A Closer Look - Outside

Take a look at the FT04 and you will notice that its window is on the other side of the chassis, which means the motherboard is installed upside down. A thick aluminum panel has been placed on top and another wraps across the top of the chassis. These really add to the overall feel of the case and are one of the reasons why it goes for €200.


The front is completely solid. Silverstone's logo sits snugly on the front, but you may swing the cover open to the left, which reveals two drive bays and large cooling fans. The layout in the rear reveals an interior that has essentially been flipped upside down, which improves thermals as hot air rises, and all expansion cards, like graphics cards, now also have top-facing fans, for example.


The two Air Penetrator AP182 fans in the front are the only cooling units that come pre-installed right out of the box. They create a massive wind tunnel that blows cool air across hard drives and motherboard and out the back. The dust filter here can easily be removed for cleaning. Above that are the two 5.25" drive bays and, if you look closely, the two silver dials. These allow you to control each of the AP182 fans individually. Silverstone also applied sound-dampening materials to all the solid spots within the case, including the insides of the front door.


Everything in the rear is reversed. In the bottom are the motherboard backplate and 120 mm fan mount. Above that are the eight expansion slots, which are protected by individual covers. In the very top is the PSU bay with two sets of mounting holes—you may then install such a unit with the fan facing up- or downward.


The windowed part on the main panel is sized to hide the optical drives and power supply, while the opposing panel is completely solid. The shape of the front door leaves room for air vents on both sides, which allows the powerful Air Penetrator fans to draw in a lot of fresh air.


Both I/O and buttons are on the side of the chassis because of the way the front is shaped. The two USB 3.0 plugs and Audio I/O have been placed on the main side, while the power and reset buttons are on the other side of the chassis. As you can clearly see, the front door does not line up with the top panel at all, especially on the left side. Not something one would like when buying a chassis of this price point, we contacted Silverstone about it and were told that a replacement can be arranged if your are unhappy about how the case has been put together.


The air vent on top is for the power supply. This panel is out of plastic and does not line up with the top of the FT04 because it is not as curvy. Push it down with a finger, though, and it fits nicely. There is then some variance in how far the aluminum panels are bent. We, once again, approached Silverstone and were told to check if the top cover has been placed on the chassis the right way around, but how it snapped onto the opening unfortunately made no difference. Once again, get Silverstone to exchange your chassis if unhappy. These discrepancies are a bit unfortunate for a case of this price segment, though. You may remove the top panel with a firm tug to its edge, which would reveal the installed PSU below.