of using a Noctua NH-D14 in this case?
According to the specs and the height of the cooler it should fit, but I have my doubts in regards to its width.. :p

I want this case for a new p67 build with nh-d14 and sli 560's :x
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I look into NH-D14 but I doubt it can fit FT-03. Even NH-U12 may have problem with 2 fans. I have decided to go with Xigmatek Gaia instead.
 
JimmyN said:
So does anyone have any experience of using a Noctua NH-D14 in this case?
According to the specs and the height of the cooler it should fit, but I have my doubts in regards to its width.. :p

I want this case for a new p67 build with nh-d14 and sli 560's :x
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I have a Silver Arrow in mine which is bigger, check my post on that on page 24.
If I remember correctly then none of the GTX560 have external exhaust only, they all have center fan intake, so one of your cards (perhaps both) is gonna have a hard time breathing. And when they get hot they're gonna throw lots of the hot air into the case and though the NH-D14 because with that cooler you cannot fit the GFX exhaust bracket.
The CPU intake fan doesn't fit any CPU air cooler with 2 fans AFAIK.
I would suggest either H60/H70 + 2xGTX560 + GFX exhaust fan and CPU intake. Or NH-D14 + GTX570 with no CPU intake or GFX exhaust.
On the P8P67-M Pro, you might as well choose the H60 for less noise because you're probably not gonna get stable above 4.8ghz anyway. Unless of cause you want to future proof yourself for a Z68 board with more power phases.

I will see if I can post some pictures of my setup later.
 
AHeilemann said:
I have a Silver Arrow in mine which is bigger, check my post on that on page 24.
If I remember correctly then none of the GTX560 have external exhaust only, they all have center fan intake, so one of your cards (perhaps both) is gonna have a hard time breathing. And when they get hot they're gonna throw lots of the hot air into the case and though the NH-D14 because with that cooler you cannot fit the GFX exhaust bracket.
The CPU intake fan doesn't fit any CPU air cooler with 2 fans AFAIK.
I would suggest either H60/H70 + 2xGTX560 + GFX exhaust fan and CPU intake. Or NH-D14 + GTX570 with no CPU intake or GFX exhaust.
On the P8P67-M Pro, you might as well choose the H60 for less noise because you're probably not gonna get stable above 4.8ghz anyway. Unless of cause you want to future proof yourself for a Z68 board with more power phases.

I will see if I can post some pictures of my setup later.
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beware, if you are using h70 (and probably same with h60), you can not use the gfx exhaust fan on this case, as the radiator will be in the way. but the advice is still valid, get two video cards that pull air from inside and exhaust out the back. i specifically sourced reference cards when i got my twin 6870's. and even they have a tough time staying cool-ish. both cards exhaust out the back, and have a 120mm sflex ssf21f blowing on em to keep it reasonable.
 
shylock said:
beware, if you are using h70 (and probably same with h60), you can not use the gfx exhaust fan on this case, as the radiator will be in the way. but the advice is still valid, get two video cards that pull air from inside and exhaust out the back. i specifically sourced reference cards when i got my twin 6870's. and even they have a tough time staying cool-ish. both cards exhaust out the back, and have a 120mm sflex ssf21f blowing on em to keep it reasonable.
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Thanks for correcting me on the gfx exhaust not fitting with H70, thought it did.
You should, as the FT03 manual states, choose a graphics card that looks like this:
http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2010/12/nvidia-geforce-gtx-570-1-3gb-review/GTX570-7.jpg
And not like this:
http://images.anandtech.com/doci/4135/Front.jpg

Running sli with the last one requires a free PCI-E slot between the cards which matx boards can't provide. Unless you watercool the first one, which you could do with a radiator on the cpu intake fan (I guy on page 22 did that, but with both for the CPU, I think). However the last card will still be hindered on receiving air by the side of the case.
Thats also why 2xgtx590 is a bad idea in a FT03, if anyone else ever once though that could be cool =).

BTW. if you need a cheap nvidia sli setup for 3 monitor surround vision, there exist gtx 460 with External Exhaust. But if you can live without I would still go GTX 570.
 
argh! the Enermax fan (from the little two posts I had on the previous page) also has *<NO>* static pressure... stinks :mad: maybe I have been too far spoiled by my Gentle Typhoons, lol....
 
lunatyc420 said:
Kirinji: no problems, anything else you need just ask.

In the retail package I received from DirectCanada.com, the H60 has one fan, and the install brackets.

The fan is a PCM controlled 4 pin, and the pump uses a normal 3 pin.

I also found both the wires for the pump and rad fan to be plenty long enough and are made using all black wiring, not sleeved, which makes then not only very easy to route in the case, but also very slim.

I've been running mine for a week now, and I'm more than happy with it.

The only problem I have is a little bearing noise on low rpm's but that is barely audible in a very quiet room at 2am.
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So I just received my H60 and put it on motherboard. Now I understand what you were saying about the power wires. How/where did you re-route them? Inside the 4 screws that are holding the bracket on the motherboard?

I also noticed that when you put the pump over the CPU, the Corsair logo stays sideways in relation to FT03's 90-degree-rotated motherboard orientation. I know it's so trivial, but did you rotate the pump as well, so to align it with the case orientation (I hope I'm making sense here..)?

Thanks in advance to your patience with this new-b.
 
Hi fellows, does anybody know if a P8P67-m pro with a Megahalems will fit without getting into the pci-e slot?
 
Kirinji said:
So I just received my H60 and put it on motherboard. Now I understand what you were saying about the power wires. How/where did you re-route them? Inside the 4 screws that are holding the bracket on the motherboard?

I also noticed that when you put the pump over the CPU, the Corsair logo stays sideways in relation to FT03's 90-degree-rotated motherboard orientation. I know it's so trivial, but did you rotate the pump as well, so to align it with the case orientation (I hope I'm making sense here..)?

Thanks in advance to your patience with this new-b.
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Ok never mind. I saw another member's picture on page 19.
 
I just finished putting my rig together in the case.everything went smoothly, but the only real complaint I have is the weird lip on the first pci slot making it difficult to connect my hdmi cable to the vidcard.
 
Can someone who owns this case confirm whether or not it's possible to route 3/4" OD tubing out the top with the plastic grill on without having to do any modding? Thanks
 
Philth said:
Can someone who owns this case confirm whether or not it's possible to route 3/4" OD tubing out the top with the plastic grill on without having to do any modding? Thanks
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wont happen without modding , the squares are approx 1/2 inch

Jen
 
remove the metal fan grill on top, and the plastic vent will have enough space in the "cable outlet" area. That's where I had my external 2x240 Blackice rad setup's 3/8" tubing. It should fit 1/2" tubing. Otherwise, go out via the bottom fan vent - you won't be needing it with WC :p
 
Perfect. Was thinking of just buying one of these and then passing the tubes through the cable outlet area. But I guess I could go through the bottom too. Would probably keep the top fan for SOME airflow in the case (mosfets and ram need air too!). Thanks for the advice and info
 
keep the middle intake fan for cooling the M.O.S.FETs and RAM. It's much better at that than the top fan.
 
Finally received this case yesterday. Can't wait til the weekend to build my first rig!

My first impression on this case though, is that it's smaller than I anticipated. Heck, I might even be able to fit the whole system in a regular size suitcase and travel abroad (which I do rather frequently).

Just as the review on Anandtech says, side panels come off VERY easily. I tried to lift the case holding these panels and the whole case fell off from my hands minus the panels.

I also had a minor panic attack when I didn't find 2.5" SSD adapter attached to the case. It was short-lived though, because the adapter was zip-locked (yes, like real ziploc) along with instruction manual.

I will keep reporting how my build goes.
 
nvm, it looks like I just got another FT03 and another AX850.... seriously, my addiction needs to stop..... help.... me...... :p

the case made me do it. It looked too awesome :D
 
jeremyshaw said:
remove the metal fan grill on top, and the plastic vent will have enough space in the "cable outlet" area. That's where I had my external 2x240 Blackice rad setup's 3/8" tubing. It should fit 1/2" tubing.
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Any chance you could post some pics of your setup? I didn't think a 240mm rad would fit the FT03, I would love to see how you mounted it.
 
Kirinji said:
Just as the review on Anandtech says, side panels come off VERY easily. I tried to lift the case holding these panels and the whole case fell off from my hands minus the panels.
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I did point that out... 20 pages ago :D Lack of similar responses then made me think mine was just a lemon.
 
I have had two FT03 cases so far. The real issue with the side panels (not the front and back panels - relative to dvd drive placement) is that they typically take quite a bit of force to put on, yet are easily levered off due to how the case is designed :(

Anyhow... all I got is a mITX board in here, lol.
 
So I've finally got to build this thing over the weekend. For a first-timer (I know, I keep saying this), it wasn't tough to work on at all, probably because I drooled on this and a whole bunch of websites to imagine myself doing it....

Anyhow, here are a couple of things that I noticed while building:
1. I had at least 3 spots where screws didn't stay to hold the motherboard onto the case. No matter how much I tightened them, they just came off loose. Was I supposed to put something underneath the board? It doesn't bother me as much, because the board is still attached to the case quite securely.

2. Just as folks on this thread were saying, I would highly recommend you get shorter cables, whether power, SATA, or otherwise. You can pull the slack and bind all the cables on the backside, but this will still make a whole lot of mess there, and plus you want to save enough space for HDDs.

3. This does not apply to all of you guys, but so far I don't feel as if I need push fan for the CPU cooler's heatsink. I have H60 set up, and I only attached pull fan to the case, and CPU's temperature read stays around 30-35 centigrade (idle or very light video watching). I only use the integrated GPU from 2500k, so once agan, it probably won't apply to those who have a discrete GPU. And if you do want bot push AND pull, you will need another set of 4 long screws.

4. Finally, I really thought about getting a slot-load drive. There's this one website where they sell refurb Blu-ray drives for around $100. However, when I tried inserting a disk through that slot and pulled it out, it left MANY scratches on its surface. I think Silverstone used some kind of "brush-y" material to keep dust off of a disk, but in so doing, they picked wrong material. I would've liked to have a drive inside the package, but I will pass, at least for now.

So here it is. I posted this intended for other beginner builders just like me. Hope this will be helpful.
 
hmmmm... did you mount the drive correctly? I didn't have scratches on my discs from the dustfilter.
 
jeremyshaw

No, I did not mount any drive. I just let a DVD-R disk pass through that slot on the front panel out of curiosity, because I saw that brush-like material glued(?) onto it.

When I inserted it fully and pulled it back, I saw numerous scratches on the surface of disk.
 
hm... that is wierd...well, you can always remove the material, or use an external drive, I guess :( I have not had a problem with it, yet, so I don't really know what to recommend for you :(
 
Kirinji said:
1. I had at least 3 spots where screws didn't stay to hold the motherboard onto the case. No matter how much I tightened them, they just came off loose. Was I supposed to put something underneath the board? It doesn't bother me as much, because the board is still attached to the case quite securely.
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I hope you used the stand-offs (little brass risers that go between case and mobo). You might have a plastic barbeque on your hands if not.
 
Crewdis said:
I hope you used the stand-offs (little brass risers that go between case and mobo). You might have a plastic barbeque on your hands if not.
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That's exactly what I thought I forgot to put on after reading the case's instruction manual...

What do you mean I would get a plastic BBQ if I don't have these on? Are they meant to keep the mobo's heat from the case or something?

This also sounds dumb too, but I really didn't know what to do with I/O panel's "hooks" that (I think) are supposed to be bent inward (or even cut off?) so that they won't interfere with whatever the cable is being connected... So I just left them as they came in the box. What was I supposed to do with them? They rub with cables like ethernet every time I connect them.
 
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