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  • tulx - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    I use the Raven 2 and Fortress 2 cases for mine and my wife's PCs and have never considered "conventional" designs since. The Fortress 5 looks like an interesting solution, even though it seems they've really made the cable management more tedious. I actually like the vertical design. Gives more room for longer graphics cards. My 290x has barely any room left at the bottom.
  • dragonsqrrl - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    Also an FT02 owner, by far the best case I've ever owned. I prefer large mid towers, so in terms of size it's perfect. Fantastic air flow, at launch it consistently topped the charts for component air cooling (GPU in particular).

    I like the clean minimalist design of most Silverstone cases, and I really appreciate their commitment to filtered positive air pressure. Really, I have know idea why this is so difficult for some other case makers, it simply offers superior air cooling and dust management. Why negative air pressure cases are still brought to market is beyond me.

    Sadly I think the FT02 was their last great mid tower, and they really haven't addressed this market since. The FT03 was small form factor and in my opinion impractical from a usability standpoint, although it did have an interesting and innovative design. The FT04 was larger but had these really bizarre design oversights, like that awkward drive cage, and that awkward door. But again, interesting innovative design. The FT05 is the closest to an FT02 successor that I've seen, but I still think it misses the mark. I love the aesthetics, but I really feel like Silverstone has neglected the larger mid tower crowd the past few years in favor of these smaller form factor designs, none of which have really worked out from a functionality/usability perspective (although this is the best I've seen so far). I guess for some reason they just don't think larger cases are relevant anymore. I think if they could just bring this same sort of creativity and design philosophy back to mid/full towers they could have a real winner on their hands. Heck, all they would really have to do is update/modernize the FT02, instant success.
  • bunnyfubbles - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    have to completely agree with this sentiment, FT05 feels like an FT02 Jr., not a true successor.

    Really, the FT02 is already close to perfect, it only needs to be modernized and tweaked slightly.

    For instance, more hidden SSD install points, an expanded area for cable management (the backside was a little too small for some cables being hidden behind the motherboard)...

    ...and of course better support for water cooling. Even though it was designed to be a sort of ultimate air cooling tower, with a little modding it makes a wicked water cooling set up as well, the problem being that it does require a fair bit of modding to really do it justice, for instance a removable HDD cage and install points or adapters for attaching smaller radiators to the 180mm fans would be amazing.
  • bunnyfubbles - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    oh and I forgot, more space for the 180mm fans and fan filters to install a radiator, right now the fan filters have to be removed to install one of those ginormous 1x/2x/3x180mm rads.
  • Samus - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    The FT02 is by far the perfect tower case. I do however love the FT03 and FT03-mini. I actually prefer the FT03 over the mini because it is more flexible/expandable and easier to work on, but there is no denying the mini's ability to pack an amazing amount of power into something the size of a bread loaf.

    The FT03-mini is undoubtedly the most challenging case to work in. I remember upgrading my videocard from a 660Ti to a 970 and literally taking out everything but the motherboard to get it wedged in there. The FT03-mini also required liquid cooling (and is designed with a 120x120x25mm closed-loop cooler in mind.)

    I don't mind the requirement of slot-loading drives in these cases. Unless you are going the route of a Bluray burner, a SFF slot-load DVD burner can be had for $30 + $7 for the required SATA adapter. It's the same drive Macbooks use.
  • dragonsqrrl - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    "For instance, more hidden SSD install points, an expanded area for cable management (the backside was a little too small for some cables being hidden behind the motherboard)..."

    Those are definitely two of the things I was thinking of, and they both have to do with the cable management space behind the motherboard tray. It's just too narrow compared to other modern cases, and it was definitely a tight fit in my system. Widening the case by half an inch could solve this problem.

    Some of the other things I was thinking of include enlarging the CPU access hole in the motherboard tray, making the drive cage modular, and reducing the number of 5.25" bays. 5 really isn't necessary anymore, arguably wasn't necessary when the FT02 launched. 2 would be sufficient (I only need one), and use the available space for something else, like modular drive cages. But I think that's just about it as far as functionality goes. It really is a fantastic case that could be made that much better with a few teaks.
  • R3MF - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    i have the fto02, and happily replaced it with the 05.

    love the case, as much as the 02.
  • Laststop311 - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    Agree I use a ft02 and it is still the undisputed champ.Use one and you will never want another case.
  • 7tron - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link

    I replaced my FT02 four months ago with the FT05. The FT02 was an excellent case but as I since got a decent NAS I did not require 5 HDD cases. The FT05 is ideal for me, functions exactly like the 2 except without the drive bays and the 3rd air penetrator fan. Tricky enough to build in as space is tight, but I fitted a H80i and two reference GTX 780's in no hassle. The build quality is generally excellent-one thing I don't like is the finish of back the mirrored strip with the lit up Silverstone logo.

    One thing I love about the rotated motherboard design and very few mention is the fact that your PCI cards are hanging from the back plate; it's brilliant for two plus GPU's in SLI/Xfire-no sagging cards.
  • ES_Revenge - Sunday, June 7, 2015 - link

    I dunno how people came to the conclusion the FT05 is supposed to be a replacement or successor to the FT02. They're nothing alike.

    FT02 may have been great functionally but it's ugly as sin compared to the FT05. What does it have like *five* external 5.25 bays? Looks terrible, esp. in this day and age where those bays would be populated by nothing and just have the outlines of the bay covers showing. I'm sure it's a great case (and by all accounts here it is) but the FT05 was made to be something unique and elegant and not necessarily (or actually at all) attain the same kind of functionality the FT02 had. Going from 5x 5.25 bays to NONE says this isn't supposed to have anything to do with the FT02.

    If anything I liken the FT05 more to my SG03 (the first gen of which is all alum construction, including the frame). Sure the SG03 is a Sugo and mATX, but it's designed to be a compact and elegant little tower, much like the FT05, albeit a Fortress and full ATX. OTOH I don't see any design similarities with the FT05 and the FT02, other than the form-factor.

    Seems senseless to compare the two given the clearly must have totally different design and market goals. I agree that anyone looking for a modernised FT02 would have to look elsewhere, as I don't think Silverstone ever intended the FT05 to fill that spot.
  • Kepe - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    Well, a ~$200 case is not exactly meant for the budget crowd, so having to pay $60 extra for a slot-loading DVD/Blu-ray drive (compared to a regular 5.25" drive) isn't going to be a huge issue.. But for me, the interior space is just a little too cramped. I have a Silverstone Raven 03 and it has a lot of room for all the stuff one might need. Of course it's also a lot bigger with tons of 3½" HDD bays, which I don't use at all. I hope Silverstone could find a better compromise between a huge case like the Raven RV03 and the cramped Raven RV05 and Fortress FT05.. They should also think about possibilities with water cooling, as none of these cases have proper space for (bigger than 120mm) radiators without removing the bottom fans which defeats the entire purpose of these cases. On the RV03 for example, the entire rear panel of the case is just blank with one 120mm fan opening, and nothing attached to the panel inside the case. This would be a perfect place for a 280mm radiator, although it is a bit far from the CPU socket and AIO coolers probably don't have long enough hoses to mount the rad there.
    Anyways, the bottom-to-top airflow of these cases is absolutely awesome keeping everything nice and cool and quiet. I have my fans connected to the MB instead of the fan controller, and the MB controls the fans according to CPU thermals.
  • Flunk - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    Or pick up a USB optical drive for $30 and never have to buy another one.
  • cjs150 - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    "the installation of liquid cooling radiators requires the removal of the 180mm Penetrator fans "

    There are radiators designed for 180mm fans. Might be an interesting modding exercise to fit a 2x180mm radiator into this, I think you would need to loose the HDD cage (no big loss) and probably cut the back of the case to allow radiator and barbs to stick out back, then route tubing back through case (maybe have a custom reservoir at case back as well). Looks like it could be done and with right colour scheme would be stunning.

    Now all I need to do is build my modding cave to start!
  • DanNeely - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    It'd need to be a compact design to fit in the case though. A standard radiator layout with only fins/channels in the path of the fan and an inch or two of overhang on both sides to connect the water channels and hoses wouldn't fit because there's almost no clearance on either side of the fans. It doesn't look like you'd have much space for overhang on the long sides either; but from the pictures I can't tell if it'd be tight enough to be a potential problem. Honestly, I think a bracket to put a 280 rad on top of the existing fans would probably be the best option.
  • DanNeely - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    Whoops, I intended this as a reply to Kepe (above) who wasn't thinking in terms of cutting the case up to make things fit.
  • cjs150 - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    DanNeely: I think you are right about the width which makes things a bit awkward, keeping the fans where they are and a custom shroud between fan and radiator is a nice idea - there is definitely the option of a stunning liquid cooled build with this case.

    I have never had a problem with pump vibration using proper isolation material solves the problem.

    Cutting up case is half the fun of modding !
  • Primum - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    While you'd probably not fit the EK dual 180 in (400x180x35) without some difficulty, I can't see any reason you wouldn't fit the Alphacool one in easily enough. With the fans at the bottom in push it's fairly straight forward. At a stretch a custom shroud would work, but you run the risk of making your cable management job even harder than it already is.
  • Boffinboy - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    This is a fairly common mod for the FT-02. I did so with mine, but used a 3x180mm and a 120mm at the top. Requires removing the built in fan filter (I replaced mine with a DEMCIflex magnet filter externally) and some cutting depending on the loop you build. The 2x180mm requires no dremeling, particularly if you get a thin version.

    My loop got infected and I ended up deciding to go back to a large air cooler for the CPU and not bothering to put my graphics cards under water. In all honesty the performance under air is fine, and just as quiet - I had a bay res and the pump vibration was noticeable. An expensive experiment that was!

    I'd be very tempted by this FT-05, but it's so costly, and I'm not sure anyone would buy my hacked-up FT-02...
  • alaricljs - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    I've been occasionally working on a design like this for 3-4 years now... I don't think it's very good yet but this one isn't as good as what I've come up with imho...
  • DanNeely - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    "Breakthrough 5.25 inch bay-free design for unprecedented power to size ratio"

    *rolls eyes* Because no one has sold a case without 5.25" bays before.
  • maximumGPU - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    i can't decide if i should get this. I'm running an FT02 and it oozes quality, but is getting too large and i have no use for optical drives.
    This looks fantastic, but the extremely cramped space is a turnoff, especially considering i'm running two gpus. Noise is also a big concern for me, and my experience with the AP180 mm fan is that they are definetly not silent, unless you run them at really low speeds.
    My other contender is the H440. Great looks and quiet but alas with much more plastic and inferior cooling.
  • Boffinboy - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    I have the exact same dilemma! The trend for AIO cooled graphics cards could solve this. Out of interest, what coolers are you running your graphics cards with? Blower or dual fan?
  • maximumGPU - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    dual fan. I know it doesn't sit right witht the vertical cooling, especially in sli, but the new style 0dB coolers are just fantastic when you're not gaming.
  • Boffinboy - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    I know some have the fins in vertical orientation and seem to work OK. I originally had some EVGA ACX-style cards, and the fins were horizontal - they performed terribly. I'm due a graphics upgrade and not sure whether to try SLI with dual-fan cards with vertical fins e.g. MSI.
  • maximumGPU - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link

    yes i run 2 MSI gaming (980) and the cooling is fine, although i wouldn't say it's fantastic. 1 gpu has a delta T of 45, which isn't too bad. the other runs hotter at 55 with a higher gpu fan speed.
  • Boffinboy - Monday, June 8, 2015 - link

    Thanks, that's helpful to know for my next upgrade!
  • Samus - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    I've had an FT01 since 2008 and use an FT03 and FT03-mini at work. They ALL ooze quality. It was about time someone dethroned Lian-Li in the aluminum department...

    I'd tried a lot of different cases over the years as I built PC's for friends (and as a MAR member I was getting Windows\Office licenses for education/non-profit super cheap) and other manufactures such as Cooler Master (Praetorian) and Corsair (Obsidian) tried and tried, and while well reviewed, just aren't completely thought-out designs. The quality from many of these manufactures is top notch, especially the aluminum anodizing and finishing, but there is always at least one huge problem. The Praetorian didn't cool well and collected a ton of dust due to many fans, and the Obsidian, especially the high end models like the 800D, just don't look professional enough to put under my desk at work.

    Silverstone (with the exception of the Raven series) look great at home or in the office with very neutral, unoffensive, yet non-traditional\unconventional designs.
  • der - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    Hmm....
    it's aite
  • wurizen - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    This is one of the greatest cases for under $180, in my opinion. I say that because of the construction and the quality. And sure it takes more time to assemble it than a huge case. But, with care and some thinking, which you guys apparently take the time nor care (just look at how you run the cables!)--this case can look very tidy. Even on a corsair AX760 which I use, the cables can be undone, even without removing the HDD case. And, if you wanna make it easire, remove the HDD case. So, your opinion on that is skewed or not correct. Again, there doesn't seem to be care, time and/or sound judgments on this review. Are you guys behind time? Swamped with so many products that your review and the way you assemble this case with a lack of care or tidiness is subpar?
  • wurizen - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    correction! I meant to say, "Which you guys apparently DON'T take the time nor care (just look at how you run the cables!)"
  • E.Fyll - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    I will try to be as succinct as possible.

    Taking a lot of time to make a case look tidy is, simply put, not good.

    As pictured, the cables of the AX760i are hard pressed against the HDD cage. You cannot insert or remove any cables. Having to take out the entire HDD cage to insert a cable is, simply put, not good.

    It is not my job to spend a lot of time to try and hide the cables. Given enough time and resources, I can hide every single cable inside the smallest ITX case. If I need a lot of time to route and hide cables, that is -1 for any design. If you cannot hide the cables altogether with a design forcing you to run them across the motherboard, like this one, that's -3. Or -50. Depends on how biased towards tidiness you are.

    My opinion could be "skewed" but pictures tell no lies. Judge for yourselves.

    Isn't it rather ironic that whenever I say something positive about a product I am "on the take" and whenever I say something negative my opinion is "skewed"? :P
  • wurizen - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    Hi,

    First of all, thanks for replying. I assume you are the reviewer of this case. Any one can make things look tidy given enough time. But, it also doesn't take up that much time after some thought have been made to where to route the cables for this case. The fact that you went about your cabling in the same way as you would go about routing cables for a case that is much bigger is... as you put it... NOT GOOD. Just because there aren't any grommet holes or dedicated spots for cables doesn't mean that there isn't a way for those cables to be placed there. For example, the 8-pin CPU cable needs to be tucked in under the mobo first, so it runs across the back of the case. This is one example of no grommets, but, yet, the 8-pin CPU cable can be placed on this case in the same manner as any case with special grommet or holes for them. This is because there is space on the right side of the case for the 8-pinCPU cable to snake through as well as all the system wires.

    "My opinion could be "skewed" but pictures tell no lies. Judge for yourselves." If you look at that picture, I can see clearance and space for the cables to be taken out even without removing the HDD cage. I also know this because I have the AX760 and I've swapped cables without having to remove the cage. Is it tight? Yes. Is it impossible or that hard? No!

    I am not biased about tidiness. But, you're a reviewer. People will look at this review and see how you run the cables and it's not how it's done. It's not just for aesthetics or some OCD for tidiness, either. But, if you leave the cables as pictured on your review, then you have all those system cables in front of the bottom fan impeding or blocking airflow. Thus, it is not just a tidy thing but also an ethical thing. You've "skewed" the thermal performance of the case by not routing the cables the correct way.

    thank you!

    I use to place this site as one of the better tech sites. But, no more!!!
  • Ryan Smith - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link

    wurizen, while I regret that we can't meet all of your standards, I do stand by my editor in the case of this case (er, no pun intended). Given the small space available in the FT05, E. did a reasonable job on cable routing. Especially since this is just for evaluating the build-friendliness of the case and taking pictures of what an assembled system will look like. There are tradeoffs to be had in terms of time, and even experienced builders are going to have trouble getting the "perfect" build on this case. E's build, I believe, is likely better than what the majority of users will accomplish with this case.

    "Thus, it is not just a tidy thing but also an ethical thing. You've "skewed" the thermal performance of the case by not routing the cables the correct way."

    I would also quickly note that we don't test this case with standard components (as installed), but rather with a dummy load. More details can be found on page 4. This admittedly creates a setup that's a bit idealized, but it also means that the results aren't being impacted by the build itself, since it's not present for testing. So I can assure you that the results are not negatively skewed.
  • vivi2000 - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    The article states that the fan speed switches are only 2 way(low/high) but they are actually 3 way but only labeled as 2 way.
  • romrunning - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    E.Fyll - thanks for posting both metric & non-metric measurements for the case dimensions (H×W×D)!
  • Impulses - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    I think making it wider would've solved a lot of issues, they could've had more cable management room, space for a vertically mounted 5.25" bay, etc... I'll stick with my Corsair Air 540, of which I have the opposite complaint.

    I don't mind that the 540 is SO wide but it wastes a lot of space on the right compartment, should've had one more drive cage there or been narrower, at least it was cheap tho and the unobstructed airflow thru the left compartment probably works as well as Silverstone's bottom/top design.

    I feel like there's plenty of room to innovate with designs like that tho, which don't force the typical and awkward S shaped airflow path and/or don't waste a ton of space up front on 5.25" bays.
  • deadlockedworld - Friday, June 5, 2015 - link

    When I bought my FT02, it was because my wife insisted that I get something that wasn't too ugly and I needed it to run with very little front ventilation. Had this existed at that time I would have paid basically any amount of money for it. Value isn't even part of the equation!

    Few other manufacturers can make a case this classy looking, yet with good thermal performance. They are targeting a niche user, who cares about looks as much as performance and doesn't have financial constraints.
  • tim851 - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link

    >>> True enough, convective heat transfer suggests that higher temperature air will naturally flow
    >>> upwards, so the design does make sense. The case does act as a convective heater

    I wish reviewers weren't parroting marketing speak all the time.
    It's been shown time and again that convection plays no role in a case once forced air movement (aka: fans) come into play. The FT05 (or FT02 or any other of these) isn't such a great performer because "hot air rises", but because it employs two huge 180mm intake fans.

    If you want to test this, just turn it on it's face, so that the airflow becomes horizontal, and marvel at how the temps don't change.
  • Valantar - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link

    Kind of a shame that this could have been a truly excellent case if only they had added 1-2 cm to its width and length for cable management. With space for cables along the "top" (i.e. right side) of the motherboard, they could have stuck a hdd/ssd mount or two along the side there too. Suddenly, the case would be both roomy and have plenty of expandability.
  • MCX - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link

    Having had my fill of custom watercooling, I went back to Silverstone's Fortress series with the FT05, which seemed like a good successor to the FT02, making a reasonable compromise between size and flexibility. Like the FT02 the backside is unnecessarily cramped and not very useful for cable management, but also like the FT02, the thermal performance and noiseless operation is impressive.

    Besides the lack of neat cable management, a bit too much is made of how hard it is to build in the case. Sure, it's not for beginners, and if I were someone who changed components weekly or if I had to build hundreds of these, I'd acquiesce to a larger case, but for relatively experienced builders who isn't changing motherboards or cpus every other week, it's not a big deal.

    Currently, I'm using it with a Noctua DH15 for my cpu and a semi-passive psu and a gpu (an AX860 and a Strix 970). Case fans are controlled by the motherboard. It allows for whisper-quiet computing that hardly gets louder while gaming, even with a reasonable overclock.
  • maximumGPU - Sunday, June 7, 2015 - link

    Thx for sharing your experience with the case, helps others from opinions.
    curious to know why you had your fill with custom watercooling?
    also,how would you rate silence operation of the air cooled ft05 and your previous watercooled setup?
  • MCX - Sunday, June 7, 2015 - link

    Too much extra cost and time needed when upgrading stuff and when my pump broke I decided that it wasn't worth the extra effort. It's hard to make a direct comparison, it was a different case and different fans. I used 2x240 mm radiators to cool the cpu and gpu, and the cpu ran a bit hotter and the gpu a bit cooler under water in the single loop. than they do in air in the FT05. Noise-levels were about the same: Almost silent in normal operation.
  • hasseb64 - Sunday, June 7, 2015 - link

    Perfect case for me:
    -No DVD!
    -Low numbers of 3,5"/2,5"
    -Beautiful and Quiet
    -Perfect thermal air flow
  • MASSAMKULABOX - Monday, June 8, 2015 - link

    they make some nice cases but I lost interest when I saw the size. This thing is a room in itself. I tend to go micro-atx for power and m-itx for neatness.
  • Sancus - Monday, June 8, 2015 - link

    Why is test data no longer entered into the Bench database, and why is it presented without comparison to competitors?

    It's really not very useful in a vacuum, and manually comparing with other reviews is tedious. This is a major regression in the usefulness of case testing.
  • Dorek - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link

    The answer is probably because they changed their testing methods so drastically (i.e., they don't actually run a computer inside of these cases anymore). Which I think is a mistake, but whatever.
  • Dorek - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link

    "e, a case mixing the rotated motherboard design of the Raven series with the classy solidness of the Fortress series."

    Solidity. The word is solidity.

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