# Silverstone FT03 Build Log



## Cold Storm (Jan 30, 2011)

The Silverstone FT03. The Fortress 3. One that has changed dramaticlly since the the two before it. 
I felt that since the case was still "so new" that I make a log for it.


-Hardware-
MSI H55-ED55
i3 540
Patriot Viper Xtreme 4gb ddr3 2000mhz
MSI Cyclone GTS 450
xFx XXX-edition 650w Modular  PSU
Xigmatek Aegir W/ 2  Eneermax T.B. Silence 120mm
Adata 64gb ssd
3tbs storage.


Now, for the fun stuff. 






























































The case is well done.  Small yet, very roomy if you can get your cable management done with a Modular PSU.. It has to be Modular. If you can't get it, then this PSU will be one PITA case.. Unless you just place 1 hdd in the hot-swap, and a ssd in the back.. 

As for temps.. It's really nice. I've got this silent as can be. Even the GPU isn't that loud. 








In all, the case is one heck of a HTPC case. It can sit right next to the entertainment center. Only draw back.. Optical Drive. You have to get a "self loader" type drive. Silvertone has two different versions of a DVD drive.. I haven't search for a Blu-ray But with the buy of a Asus external Blu-ray burner there isn't any need for the front optical drive.


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## Jack Doph (Jan 30, 2011)

Nice work.
A finished photo would probably be nice, so the end result of what you mean can actually be seen 


EDIT:
Never mind. That pic didn't load for me before xD


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## Cold Storm (Jan 30, 2011)

Jack Doph said:


> Nice work.
> A finished photo would probably be nice, so the end result of what you mean can actually be seen
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks.. Yeah, for some reason, the last picture got lost..


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## mlee49 (Jan 30, 2011)

Whoa, what is that dvi adapter? Ball-socket adapter?


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## Cold Storm (Jan 30, 2011)

mlee49 said:


> Whoa, what is that dvi adapter? Ball-socket adapter?



HDMI rotating adapter


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## Random Murderer (Jan 30, 2011)

mlee49 said:


> Whoa, what is that dvi adapter? Ball-socket adapter?





Cold Storm said:


> HDMI rotating adapter



yea, they're fun to play with. glad you brought it over last night to show us. that case is sweet; i wouldn't mind knowing if that cooler is an msi exclusive or if the end-user can buy them, it's pretty beast!
now you should hook it up to your tv with some emulators and play old-skool in HD!


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## Cold Storm (Jan 30, 2011)

Random Murderer said:


> yea, they're fun to play with. glad you brought it over last night to show us. that case is sweet; i wouldn't mind knowing if that cooler is an msi exclusive or if the end-user can buy them, it's pretty beast!
> now you should hook it up to your tv with some emulators and play old-skool in HD!



First I gotta get some to play with! lol..

Tell "dad" about the log.


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## cadaveca (Jan 30, 2011)

did the case some with that funky DVI connector?


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## Cold Storm (Jan 30, 2011)

cadaveca said:


> did the case some with that funky DVI connector?



Nope, it didn't come with anything but screws, a few "ties" for wires, and the book on how to take it apart to put the system in there.. It's sad.. Has to have a book to tell you how to put the mobo in there..


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## cadaveca (Jan 30, 2011)

hmm, so I'm gonna have to get one of my own...how is clearance without it?


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## Cold Storm (Jan 30, 2011)

cadaveca said:


> hmm, so I'm gonna have to get one of my own...how is clearance without it?



Clearance without it is good. a LOT better then the FT02/Raven02 case. That's the whole reason why I had 2 of them.. the Raven requires you to bend the cable a little more then I would like to see a cable bend.. But, you got about 2/3in before the top even is put on. 

If wanted, when I get home, around 7pm est, I can get some pictures of it with just a hdmi cable in it. I was using one, with out the adapter, when i used the onboard for a few days..


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## cadaveca (Jan 30, 2011)

Cold Storm said:


> If wanted, when I get home, around 7pm est, I can get some pictures of it with just a hdmi cable in it. I was using one, with out the adapter, when i used the onboard for a few days..




No need, I trust you on that one..I had the raven cases too, so we are on the same page, 100%.

You just bought first! Bastard! 

THnaks for the pics already...that's enough to seal the deal and buy a couple. Should be here around the end of next week.


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## Cold Storm (Jan 30, 2011)

cadaveca said:


> No need, I trust you on that one..I had the raven cases too, so we are on the same page, 100%.
> 
> You just bought first! Bastard!
> 
> THnaks for the pics already...that's enough to seal the deal and buy a couple. Should be here around the end of next week.



I almost want to get a H50/H70 just to see what kind of clearance it has in there.. if it'll add the fan that I had to take out due to the XIg and so forth.

It's a great case. Just note that I changed out every fan with the Enermax T.B. Silence fans.. There worth the pennies.. Heck, with how it's set up.. a PCI bracket fan knob can even be used.. lol


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## cadaveca (Jan 30, 2011)

I'll post some pics when i get mine. I'm currently looking for the slot-load drive local. I plan on using an H50 anyway, and given the number of configs I've had it in, I do not think there will be any issues at all. The H70 i'm not so sure about, but I'll check that too...not gonna use it in that rig though.


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## Cold Storm (Jan 30, 2011)

cadaveca said:


> I'll post some pics when i get mine. I'm currently looking for the slot-load drive local. I plan on using an H50 anyway, and given the number of configs I've had it in, I do not think there will be any issues at all. The H70 i'm not so sure about, but I'll check that too...not gonna use it in that rig though.





Silverstone's Single Slot, Self Loading SOD01 & SOD02

It's a PITA that it has to be like that.. I just opp'd not to use it.. Grabbed a USB, drive.. I download mostly everything now, and place it on a USB.. No point in having my bay drive full if it's just going to "looK" prettty



*If more people get to grabbing this, I'll see about moving it and renaming the thread.


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## InnocentCriminal (Jan 30, 2011)

:O

How did I miss this?

Love this case! Nicely done so far. Now I'm going to go back to the top and read the thread.

Thanks for sharing.


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## prava (Feb 2, 2011)

Hi folks!
This is my first post here  

*@Cold Storm*: could you tell what kind of HDD temperatures do you get? Do they HDD make contact with any part of the bay (motherboard panel or side panel)?

Its the only thing that worries me about such a fantastic case...and as there are barely a few people that have posted such build I'm quite interested 

Thanks in advance, and nice build


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## InnocentCriminal (Feb 2, 2011)

Welcome to the forums Prava!


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## Cold Storm (Feb 2, 2011)

prava said:


> Hi folks!
> This is my first post here
> 
> *@Cold storm*: could you tell what kind of HDD temperatures do you get? Do they HDD make contact with any part of the bay (motherboard panel or side panel)?
> ...



Welcome to the forums Prava first off. 


The hdd's don't touch the side panel at all.. they fit quite nicely in the back. I think you got about 1in in space. There is Hdd racks that you just screw them into the side, then screw it onto the back. Plus you have the one "hot swap" that won't touch it at all.. Just note that if you place a SSD, which works since I placed my 100gb in there, you do have to take off the side panel to place it in there and take out. Yes, you could grab it from the top, but I wouldn't trust the connector from messing it up.. 

As for temps. It'll have to wait til I get home and turn on everest for ya. I have ss's but I'm at work and I haven't added my remote desktop up yet.


Well, we might be doing something more.. lol... I find that is a 80mm duel rad out there.. can't link it right now, but I'll do so later on.. I have a thought.. lol


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## prava (Feb 2, 2011)

Thanks for the warm welcome, fellows! 



Cold Storm said:


> The hdd's don't touch the side panel at all.. they fit quite nicely in the back. I think you got about 1in in space. There is Hdd racks that you just screw them into the side, then screw it onto the back. Plus you have the one "hot swap" that won't touch it at all.. Just note that if you place a SSD, which works since I placed my 100gb in there, you do have to take off the side panel to place it in there and take out. Yes, you could grab it from the top, but I wouldn't trust the connector from messing it up..
> 
> As for temps. It'll have to wait til I get home and turn on everest for ya. I have ss's but I'm at work and I haven't added my remote desktop up yet.
> 
> Well, we might be doing something more.. lol... I find that is a 80mm duel rad out there.. can't link it right now, but I'll do so later on.. I have a thought.. lol



Thanks for the info  . If you could check Everest I would highly appreciate it...but there is no hurry, so take your time 

About the rad....mmmmmm...jeez don't give me ideas that I was planning to sell my current watercooling system  ...although maybe its not such a bad idea to place a 120mm rad somewhere  (actually, an 80mm rad has 64cm^2...whereas a 12cm one has 144cm^2. So, for cooling purpouses it would be much better to have 1 x 12cm than 2 x 8cm, and also the fan would be quieter.

Ah! And just as I was writing this...the case appeared in stock in Spain! Wohoooooooooooo     I wanted to pair it with a Sandy system but I put that on hold, that bug doesn't please me too much...and I need to use 3 SATA (and there is no mATX with more than 2 SATA3 for all that I know).


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## Cold Storm (Feb 2, 2011)

prava said:


> Thanks for the warm welcome, fellows!
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Well, the thing that I've been thinking, due to talking to someone else that is getting one.. No drive bay.. I'm a person that wants to know the res amount.. I don't like to just turn it on and... dead motor due to water.. So, there is Fan res.. Just don't know about mounting it "uptop"..

But, I'll see how it goes.. lol..






Don't worry about the Seagate hdd's. It's being replaced this weekend due to the fact it's on its last leg..


I was thinking about the new Sandy.. But, why go to it? this is a HTPC.. No need for the "new" tech, when the old will do just fine.. The only thing I might change, is the motherboard.. I gotta play with Milivolts to "lower" the CPU volts..


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## Easy Rhino (Feb 2, 2011)

that case looks like it is impossible to build in. also, if you place it on thick carpet do you think there will be enough clearance for proper airflow? and does it come with a slot dvd-drive as well?


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## Cold Storm (Feb 2, 2011)

Easy Rhino said:


> that case looks like it is impossible to build in. also, if you place it on thick carpet do you think there will be enough clearance for proper airflow? and does it come with a slot dvd-drive as well?








Sorry for teh blurry picture, just snapped it real fast.. 

There hasn't been any issues that I can tell for it. my card, is idling at 32c, and it has the fan blowing onto it.. I will place stuff under it and see if there is a difference. I know with the Raven02 needs to be plopped up in order to get better flow.. I'll do that tonight..

The Manual shows how you can take it all apart to place it in.. But, me being a guy.. I was able to place it without taking anything out.. lol.. It shouldn't be more then about 2m to take the two things out in order to work in it.. If you don't use a Full CPU cooler.. If you do, then the front fan doesn't need to be in there. If you have a low profile set up, then you can add back that fan.

As for the Drive.. Nope.. and it's just Silverstone SOD01(02) they state, can be used.. But, it should be any one that are used in iMac's.. Since you just do the "eject" to pop the disc out.. Silm drive btw..


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## prava (Feb 2, 2011)

Cold Storm said:


> Well, the thing that I've been thinking, due to talking to someone else that is getting one.. No drive bay.. I'm a person that wants to know the res amount.. I don't like to just turn it on and... dead motor due to water.. So, there is Fan res.. Just don't know about mounting it "uptop"..
> 
> But, I'll see how it goes.. lol..
> 
> ...



OK, thanks  . Temp wise the HDD are perfectly fine...at least the ones in the upper slots provided they are 5400rpm  Which, for my purpouses, is perfectly ok...as I'm looking forward to the new incoming SSDs (G3, C400 and SF2000) that should also lower the prce/gb ratio (I already have a G2 80GB but its too small...specially if you are to get rid of all the 7200 rpm HDDs).

About the need to check the water...you will never watch it. Either way, the safest bet would be to put some thermal-shutdown in case the cpu gets higher than XX temperature. If you think about it, there are plenty of instances in which you let the pc on and don't stay around...and in those cases having a bay depot is not helpful (also: bay depots are a PITA to bleed, mound, and everything. I happen to have one because I got my WC kit dirty cheap, otherwise I would have a Swiftech Micro-res or some kind of EK Tube).

Also, I have yet to refill my depot...and my loop has been working for around a year (yup, the water went down something like 2mm tops. No evaporation for me). With that said, I'm going to swap again to air cooling because Sandy Bridge runs quite cooler than previos-gen quad cores and, this way, I can get the case for free, nearly.

About Sandy... I have a Q6600 that is starting to feel old. That, and the fact that I can't use my Auzentech X-Fi Forte together with my GTX295 (because some brilliant engineer placed the battery too close to a slot  ) in my DFI P45 jr is another thing.
But hey, no excuses...the upgrade-bug has been itching me for some time, and I think I've resisted a ton. Now, with the recent bug...I may even wait for Bulldozer although my hopes relating IPC (the only thing that matters when you care about gaming performance) aren't that high atm.




Cold Storm said:


> As for the Drive.. Nope.. and it's just Silverstone SOD01(02) they state, can be used.. But, it should be any one that are used in iMac's.. Since you just do the "eject" to pop the disc out.. Silm drive btw..



Actually, that Silverstone drive you mention is based on a (If I'm not mistaken) Panasonic unit...so, you may be able to find it for cheap.

Me? I don't care...it seems there is no way to find a slot-loading slim DVD unit in Spain and I'm not going to expend in it as much as the case is worth  Also, I found this unit that seems kinda nice:


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## Cold Storm (Feb 2, 2011)

prava said:


> OK, thanks  . Temp wise the HDD are perfectly fine...at least the ones in the upper slots provided they are 5400rpm  Which, for my purpouses, is perfectly ok...as I'm looking forward to the new incoming SSDs (G3, C400 and SF2000) that should also lower the prce/gb ratio (I already have a G2 80GB but its too small...specially if you are to get rid of all the 7200 rpm HDDs).
> 
> About the need to check the water...you will never watch it. Either way, the safest bet would be to put some thermal-shutdown in case the cpu gets higher than XX temperature. If you think about it, there are plenty of instances in which you let the pc on and don't stay around...and in those cases having a bay depot is not helpful (also: bay depots are a PITA to bleed, mound, and everything. I happen to have one because I got my WC kit dirty cheap, otherwise I would have a Swiftech Micro-res or some kind of EK Tube).
> 
> Also, I have yet to refill my depot...and my loop has been working for around a year (yup, the water went down something like 2mm tops. No evaporation for me). With that said, I'm going to swap again to air cooling because Sandy Bridge runs quite cooler than previos-gen quad cores and, this way, I can get the case for free, nearly.



Your right on the factor of bleeding and so forth.. I'm more of a "visual" type of person. I know that there is water in the loop, and fill, blah.. blah.. But, I like to see when I do things.. It's a stupid thing. I know, but that's how I've all ways been.



> About Sandy... I have a Q6600 that is starting to feel old. That, and the fact that I can't use my Auzentech X-Fi Forte together with my GTX295 (because some brilliant engineer placed the battery too close to a slot  ) in my DFI P45 jr is another thing.
> But hey, no excuses...the upgrade-bug has been itching me for some time, and I think I've resisted a ton. Now, with the recent bug...I may even wait for Bulldozer although my hopes relating IPC (the only thing that matters when you care about gaming performance) aren't that high atm.



Yeah, the factor of the ageing of the system would make you want to upgrade. I get that.. I'd just wait at lease another 2m before I go sandy.. Due to the intel bug on the chips..



> Actually, that Silverstone drive you mention is based on a (If I'm not mistaken) Panasonic unit...so, you may be able to find it for cheap.
> 
> Me? I don't care...it seems there is no way to find a slot-loading slim DVD unit in Spain and I'm not going to expend in it as much as the case is worth  Also, I found this unit that seems kinda nice:
> 
> http://5.thumbsfotos.pccomponentes.com/asus_sdrw_08d2s_u_grabadora_dvd_slim_externa_usb_290_290.jpg




I thought I linked the drive I have.. I think I did in a thread somewhere.. 

Due to my other case, I'm not placing a single bay drive in the case, I went with what you pictured. I love the drive. it works like a charm. Just wish I didn't loose the cd that came with it.. lol.. I got PowerDVD, so there is no problem with that.. Just liked the software they gave with it..


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## prava (Feb 3, 2011)

Cold Storm said:


> Yeah, the factor of the ageing of the system would make you want to upgrade. I get that.. I'd just wait at lease another 2m before I go sandy.. Due to the intel bug on the chips..



Yup, we are on the same boat then  Luckily for me I found a good offer on a GTX460 1GB (105€) and didn't wait a second, lets see how much time the upgrade-bug stays quiet hehe. 



> Due to my other case, I'm not placing a single bay drive in the case, I went with what you pictured. I love the drive. it works like a charm. Just wish I didn't loose the cd that came with it.. lol.. I got PowerDVD, so there is no problem with that.. Just liked the software they gave with it..



Oh, you already have one? How is it? Noisy? Cute? I found it very pleasing as it stand vertically...just the same as the tower


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## Cold Storm (Feb 3, 2011)

prava said:


> Yup, we are on the same boat then  Luckily for me I found a good offer on a GTX460 1GB (105€) and didn't wait a second, lets see how much time the upgrade-bug stays quiet hehe.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, you already have one? How is it? Noisy? Cute? I found it very pleasing as it stand vertically...just the same as the tower



The Drive is great. I don't have it vertical. I just have it sitting on top of the case. 

The more and more I play with this 450, the more I want to grab at 560 ti..


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## Cold Storm (Feb 8, 2011)

Well... Here's something to throw at everyone.. I woke up at 1:30 this morning to a beep on the system.. Ok, so Windows updated... Nope.. I got a bsod that resulted in a missing Boot Manager.. So, Check the cabling and saw this..

DO NOT USE 90d SATA's on the drives... even though there wasn't a real tight bend, it messed with the system.. So, I got cables coming in tomorrow or Thursday to replace everything.. 

No loss on the hdd's.. I just gotta repair the os when I get home.. Even if I gotta do a install.. Won't be hard.. Nothing much on the drive anyway..


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