New Silverstone FT02

zero2dash said:
Got mine in today, haven't opened it yet. Going to get some sleeving first, I'll put up impressions in a day or so once that comes in and I get some things sleeved. I'll put up temps, Trigeminal, I promise. :)
Click to expand...

Bout time someone listened to me. ;)
 
mtbush said:
Just canceled my order @ FrozenCPU. Just spoke w/ Mark(owner) who said that Geoff made a mistake and my case would not go out until Friday 1/22 (one week later after I ordered)

Mark offered no apology or reason why it would take till Friday, he was extremely unprofessional for a business owner, dude went as far as hanging up on me in mid-sentence. I understand that FrozenCPU is highly regarded, and I used them in the past but I never will again.

So you may want to think twice before ordering a FT02 from FrozenCPU.
Click to expand...

Weird. I've never spoken with them but we order a ton of stuff from them, specially since newegg is gone, and it's been great. They even changed an item description for me once so I could order it.
 
mtbush said:
Just ordered the last FT02S off Amazon, also scored free Prime shipping.
Should be arriving on Saturday.
Click to expand...

Check your shipping, unless you paid for weekend delivery?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_navbox_center_manageprime?nodeId=13819211
Two-Day and One-Day shipping usually apply across business days. Prime also offers special weekend and other shipping options for qualifying merchandise
Click to expand...


Ordered my sleeving and heatshrink from cable organizer last night; should ship today and get here Saturday. (priority mail)
 
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ibdoomed2 said:
Weird. I've never spoken with them but we order a ton of stuff from them, specially since newegg is gone, and it's been great. They even changed an item description for me once so I could order it.
Click to expand...

I know it's weird. Maybe tough times for them?

I called 3 times since last Friday and every time their story was different. When I called on Tuesday Geoff said my case was damaged and they needed to order another, but when I asked to cancel my order he said that was impossible because they just received the replacement and it was being sleeved and it would go out no later than the 20th.

I'm pretty sure he was sandbagging me so they didn't lose the sale.
 
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I just received my FT02B and put everything in it, and figured I would post some pics and some thoughts. I will also post a temperature comparison with the P182 later.

I'm fairly happy with my cable management:

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/6715/ft02bfront.jpg

The back is a bit messy, but everything fits. The side panel does bulge very slightly when concealing this mess, but its only about a 1mm bulge and almost impossible to notice. Also note how the cutout is not located correctly for my CPU backplate:

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/262/ft02bback.jpg

I had to remove the fan grill on my Enermax PSU in order to fit it with the fan facing out. The clips on the rear air filter were coming in contact with the grill. I absolutely was not going to settle for installing the PSU with the fan facing in, so the grill had to go. :) Also, look at all that extra space under the PSU! Luckily most of the fan is exposed to the opening:

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/9703/ft02bcpufan.jpg

I was a little disappointed in the sound-dampening foam. It was not cut straight and looks like this on one of my side panels:

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/1479/ft02bfoam.jpg

I am also a bit concerned because it almost seems like my case was opened before I got it (I ordered from Amazon). The 3 of the 4 thumb screws holding the side panels in place were unscrewed and rattling around in the box. But the tape on the box looks original, so I dunno. :confused:

Some Pros:
  • The case looks absolutely beautiful inside and out.
  • Positive pressure! You can feel the air being forced out of all the top vents. Its awesome. I put a little piece of napkin over the PCI slots and watched it dance around. :D
  • Very quiet with 180mm fans on low. On high it is a bit noisy but bearable.
  • Seems to be cooler than my P182, but I haven't run the numbers yet.

Some (Minor) Cons:
  • The poorly-cut foam.
  • Air filter clip interfering with my PSU fan grill.
  • It is almost impossible to install an optical drive in the very top 5.25" bay. I had to settle for the 2nd one down.
  • The power button has a bit too much play for my liking. The reset button was sticking at first but I think it fixed itself.
  • Cabling this thing was a bitch. The rotated motherboard might be awesome for thermal performance but It seemed a lot more difficult than cabling my P182.

Temps on the way soon.
 
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Nice details jhaze84, and thanks for the pics/comments. It's weird to hear that your left side panel bulges from the wiring 'cuz looking at your pics, it seems like you did a decent job of keeping the PSU cables from overlapping. Are the wires on your Enermax PSU thick enough by themselves that just one strand of them will bulge the panel? Or perhaps it's that cluster in the upper left of [your pic?

Looking forward to temp results!
 
The bulge is caused by the main 24-pin power cable. I love my Enermax to death, but its cables are definitely thicker than say, a Corsair HX PSU.

Here are the temps I recorded:

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/2886/ft02bp182se.jpg

The FT02 is the clear winner over the P182 in terms of CPU/GPU cooling. The vertical airflow system really makes a difference. And it seems like setting the 180mm fans to low on the FT02 is the sweet spot. It is much quieter and gives nearly the same performance as the high setting.
 
Dude, you rock. Not only did you do a pimpin' graph of your results, but you included hdd temps. :cool:

Wish list because we enthusiasts can be a very difficult to please bunch: now I wanna see what the temp results are like when all 5 hdd bays are filled and running hard. PICKY PICKY PICKY! :eek:
 
jhaze84 said:
The bulge is caused by the main 24-pin power cable. I love my Enermax to death, but its cables are definitely thicker than say, a Corsair HX PSU.

Here are the temps I recorded:

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/2886/ft02bp182se.jpg

The FT02 is the clear winner over the P182 in terms of CPU/GPU cooling. The vertical airflow system really makes a difference. And it seems like setting the 180mm fans to low on the FT02 is the sweet spot. It is much quieter and gives nearly the same performance as the high setting.
Click to expand...
Jhaze84, Thanks so much for posting the results on the case! since I have a P180 (secound revision before they put the behind the mobo wireing) I've been looking for a replacement case for a while now your post alone goes a long way twards helping me pull the trigger on a case :D:cool:
 
jhaze84 said:
I am also a bit concerned because it almost seems like my case was opened before I got it (I ordered from Amazon). The 3 of the 4 thumb screws holding the side panels in place were unscrewed and rattling around in the box. But the tape on the box looks original, so I dunno. :confused:
Click to expand...

I had the same thing happen, but with only 1 screw, so I just think that the thumb screws are not particularly vibration resistant and come loose in transport. Silverstone might wanna put some plastic tape over them or something. Until I started tilting my case and heard the screw rolling around somewhere in there, I was convinced the case had been shipped with one screw missing.
 
coconutboy said:
Huh? "since newegg is gone"?
Click to expand...

Probably not really gone, yet, but no one orders from them anymore since the x25-m fiasco.


Silver Doctor said:
I had the same thing happen, but with only 1 screw, so I just think that the thumb screws are not particularly vibration resistant and come loose in transport. Silverstone might wanna put some plastic tape over them or something. Until I started tilting my case and heard the screw rolling around somewhere in there, I was convinced the case had been shipped with one screw missing.
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My Raven2 came the same way, one of the four thumbscrews was inside and actually under the fans, annoying and odd. Wonder if it was the same thumbscrew, not that I remember which one it was exactly.
 
ibdoomed2 said:
Probably not really gone, yet, but no one orders from them anymore since the x25-m fiasco.
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Even though I ordered parts from newegg as recently as Nov, I'm still pretty critical of their rapid price jumps and shipping costs/policies being overrated, and have stated so earlier in this thread. Outside of those complaints, however, I'm confused as to why you would think "no one orders from" a company that does over 1 billion dollars worth of business per year. Yes, one billion+ USD annually and growing.

Please tell me what this "x25-m fiasco" was since I'm aware of the hdd, but have no clue what you're talking about? Did newegg screw a buncha customers over on a rebate or something? :confused:
 
Hrm, just checked my email. Seems newegg has a new promo going on called "local express delivery". The reason I mention it is that if you qualify, you can get the Antec p193 for a mere $139 which is quite a deal. It's not as good of a case as the FT02, but it's got a lot of similarities. It has excellent dust filtering, pretty good cooling thanks to a load of fans all over the place including several optional mounting points, and is a very quiet case. For awhile this was in the top 3 for my next case in part, because at the time it was on sale for $159 (it's not worth it for $179-199 imo).

Quote direct from the email:
Newegg Local Express Delivery will enable customers who live near one of our three main distribution centers (located in California, Tennessee and New Jersey) to receive delivery of eligible, in-stock items the same day they are ordered if the order is placed by the designated cut-off time (see below). You are receiving this e-mail because your primary shipping address is located in an eligible zone.

To take advantage of Newegg Local Express Delivery, simply follow these steps:
Place an item in your shopping cart and go to checkout.
Enter your zip code where prompted and if the item in your cart is eligible the option Local Express Delivery will appear in the drop-down menu and a message will appear on the page alerting you so.
Complete your order by the designated cut-off time for Local Express Delivery (11am in California, 12pm in New Jersey and Tennessee (local times)).
Click to expand...


For people interested in the FT02, but balking at the price tag, the Antec p193 is an excellent option at $139. Promo code is EMCYZNY69 for those able to take advantage.
 
ibdoomed2 said:
Probably not really gone, yet, but no one orders from them anymore since the x25-m fiasco.
Click to expand...

Strange, I've ordered from there several times recently. :p
NE isn't the only place I shop but I usually end up buying stuff from there most of the time anyway because usually the stuff comes from TN and no matter what I get the item(s) the next day (here in MO) even though it's UPS Ground.
 
jhaze, just finally looked at your pics and whatnot - thanks for sharing.
I'm planning on moving over tonight but I'm not posting pics 'til everything is sleeved and pretty. :)
 
coconutboy said:
Hrm, just checked my email. Seems newegg has a new promo going on called "local express delivery". The reason I mention it is that if you qualify, you can get the Antec p193 for a mere $139 which is quite a deal. It's not as good of a case as the FT02, but it's got a lot of similarities. It has excellent dust filtering, pretty good cooling thanks to a load of fans all over the place including several optional mounting points, and is a very quiet case. For awhile this was in the top 3 for my next case in part, because at the time it was on sale for $159 (it's not worth it for $179-199 imo).

Quote direct from the email:


For people interested in the FT02, but balking at the price tag, the Antec p193 is an excellent option at $139. Promo code is EMCYZNY69 for those able to take advantage.
Click to expand...

Would you mind forwarding me this email. I can't get this work, it's showing in my cart @ $159 and defaults to $20 UPS shipping.

A PM would be appreciated!
 
Sorry I didn't reply sooner about the link mtbush, I'll pm ya and also post here for everyone else as well. Someone in another forum mentioned not being able to get the promo code to work as well, and I can only think of 2 possible reasons because I tried the promo code 5 mins ago and it's working fine for me. My total came out to $173.63 The $20 off was listed just above the grand total at the bottom of the list. Weird thing is, I didn't see any California recycling fee. *shrug*

After reading the newegg email carefully, I think the most likely answer is that you must be a newegg subscriber. Since that's how I got the email meanwhile my g/f didn't. The offer expires on Jan 26th so you've got a few days to decide if you wanna give newegg permission to spam you. I usually avoid this kinda stuff (like I don't do facebook, myspace, etc etc), but I buy enough stuff at newegg that I said fuggit, why not? So far it's paid off big time because we saved $20 off g/f's MSI p55-gd65 back in Oct, another $20 off my Asus 25" monitor, and got some SD memory cards for my lady for a pretty good deal in Dec. They DO send me a fuckton of email though, like anywhere from 1 to 3 a week. I gave 'em one of my hotmail accounts and it's cool by me though. However, before you give newegg your email addy, you might wanna first try my other solution. I don't think this is the problem since I was able to get the promo code working a few minutes ago (it's about 20mins after 9pm here in LA), but this is the only other possible answer I can think of.


Basically, maybe newegg wants you to order on the SAME day you want delivery; no exceptions. Now I don't think this is likely to be it because the promo code just worked for me minutes ago np, but then again I didn't actually buy the case. I only added it to my cart and entered my zip along w/ the promo code. But if this is the problem and newegg are being anal fucktards about people having to place their order on the same day to get the promo code to work, then just follow the directions carefully. To repeat:
Newegg Local Express Delivery will enable customers who live near one of our three main distribution centers (located in California, Tennessee and New Jersey) to receive delivery of eligible, in-stock items the same day they are ordered IF the order is placed by the designated cut-off time (see below). You are receiving this e-mail because your primary shipping address is located in an eligible zone.

To take advantage of Newegg Local Express Delivery, simply follow these steps:
  1. Place an item in your shopping cart and go to checkout.
  2. Enter your zip code where prompted and if the item in your cart is eligible the option Local Express Delivery will appear in the drop-down menu and a message will appear on the page alerting you so.
  3. Complete your order by the designated cut-off time for Local Express Delivery (11am in California, 12pm in New Jersey and Tennessee (local times)).
Click to expand...

Again, promo code is EMCYZNY69

Sorry for the length of the post/derail, hope this helps.


P.S. I was damn tempted by this offer, but in the end, I just can't do it. Since we don't need a new case till summer, I still have time to see if anything sweet shows up at CeBit (geezus please let it be better than CES' pathetic offerings) or at worst buy the FT02 in all it's overpriced glory. For anyone still considering the p193 though, here's a solid review from bit-tech.net as well as a video tour/preview from 3dgameman.
 
Couple quick thoughts (I need a shower and sleep because I have to get up for work in the morning)

-FT02 build quality is outstanding. Top notch. The unibody frame especially, phenomenal. My sound dampening material was cut square, not odd cuts like the previous poster who put up pics (forgot who).

-Wiring not so bad (cable management). Fairly good; I need to pick up another pack of zip ties and retweak it because my left side panel bulges just a tad.

-I have one major complaint - the speed switches on the 180mm fans are more troublesome to sleeve than I'm willing to go. The switch wires are soldered on and then sleeved. No flex sleeving is going to go over the switch and I don't feel like desoldering, sleeving, and resoldering the switch. I did sleeve everything else (front panel wires, all fan power leads.

-ASRock X58 Extreme front panel wires don't reach because they put the pins for it on the right edge...unfortunately with this case that makes them out of reach. Going to have to make some extensions myself (rather than buy them from frozencpu for $3 a piece :rolleyes:). Luckily the board also has power on and reset buttons on the board itself otherwise I wouldn't be up and running right now. :D

-Temps have dropped 5-10c across the board (cpu and gpus, keep in mind i'm running 260 SLi). Fans on high, not loud at all. Went from about 75-76c on the i7 at load Folding to around 67. top 260 is running 70 @ load Folding, used to be 75-76. bottom card usually around 73-74c, it's now at 67c (again Folding). Very happy with the temp drop.

Other than a few snafus (trying to sleeve the switches, lack of length on the front panel cables) - I couldn't be happier with this case. Absolutely beautiful job Tony + everyone at Silverstone. I plan on keeping this case for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time. :)

Few pics
IMG_0461_1.jpg

IMG_0460_1.jpg
 
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zero2dash said:
Couple quick thoughts (I need a shower and sleep because I have to get up for work in the morning)

-FT02 build quality is outstanding. Top notch. The unibody frame especially, phenomenal. My sound dampening material was cut square, not odd cuts like the previous poster who put up pics (forgot who).

-Wiring not so bad (cable management). Fairly good; I need to pick up another pack of zip ties and retweak it because my left side panel bulges just a tad.

-I have one major complaint - the speed switches on the 180mm fans are more troublesome to sleeve than I'm willing to go. The switch wires are soldered on and then sleeved. No flex sleeving is going to go over the switch and I don't feel like desoldering, sleeving, and resoldering the switch. I did sleeve everything else (front panel wires, all fan power leads.

-ASRock X58 Extreme front panel wires don't reach because they put the pins for it on the right edge...unfortunately with this case that makes them out of reach. Going to have to make some extensions myself (rather than buy them from frozencpu for $3 a piece :rolleyes:). Luckily the board also has power on and reset buttons on the board itself otherwise I wouldn't be up and running right now. :D

-Temps have dropped 5-10c across the board (cpu and gpus, keep in mind i'm running 260 SLi). Fans on high, not loud at all. Went from about 75-76c on the i7 at load Folding to around 67. top 260 is running 70 @ load Folding, used to be 75-76. bottom card usually around 73-74c, it's now at 67c (again Folding). Very happy with the temp drop.

Other than a few snafus (trying to sleeve the switches, lack of length on the front panel cables) - I couldn't be happier with this case. Absolutely beautiful job Tony + everyone at Silverstone. I plan on keeping this case for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time. :)

Few pics
IMG_0461_1.jpg

IMG_0460_1.jpg
Click to expand...

Looks awesome! Great job on the wiring. I remember seeing one of TJ Harlow's videos on YT and he mentioned those switches on 180mm fans, you may want to check it out.
 
Nice job, zero . . . the back of your case looks some much cleaner than my rv02. It seems like you're running the same amount of HDD's, SSD's and GPU's as me but I wonder why my wiring behind the back is so much more cluttered. Will have to check it out and redo. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation :)
 
Thanks everyone...actually now I have a 3rd platter drive coming tomorrow (grabbed a Samsung F2 1tb for $69 @ NE)...luckily pretty much everything in that area has been "ran" already, I should just be able to slide it in. :)

Going to stop by Radio Shack this afternoon and hopefully pick up some "bricks" and terminals and make some extension cables for the front panel stuff (HD LED, power LED, power switch and reset switch). I'm going to try to make it even cleaner back there (if possible). Bah I hate molex cables, so big and bulky. :eek: I love the Corsair ribbon type cables but man they are a PITA to try to flatten out where they connect to the SATA/molex "brick" connectors.

If anyone's wondering - 10" SATA data cables are a perfect length in that area...only issue I think is they'll only reach to about the 3rd or 4th slot over, so if you have 5 drives you'd have to get a longer one for that one I think.
 
zero2dash:
The biggest culprit for me getting that back panel not to bulge was those Corsair molex connectors with those funky plastic wings. I just shaved em off with pocket knife.
 
zero2dash said:
If anyone's wondering - 10" SATA data cables are a perfect length in that area...only issue I think is they'll only reach to about the 3rd or 4th slot over, so if you have 5 drives you'd have to get a longer one for that one I think.
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Props to you sir for the protip, 'cuz I'll be running 5 hdds and by summer, an SSD as well. Odds are this is the case we're gonna get the lady, but there's a chance we'll swap around some of our components between our two new systems and stick her w/ an SFF or some other new toy instead. So fun to build new gaming rigs!
 
I'll let you know for sure tomorrow night (once I install the drive I've got coming). I believe 10" reaches enough for the first 3 (closest to the board), #4 (closer to front panel) may not work, #5 definitely (closest to front) won't reach. I couldn't find any right angle 10" cables, that could be another reason why they don't reach as much. (And depending on where the SATA ports are on your board).

My optical (which I did get to fit in the top bay OK) and the SSD are both using 18" (I believe). Some opticals being longer than others - I'm using a Samsung SH-203N, seems like from what I've read, Samsungs have pretty small housing. Not sure what other brands would fit in that top slot. It's a tight fit, but I just attached the cables with the drive 90% slid in and then once the cables were in, slid it back and screwed it in. One caveat out of the instructions (which are pretty understandable but kind of :confused: in spots)...the front panel blank plates are held in by 2 screws, 1 on each side. (I figured they popped in and out via tabs like most cases).

If you would like me to check out any other dimensions for you (anyone, feel free to ask) - LMK I'll grab them tomorrow. :)
 
Man, all these nice photos of the FT02 are starting to piss me off :)

I am very happy with my RV02 and don't feel like there is enough incentive and/or justification to move to an FT02B-W since they're almost identical minus the aesthetics. I actually prefer the RV02 at this point because it has a little more "personality" that the pretty plain looking FT02.

HOWEVER, if I could find an FT02S-W (silver) somewhere, I would be much more motivated to buy it! WHERE THE HELL ARE THE SILVER ONES??? They have the non-windowed version in stock so how hard can it be to cut a damned window in a silver side panel???
 
zero2dash said:
If you would like me to check out any other dimensions for you (anyone, feel free to ask) - LMK I'll grab them tomorrow. :)
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Dude, please if you would? I just wanna know the window's dimensions, and the side panel's cutout too if possible. Doesn't have to be super precise, just so I know whether I need 12" square to replace it, or something bigger. I asked this question earlier in the thread, but didn't get an answer.

Kinda bummed though. I just saw a sexy red model of a new Lian Li case and instantly lost my mind over it, but turns out it has even less room for a GPU than the ft02 gaaah.

yenniedn said:
I am very happy with my RV02 and don't feel like there is enough incentive and/or justification to move to an FT02B-W since they're almost identical minus the aesthetics. I actually prefer the RV02 at this point because it has a little more "personality" that the pretty plain looking FT02
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If you don't need the extra hdd bays, stick w/ what you got man! You paid less, got the same case (performance-wise anyhow) and the RV02 is a good looking case. Then sometime later this year or, as my theory/hunch goes, by summer of 2011 at the latest, we'll see some truly amazing case values in the $100-200 range that will top what we have now, while costing less.


Oh who am I fooling. Your case sucks man, just upgrade already. :D

KIDDING. Jokes man, jokes. Really, if I was you, I'd stick w/ the RV02.
 
coco -
plexi: 15 7/8" wide x 11 1/2" tall
cutout is roughly 1/2" smaller on each side... 15" x 10 1/2" tall
(plexi overlaps cutout on outside)
 
I don't suppose someone could enlighten me on how exactly the radiator mounting works?

Namely, where do you mount it? On the bottom seems like a bad idea...but where else can it go?
 
zero2dash said:
coco -
plexi: 15 7/8" wide x 11 1/2" tall
cutout is roughly 1/2" smaller on each side... 15" x 10 1/2" tall
(plexi overlaps cutout on outside)
Click to expand...

Lol, figures it would be just big enough to force me into buying the more expensive/larger size of honeycomb mesh.

Thanks mang! This'll be a big help for ordering parts in advance if we do buy an FT02 so I can start modding ASAP.

Still, feel for me. As great as the ft02 is, and it is a fantastic case despite the criticisms I levy at Silverstone's pricing, one of the hardest things for me is that neither my g/f nor I get that excited! about the ft02's looks. I mean, it's a clean looking case, but mostly in a subdued, understated way. Usually that's me all the way. I LIKE subduded. Subdued usually = classy and never goes out of style. But for me the main beauty of the ft02 is it's engineering and functionality. The looks are too muted to be much of a factor. Then suddenly this morning WorldEx linked this pic in the other thread and I lost my fucking mind.

LianLiPC-8FUred.jpg


I mean, right away I can see the grille up front will leak noise just like the 7fn/a70f etc. And the layout will be a solid performer for cooling, but not as good as the ft02. Yet I didn't care, because THAT case instantly had me wanting it... BAD. I never liked the red Lian Li pc-p80r, nor the special version of any of their other cases except the blue pc-888 (which is a terrible case, or else I'd buy it). But seeing that red Lian Li PC-8FU my god, it's amazing looking, yet just like how I won't touch the pc-888 because it's an absolutely shitty case, this one has a too-big-to-ignore-flaw-of only 11.22 inches for the PCI slots. That won't fit a 5970, and what, I'm supposed to cross my fingers for Fermi much less what might be here in a year or two? Now that's TWO custom Lian Li cases I'd love to buy, except LL made an obvious oversight. DAMMIT! I hope Lian Li is quick to keep announcing more new, red/blue cases soon, because I'm praying for a red or blue version of the pc-a70f/71f, pc-b25f or something similar.
 
jhaze84 said:
A radiator can be installed over the 2 rear 180mm fans at the bottom of the case. See pgs 16-19 of the manual here: http://silverstonetek.com/downloads/Manual/case/Multi-FT02-Manual.pdf
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I was looking at this earlier and trying to find dimensions, but none are stated. It looks like you would be limited to a 140mm radiator if you want to use a long graphics card. Maybe the Thermochill PA160 could fit. Alternatively, was there an older, shorter version of the Cape Cora passive radiator? Current ones are 420mm tall, but something similar <300mm might be made to fit. I suspect unlikely to be worth the hassle, but maybe someone else will have a better idea.
 
Watercooling in this case is so assbackwards it's like buying a Ferrari f40, and having the transmission changed to auto, thus missing the entire purpose of the design. That said, I can understand that some people love the looks of the case, yet refuse to NOT use watercooling. I'd love to see a comparison of temps, especially on a money spent versus performance attained ratio.
 
Hi guys, it's been a while since I've dedicated some time to my rig.

I got bitten by the RC bug again and had taken up photography so i could take pics of the lil guy.

However, I'm back to my favorite past time now again.

I've got this case sitting in front of me to replace my Cosmos 1000 case but I wanted to get a few thoughts/comments from people.

Originally, I wanted to go with the Corsair Obsidian 800d case. I just loved the way it looked and the cable management was what snared me. I hate spending lots of time rewiring things esp. since I really don't have any spare time now.

However, the more I researched the more I found that its air cooling was lacking even if you changed the fans because of the placement of the intakes. I just don't have the time anymore to deal with H2O setups.

Thus, I stumbled upon the FT02. It seems well suited for what I want.

I want a good air cooled case with good cable management that will last me for a while.

Unfortunately, the Obsidian case still nags at me esp. now since Microcenter now has a rebate for this guy. Something about that case.

My nagging thoughts are if the Obisidian will ever air cool as good as the FT02 with proper fans. I'm thinking not, but just wanted to see what you guys thought.

If you had a choice bet. the Obsidian 800d or the Silverstone FT02 for air cooling. Which one would you get?

I'm kind of conflicted.

Thanks! :p
 
FT02 Hands down. You will have to buy $40 or more in fans just to achieve adequate cooling in the 800D. The FT02 works out of the box.
Everything you spend extra on a case adds to the overall cost. Fans don't count as a mod, it's an additional accessory that should have been included.
 
FT02 for air cooling
800D for water

Each is built for their specific purpose (ie FT02 for air cooling, 800D for water). Granted you can do water in the FT02 and air in the 800D, but it don't work as well.
 
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