New Silverstone Alta F1

[chimim0ry0]

Apperntly a very small number will be released before the end of the year, but that's all I've heard.

I'm more disappointed by the suspension, not postponement, but suspension of the s1. That is so disappointing.

 

[vlad_8011]

Well one thing, that silverstone is making wrong is definetly marketing & information. I keep hearing F1 is gonna be released this month, then next month, then again next month and year is ending and still no concrete information. Only leaks, "whispers", and delaying. On this stage im starting to look into some other manufacturer, i'm tired of waiting and i'm in dead end of modifying current case. Sorry Silverstone, but thats it.

 

[chimim0ry0]

Well one thing, that silverstone is making wrong is definetly marketing & information. I keep hearing F1 is gonna be released this month, then next month, then again next month and year is ending and still no concrete information. Only leaks, "whispers", and delaying. On this stage im starting to look into some other manufacturer, i'm tired of waiting and i'm in dead end of modifying current case. Sorry Silverstone, but thats it.

Why don't you ask Tony Ou directly before throwing a fit. He visits this page quite regularly and has always answered very straight forwardly.

This coronavirus year has really interfered with supply chains and release schedules. I'm sure silverstone is more eager to start selling new cases than you are for buying a new case.

 

[Tony Ou]

Sorry for the bad news on ALTA F1's release, we are still having production issues even after the first run of limited production. That batch has sold out in China already. If you plan on building a PC soon, I would recommend not waiting for this model until I can give you guys a firm schedule. The release timeframe for ALTA F1 outside of China that I had discussed in this thread had always been estimates!

 

[vlad_8011]

Alright tony, sory for my tone, i cant stand my current case so bad, yesterday i installed odredred fan adaptors 140 > 180mm to improve cooling from bottom, but thatt was mistake - its worse than on 140mm and cooler master totally ignored my question about 180mm fan rails. I know its hard time, i work on production too, we order devices from China also, and we are depend on those deliveries too.

I need to stop usimg my pc or sleep in some other room as it just keeps me nerwous

 

[chimim0ry0]

Tony Ou will silverstone be doing a CES livestream this January? If so, what can we expect to see for cases? If you can't release any of the information yet, please let us know as soon as you can. My new parts will get here soon and I will be building again in my ft-02 while I wait for my new awesome silverstone case.

 

[WorldExclusive]

All manufacturing out of Asia is slow right now. Not going to get any better over the Winter.
Not totally satisfied with my GPU but I'm happy I have a system.

 

[Tony Ou]

Tony Ou will silverstone be doing a CES livestream this January? If so, what can we expect to see for cases? If you can't release any of the information yet, please let us know as soon as you can. My new parts will get here soon and I will be building again in my ft-02 while I wait for my new awesome silverstone case.

We are not joining CES, but may consider doing livestream on our own with direct customers later in the year. So sorry, can't tell you anything that isn't announced or released yet!

 

[WorldExclusive]

We are not joining CES, but may consider doing livestream on our own with direct customers later in the year. So sorry, can't tell you anything that isn't announced or released yet!

You're a legend in the PC World. I still want many of your older designs. Just found a FT03S. Next will be a TJ07, a case I've always wanted but never had the money to mod it right.

But the case market as been overrun with Corsair designs. Even Lian Li gave up on the premium market and now making Corsair like cases.
The old stuff is better TBH and not looking that much forward to what's new. I really like the S1 though, but really not antsy about it being released. But if I see a TJ07, RV01 or FT02-WRI, I'll get excited.

 

[vlad_8011]

Any progress on distribution in Europe?

 

[Wakoo]

Hello Tony Ou, do you have any updated estimate on the Europe distribution of the F1 ?

 

[chimim0ry0]

Tony Ou
Could you please tell me what fans are going to be included with the Alta f1? Are they the 140i or the 140i ARGB?

 

[badpixel]

Tony Ou
I would be definitely interested in black Alta f1.

Recently I bought 2x FT02, that are enough for Radeon VII and Vega 64 I own, but in the feature I will buy some Radeon with RT for sure, and I guess that even 5 years from now they will too long for FT02.

I do wonder about noise between glass and dampened/solid side panels. If it's negligible, then I'm sure I would go for glass one, because solid panels got color of the rest(painted steel vs anodized aluminum) and because glass is more scratch proof (until you've done something stupid like adding scrathable tint layer on external side, etc).

If you are worried about finances, then maybe make Kickstart Campaign (with warranty to refund it in case of campaign fiasco). It would not only minimize the financial risk, but also work as poll(for multiple options, like glass/steel side panels, dimensions [especially gfx cards length]). Because Silverstone is well respected case company, you would over provision the production by 18-40%, because there would be many fortress switchers over time(because newer and longer enthusiast-grade graphic cards).

And about fans I care to be reliable with good noise/efficiency ratio. So put the best Air Penetrators you got, or any at all(lowering price at the time)

I like the metal top cover(unlike some precedessors like FT03 and FT04, that plastic really stand outs).

I'm also worried about compacting case more, because it's already compacted enough to the point, it doesn't have any internal/external 5.25/3.5 or even 2.5 bay! (OK, in nvme times, we can live with external NAS. But what about U2 drives?)
And if compacting it means smaller power supply, smaller coolers (noctua D15S barely fits inside FT02 already) and especially shorter gfx card, then it would be deal breaker. I know So pricey case must be future-proof!

The only thing I really dislike in Alta is the ass-ugly, plastic dust filter (a bit like plastic top cover in some fortress cases). ARG Leds there look horrible on some photos, but because it's ARGB it's not a problem (front strip is IMHO very nice addition, because it can server as led-indicator in old Nokia phones)


Case is already designed, so it would be much waste to not release it!

 

[Tony Ou]

Hello Tony Ou, do you have any updated estimate on the Europe distribution of the F1 ?

No specific dates at this time. If we release it in markets outside of China, will likely be in Q2.

Tony Ou
Could you please tell me what fans are going to be included with the Alta f1? Are they the 140i or the 140i ARGB?

The fans included in the ALTA F1 are our Air Penetrator 140i:
https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=947

Tony Ou
I would be definitely interested in black Alta f1.

Recently I bought 2x FT02, that are enough for Radeon VII and Vega 64 I own, but in the feature I will buy some Radeon with RT for sure, and I guess that even 5 years from now they will too long for FT02.

I do wonder about noise between glass and dampened/solid side panels. If it's negligible, then I'm sure I would go for glass one, because solid panels got color of the rest(painted steel vs anodized aluminum) and because glass is more scratch proof (until you've done something stupid like adding scrathable tint layer on external side, etc).

If you are worried about finances, then maybe make Kickstart Campaign (with warranty to refund it in case of campaign fiasco). It would not only minimize the financial risk, but also work as poll(for multiple options, like glass/steel side panels, dimensions [especially gfx cards length]). Because Silverstone is well respected case company, you would over provision the production by 18-40%, because there would be many fortress switchers over time(because newer and longer enthusiast-grade graphic cards).

And about fans I care to be reliable with good noise/efficiency ratio. So put the best Air Penetrators you got, or any at all(lowering price at the time)

I like the metal top cover(unlike some precedessors like FT03 and FT04, that plastic really stand outs).

I'm also worried about compacting case more, because it's already compacted enough to the point, it doesn't have any internal/external 5.25/3.5 or even 2.5 bay! (OK, in nvme times, we can live with external NAS. But what about U2 drives?)
And if compacting it means smaller power supply, smaller coolers (noctua D15S barely fits inside FT02 already) and especially shorter gfx card, then it would be deal breaker. I know So pricey case must be future-proof!

The only thing I really dislike in Alta is the ass-ugly, plastic dust filter (a bit like plastic top cover in some fortress cases). ARG Leds there look horrible on some photos, but because it's ARGB it's not a problem (front strip is IMHO very nice addition, because it can server as led-indicator in old Nokia phones)


Case is already designed, so it would be much waste to not release it!

Thanks for the feedbacks! We are not worried about the finances of releasing ALTA F1 worldwide as much as the negative publicity it will generate due to much higher price than initially anticipated.

The only ARGB light strip on the case is the one on the front. The ones you saw from prototype were not implemented in the production models.

 

[badpixel]

Tony Ou: Thanks for reply. At least we know that project hasn't be abandoned.
About the 140i, they are flat and look more like average fans in comparison to the old AP180 in FT02 that got their noses jet-fighter's like ;-) But these are only non-visible(from top) visuals.
And you haven't bothered to tell more about retail dust filter (IMHO ugly in prototypes) or noise impact/difference between glass and dumpened solid panels (I guess you mad some tests). And about height/gfx card length compatiblity. I guess that most clients of so pricy case would be glad to pay 20% more to be more future-proof. And I hope that price will be balanced and not in Lian-Li range (with their hi-end cases built entirely from aluminum). And if you want to stick premium price, wouldn't you make premium product with military grade anidization(is it really so pricy, when made in volume). Aluminum cases ages well, and the only problem are scratches over time. I would pay premium if it would be nearly scratchproof(in normal home condition, when used with 'care').
I hope that case will not end as limited short-production run available only for few weeks, but will stay at least for two years.

 

[Tony Ou]

Tony Ou: Thanks for reply. At least we know that project hasn't be abandoned.
About the 140i, they are flat and look more like average fans in comparison to the old AP180 in FT02 that got their noses jet-fighter's like ;-) But these are only non-visible(from top) visuals.
And you haven't bothered to tell more about retail dust filter (IMHO ugly in prototypes) or noise impact/difference between glass and dumpened solid panels (I guess you mad some tests). And about height/gfx card length compatiblity. I guess that most clients of so pricy case would be glad to pay 20% more to be more future-proof. And I hope that price will be balanced and not in Lian-Li range (with their hi-end cases built entirely from aluminum). And if you want to stick premium price, wouldn't you make premium product with military grade anidization(is it really so pricy, when made in volume). Aluminum cases ages well, and the only problem are scratches over time. I would pay premium if it would be nearly scratchproof(in normal home condition, when used with 'care').
I hope that case will not end as limited short-production run available only for few weeks, but will stay at least for two years.

Not sure what to say about the intake filters as the product is already released in retail (in China) so if you don't like the way they look, there is nothing I can do or say to change your mind! We have not successfully made tempered glass version widely available so will be holding back plan to release the steel dampened version (or it may not be released, pending production issues). So no point for us to comment on their difference at this point.

The ALTA F1 can fit graphics cards up to 334mm long. You can check our Chinese reseller's product page on the ALTA F1, it's in Chinese, but many of the specifications and illustrations are in metric units so you can still tell which numbers are which:
https://item.jd.com/10021516199485.html

 

[FaRKle0079]

You can check our Chinese reseller's product page on the ALTA F1, it's in Chinese, but many of the specifications and illustrations are in metric units so you can still tell which numbers are which:
https://item.jd.com/10021516199485.html

It was kind of cool seeing all the customer pics in the reviews at the bottom on there.

Still enjoying my FT02 with 3x180mm radiator .

 

[Blackstone]

I’d pay $600-$700 for a good slab of aluminum with FT02 level cooling, some modern ports and some tasteful LED accent lighting.

It would need top notch cable management and acoustics, however.

Every brand has a flagship...

 

[chimim0ry0]

I’d pay $600-$700 for a good slab of aluminum with FT02 level cooling, some modern ports and some tasteful LED accent lighting.

It would need top notch cable management and acoustics, however.

Every brand has a flagship...

That'd be the alta s1. The f1 was supposed to be really competitively priced at 180ish usd, if I remember correctly. That's why he said they are so sad to miss their intended price point. If I had to guess, I'd say they might put it at 250 now. In which case, I'd have to pass. Simply because I was only interested in the f1 as a stop gap while waiting for the s1

 

[badpixel]

That'd be the alta s1. The f1 was supposed to be really competitively priced at 180ish usd, if I remember correctly. That's why he said they are so sad to miss their intended price point. If I had to guess, I'd say they might put it at 250 now. In which case, I'd have to pass. Simply because I was only interested in the f1 as a stop gap while waiting for the s1

Are you sure about that and got any reference for that?

Maybe F1 will be cheaper, because less glass. But I hope that that F1 it will be sturdier construction with thicker aluminium.
S1 looks like Raven replacement with all this aggressive curves and ARGB blinks it's targeted more for kids/teenagers or people lacking taste(like PC Master Race ;-)
While F1 is definitely new Fortress with more conservative and classy look, ideal for home or office workstations.

 

[chimim0ry0]

Are you sure about that and got any reference for that?

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/silverstone-debuts-cases-at-ces2020

The f1 was set to be a mid level case. Granted a very sexy and impressive mid level case, but silverstone has always had 250 cases and even 400 cases. Mid hundred cases are not flagship cases.

The s1 is more of a halo piece. Meaning it would be insanely high priced, probably invisisoned to be closer to 400, but now higher, if it ever comes out. Halo pieces are things that companies have no intention of mass marketing, but rather appeal to their fans and make others lust after.

There is also a new raven in the works. So the s1≠raven.

But all this talk is moot considering none of the three have been released, nor have a release date, or price.

My next case will either be one I have custom fabricated or a silverstone in the ft02 vein. Their ft02 has shown me what perfection can be and will accept no substitute other than its true successor.

 

[DWolvin]

A new Raven or Fortress would be pretty sweet...

 

[chimim0ry0]

A new Raven or Fortress would be pretty sweet...

http://www.pureoverclock.com/2019/01/silverstone-raven-perfects-airflow-and-display-ces-2019/

They have been demoing it since 2019 and Tony said it's further along in development than the s1. So hopefully it will release in the year.

 

[DWolvin]

Yeah, it will (probably) be cool if it releases.

 

[Harms]

So it looks like there will not be a steel panel version of the Alta F1 eh.

 

[Wakoo]

We have not successfully made tempered glass version widely available so will be holding back plan to release the steel dampened version (or it may not be released, pending production issues).

It's a shame, I would have prefered the steel dampened version I hope you successfully fix all your production issue and make good money with your design, you deserve it.

 

[badpixel]

It's a shame, I would have prefered the steel dampened version I hope you successfully fix all your production issue and make good money with your design, you deserve it.

Tony Ou If the problem is with making Glass version, why suspend solid metal version then?
And because more people there are enthusiastic there about steel dumpened version, why not suspend (or totally omit) glass version?

It doesn't sound logical at all

Maybe release special black one, with solid aluminum(not steel) panels, with premium mil-grrade anodization and superb sound dampening, and then call it a day. (or even better go back to the FT02 design, not FT05. But Alta F1 i already very nice design anyway [maybe not as nice as the FT02 "Holy Grail", but it's second nicest 90deg case ;-] )
There's many potential customers, that are looking for flagships, but doesn't want fishtank with ARGB shitshow.

 

[Harms]

Tony Ou If the problem is with making Glass version, why suspend solid metal version then?
And because more people are enthusiastic there about steel dumpened version, why not suspend (or totally omit) glass version?

It doesn't sound logical at all

Maybe release special black one, with solid aluminum(not steel) panels, with premium mil anodization and superb sound dampenin, and then call it a day. (or even better go back to the FT02 design, not FT05. But Alta F1 i already very nice case)
There's many potential customers, that are looking for flagships, but doesn't want fishtank with ARGB shitshow.

I agree.

I hope they end up releasing a steep panel version. Insta buy .

 

[chimim0ry0]

Tony Ou If the problem is with making Glass version, why suspend solid metal version then?
And because more people are enthusiastic there about steel dumpened version, why not suspend (or totally omit) glass version?

It doesn't sound logical at all

Maybe release special black one, with solid aluminum(not steel) panels, with premium mil anodization and superb sound dampenin, and then call it a day. (or even better go back to the FT02 design, not FT05. But Alta F1 i already very nice case)
There's many potential customers, that are looking for flagships, but doesn't want fishtank with ARGB shitshow.

you dont understand what "flagship" means. the f1 was intended to be a mid level case. but now due to manufacturing problems, not stated, but most likely covid related, the price is going up. so it's going to be a high priced mid level case.

if you followed the f1 at all since its first showing, you would know that already and you would also know that the glass panel was the first iteration. the solid panel version was always planned as an after the initial release depending on how the case sold. in addition, the f1 had argb built into it.

i too, would love to see a true ft02 replacement, but we aren't getting one.

 

[badpixel]

you dont understand what "flagship" means. the f1 was intended to be a mid level case. but now due to manufacturing problems, not stated, but most likely covid related, the price is going up. so it's going to be a high priced mid level case.

if you followed the f1 at all since its first showing, you would know that already and you would also know that the glass panel was the first iteration. the solid panel version was always planned as an after the initial release depending on how the case sold. in addition, the f1 had argb built into it.

i too, would love to see a true ft02 replacement, but we aren't getting one.

I don't really agree with you. For me Alta S1 is Raven replacement, while Alta F1 is based on FT05, which is higher-tier Fortress line. ARGB is not a problem, because it's controlled from definition.

But the real "Holy Grail" would be FT02 design, with 8-9 unobstructed PCIE ports, better USB frontpanel, with at least 4* USB-A and 2*USB-C, longer gfx_crd compatability. I'm sentimental about 5.25, but if they go, then please put many hot-swap HDD bays at the fron, behind the doors (like Obsidan 800D did). And make all-aluminum, like Lian Li does(even for similary priced cases)

 

[chimim0ry0]

For me Alta S1 is Raven replacement

there is a separate raven case in the works. the f1 is supposed to be the successor to the fortress series, hence the 'f' in the name, apparently. the alta s1 is something new entirely and be the panicle of siliverstone's ability, hence the 's' for silverstone, apparently.

i couldn't agree with you more about the ft02, it just needs to be 10 cm taller, to accommodate longer gpus and radiators, lose the bulky fan filter holders, get rid of all the drive bays, have the option for a full tempered glass side panel, and finally usb 3 and c support. they shouldn't have to redesign anything major really.

 

[badpixel]

there is a separate raven case in the works. the f1 is supposed to be the successor to the fortress series, hence the 'f' in the name, apparently. the alta s1 is something new entirely and be the panicle of siliverstone's ability, hence the 's' for silverstone, apparently.

i couldn't agree with you more about the ft02, it just needs to be 10 cm taller, to accommodate longer gpus and radiators, lose the bulky fan filter holders, get rid of all the drive bays, have the option for a full tempered glass side panel, and finally usb 3 and c support. they shouldn't have to redesign anything major really.

Oh no, don't say that! Some people still want to have at least 4HDDs in RAID0 with one spare preferably. It could be even 8-10bay with front-accessible(to the side of HDDs, vertical layout). HDDs are cheaper and more reliable over time(unlike NAND SSDs, theydon't lose data when not used for many months). Yes, you can use external NAS, but it's another box and you are loosing performance (especially by adding delay, but troughput usually too)

 

[MissJ84]

Tony Ou If the problem is with making Glass version, why suspend solid metal version then?
And because more people there are enthusiastic there about steel dumpened version, why not suspend (or totally omit) glass version?

It doesn't sound logical at all

Maybe release special black one, with solid aluminum(not steel) panels, with premium mil-grrade anodization and superb sound dampening, and then call it a day. (or even better go back to the FT02 design, not FT05. But Alta F1 i already very nice design anyway [maybe not as nice as the FT02 "Holy Grail", but it's second nicest 90deg case ;-] )
There's many potential customers, that are looking for flagships, but doesn't want fishtank with ARGB shitshow.

I don't believe Tony Ou meant they're having problems making the glass version, but rather not having made it "widely available" as in not yet being able to distribute it outside of China.

PS - Thanks for keeping us updated Tony!! I'm still holding out and looking forward to this case being released in the USA

 

[Tony Ou]

I don't believe Tony Ou meant they're having problems making the glass version, but rather not having made it "widely available" as in not yet being able to distribute it outside of China.

PS - Thanks for keeping us updated Tony!! I'm still holding out and looking forward to this case being released in the USA

Yes, the glass side panels are one of the easier things to deal with on the ALTA F1. The aluminum front, bottom, rear, and top panels yields aren't good, which in terms drives up cost so we just can't make that many of them and at the price we initially thought we could. The steel side panel with sound dampening would cost even more to make and is in fact a bit more challenging to produce so that's why we are holding it back until yields improve overall on the ALTA F1.

 

[Tony Ou]

Here are two recent Chinese reviews on the ALTA F1 with lots of clear photos to whet your appetites! One used a 360mm AIO for the build, the other used high-end air cooler:
https://www.chiphell.com/thread-2304059-1-1.html
https://post.smzdm.com/p/awr5pwlk/

 

[Harms]

Here are two recent Chinese reviews on the ALTA F1 with lots of clear photos to whet your appetites! One used a 360mm AIO for the build, the other used high-end air cooler:
https://www.chiphell.com/thread-2304059-1-1.html
https://post.smzdm.com/p/awr5pwlk/

Thanks Tony. It looks amazing. Can't wait for it to eventually come here.

 

[chimim0ry0]

Here are two recent Chinese reviews on the ALTA F1 with lots of clear photos to whet your appetites! One used a 360mm AIO for the build, the other used high-end air cooler:
https://www.chiphell.com/thread-2304059-1-1.html
https://post.smzdm.com/p/awr5pwlk/

Man Tony, that's one sexy case. Now I need a Silverstone showcase event and the ability to buy a new Silverstone case!!