Silverstone SST-FT03-Mini (Mini-Itx)

HoseHead said:
One thing I haven't mentioned about my build -- when you install the pump/heatsink on the ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe MB, be prepared to modify the backplate for the pump. ASUS crammed a-lot of stuff on this board, and that extends to the back of the MB as well. There are all kinds of components in the way of the stock rectangular back plate for the Asutek (Antec, Thermaltake, Intel, etc) cooler. I tried to work around all the components, but ended up cutting the backplane completely to pieces; the only thing on the back of my MB are four individual pieces of plastic with threaded inserts in them. :D
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Good to know.. although it's my understanding from reading P8Z77-I reviews, the H60 actually fits with no modifications necessary.

From a NewEgg review (of the P8Z77-I)

No problems for me mounting a Corsair H80 with it. The backplate was no problem (same backplate as the H60).
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Seems like this guy ran into the same issues as you did with the Kuhler 620 and P8Z77-I..

So fingers crossed, the H60 backplate will mount just fine.
 
Hey Guys. I am almost done with my build. Just waiting on my silverstone to release their gold rated psu. I have a question. Can the hoses from the H60 be too close to the the backplate of the GTX 670? I dont want to cause any damage but this is the best way for me to set up the h60 and install a 3.5" drive bay.

i2qdjt.jpg

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ighandi said:
Hey Guys. I am almost done with my build. Just waiting on my silverstone to release their gold rated psu. I have a question. Can the hoses from the H60 be too close to the the backplate of the GTX 670? I dont want to cause any damage but this is the best way for me to set up the h60 and install a 3.5" drive bay.
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Since I was just talking about this right above your post.. can you tell me if the backplate on the H60 went on the motherboard OK?

As far as your question, from a conductivity perspective, it should be fine. I've never watercooled, so no idea how hot the tubes get or the thermal impact to the GPU of the hoses being that close... I imagine someone else can answer that for you.
 
nameBrandon said:
Since I was just talking about this right above your post.. can you tell me if the backplate on the H60 went on the motherboard OK?

As far as your question, from a conductivity perspective, it should be fine. I've never watercooled, so no idea how hot the tubes get or the thermal impact to the GPU of the hoses being that close... I imagine someone else can answer that for you.
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The back plate went on fine but it was kind of loose. Not too loose that I worried about it. It doesn't effect the water cooling mechanism.
 
As I wait for SilverStone's modular SFX PSU and more reviews of the GTX 660Ti, I figured I'd go ahead and just post this gallery of pics. I've had the unit built for a month or so, but it's been boxed up in the closet for the noted reasons.

I modified the hard drive/DVD bracket to mate an OCZ 2.5" to 3.5" adapter plate and allow for a 120mm fan on top of the radiator and still mount a 2.5" drive above the radiator assembly. A Vertex 4 SSD sits to the opposite in the factory position. The 2.5" OCZ bracket could easily be modified to hold a 3.5" drive, though I have no desire to use a 3.5" hard drive in this. 2.5" drives are available up to 2TB nowadays anyway. Furthermore, a 3.5" drive would start to impose on the airflow of the 120mm fan.

Based on my reading, I believe the 120mm fan atop the radiator will be overkill, as I have zero plans to overclock and saved some coin on locked components; i7-3770 and ASRock H77. I may remove the 120mm fan to keep the sound down, my primary end goal. Yea yea, there's some electrical tape in there, it's not a show rig and I just want to keep cables tidy for airflow. The board and CPU will be gutted for HTPC duty in a couple years and we'll see what Broadwell has going for it at the time, perhaps hold out for Skylake.

*I've since swapped out that lapped i5-2500k and rearranged the CPU cooler a few times, but still not sure if that's the final position. The twisty tie on the hoses is gone now, btw. I'll update once the GPU/PSU release...

http://imgur.com/a/kLR22#0

** Clearance from radiator mounting holes to lowest memory module is safely 90mm (3.5"). This is taking into account cutting off the flange on the DVD bracket, or leaving the DVD bracket out altogether.
 
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SalemSwift said:
As I wait for SilverStone's modular SFX PSU and more reviews of the GTX 660Ti, I figured I'd go ahead and just post this gallery of pics. I've had the unit built for a month or so, but it's been boxed up in the closet for the noted reasons.

I modified the hard drive/DVD bracket to mate an OCZ 2.5" to 3.5" adapter plate and allow for a 120mm fan on top of the radiator and still mount a 2.5" drive above the radiator assembly. A Vertex 4 SSD sits to the opposite in the factory position. The 2.5" OCZ bracket could easily be modified to hold a 3.5" drive, though I have no desire to use a 3.5" hard drive in this. 2.5" drives are available up to 2TB nowadays anyway. Furthermore, a 3.5" drive would start to impose on the airflow of the 120mm fan.

Based on my reading, I believe the 120mm fan atop the radiator will be overkill, as I have zero plans to overclock and saved some coin on locked components; i7-3770 and ASRock H77. I may remove the 120mm fan to keep the sound down, my primary end goal. Yea yea, there's some electrical tape in there, it's not a show rig and I just want to keep cables tidy for airflow. The board and CPU will be gutted for HTPC duty in a couple years and we'll see what Broadwell has going for it at the time, perhaps hold out for Skylake.

*I've since swapped out that lapped i5-2500k and rearranged the CPU cooler a few times, but still not sure if that's the final position. The twisty tie on the hoses is gone now, btw. I'll update once the GPU/PSU release...

http://imgur.com/a/kLR22#0
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Nice job!

EDIT - OK I see you removed the optical flange.. you did such a good job of that it confused the heck out of me :)

Does the flange on the OCZ tray clear both the radiator and fan? I'm wondering if an H80 + 120mm fan would fit, but I can't tell from the photos if that flange gets in the way..

Could you measure the clearance between the top of your 120mm fan and the ram / HD in the OCZ tray, which ever is closer (I think it's the drive..). Looks like I'd need 11mm / ~.45 inches more room (looks like it's doable).
 
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Thanks.

After I installed the fan and radiator, I realized there'd be no problem putting a radiator with all dimensions equal except thicker. Also, the OCZ bracket is simply screwed into holes I drilled into the DVD bracket. It's more for a finished look, but you could just as easily drill the holes and mount a hard disk to the DVD bracket with some screws and rubber grommets. Probably the fastest, cheapest way I can think of is to simply velcro a 2.5" wherever you want it, then you wouldn't need any tools.

Depending on the GTX 660Ti reviews, I'll either get that or pickup the quietest 670 that will fit. A TechPowerUp review squeezed the massive Gigabyte Windforce 3X 670 into this case, though he did something I'm not willing to, modify the card.
 
SalemSwift said:
Thanks.

After I installed the fan and radiator, I realized there'd be no problem putting a radiator with all dimensions equal except thicker. Also, the OCZ bracket is simply screwed into holes I drilled into the DVD bracket. It's more for a finished look, but you could just as easily drill the holes and mount a hard disk to the DVD bracket with some screws and rubber grommets. Probably the fastest, cheapest way I can think of is to simply velcro a 2.5" wherever you want it, then you wouldn't need any tools.
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Thanks, hadn't considered mounting to the DVD bracket with grommets.. I'll probably just do that. What size drill bit did you use for those screws, do you remember?

edit - checked the case manual.. look like m3x4 screws, so I guess hole size should be ~2.5mm.. that should be a fun drill bit size to find...

A TechPowerUp review squeezed the massive Gigabyte Windforce 3X 670 into this case, though he did something I'm not willing to, modify the card.
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Holy cooler batman.. :eek: that's obnoxious! and yeah, I wouldn't cut the card either, even it was just the plastic..
 
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Sorry, don't remember the drillbit size. I have a huge drillbit case and they've been out of order since the first day I started to share them with friends. That and one alcoholic beverage too many and I have no clue how I managed to get things right. I believe I winged it by holding the correct screw up to the various bits and seeing which bit was just a little smaller to start with.

I said grommet, but technically I mean rubber washers. Even nylon washers would be better than mounting straight to the bracket, but I digress. I don't suppose you have access to a drill press, unnecessary, but that would make the holes a bit easier to target.
 
SalemSwift said:
Sorry, don't remember the drillbit size. I have a huge drillbit case and they've been out of order since the first day I started to share them with friends. That and one alcoholic beverage too many and I have no clue how I managed to get things right. I believe I winged it by holding the correct screw up to the various bits and seeing which bit was just a little smaller to start with.

I said grommet, but technically I mean rubber washers. Even nylon washers would be better than mounting straight to the bracket, but I digress. I don't suppose you have access to a drill press, unnecessary, but that would make the holes a bit easier to target.
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yeah, I knew what you meant.. :) no drill press.. I figure the 2.5" drive tray has screw holes to hold the actual drive, so I'll just tape the 2.5" tray real good to the DVD drive tray and drill through the holes.. I guess I'll mount the SSD there to avoid vibration and put the mechanical 2.5" drive in the tray below the motherboard.
 
Since you're about to spend money, I pulled everything out and measured it. I have a maximum of 95mm to the lowest memory module on my ASRock H77M-ITX. Though, to play it safe, I'd account for a max of 90mm, right around 3.5 inches.

I added the OCZ bracket which has a very tiny flange itself, but it's height allowed me to just fit my setup. As long as you cut the factory flange off the DVD bracket and don't mount a hard drive lower than the opposite side RAM, you shouldn't have any worries.

BTW, I'm thinking about turning the radiator 180 degrees and have the hoses run alongside the opposite wall, away from the future video card.
 
SalemSwift said:
Since you're about to spend money, I pulled everything out and measured it. I have a maximum of 95mm to the lowest memory module on my ASRock H77M-ITX. Though, to play it safe, I'd account for a max of 90mm, right around 3.5 inches.

I added the OCZ bracket which has a very tiny flange itself, but it's height allowed me to just fit my setup. As long as you cut the factory flange off the DVD bracket and don't mount a hard drive lower than the opposite side RAM, you shouldn't have any worries.

BTW, I'm thinking about turning the radiator 180 degrees and have the hoses run alongside the opposite wall, away from the future video card.
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Thanks! I appreciate it.. Sounds like a H70/H80 + 120mm fan (63mm total height) is doable! :)

Yeah, I'm still looking at everyone's photos on the orientation of the radiator, I've got a few weeks before all the parts are in to decide.
 
@SalemSwift: Thanks for the pics. Real good insight into the clearance issues. It looks really nice with the bracket like that.
 
pjanssen said:
@SalemSwift: Thanks for the pics. Real good insight into the clearance issues. It looks really nice with the bracket like that.
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Agreed, very clean!

If anyone is interested in mounting a 2.5" drive directly to the optical tray (drilling holes for screws) I found some anti-vibration silicone washers that are M3 size shipping from the US. I still think I'll end up mounting the SSD there to avoid vibration noise, but for those who wanted two mechanical drives, these are probably the way to go. This may necessitate longer screws though (I'm thinking m3x6 or m3x8..) I'll post details on mounting directly to the optical tray in ~3 weeks when I have all the parts in, unless someone beats me to it.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=23696

BP-AV-USW-BK_01.jpg
 
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I measured the absolute maximums for the video card:

Length: 257.12 mm, or, if you can figure a way to remove the fan filter clip at the bottom, 263.5 mm
Height: 133.35 mm, or 152.4 mm if you remove the DVD bracket.

On a side note, I did end up reversing the radiator so that the hoses run along the opposite wall from the video card. After looking at it in its final position, I don't anticipate any issue with the the power supply and its wiring.

And for those that don't want to convert:

Length: 10 1/8", or 10 3/8" by removing fan filter clip
Height: 5 1/4", or 6" w/o DVD bracket
 
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SalemSwift said:
I measured the absolute maximums for the video card:

Length: 257.12 mm, or, if you can figure a way to remove the fan filter clip at the bottom, 263.5 mm
Height: 133.35 mm, or 152.4 mm if you remove the DVD bracket.
Width/Thickness: 41.9 mm

On a side note, I did end up reversing the radiator so that the hoses run along the opposite wall from the video card. After looking at it in its final position, I don't anticipate any issue with the the power supply and its wiring.

And for those that don't want to convert:

Length: 10 1/8", or 10 3/8" by removing fan filter clip
Height: 5 1/4", or 6" w/o DVD bracket
Width/Thickness: 1 5/8"
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Hah, after I just converted it all.. :)

I thought the GTX 670 I've seen in a few peoples posts in this thread fit fine.. Amazon lists the EVGA GTX 670 as 2" thick.. maybe Amazon is off. hrmm.. EVGA doesn't list width on it's spec sheet.. off to google..
 
I measured to a plastic pin that looked like it would stop a wider card, but I know people are widely using the 670 with the blower style cooler, so I'll remove that width measurment. Suffice to say, no possibility for a triple slot card.

The thing about this case is that it forces you toward NVIDIA for high-end gaming, because AMD's 7950 and 7970 all seem to be too long. That's fine by me, but definitely removes options.

I'm still scouring card dimensions to find a GTX 670 with non-reference cooler that will fit out of the box. Based on reviews and comments, blowers aren't exactly quiet under load. This PC will likely be spending some time on my desk, 3 feet from my ears.
 
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SalemSwift said:
I measured to a plastic pin that looked like it would stop a wider card, but I know people are widely using the 670 with the blower style cooler, so I'll remove that width measurment. Suffice to say, no possibility for a triple slot card.

The thing about this case is that it forces you toward NVIDIA for high-end gaming, because AMD's 7950 and 7970 all seem to be too long. That's fine by me, but definitely removes options.

I'm still scouring card dimensions to find a GTX 670 with non-reference cooler that will fit out of the box. Based on reviews and comments, blowers aren't exactly quiet under load. This PC will likely be spending some time on my desk, 3 feet from my ears.
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Have you considered this bad boy?! :D

Looks like it cranks out a whopping 7.5fps on Crysis @ 1680x1050.. ;)

P_500.jpg
 
Yea...no. MSI's TwinFrozr 7950 (10.2") seems to be the only upper end AMD card that may fit by removing the fan filter clip at the bottom of the case.
 
Looks like Dreamwonder got a 680 in there.. barely.. of course that might be more noise than the blower..

DSC01697.jpg
 
I'll leave it at this, since I can obsess with the best.

The top photo is from NewEgg's measurment of the 11" Gigabyte Windforce 3 OC GTX 670.
The bottom photo is from the TechPowerUp review where he chopped the card to fit.

http://imgur.com/a/n80nJ

Perhaps this will let people make some estimates as to what they could fit at a maximum.

Comparing the photos, I'd say the reviewer trimmed the card to 260 mm (10.23") and was able to fit the card without removing the fan filter stump at the bottom of the case. This leads me to believe MSI's 7950 TwinFrozr would fit without modification for the AMD fans.

*Dreamwonder's Galaxy 680 supposedly measures 10" from the factory spec sheet.
 
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Aww.. I hate when this thread dies down.. I can't order my parts for another two weeks (why did I agree with the wife to do a non-online-ordering month?!? :( ).. Someone post some new pics of their builds or something! :D
 
Well, I'm settling into the idea that I'll purchase the Galaxy GTX 670 OC edition, identical to Dreamwonder's other than not being 680. Reviews are flattering and mention several times how quiet it operates against competitors, so I'm in.

The only thing I'm concerned about is that my pursuit for low noise will be disrupted by SilverStone's own ST45SF-G modular PSU. I haven't heard anyone say the non-modular version was quiet, the opposite, in fact. That bugs me since I'm not sure there's an advantage now other than the 80 Plus Gold over Bronze. Anyone gaming and using a couple hard drives will likely be using all of the cable connectors anyway...

Today:
Tony Ou said:
Sorry for the lack of update, but I figured I should wait until our US office actually received them before I post again. So here I am...;)

ST45SF-G should start showing up at your favorite North American e-tailers in the next few days or by next week.
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SalemSwift said:
Well, I'm settling into the idea that I'll purchase the Galaxy GTX 670 OC edition, identical to Dreamwonder's other than not being 680. Reviews are flattering and mention several times how quiet it operates against competitors, so I'm in.

The only thing I'm concerned about is that my pursuit for low noise will be disrupted by SilverStone's own ST45SF-G modular PSU. I haven't heard anyone say the non-modular version was quiet, the opposite, in fact. That bugs me since I'm not sure there's an advantage now other than the 80 Plus Gold over Bronze. Anyone gaming and using a couple hard drives will likely be using all of the cable connectors anyway...

Today:
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Yep, I went back and forth on the GPU too.. Going to with the EVGA 670 cheaper version.. I figure I can OC on my own if I want too, but coming from a GTX 280M, it'll be a huge leap anyways.

That's great news! Hopefully they'll be up on NewEgg soon!

and I wonder how much more it will cost.. :(
 
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nameBrandon said:
£89, so we're probably looking at ~ $139 USD..
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That's 89 pounds including sales tax, 74 pounds without... that's 115 USD
I paid 110 euros, 93 euros before tax ... again 115 USD.

I'm not sure what's a usual amount for sales tax in the States, but I'm sure it's not as high as in Europe (19-20%).
 
WiSK said:
That's 89 pounds including sales tax, 74 pounds without... that's 115 USD
I paid 110 euros, 93 euros before tax ... again 115 USD.

I'm not sure what's a usual amount for sales tax in the States, but I'm sure it's not as high as in Europe (19-20%).
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Oh thanks, didn't catch the VAT line in there.. That's good news, since most of us in the US won't end up paying any tax on it if we order online.
 
Want that PSU so bad, need to wait a couple months to get one though... :((((( BIGFROWN
 
Fanfreakin'tastic. My PC has been wrapped up in the closet for more than a month, waiting for some power.

It allowed me to purchase it and said it will ship as soon as it's available. $94, no tax, 2 day prime shipping. Soon I'll be able to test temps and noise of the whole setup and start making changes as needed.

Edit: The dimensions of the PSU listed on the Amazon US site are well off.
 
Video cards with the stock blower type fans work best in the FT03-Mini. Those dual fan cards work best when the side panel has mesh or some type of ventilation.
 
Synomenon said:
Video cards with the stock blower type fans work best in the FT03-Mini. Those dual fan cards work best when the side panel has mesh or some type of ventilation.
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Indeed: my double fan 560Ti Phantom works great in the SG05. Won't be using it in the FT03-mini, which gives me a good excuse to buy a GTX670 :)
 
But it seems well documented that blower style cards are noticeably louder than dual fan cards. I don't believe I've ever seen a review for a blower cooled GTX 670/680 that mentioned the card was comparably quieter than competitors with dual and triple fans.

Being that the entire airflow of the case will have nowhere to go but up, I don't see that containing the air in a blower will mean much for this chimney-like case. Plus, would not a blower card actually have to work harder in this situation as 1 fan is tasked with vacuuming in air while facing a panel that is only a few mm away; as opposed to 2 running at a slower RPM to achieve the same CFM?

My opinion is that a blower card benefits in price alone in this situation and that all air, regardless of temp, is ejected fast enough to make a blower's containment unnecessary.

*Perhaps Dreamwonder could comment on his experience with the dual-fan 680 he's using.
 
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SalemSwift said:
Being that the entire airflow of the case will have nowhere to go but up,
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The AP141 is good, but it's not reverse-gravity.

The point is that dual-fan types are blowing half of the heat downwards, while the AP blows upwards. It's not a very efficient way of getting the heat out.
 
I understand, but I'm not certain it's enough to make a difference in this instance. In the end, I'll take a few degrees C+ if it means not hearing my video card. I have a push/pull radiator at the bottom, too, though I've been reading it's overkill in this case b/c of the design.

If it were an issue, I have spacers and longer screws that will let me angle the radiator's pull fan and point it toward the video card. I doubt it'll be necessary, though.
 
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