Silverstone SST-FT03-Mini (Mini-Itx)

lvyelion said:
Just a thought, how about mounting the radiator OUTSIDE the case? I mean at the bottom of the case
Click to expand...

Here are a couple of pictures of the bottom of the case. Bottom line, if you want any airflow you will have to get creative with a putting radiator and fan beneath the case. 2" is what a standard radiator and fan would take up:
DSC03039.jpg

This picture shows two of the radiator mounting holes (bottom of picture, under the fan), the radiator is offset from the center of the 140mm fan in order to give some airflow a path around a standard size radiator and into the case:
DSC03041.jpg


In other news, I may have found a place to hide the wi-fi and Bluetooth antennas, we'll see if this works with a power supply installed:
DSC03043.jpg

DSC03044.jpg
 
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Is the air penetrator fan in this case loud? What about the ST45SF's fan?

Will the air penetrator fan still run if I connect it to to the board with a voltage reduction cable (7v)?
 
Synomenon said:
Is the air penetrator fan in this case loud? What about the ST45SF's fan?

Will the air penetrator fan still run if I connect it to to the board with a voltage reduction cable (7v)?
Click to expand...

It's not terribly loud, but if you have money to spend, I'd recommend shelling out for a new one.
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...J422/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342045792&sr=8-2

I have this one, maxes out at a lower RPM (which is why it's quieter), but pretty close in CFM to the air penetrator. They have LED versions if you want an underglow ;)

ST45SF isn't too loud either, quieter than stock CPU fan or the air penetrator. Not sure about the voltage reduction...
 
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Ok, so I went with a silver FT03-mini instead of the white BitFenix Prodigy. With the Prodigy, the only place on my desk I could put it, its side ports, power and reset buttons would all be awkward to reach.


HoseHead said:
I got the case in the mail today, here are a couple of pictures with measurements and comments.

If the case is left completely stock the only radiator that will fit is going to be a single thickness (~25mm/1" thick) 120mm radiator. This picture shows the case with only the optical drive tray installed. The bottom of the optical tray has a portion that is bent over over the radiator, which becomes the bottom part of the 2.5" tray. You can see this flange on the left in this picture:
DSC03025.jpg

And a picture of just the optical tray so you can better see the flange that is in the way:
DSC03031.jpg
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Anyone have any idea what that flange is for? Is it safe to cut it off? I was going to mount another 140mm fan on top of a radiator (for push/pull). Would a second fan (mounted on top of the radiator) get in the way of the video card?

I have an Intel i7-3770T (45W TDP). I'd like the system to be as quiet as possible.

- What's the preferred heatsink to use with this case? I have a spare Antec Kuhler 620.

- I thought about replacing the included Air Penetrator fan, but Anandtech's review mentioned that fans like the Air Penetrator work best in a "wind tunnel"-like setup as in the FT03-mini. Has anyone noticed an increase in temps. (CPU, Video Card, general system temps.) after replacing the Air Penetrator with a different fan?
 
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Synomenon said:
Anyone have any idea what that flange is for? Is it safe to cut it off? I was going to mount another 140mm fan on top of a radiator (for push/pull). Would a second fan (mounted on top of the radiator) get in the way of the video card?
Click to expand...

The flange forms the bottom of the 2.5" drive tray. It is safe to cut it off if you don't want to use either the 2.5" or 3.5" drive trays that are sandwiched to the optical drive. I already cut the flange off in my case.

Mounting a 140mm fan on top of the radiator would require some creativity and fabrication, as there are no mounting holes. I do think it would end up in the way of a graphics card too. However mounting a 120mm fan on top of the radiator is easy, if you cut the flange off of the drive tray. This is what I did, I'll post pictures later.


Synomenon said:
I have an Intel i7-3770T (45W TDP). I'd like the system to be as quiet as possible.

- What's the preferred heatsink to use with this case? I have a spare Antec Kuhler 620.

- I thought about replacing the included Air Penetrator fan, but Anandtech's review mentioned that fans like the Air Penetrator work best in a "wind tunnel"-like setup as in the FT03-mini. Has anyone noticed an increase in temps. (CPU, Video Card, general system temps.) after replacing the Air Penetrator with a different fan?
Click to expand...

Any standard thickness 120mm radiator will work in the case without modification. Basicaly ANY thickness all-in-one 120mm water cooler will fit if you cut the 2.5" drive tray flange from the optical drive tray.

My system has a i7-3770k (77w TDP) with a Thermaltake Water 2.0 (exact same Asetek radiator and pump/CPU block as the Kuhler 620) with the stock 140mm, and one Thermaltake 120mm fan. I have the motherboard set at quiet right now and under normal loads I have to feel for airflow to know the fans are on. It is that quiet.

I wouldn't mind replacing the 140mm fan with a PWM fan, but I have yet to find one that I like.
 
Looking forward to the pics.. So there is space in there to mount a 120mm fan on top of the radiator AND not block the video card?

I'm hesitant to replace the Air Penetrator with a PWM fan since they won't blow air the way the Air Penetrator does.
 
Synomenon said:
Looking forward to the pics.. So there is space in there to mount a 120mm fan on top of the radiator AND not block the video card?
Click to expand...
Yes, look at the picture Gn0m4 posted, the graphics card will be right up against the radiator, but it should fit. Also you may need to be careful with where the power connector(s) for the graphics card connect up:
Gn0m4 said:
Not at all.
82_800x600.jpg

New review with plenty of photos: http://www.gdm.or.jp/review/case/silverstone/SST-FT03S-MINI/index_01.html
Click to expand...

Synomenon said:
I'm hesitant to replace the Air Penetrator with a PWM fan since they won't blow air the way the Air Penetrator does.
Click to expand...
I don't think the Air Penetrator is that special. :confused:
 
The radiator can be oriented so that the tubes are near the front, right (opposite of where they are in that pic.)?
 
HoseHead said:
I don't think the Air Penetrator is that special. :confused:
Click to expand...

If you haven't already, please check out the article we have in the link below. It explains why and how we came about to develop Air Penetrator fans:

http://www.silverstonetek.com/techtalk_cont.php?area=&tid=wh10_0061

It really works as an intake case fan that requires straight airflow scheme. To achieve the same level of performance using a normal fan, fan speed would have to be increased noticeably.

After we released the Air Penetrator fan in 2010, more companies are now releasing fans that advertise the ability to focus airflow. But I still think ours works the best!
 
In the FT03-Mini's case, so does Anandtech. I'm just worried about noise and whether reducing the voltage to the Air Penetrator to 7V will affect its cooling capability considerably.
 
Synomenon said:
The radiator can be oriented so that the tubes are near the front, right (opposite of where they are in that pic.)?
Click to expand...
In that pic the Left is the front and the Right is the back, so the tubes are in the front. :) I believe if you don't put in the 2.5" or 3.5" drive trays you can orient the tubes at the back of the case, opposite of what is shown in the picture.

The owners manual (which you can download at Silverstone's website) addresses this as well.

Sorry, no pics of my setup yet, too many things pressing for my time at home.


Tony Ou said:
If you haven't already, please check out the article we have in the link below. It explains why and how we came about to develop Air Penetrator fans:

http://www.silverstonetek.com/techtalk_cont.php?area=&tid=wh10_0061

It really works as an intake case fan that requires straight airflow scheme. To achieve the same level of performance using a normal fan, fan speed would have to be increased noticeably.

After we released the Air Penetrator fan in 2010, more companies are now releasing fans that advertise the ability to focus airflow. But I still think ours works the best!
Click to expand...
I'd still like a PWM fan, are there any plans for a PWM Air Penetrator?

And while you are checking this thread, what is the ETA on the modular SFX power supply? I love the case and the layout, but it just begs for a modular PS with shorter cables.
 
Ordered a white LED 120mm Air Penetrator. Going to use that on top of the radiator for push / pull with the bottom 140mm Air Penetrator. Hopefully w/ the two fans I can still use a voltage reduction cable (to 7v) and get decent airflow.

I wish Silverstone would release a white LED 140mm Air Penetrator too.
 
Couple of pictures of my setup. Here is the modified optical drive tray, you can see where I trimmed the flange off on the bottom:
033.jpg

Radiator with 120mm fan on top, you can also see the nest of wires, and why I would love to have a modular power supply with shorter cables:
DSC03327.jpg

Picture from the side. With this radiator and a 120mm fan on top you can still fit in a graphics card that extends to the bottom of the case (depending on where the power cables connect in):
DSC03326.jpg
 
It has probably been mentioned elsewhere but I couldn't resist. Silverstone has put the ST45SF-G SFX psu on their website.

On the FT03 I was wondering would a 140 mm rad fit? Something like a Black Ice Stealth? It sucks the flange is there. And I can't help noticing a 2.5" drive is mounted on the top of the bay leave the space beneath is empty. I can't seem to figure out why it has the size of a 3.5" bay. Is it really just to fit the extra drive on top of it?
 
That is a lot of power in a small case but man it's really screaming for a modular SFX PSU.
 
I ordered a Thermalright TR TY-140 to try for a bottom fan replacement. The P8Z77-I has two PWM headers.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11677/fan-755/Thermalright_TR_TY-140_140mm_x_160mm_PWM_Fan_-_900R1300PM_Standard_120mm_Fan_Mount.html?id=vCrEwANU&mv_pc=230

I just got my case and parts still waiting for a gtx670.
I would like to try and put a swiftech apogee drive 2 in there with a 140mm rad but i need to see if i can fit it in the bottom. i would ultimatly like to have a single loop for the cpu and gpu but not sure if a 140 can handle them both.

The case with a stock intel cooler is kinda loud. Not terrible but noticable. This is the first Silverstone case I have owned. My PC-Q08 and PC-V354 are much more quite.

I am cutting all the powersupply cables to size and making some other changes when Im done Ill get some pictures up. I always finish cases and seem to never get photos posted.
 
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I'm very interested in your build. I was planning/thinking along the same lines. For the rad I was looking at the Black Ice Stealth 140mm. The apogee drive seems like a very good option. I was looking into a mcp35x maybe with a heatsink on the bottom on top of the rad.
I'd really like to see if what you find. I hope you post some pics or give me a link to a build log if you have one.
 
I'm going to use a simple Antec Kuhler 620 in mine. I wanted to keep the focused airflow of the Air Penetrator fans, but have PWM control as well so I got these Lepa Vortex fans:

140mm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835494007

120mm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835494006


The 140mm version has actual 140mm mounting holes so there won't be any problems swapping it out in place of the stock Air Penetrator. The 120mm version is going to go on top of the radiator for that push/pull setup.

Both fans also are PWM and have ball bearings so there won't be any noise since they'll be mounted horizontally (I've had noise problems before w/ liquid or sleeve bearing fans mounted horizontally).
 
exawatt said:
I just got my case and parts still waiting for a gtx670.
I would like to try and put a swiftech apogee drive 2 in there with a 140mm rad but i need to see if i can fit it in the bottom. i would ultimatly like to have a single loop for the cpu and gpu but not sure if a 140 can handle them both.
Click to expand...

I'm happy to read this!

As well as PJanssen and yourself I'm also thinking about a CPU+GPU loop. Want to upgrade my sig rig to P8Z77. I'm pretty sure that the Apogee Drive II and a push-pull dense radiator will give you better temps than stock air. I don't even think it needs a 140mm rad. Possible to keep better compatibility with the case by using 120mm rad and pull-fan.

But think back to the PNY XLR8 Liquid Cooled GTX580 (see webpage of the OEM Asetek): it could cool both a CPU and GPU to around 50C under Prime95/Furmark, but the pump was noisy and all the fans went to maximum speed very easily. Still, a GTX580 has the same thermal profile as a GTX670 and i5-3570K combined. So I guess, as with every setup, it depends what you're going to do with the machine. I don't think the SG05 or FT03-Mini are appropriate for 24/7 folding, but for a gaming machine this idea could be great.

My biggest question remaining is where to place the res? On the FT03-Mini you can maybe mount a Swiftech Micro Res on the little strip between the I/O panel and the "front panel". But on my SG05 I don't really have that option :)
 
I think I could actually make a 180mm fan work on the bottom with a little work but getting a 180mm rad in there is out of the question.

I looked around and didnt see much info on a single 140mm rad and what it can handle but I have terrible luck searching. i dont think search engines like my wording.

Im in transition building a home so half of my tools and modding parts are all packed away in my trailer. May take me a little longer to get it finished.
 
http://www.gdm.or.jp/review/case/silverstone/SST-FT03S-MINI/index_08.html
Looking at the pictures from this review, it seems like the FT03-Mini has the 120mm mounting holes offset from the 140mm air penetrator mounting holes. However, as soon as you use a 140mm on the inside, then you can't mount the optical drive anymore.

If you are looking for suggestions for 140mm rad. I would suggest HWLabs rads - they are the company that first made radiators specifically for the PC water-cooling enthusiast market. If you prefer better efficiency at low fan speeds, then the Black Ice SR-1 is good. Otherwise, for max performance at higher fan speeds then the Black Ice GTX series is better.

I've just pressed "order" on a FT03-Mini and ST45SF-Gold.
 
WiSK it is hard to see if the 140mm rad prevents the optical drive bay. Do you know this because you have the case?

Earlier in the forum somebody modded the drive bay to fit a fan on top of a 120mm rad. If I look at the fixtures of the 140mm AP fan I'd say there is room maybe with some modding.

Anybody a conclusive pic?
 
Synomenon: Preorder at alternate.de, which is the German distributor, they expect delivery sometime in August

PJanssen: I don't own a FT03mini yet, I have a SG05 atm. From that Japanese site I linked, there's one pic which shows an H60 mounted, and the position of the 140mm mounting holes. That's why I'm concluding that a 140mm rad won't fit. In any case you'd have to remove the SSD bay from under the optical bay, at worst you'd have to drill new holes for a 140mm rad about 8mm lower and not use the lower SSD bay. So then you'd have to find a new place for your SSDs. All of a sudden this becomes a bit more modding than I'm comfortable with.
 
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exawatt said:
I would like to try and put a swiftech apogee drive 2 in there with a 140mm rad but i need to see if i can fit it in the bottom. i would ultimatly like to have a single loop for the cpu and gpu but not sure if a 140 can handle them both.
Click to expand...
That is going to put the pump at the top and the radiator at the bottom of the loop, where would you put the reservoir?

WiSK said:
http://www.gdm.or.jp/review/case/silverstone/SST-FT03S-MINI/index_08.html
Looking at the pictures from this review, it seems like the FT03-Mini has the 120mm mounting holes offset from the 140mm air penetrator mounting holes. However, as soon as you use a 140mm on the inside, then you can't mount the optical drive anymore.
Click to expand...
Bingo. Not only will a 140mm radiator prevent mounting the optical drive (along with the 2.5" and 3.5" sandwiched to it) it will also prevent you from mounting the other standalone 2.5" drive under the MB.

So a 140mm radiator will require the removal of ALL drive trays in the case, AND it will also end up under the GPU, preventing a long card from being installed.

I have the case under my desk with the side panels off as I type this, I'm not guessing. If you want a single loop for both CPU and GPU I think the only feasible option is a thick 120mm radiator, and I'm no expert water cooler but I don't like the idea of the pump being at the top of the loop. It's too bad you can't get the Asetek CPU/GPU combo outside of buying a PNY card. You could easily keep an i7 and a GTX680 cool in this case with such a cooler (if you keep the OC reasonable for both GPU and CPU).
 
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I asked Stephen from Swiftech about having the pump highest. He said as long as you fill the loop with the fillport above the pump, then it's okay to lower the loop below the pump later. In a simple loop like this, he wouldn't commit that a reservoir is totally necessary. He detailed a technique for removing all air from the loop. He said, if there's no air there's not really a need for a reservoir, nor any necessary requirement to have any individual parts above the pump. If you think about it, the Asetek 760GC also would have the reservoir (built into the rad) at the bottom of the loop.

About the length of the GPU, my whole idea of watercooling this build is facilitated by the reduced length of the GTX670 and the fact that I don't have any 3.5" hdd. So there should be 90mm spare height for a thick rad and whatever pull-fan we can put above it.

What's your impression of the maximum thickness of a 120mm rad with/without modding the case?
 
I've wondered if that would be possible (removing all air, and not using a reservoir). Did Swiftech have any advice or tricks for doing that? I'm interested in hearing about your results!

120mm radiator height-- Basically the hard constraint is that there is just a bit over 90mm/3.5" from the bottom of the case to the bottom of the MB. By removing the constraint of the drive trays (by either not using any of the ODD/2.5"/3.5" trays, or trimming the flange off of the ODD tray) you get all of that 90mm/3.5" height.

Personally I'm happy with my decision of trimming the flange off the ODD tray. I'll use eSATA for a storage drive in the future.
 
That's too bad to hear hosehead. But it's better to know now. I guess a 120mm should be able to keep a cpu and gpu cool on its own unless you oc to the extreme.
 
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HoseHead said:
I've wondered if that would be possible (removing all air, and not using a reservoir). Did Swiftech have any advice or tricks for doing that?
Click to expand...

Actually it's a bit of a false trick. I was speaking to Stephen about using a combo rad+res, such as Swiftech's own MCR-120-QP-Res. But the act of laying the radiator flat makes it no longer function as a reservoir. He said that's okay, as long as there's no air left. In order to be sure there's no air, you have to prime the system with the rad+res higher than the block. It's a few hours work of tilting, tapping, topping up. Keep the pump at maximum speed until there's no more air.

I'm sure it's possible to do this just as well with a T-split fill port.
http://www.swiftech.com/flushorfilltassemblyfor12inodlines.aspx

Regarding losing the upper 2.5" tray. I was going to use a piece of modder's mesh to make my own 2x2.5" bay. If I use 120mm rad, there should be space underneath.
 
I have question regarding the 2.5" drive bay under the motherboard -- would anyone be able to tell me if a WD Velociraptor (minus the Icepack) would fit without getting in the way of a H60 radiator?
 
FT03-mini is designed for H60 width radiators, and then you can use the 2.5" bay which hangs under the optical tray. That bay is 20mm I believe, plenty for the velociraptor.
 
exawatt said:
I ordered a Thermalright TR TY-140 to try for a bottom fan replacement. The P8Z77-I has two PWM headers.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11677/fan-755/Thermalright_TR_TY-140_140mm_x_160mm_PWM_Fan_-_900R1300PM_Standard_120mm_Fan_Mount.html?id=vCrEwANU&mv_pc=230

I just got my case and parts still waiting for a gtx670.
I would like to try and put a swiftech apogee drive 2 in there with a 140mm rad but i need to see if i can fit it in the bottom. i would ultimatly like to have a single loop for the cpu and gpu but not sure if a 140 can handle them both.

The case with a stock intel cooler is kinda loud. Not terrible but noticable. This is the first Silverstone case I have owned. My PC-Q08 and PC-V354 are much more quite.

I am cutting all the powersupply cables to size and making some other changes when Im done Ill get some pictures up. I always finish cases and seem to never get photos posted.
Click to expand...

let me know if you were able to fit that fan onto the case. I was unsure since it's a 120mm mount.
 
You'll have to fabricate something to be able to mount a 120mm fan in place of the stock 140mm fan.
 
WiSK said:
http://www.gdm.or.jp/review/case/silverstone/SST-FT03S-MINI/index_08.html
Looking at the pictures from this review, it seems like the FT03-Mini has the 120mm mounting holes offset from the 140mm air penetrator mounting holes. However, as soon as you use a 140mm on the inside, then you can't mount the optical drive anymore.

If you are looking for suggestions for 140mm rad. I would suggest HWLabs rads - they are the company that first made radiators specifically for the PC water-cooling enthusiast market. If you prefer better efficiency at low fan speeds, then the Black Ice SR-1 is good. Otherwise, for max performance at higher fan speeds then the Black Ice GTX series is better.

I've just pressed "order" on a FT03-Mini and ST45SF-Gold.
Click to expand...

I have several Black Ice radiators thats really all I have ever used. Just dont have a 140mm. I still havent decided what to do.
 
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