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The HD cage is definitely crappy; dunno why they couldn't do a Norco type quality cage instead of that cheap-as-hell-not-even-plastic-cuz-its-too-rubbery cage.

Could have also gave us a hot swap cage, y'know... like the Corsair 800D since they cost *almost the same.

And then there's the window, which I think looks cheap as well - the screw in panel that juts out out of the side panel.. Again, unlike the 800D. (p.s. not a fan of the 800D)

Did I forget to mention the cheapo red paint job? $50+ more and cool, it peels.
 
People always tend to overlook the extra cost of fans for the 800D and the mammoth size.
I had the ATCS 840 great case but not put together well.

Until you have owned a FT02, 800D and ATCS like myself and Omerta has, you will understand why we choose the FT02 over them.
The FT02 is not a perfect case but it's better than the majority of cases on the market.

How many 19" tall cases can CF 5970's on the market without removing or modding the HDD cage? Not many.
 
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burningrave101 said:
I have an ATCS 840 sitting right next to the FT02 and the tool-less parts in the Cooler Master are at least good enough quality that they work the way they should and actually feel like they're holding the devices in place. The FT02's are complete crap.

Those big black buttons that are suppose to lock the optical drives on the FT02 seem to just flip up and down freely from locked to unlocked when you barely even touch them and the plastic clip that locks down to keep the hard drive tray in the bay doesn't even snap tight enough into place to secure the tray. If you titled the case forward and shook it a little the drives would likely fall right out in the floor because I couldn't even route the cables through the back of the case without them bumping into the empty HDD trays and shoving them out the side of the case. On the ATCS 840 the door on the trays clips tightly to the HDD cage where's no way the tray is going to slide out. So yes the Cooler Master ATCS 840's tool-less devices may not be the best but they're without question better than the FT02's.

And as far as the power/reset buttons go I guess I just prefer the quality plunger type switches and the small round PWR/HDD LED's like on the ATCS 840 and Lian Li cases.
Click to expand...

As far as the tool-less shit, I never use them anymore. I either screw them in or dont use them. But it sounds like you just don't need to touch the buttons so they don't flip down, and they'll secure whatever drive is in there.

They work exactly the same as in the FT02 and the atcs 840. Two little screws come out to go into the drive. I guess the only difference is that the FT02 buttoms are much easier to flip. I prefer them to the cheap looking buttons in the atcs 840.

The ATCS has very cheap side panels that are EXTREMELY thin. Even their front-panel connectors are mislabeled. I still disagree that HDD rack in the 840 is any better than in the FT02. They work the same except I guess the HDD racks in the ft02 are easier to push out, but you won't be pushing them in the case anyway. And they certainly didn't come out during shipping all the way from china to amazon and to my house, so they're certainly secure enough even during that kind of movement.

But the ATCS does have a strong internal structure, so I'll give it that. But it's also pretty heavy for an aluminum case unlike the Lian Li cases that accomplish the same or better internal rigidity without the added weight.

lowteckh said:
The HD cage is definitely crappy; dunno why they couldn't do a Norco type quality cage instead of that cheap-as-hell-not-even-plastic-cuz-its-too-rubbery cage.

Could have also gave us a hot swap cage, y'know... like the Corsair 800D since they cost *almost the same.

And then there's the window, which I think looks cheap as well - the screw in panel that juts out out of the side panel.. Again, unlike the 800D. (p.s. not a fan of the 800D)

Did I forget to mention the cheapo red paint job? $50+ more and cool, it peels.
Click to expand...

Problem is they have a unibody aluminum frame that definitely raised the cost of the case. If the FT02 was fully steel like the 800D, I'm sure they could have afforded to put in something like in the 800D, and probably much more since it wasn't Silverstone's first case.

burningrave101 said:
I understand that but my point was that the Cooler Master ATCS 840 costs less than the FT02 but has better quality parts. If Silverstone is going to charge a premium price for the FT02 they need to make it feel more like a premium case.
Click to expand...

Simply not true. The aluminum unibody external structure is tank-like, something the atcs 840 can't compete to. Its side panels arent also pathetically thin like the ATCS 840, and unlike the ATCS 840, it doesn't easily scratch or dent. The front panel connectors aren't also mislabeled.

The FT02 is a much higher quality case thanks to the aluminum unibody frame and the internal steel structure. It's so damn rigid, and the atcs 840 can't compare.
 
Omerta said:
Simply not true. The aluminum unibody external structure is tank-like, something the atcs 840 can't compete to. Its side panels arent also pathetically thin like the ATCS 840, and unlike the ATCS 840, it doesn't easily scratch or dent. The front panel connectors aren't also mislabeled.

The FT02 is a much higher quality case thanks to the aluminum unibody frame and the internal steel structure. It's so damn rigid, and the atcs 840 can't compare.
Click to expand...

The frame of the case isn't what I'm calling into question nor is it an excuse for low quality plastic parts in the most important areas of the case such as the hard drive bay and the optical bay. I can get by with securing the optical drive on the back side with a screw even though those big black buttons on mine are so loose that they serve no purpose since they won't stay locked but the big issue is with the hard drives because you can secure them to the tray with a screw but that does nothing to keep the tray secured in the case. I'd hate to be working on my case and lean it forward for some reason and one of my new drives fly out and smack on the concrete floor.
 
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A beautifully designed case. I just picked up the RV02 but would love to own the FT02.
 
burningrave101 said:
The frame of the case isn't what I'm calling into question nor is it an excuse for low quality plastic parts in the most important areas of the case such as the hard drive bay and the optical bay. I can get by with securing the optical drive on the back side with a screw even though those big black buttons on mine are so loose that they serve no purpose since they won't stay locked but the big issue is with the hard drives because you can secure them to the tray with a screw but that does nothing to keep the tray secured in the case. I'd hate to be working on my case and lean it forward for some reason and one of my new drives fly out and smack on the concrete floor.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree the HDD rack system sucks, but I haven't had the same issues that you have. They're not as loose for me, but they're not as secure as the 840, I'll give you that. But I don't think it warrants the 840 being "better" when it comes to it. They both suck. And I actually prefer the plastic racks of the ft02 to the 840 racks, just the mounting isn't as secure.
 
. I can get by with securing the optical drive on the back side with a screw even though those big black buttons on mine are so loose that they serve no purpose since they won't stay locked but the big issue is with the hard drives because you can secure them to the tray with a screw but that does nothing to keep the tray secured in the case. I'd hate to be working on my case and lean it forward for some reason and one of my new drives fly out and smack on the concrete floor.
Click to expand...

I don't know about you guys, but there's no way in hell the HDD trays in my FT02 are coming out unless I flip the latches on them to release them...

There's also no way that those latches are coming undone unless I push up on the tabs to release them too. I tried yanking on the drive trays that I had HDDs installed in to see if what you guys are talking about is feasible.

The optical drives for me have a positive click when I secure a drive in there. I can back out the tabs that go into the screw holes, but they won't fully disengage unless I apply about 4-5lbs of force to the latch (bout a match trigger pull on a gun).

Have you guys actually tried disengaging the hard drive sleds and optical drives by pulling on them or shaking the case? I have, and nothing moved.
 
If I lean my case more than 45 degrees the hard drive will slide out. Mine actually hit the floor also, but it was only a 1ft. drop on carpet. I just bought the drive so if anything is wrong I can just RMA it. That's why I liked the RV02 cage better because it was more secure and attached to the cage with screws. Now that all of the cases are receiving this tool-less cage, it gives their whole line up a weak link. Other than that, the case is awesome.
 
FaRKle0079 said:
Have you guys actually tried disengaging the hard drive sleds and optical drives by pulling on them or shaking the case? I have, and nothing moved.
Click to expand...

Tell that to mine: I had to bend the plastic "stopper" things at the bottom or it would fly everywhere. Good quality shit for sure :rolleyes:
 
FaRKle0079 said:
I don't know about you guys, but there's no way in hell the HDD trays in my FT02 are coming out unless I flip the latches on them to release them...

There's also no way that those latches are coming undone unless I push up on the tabs to release them too. I tried yanking on the drive trays that I had HDDs installed in to see if what you guys are talking about is feasible.

The optical drives for me have a positive click when I secure a drive in there. I can back out the tabs that go into the screw holes, but they won't fully disengage unless I apply about 4-5lbs of force to the latch (bout a match trigger pull on a gun).

Have you guys actually tried disengaging the hard drive sleds and optical drives by pulling on them or shaking the case? I have, and nothing moved.
Click to expand...

It may be that some of us got FT02's that probably shouldn't of passed quality control. The latches on my HDD trays aren't secure at all because all I have to do is lean the case forward and shake it a little and those trays all come flying out. Even when I was routing the motherboard cables through the back of the case I kept having to push the HDD trays back in because when I would slide the cables through the back they would push into the drive trays and out they'd come. Then those black buttons for securing the optical drives on mine are so loose that you just have to barely press them and they'll lock or unlock even with a drive in there. The bottom one is the worst and it will just rattle if you tap it with your finger.

I'm in the process of RMA'ing my FT02 now anyways since the one I got had the paint chipped off the bottom front corner of both side panels and one of the corners was even starting to get a little rust. Hopefully my replacement from Silverstone will be better and won't exhibit the same problems with the tool-less devices quite as bad.
 
rich121 said:
The new fans and FT/RV03 case will be out around the end of the month, per this email to me from Joel:

"Hi Rich
,
This fan will be posted on our website soon and you'll be able to see allthe specs I had requested to my webmaster to post this ASAP
BTW the case will be available in USA by the end of this month

Thank you

Joel

SilverStone Tech Inc,
13626 Monte Vista Ave.
Unit AChino, CA 91710"

I recieved this email the day after (I ordered on Monday) I ordered my RV02...figures!

Rick
Click to expand...

I think Joel meant to say the Air Penetrator fans will be available in the US by the end of the month.
 
IMO FT02 empty HD trays are more easily "slid" out by accident, but trays with the drive in them, I don't see how they slide out on anyone without lifting the latch on the bottom since putting the drive in the tray pushes out the frame a bit and it fits snug (at least in mine it does).

I haven't had issues with my optical in the FT02 not being secure enough with the tool less side tab.

I HAVE noticed somewhat of an air pocket between my TS and the exhaust fan at the rear of the case, I don't know if that's because my mosfets are running hot or if it's because the air sort of 'cycles' around in that area (or if it's coming off my upper 260).
 
Have any of you tested thermals in the FT02 after swapping the stock 180mm fans for the Silverstone FM181's? They look like they push quite a bit more air at high speed but I'm wondering what difference it will make in temps compared to stock.
 
To anyone in here with a FT02 don't buy the Asrock Extreme 3 X58 motherboard. The socket placements for the audio and front panel led/reset/power switch connectors are out of reach.
This motherboard is the enemy of the FT02. Plus it was DOA :mad:
Going with Ramapage III Extreme.
 
WorldExclusive said:
To anyone in here with a FT02 don't buy the Asrock Extreme 3 X58 motherboard. The socket placements for the audio and front panel led/reset/power switch connectors are out of reach.
This motherboard is the enemy of the FT02. Plus it was DOA :mad:
Going with Ramapage III Extreme.
Click to expand...

Same thing with the X58 Extreme, which I learned the hard way was a POS. Thing died after less than 2 months, killed by folding. My first ASRock board, my LAST ASRock board. Now that Abit is out, it's GB or nothing for me now; don't know why I tried anything else to begin with.
 
I've had 1 Asus board (P5KPL-AM/PS), oc options were scarce and limited. (Only had 3 ram dividers which severely crippled my oc)

I know Asus is pretty well respected and has some highly regarded boards though... I did look at the P6T before buying both UD3R's because they had more bang for the buck/more features. At that time, the P6X58D-E wasn't out yet. If I was buying a board now, I'd still go with the GB because they have more SATA ports, 1 more PCIe slot, and I know GB's bios better. If there were no UD3R's at MC and they had the P6X58D-E, I'd get it.
 
The AP fans were released today. You can see pics and the press release here.

Overall they look like they have some decent numbers and I'm interested to see how well they do.
 
It would probably be cheaper to sell my current FT02 locally and buy the FT02 Red Edition with the fans included.
Paying close to $100 for replacement fans is ridiculous IMO.
 
FaRKle0079 said:
so why do you like the lian-li more? cuz it's advertised as "made in taiwan?" ;)
Click to expand...

has the room I need for my watercooling shit while still being able to fit graphic cards...and it seems to actually air-cool better than the ft02 if I wanted to go that route. Plus wanted to see how that anodized red interior looks.
 
Omerta said:
temp wise based on reviews. Yeah the filters do look like a pain.
Click to expand...

What reviews and temps for what devices? I doubt the P50 can beat the FT02 for CPU and GPU cooling especially if you upgrade the bottom 180mm fans and especially the top 120mm fan in the FT02 to higher CFM models. The P50 only has one 120mm intake in the front with no fans blowing directly on the motherboard and its fan layout is basically the same as the Antec 900. The only thing that is likely to cool better is the hard drive rack because it's open for better airflow over the drives. When it comes to aircooling right now the FT02 is basically the best there is to choose from.
 
burningrave101 said:
What reviews and temps for what devices? I doubt the P50 can beat the FT02 for CPU and GPU cooling especially if you upgrade the bottom 180mm fans and especially the top 120mm fan in the FT02 to higher CFM models. The P50 only has one 120mm intake in the front with no fans blowing directly on the motherboard and its fan layout is basically the same as the Antec 900. The only thing that is likely to cool better is the hard drive rack because it's open for better airflow over the drives. When it comes to aircooling right now the FT02 is basically the best there is to choose from.
Click to expand...

kiger said:
Initial Observations

Test Procedure
Personaly, I am not a benchmarking person because I suppose I'm kind of lazy. So I did not do a full-load GPU test which I am kind of regretfull about. Also, I did not think to even capture the idle GPU temp in the first test. Aside from that, all the tests were performed using Prime95 with HT enabled so it should give some good results. Each "title" is a hyperlink to the screenshot of the test.


Test Results
A. FT02 - 4 x 120mm Scythe "E"
CPU: 68c, 65c, 66c, 61c
HDS: 36c, 39c, 40c
VIDEO (idle): N/A

B. FT02 - Stock
CPU: 66c, 63c, 64c, 60c
HDs: 41c, 44c, 43c
VIDEO (idle): 32c

C. PC-P50 - 3 x 120mm Scythe "E" + 1 x 80mm Nexus
CPU: 64c, 61c, 62c, 58c
HDs: 27c, 28c, 26c
VIDEO (idle): 30c


Conclusion
It looks like the PC-P50 drops the overall CPU temp by 2c which is respectable but not worth changing a case over. However, what is worth changing a case over are those hard drive temps! The high temps were a main reason I changed the case and wow, talk about a nice surprise; they are now hovering in the mid 20's versus low 40's! Finally, as a side note, I find it interesting that the 180mm fans really worked out better than the high quality 120mm ones. I think for any FT02 owners this gives you guys two options: 1) Keep the 180mm fans for better cooling; 2) Use 120mm fans if you want more room (as they clearly gave a ton more room).

Shot of PC-P50 Completed
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/6139/dsc4133.jpg
- If you guys have been following my pics, you would notice that I am no longer using the San Ace on my NH-D14. I found that it was as silent as the Noctua fan at 5v but did not provide any noticeable temperature difference; the only difference was the thickness. So I went back to the stock Noctua.
Click to expand...


ss16c1fa.png


ss2c2162.png


ss37aeaa.png
 
Omerta said:
ss16c1fa.png


ss2c2162.png


ss37aeaa.png
Click to expand...

I would take those results with a grain of salt especially the bit-tech review because the hardware they used to test the RV02 was a poor choice and in fact worked against the design of the cooling in the FT02/RV02. For starters they used passive coolers on both the GPU and the CPU and in the FT02 it is recommended to use a GPU that has a heatsink that expels the heat outside of the case. Running the CPU heatsink passive would no doubt hurt performance as well because the only exhaust in the FT02 is the top 120mm 1200rpm fan which is something that needs to be upgraded to a higher CFM fan if you want to see the full potential of this case.

I've seen the RV02 in other reviews against the same cases used there like the HAF922 and Fortress FT01 and the RV02 performed better than both of them especially in GPU temps. The Lian Li PC-P50 looks like it has great aircooling as well though and I'm sure it does well compared to the FT02 but for the moment I'd still chose the FT02 over the PC-P50 for aircooling. I'm very curious to see how well the FT02 performs with a higher CFM 120mm exhaust like a Gentletyphoon along with the 150 CFM model FM181 180mm fans Silverstone sells or the new 180mm Air Penetrator fans.
 
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I'm in agreement with burningrave101. Bit-tech was the only site who gave it a "meh" review (due to the passive cooling), and even their readers were a little outraged about BT testing the way they did.
 
burningrave101 said:
I would take those results with a grain of salt especially the bit-tech review because the hardware they used to test the RV02 was a poor choice and in fact worked against the design of the cooling in the FT02/RV02. For starters they used passive coolers on both the GPU and the CPU and in the FT02 it is recommended to use a GPU that has a heatsink that expels the heat outside of the case. Running the CPU heatsink passive would no doubt hurt performance as well because the only exhaust in the FT02 is the top 120mm 1200rpm fan which is something that needs to be upgraded to a higher CFM fan if you want to see the full potential of this case.

I've seen the RV02 in other reviews against the same cases used there like the HAF922 and Fortress FT01 and the RV02 performed better than both of them especially in GPU temps. The Lian Li PC-P50 looks like it has great aircooling as well though and I'm sure it does well compared to the FT02 but for the moment I'd still chose the FT02 over the PC-P50 for aircooling. I'm very curious to see how well the FT02 performs with a higher CFM 120mm exhaust like a Gentletyphoon along with the 150 CFM model FM181 180mm fans Silverstone sells or the new 180mm Air Penetrator fans.
Click to expand...

Kiger's results, a fellow hardforum member here, had the same results as Bit-tech. Don't think it's a coincedence.

I did not even get the PC-P50r because I thought it was so much better than the ft02 aircooling. I mainly got it cause i'd be able to fit my rad + graphic cards in there while still being able to get good air-cooling if i were ever to ditch watercooling. And I also got it cause I just find the anodized red interior of the pc-p50 very sexy. However, i don't think the PC-P50 is a better case.
 
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The red on the P50R is the best I've ever seen. Other members will have to see it in person to appreciate it.
Silverstone should have done the same. Hopefully the TJ11 will be all aluminum so it can happen.
 
Omerta said:
Kiger's results, a fellow hardforum member here, had the same results as Bit-tech. Don't think it's a coincedence.
Click to expand...

I've noticed a hot air pocket in my system in the NB/mosfet area. Don't know if it's a dead air area or if it's because the rear SS fan has poor pull or if it's just heat off my top 260.

I'm starting to wonder though how well it really does do over other high air flow systems, like Omerta has done; I wish I had done a temp comparison with my HAF 922 before I sold it to Axdrenalin. I'm curious enough that I may end up buying something else for a comparison with the same h/w if I can find something cheap and onsale either locally at MC or online with free shipping.
 
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Man, black + red + FT02 = 'teh sex' :D
Very nice WE.

Yeah I think I'm gonna swap out the golf ball fan for an S-Flex as well and see if that solves my heat pocket. :)
I need to head to MC and pick up some OCZ Freeze (or use another syringe of AS5) and install my Arrow and then dump some updated pics myself.
 
zero2dash said:
Man, black + red + FT02 = 'teh sex' :D
Very nice WE.

Yeah I think I'm gonna swap out the golf ball fan for an S-Flex as well and see if that solves my heat pocket. :)
I need to head to MC and pick up some OCZ Freeze (or use another syringe of AS5) and install my Arrow and then dump some updated pics myself.
Click to expand...

Let us now how it works out. The only thing hot in my computer is the northbridge. Hell it is hotter than cpu or Vid Card under everything but full load. (still it is only 45C)

To those who complain about the temps vs things like the FAF, the ft02 is actually quite, damn near silent in fact, my friends' haf and and 902 are almost always loud. FT02 could be quiter if it sounded like a vacuum too. :rolleyes:
 
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