New Silverstone FT02

Big challenge with a modern FT-02 is that the original was designed for a scenario where a user would actually want a stack of spinners, optical drives as well as readouts and perhaps even resevoirs in the 5.25" bays, and had multiple GPUs with blowers, and so on.

These days we simply don't use that much hardware for a gaming workstation. A 240mm radiator for the CPU and a 120mm radiator for the GPU and you're in the top 5% of gaming performance available using non-exotic cooling. At most, you'd need expansion for more NVMe drives than most boards support and higher-speed networking (dual 10GbE or faster) to access network-attached mass storage, beyond the single top-end gaming GPU with AIO.

Worse is the ROI on these. As price rises linearly, sales drop exponentionally, since most volume customers in such a category are more than likely buying a box from HP or Dell that comes with support for the whole system. That leaves a very, very thin potential customer base!
 
Big challenge with a modern FT-02 is that the original was designed for a scenario where a user would actually want a stack of spinners, optical drives as well as readouts and perhaps even resevoirs in the 5.25" bays, and had multiple GPUs with blowers, and so on.

These days we simply don't use that much hardware for a gaming workstation. A 240mm radiator for the CPU and a 120mm radiator for the GPU and you're in the top 5% of gaming performance available using non-exotic cooling. At most, you'd need expansion for more NVMe drives than most boards support and higher-speed networking (dual 10GbE or faster) to access network-attached mass storage, beyond the single top-end gaming GPU with AIO.

Worse is the ROI on these. As price rises linearly, sales drop exponentionally, since most volume customers in such a category are more than likely buying a box from HP or Dell that comes with support for the whole system. That leaves a very, very thin potential customer base!

From my perspective you are completely missing the mark on some of the main drivers of the FT-20

I doubt almost anyone on this forum buys a HP or Dell and a FT-02 has literally nothing to do with white box customers on any level so that is irrelevant. There are many many customers who simply never moved away from the FT-02 because nothing ever really replaced it. The Alta F1 looks to be the first in a while to cover the basic appeal of the FT-02.

Also most people who would want a revised FT-02 want it for air cooling not water cooling. Simply put it was the best built most versatile case with best air cooling and quietness ever built. Certainly a new version would not really need 5.25" drives, but the FT-02 was not about drives.

It was about the inverted motherboard, build quality, extreme air cooling capability and quietness. Sounds like you are not really a target for this. This thread has 2 million views, I would say there is plenty of built up demand for this sort of case.
 
Plenty of folks also dropped radiators in the bottom...

I am sure they did but you categorized the case in terms of it being intended for water cooling and it is not. Certainly a FT-02 replacement would need to support water cooling as well but I believe that the biggest driver was its exceptional air cooling, inverted motherboard and convenience and low noise.
 
With some minor tweaks to interior design (as many have suggested above) this case could certainly be a great choice for water cooling enthusiasts, the space is there. A simplification of the lower fan mount assembly to accommodate a radiator, retasking of drive bay area etc which many modders have already shown. But I think everyone realises the main reason for its appeal is the extraordinary air cooling performance coupled with its clean and pleasing design aesthetic.

Both this and the RV-02 are the undisputed kings of air cooling, the fact that many people who bought them never bought another case is a testament to that, as is the fact that people are still looking to buy them a decade later and despite the lack of some modern features, and although they can be adapted to a water cooling set up I don't think anyone would argue they would also be the absolute best cases out there for that purpose. While I've been working on my case I came to the conclusion that to get the very best out of it I should use it as it was intended to be used, as an out and out air cooling case.

And that should be the focus in my opinion of any attempt to relaunch them, there is no need to try to appeal to everyone because in the end you appeal to no one, these cases have a proven track record going back over a decade, and despite all the advances in technology, design, materials and manufacturing techniques nothing has come close to toppling them. Air cooling is still by far the most popular thermal solution, the cases will sell themselves as soon as people see that they really are what they claim to be, the best air cooling and dust resisting (and in the case of the FT02 IMHO best looking) cases in existence.

If they did a limited run and significantly improved some quality of life elements, brought them up to date in terms of functionality while resisting the current fads of RGB and tempered glass, and then opened them up for pre-order they would sell out before the first case left the factory. It seems crazy to me to have such a marvellous product in your back catalogue, literally the best at doing what the vast majority want it to do, and to not do that.
 
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It seems crazy to me to have such a marvellous product in your back catalogue, literally the best at doing what the vast majority want it to do, and to not do that.

I couldn't agree more. Just looking at this thread there may be enough people here at Hard Forum alone to make it a successful product. And it could just be a halo product for Silverstone in the enthusiast category where they can advertise the best air cooling (maybe with best radiator support too) and lowest noise of any case in the industry.

I am sure we work with Silverstone and help create the specifications that would be best overall
 
I am sure they did but you categorized the case in terms of it being intended for water cooling and it is not. Certainly a FT-02 replacement would need to support water cooling as well but I believe that the biggest driver was its exceptional air cooling, inverted motherboard and convenience and low noise.

One of the first people to do the 540 rad went back to air. It looked cool, but not much better than air, unless low noise is your thing.
I just bought a cheap FT04. They made it to fit larger motherboards the FT02 couldn't. We all asked for a taller FT02 to fit thicker rads and ETX motherboards for that era.

We just need a refresh of the design. TJ07 looks with the wide stance of the FT02. They are coming out with the ALTA, but we just love our 180 fans and unibody frame.
 
One of the first people to do the 540 rad went back to air. It looked cool, but not much better than air, unless low noise is your thing.
Honestly this is the main reason: maximizing performance is generally just a matter of budget. That last 5% is going to cost, but 95% is accessible.

Keeping it quiet? Under workloads that mirror synthetics? Good luck. A 540mm radiator on the bottom and perhaps another 180mm on the top for a GPU would go a long way, and the raised intake that ensured clearance and easy access to filters is definitely a better solution than the front-loaded filters most cases use. Having that capability in a sleek, understated enclosure with plenty of dampening would be great for top-end builds.

And the way things are going with HEDT being fairly accessible while remaining competitive with top-end consumer solutions and GPUs pushing past 300W (whether official or just the common overclocking result) would make a solution that is geared toward quietly maximizing that performance quite desirable!
 
My recollection is that this case hit when SLI and 10,000 RPM drives were a thing. Frankly, I am original poster and I stuck with my FT01 and I still run it to this day. Prior to that I had the TJ07. For some reason, overclocking the CPU was my priority at the time. There were major CPU bottlenecks in some games until the Core series processors came out.

Then I realized that neither of those cases really knocked it out or the park for SLI and GPU cooling. This FT02 just crushed it. But SLI isn’t really a thing, and I am not even sure the 3080ti cards will have blowers. Further, mass storage on solid state drives is becoming a thing, and RGB bling has taken over aluminum sleekness. There is just less and less need for such a massive case. I like them bit because it makes the build easier, however.

I would pay $300+ for a new mid tower design that used premium materials but was designed for the single GPU/SSD generation. I would want some tasteful RGB accents I think. Even Mercedes and BMW do RGB in their vehicles. Keep it simple and easy to work with. Cable management is key.
I still have 2 spinner drives but with 8tb SSDs hitting the market, I think there is less need for drive bays and more need to keep that single GPU cool. I think something fresh is required, if it has not been done already.
 
Big thanks to everyone for the feedbacks again. The FT02 was one of the those rare products that looked just right immediately when first conceived. Below is a concept drawing from our own archives:
View attachment 257320
Remarkable how very little was changed from this concept to production!

I would buy the S1. A White or WRI version would be great.
 
My recollection is that this case hit when SLI and 10,000 RPM drives were a thing. Frankly, I am original poster and I stuck with my FT01 and I still run it to this day. Prior to that I had the TJ07. For some reason, overclocking the CPU was my priority at the time. There were major CPU bottlenecks in some games until the Core series processors came out.

Then I realized that neither of those cases really knocked it out or the park for SLI and GPU cooling. This FT02 just crushed it. But SLI isn’t really a thing, and I am not even sure the 3080ti cards will have blowers. Further, mass storage on solid state drives is becoming a thing, and RGB bling has taken over aluminum sleekness. There is just less and less need for such a massive case. I like them bit because it makes the build easier, however.

I would pay $300+ for a new mid tower design that used premium materials but was designed for the single GPU/SSD generation. I would want some tasteful RGB accents I think. Even Mercedes and BMW do RGB in their vehicles. Keep it simple and easy to work with. Cable management is key.
I still have 2 spinner drives but with 8tb SSDs hitting the market, I think there is less need for drive bays and more need to keep that single GPU cool. I think something fresh is required, if it has not been done already.

It's not just SLI not being a thing anymore, cases with big air cooling power like the FT02 fell out of favor with majority of the market the last several years unfortunately. Most enthusiasts in the $200+ range look for roomy cases that supported liquid coolers as priority. The ads and marketing with demo machines featuring liquid cooling simply look a lot more impressive than air cooling!
 
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It's not just SLI not being a thing anymore, cases with big air cooling power the FT02 fell out of favor with majority of the market the last several years unfortunately. Most enthusiasts in the $200+ range look for roomy cases that supported liquid coolers as priority. The ads and marketing with demo machines featuring liquid cooling simply look a lot more impressive than air cooling!

Well that's sad. The Lian Li O11 fish tank has taken the market by storm. People buying $150-200 cases, but then stuffing them with over $200 of ARGB fans.
Or you can buy a high quality FT02 that comes with the best fans ever for $230. Case manufactures are making a killing off accessories rather than the case itself.

Lian Li just released a S1/Alta competitor in the Odyssey X.

On another note, I just finished my FT04 build.......I wonder why I never gave this case a chance. It's gorgeous in person. High quality. And it's a wind tunnel just like the FT02.
But in many ways the FT04 IS a better case than the FT02. Much easier to build in and much more expandable. Truly IMO the best of the FT series.
And yes it has a removable motherboard tray. We all missed out on this case.

I've owned the FT02-BW and WRI versions. The FT04 is better and it's still being sold.
 
Well that's sad. The Lian Li O11 fish tank has taken the market by storm. People buying $150-200 cases, but then stuffing them with over $200 of ARGB fans.
Or you can buy a high quality FT02 that comes with the best fans ever for $230. Case manufactures are making a killing off accessories rather than the case itself.
LOL on fish tank. Nailed it.
Still rocking my FT-05, love it. Stuffed that giant 3 slot MSI Gaming X 2070super in there with no problems. It came with a flimsy cheap plastic bracket that you're supposed to screw in the slot right below the GPU to prevent sag.

The FT-05 laughed in it's face and told it to get lost. :D
 
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I remember building my 2600K rig in the FT02. That case was a beast for air flow, and pretty quiet too. And yes, I did have SLI. 570s at first, and then 770s. I also had a 256GB OCZ SSD, and two 10,000RPM Raptors in RAID 0. Right now the system is on loan to a friend who put a 980TI in it.

It was a great case. I'd love to see a modernized version of it, hopefully with more room of cables.
 
The only case I've ever regretted getting rid of, at least it went to someone on [H]. I would buy one in a second again if I could, but they can't be found :(
 
Dang I just happened to bump into this thread. I have two FT02 (I think the original with only the USB2.0 slots, and the newer USB3.0 one) - I bought the original in 2010, and again in 2015. It may be time again in a year or two to get a new PC...I may have to reuse one of my FT02 cases unless maybe the ALTA S1 is out!
 
The only case I've ever regretted getting rid of, at least it went to someone on [H]. I would buy one in a second again if I could, but they can't be found :(

FT02 for sale
No pics so can't be sure of overall condition, whether or not it has a side window or USB 2.0/3.0. You could always contact the seller for more info.
 
If it's a legit store that will ship in the US, I sure am :)
Looking to buy a FT02? I know a store that has one. Pretty much the only one for sale I know anywhere.
I'm happy with the FT04 so I'm willing to give you the link.
 
Mesh front cases supporting 3x 140mm intake are being announced and or slowly shipping.

If you still store data on hdds, maybe it's time to break it out of your local box to a NAS if you exceed whatever 2+ WD Black at max capacity vs speed.

I can see tiering ssd array(s) as your working local volumes, but I won't go back to local sata.
 
For strictly gaming, not sure why anyone would want anything but ITX... but thats just me. AIO 240 plus dual slot dual fan GPU and your good.
 
For strictly gaming, not sure why anyone would want anything but ITX... but thats just me. AIO 240 plus dual slot dual fan GPU and your good.
I like smaller form factors, they come with their own set of positives not least being space saving and portability, but if you have the space available a larger case will always be better in every other way that matters.

The vast majority of PC owners use an air cooling solution, that includes gamers, this case does the job better than most and its size is a factor, the more room there is inside the case the less heat can build up, think of the difference between trying to heat a small room versus a large room with the same sized heater. Also the more space there is inside the case the more easily heat can be moved away from the components, much less chance of heat getting trapped. The fans will have to work less too so there's savings in power usage and with this case noise is kept to an acceptable level. Air cooling is also the most convenient solution, maintenance wise a little light dusting and the occasional fan replacement is about the worst you'll ever have to deal with, there are far less points of potential failure and any failure that does occur is likely to be far less catastrophic.

AIO's are excellent, I'm using two in my current build for the CPU and the GPU, however that's two pumps, two sets of tubing and fittings, two radiators, all capable of failing at some point, in fact if used for long enough they WILL fail at some point. And of course air cooling is usually cheaper than liquid.

So if you want the most effective and efficient air cooling solution in a case that requires minimal maintenance due to the positive pressure excluding 99% of dust then this is THE case, as it does all of those things better than pretty much any other case out there. The fact that it has a particular aesthetic appeal and is of a very high quality in terms of its construction only adds to that.
 
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For strictly gaming, not sure why anyone would want anything but ITX... but thats just me. AIO 240 plus dual slot dual fan GPU and your good.

Well in my case the last time I built a PC, dual NVME was only available on ATX form factor boards. Plus, one of the huge benefits of the FT-02 is that you can make a high end system that stays extremely cool and is SILENT. PC noise, coil whine, loud fans, all that drives me absolutely nuts so with the combined space, airflow capability leading to excellent thermals the fans stay basically silent even in the video card and the FT-02 is exceptional at cooling a video card because air flow goes from bottom to top and the GPU is in line allowing pretty much ALL the heat to escape. My case is always cool to the touch. Silence is my biggest need, and the FT-02 is just better at that than any other case I have tried. Smaller cases with all the sound proofing dont work as well because the system gets so hot the fans spin loudly.

A lot of people don't care about noise so they never consider the value of larger chassis with great airflow and big silent fans.
 
I like smaller form factors, they come with their own set of positives not least being space saving and portability, but if you have the space available a larger case will always be better in every other way that matters.

The vast majority of PC owners use an air cooling solution, that includes gamers, this case does the job better than most and its size is a factor, the more room there is inside the case the less heat can build up, think of the difference between trying to heat a small room versus a large room with the same sized heater. Also the more space there is inside the case the more easily heat can be moved away from the components, much less chance of heat getting trapped. The fans will have to work less too so there's savings in power usage and with this case noise is kept to an acceptable level. Air cooling is also the most convenient solution, maintenance wise a little light dusting and the occasional fan replacement is about the worst you'll ever have to deal with, there are far less points of potential failure and any failure that does occur is likely to be far less catastrophic.

AIO's are excellent, I'm using two in my current build for the CPU and the GPU, however that's two pumps, two sets of tubing and fittings, two radiators, all capable of failing at some point, in fact if used for long enough they WILL fail at some point. And of course air cooling is usually cheaper than liquid.

So if you want the most effective and efficient air cooling solution in a case that requires minimal maintenance due to the positive pressure excluding 99% of dust then this is THE case, as it does all of those things better than pretty much any other case out there. The fact that it has a particular aesthetic appeal and is of a very high quality in terms of its construction only adds to that.
The minimal maintenance aspect becomes more and more important for me as time goes on. About 15-20 years ago I would get a new computer every 1.5 years or so due the rapid pace of hardware improvements, so maintenance was mostly a non-issue because my PC hardware just didn't stay with me for a long time. Contrast this with my current PC being generally 5 years old now (only video card getting frequent-ish upgrades every 1.5-2 years), and minimal maintenance becomes a real benefit. I haven't had to do much to keep the inside of my PC mostly clean besides clean the fan filters every few months, which is like a few minutes' job. The small amount of dust that gets through the fan filters hasn't seemed to be problem; and the positive pressure really keeps dust from getting sucked in through random cracks.
 
Sorry for the bad quality images of my old love and hate case The FT02. I'm glad I moved passed it a long time ago.
 

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Sorry for the bad quality images of my old love and hate case The FT02. I'm glad I moved passed it a long time ago.

Why? I still have not seen a case that I would rather have. Water cooking mounting? I love it because it is practically silent on air. Will likely use the new Alta F1 for next build if Silverstone can work through the issues.
 
Why? I still have not seen a case that I would rather have. Water cooking mounting? I love it because it is practically silent on air. Will likely use the new Alta F1 for next build if Silverstone can work through the issues.

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Saw these on Chiphell a few weeks ago. I was a little surprised to see only Silver options listed, but maybe they haven't figured out the process with black.
 
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View attachment 274904

Saw these on Chiphell a few weeks ago. I was a little surprised to see only Silver options listed, but maybe they haven't figured out the process with black.

Yeah it looks to be a worthy successor to the FT-02 but I believe it is delayed now to Q1 of 2021. I definitely need a new chassis for a new build, hopefully it is not too late into Q1. With the size of the upcoming NVIDIA cards the transverse mounted cards have a distinct advantage both for stress relief and air cooling of those behemoths.
 
Why? I still have not seen a case that I would rather have. Water cooking mounting? I love it because it is practically silent on air. Will likely use the new Alta F1 for next build if Silverstone can work through the issues.
Well, that's your personal preference. I've been through quite a few cases in my years, I followed and then purchased the FT02 as soon as it came out because it had a unique and slick look but it has flaws in the design, it's a very cramped case to work on you had to choose your hardware carefully in size and cable management was a pain in the ass, but it was done. Now 2020 I'm into m-ATX builds.
I've seen the ALTA F1 on CES and that tall tower it's not getting my attention, don't get wrong I do like Silverstone I was in love with the RV05 at the time, but Silverstone just hasn't got my attention since my TJ07, FT02 with the GD05 as my back up workstation. My secondary backup GD05 has been replaced by an Intel NUC attached behind my 2nd monitor... Lovin the space and clean minimalist setups. Maybe in the future, work my way into a probably small but powerful form factor?
 
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Why? I still have not seen a case that I would rather have. Water cooking mounting? I love it because it is practically silent on air. Will likely use the new Alta F1 for next build if Silverstone can work through the issues.
Looking at 16+ overclocked CPU cores and 300W+ GPUs going forward, 'silent on air' seems like it won't be much of a thing in the near future. Going to have to make compromises to make that work IMO.
View attachment 274903
View attachment 274904

Saw these on Chiphell a few weeks ago. I was a little surprised to see only Silver options listed, but maybe they haven't figured out the process with black.
While looking for a replacement for my Define R5... and looking for that mythical combination of features, air moving for rads, quiet-focused design, and quality and ease of build, I'm finding that bigger is mostly better. I never did get to own an FT02, and now, I'd really consider owning this Alta F1!
 
Looking at 16+ overclocked CPU cores and 300W+ GPUs going forward, 'silent on air' seems like it won't be much of a thing in the near future. Going to have to make compromises to make that work IMO.

While looking for a replacement for my Define R5... and looking for that mythical combination of features, air moving for rads, quiet-focused design, and quality and ease of build, I'm finding that bigger is mostly better. I never did get to own an FT02, and now, I'd really consider owning this Alta F1!

Yeah the issue is that water cooled is far from silent as well in my experience. I dont mind the size if I can use big silent fans that can keep the system silent. I will likely only use a 65W AMD CPU but will use something like a 3080 or Navi 2 equivalent for video card. My current build in the FT-02 with 1070 is pretty silent. I keep it under my desk but might move it on other side if needed for noise
 
Well, that's your personal preference. I've been through quite a few cases in my years, I followed and then purchased the FT02 as soon as it came out because it had a unique and slick look but it has flaws in the design, it's a very cramped case to work on you had to choose your hardware carefully in size and cable management was a pain in the ass, but it was done. Now 2020 I'm into m-ATX builds.
I've seen the ALTA F1 on CES and that tall tower it's not getting my attention, don't get wrong I do like Silverstone I was in love with the RV05 at the time, but Silverstone just hasn't got my attention since my TJ07, FT02 with the GD05 as my back up workstation. My secondary backup GD05 has been replaced by an Intel NUC attached behind my 2ns monitor... Lovin the space and clean minimalist setups. Maybe in the future, work my way into a probably small but powerful form factor?

I wasn't attacking your opinion, I was just curious. Cable management was a pain, but I never saw it being cramped.
 
Looking to buy a FT02? I know a store that has one. Pretty much the only one for sale I know anywhere.
I'm happy with the FT04 so I'm willing to give you the link.
I told him I would sell him my FT02 if he really means it and I live in the US unless he's talking just to talk.
 
From my perspective you are completely missing the mark on some of the main drivers of the FT-20

I doubt almost anyone on this forum buys a HP or Dell and a FT-02 has literally nothing to do with white box customers on any level so that is irrelevant. There are many many customers who simply never moved away from the FT-02 because nothing ever really replaced it. The Alta F1 looks to be the first in a while to cover the basic appeal of the FT-02.

Also most people who would want a revised FT-02 want it for air cooling not water cooling. Simply put it was the best built most versatile case with best air cooling and quietness ever built. Certainly a new version would not really need 5.25" drives, but the FT-02 was not about drives.

It was about the inverted motherboard, build quality, extreme air cooling capability and quietness. Sounds like you are not really a target for this. This thread has 2 million views, I would say there is plenty of built up demand for this sort of case.
That's exactly why I built mine!

I'm looking to reuse my FT-02 or find a replacement that fits all the same qualities/features in 2020/2021. Updating everything in a few weeks (once RTX 3070/3080 comes out)
 
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