Case to replace FT-02?

A

///AMG

2[H]4U
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Sep 19, 2012
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I've had my FT-02 for almost 6 years now. I am looking to replace it with something thats a little easier to work on, has great air flow, and is lighter. Looking to spend $200 or less.
 
Nothing competes with the FT02, after 4 years I decided I am switching to an Ncase because I can no longer have this mammoth of a PC sitting under my desk.
 
NickJames said:
Nothing competes with the FT02, after 4 years I decided I am switching to an Ncase because I can no longer have this mammoth of a PC sitting under my desk.
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That looks really interesting. I'd have to get a new mb and processor (dont think they make mini-ITX x79 boards) to try mini-ITX. Not sure I want to spend that money right now either since my setup is more power than what I really even do with it.
 
///AMG said:
That looks really interesting. I'd have to get a new mb and processor (dont think they make mini-ITX x79 boards) to try mini-ITX. Not sure I want to spend that money right now either since my setup is more power than what I really even do with it.
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Yeah it's definitely a huge change in terms of size and functionality but I decided I am no longer going SLI for the foreseeable future and the recent headway in external devices like soundcards and GPUs has made me think it's worth moving towards.
 
///AMG said:
That looks really interesting. I'd have to get a new mb and processor (dont think they make mini-ITX x79 boards) to try mini-ITX. Not sure I want to spend that money right now either since my setup is more power than what I really even do with it.
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My FT02 is sitting on the sidelines, just built a NCASE machine recently. 25% the size, with more power, more cooling, and less loise.

That being said...I love my FT02 as well.
 
Wow 2 FT-02 owners going with the NCASE. Now I am interested just don't know if I want to drop $700+ getting mb, proc and DDR4 ram in addition to the case lol. At that point I would be going full rebuild.
 
///AMG said:
Wow 2 FT-02 owners going with the NCASE. Now I am interested just don't know if I want to drop $700+ getting mb, proc and DDR4 ram in addition to the case lol. At that point I would be going full rebuild.
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If you wanted to see my build:

Either way I've been pretty happy with the Corsair Carbide and that line of cases, very easy to work with and good price point. It should let you bring the size down from the FT but not really compromise on anything other than a few storage bays.
 
If lightweight is a must, you're pretty much limited to all aluminum like Lian Li. I've highly recommended the PC-9F for it's easy maintenance design and I've seen it go as low as $70 USD in past years during holiday sales. The lack of modern cable management is the only drawback, but the chassis receives good airflow from the 2x120mm intake fans. It's an older design in the LL lineup but it has been updated with the 20-pin USB 3.0 connector and comes with aluminum case feet and an OEM 3.5" bay adapter which are $10 and $15 add-on parts for newer cases that have seen cost-cutting measures.
 
RV02 owner here. There is no direct upgrade from the FT02/RV02, not even from Silverstone. The only way to justify something new would be to move to a different case category. I'm looking at downscaling by getting an Enthoo Evolv ATX, but the tempered glass edition is entirely sold out, so that's on hold.
 
///AMG said:
Wow 2 FT-02 owners going with the NCASE. Now I am interested just don't know if I want to drop $700+ getting mb, proc and DDR4 ram in addition to the case lol. At that point I would be going full rebuild.
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Make that 3.
Can't afford a new build at the moment as we just moved into a new house, but I still just bought an Ncase. Can't imagine anything else really replacing the FT02, so I got the M1 while it was available.
 
Honestly it's a fantastic case...the Apex Predator of Cases if you will. I ended up going to the NCASE specifically because I wanted a new form factor and to consolidate on space...also a challenge build. Everything about the FT02 is easy.
 
Can you guys fit 2x SSDs and 2x 3.5" HDDs in the Ncase M1? I am going to go ahead and rebuild but trying to figure out if I want mATX or mITX and X99 vs Z170.
 
///AMG said:
Can you guys fit 2x SSDs and 2x 3.5" HDDs in the Ncase M1? I am going to go ahead and rebuild but trying to figure out if I want mATX or mITX and X99 vs Z170.
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It really varies based on what you want in the case. If you go with water cooling you're going to dramatically reduce your options. If you're going to use certain coolers or a Full Size ATX PSU (vs SFX) you're going to also lose a few options. Same situation with a full length full cooler high end video card.

That being said. Even with dual radiators, I was able to fit an SSD and a 2.5inch 1TB 7200rpm drive in the case (and can probably fit one more SSD if i get creative with the cables.

On an air cooled setup you can up to 3 3.5HDD's + 2 to 4 SSD's in the case depending on parts.

There is a bracket on the side mount that can fit either 2 3.5inch drives stacked OR a 120mm fan. On the bottom you can mount a single 3.5inch drive or 2 SSD's. On the front of the case you can mount a slim optical drive or up to 2 SSD's, on the side front panel you can mount 1 SSD (maybe 2?)

If you check out the gallery on the NCASE site you can see a lot of pictures of various configurations.
 
I'm going through the same issue right now. Thinking of getting rid of my FT02 for a 600C then doing a custom loop and my own sound proofing (mainly since I want the window on the right). My only concern with the 600c is how the PSU takes hot air from inside of the case and exhausts it out the back. Rather it take air from the top and exhaust it out the back. It is hard to replace the FT02 but I've had it so long that I just get the feeling it needs to be replaced since it is the oldest part of my system and has been for years and I know there is nothing better for air cooling. The 600c is only $135 at Microcenter, $115 after a rebate.
 
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There seem to be a lot of us, lol. I'm an RV02 owner and in the same boat. All the cases I have worked with for other people though, (mostly experimenting for myself), are disappointing. I will be doing a smaller form factor next time as well.
 
I really wish there was a smaller formfactor similar to the FT02-B. I actually really like the design of it as a whole. Really a pleasure to work with overall. Also a pretty genius way of dealing with GPU Sag and airflow.
 
I have a FT05 and it's smaller and lighter than the classic FT02. However, it's no fun to work in and is too big on the outside for how small it is on the inside. Still offers great airflow tho.
 
Another FT-02 owner here but I'm going in the other direction, about to order an S8 to play around with but I've got a lot of room in the office. Have zero complaints with the fortress, just going to mess around with big water now for a few builds.
 
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