Intro
For the past six years, Silverstone has been wowing us with high quality enclosures like the Temjin TJ-10 NVidia Edition reviewed here earlier. Quality has been their watchword from the beginning, and while their cases have never been cheap, they’ve always been solid performers for the money. Today I’ll be looking at the Fortress FT-01, Silverstone’s attempt to bring the unibody construction of the Temjin TJ-07 to a more compact design. Let’s see if this fortress holds up, or crumbles at the first assault.
Specifications
From Silverstone’s website:
| Model No. |
SST-FT01B (black)
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SST-FT01S (silver)
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SST-FT01B-W (black + window)
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SST-FT01S-W (silver + window)
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| Material |
3.0mm ~ 6.0mm uni-body aluminum outer frame and aluminum body
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| Motherboard |
ATX, Micro ATX
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| Multimedia |
—
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| Drive Bay | External |
5.25″ x 5
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—
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| Internal |
3.5″ x 7
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| Cooling System | Front |
1 x 180mm intake fan, 700rpm, 18dBA
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| Rear |
1 x 120mm exhaust fan, 900rpm, 18dBA
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| Side |
—
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| Top |
1 x 180mm intake fan, 700rpm, 18dBA
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| Bottom |
—
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| Internal |
—
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| Expansion Slot |
7 |
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| Front I/O Port |
USB2.0 x 2
IEEE1394 x 1 Audio x 1 MIC x 1 |
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| Power Supply |
1 x Optional standard PS2 (ATX)
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| Expansion Card |
Compatible with expansion card up to 12”
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| Net Weight |
8.66kg
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| Dimension |
211 mm (W) x 486 mm (H) x 494.5 mm (D)
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| Extra |
One CP05 included for single hot-swappable SATA hard drive, additional CP05 can be purchased separately
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I have had this case for about 2 months now, I could not be happier! One very important feature of the case that was overlooked in the reviewis the positive air pressure the chassis fans create. Here is a video on what exactly this means: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLOg9yI3rjs
Hi, very nice post. I have been wonder’n bout this issue,so thanks for posting
Hi, cool post. I have been wondering about this, so thanks for writing.
The case runs for around $220, not $275. For that, this case is not much more than many others. the CoolerMaster case you speak of, the CM ATCS 840, runs for about the same price, and is not nearly built as well…
Basically, at the end of the day,it breaks down to personal preference…I’m a Thermaltake Armor+ LCS man myself…
@Robert Johnson: A removable motherboard tray would have been nice, but difficult to do on a case that’s decidedly on the compact side of the mid-tower form factor. As Jason pointed out, the dual 180mm fans provide more than enough intake to compensate for the lack of side fans. Additional clearance for long video cards can be had by removing the top hard drive cage, which I noted in the review. Also of note, this case is the quietest aluminum case I’ve had the pleasure to work with. No rattles, no buzzing, no loose anything, and no hours of fiddling with tie-downs to hold wires away from exposed fan blades–something I certainly cannot say for many other “enthusiast” cases. And as for the price, I’m not sure where you’re getting the $275 figure from; a quick googling shows an average price of $210, which is much more reasonable for this kind of case.
Basically, most of your complaints seem centered around the lack of features for people who are constantly changing out hardware. That’s fine, but realize that this case isn’t designed for that. It’s a compact, quiet, sturdy case that is absolutely perfect for people who want to make their primary machine easy to cart to a LAN party, and at that it succeeds brilliantly.
I haven’t had the pleasure of holding this case in my hands, but from its looks I see a huge metal computer without plastic. The name Fortress tells me that if I decide to drop it off a two-story building, it will merely bounce. The roof, front, and floor of the case are one continuous ~5′ piece of steel, and I dare you to find a structural weak spot. I’ve seen cases that the lids pop off of, and front panels have flanges that break. This is a well-designed, good looking sturdy case, that takes a lot of physics into account too. Hot air rises, so why not have the PSU (with a vent) at the bottom of the case, and two 120mm fans at the top and back to pull out the hot exhaust? In another thought, the case is like a freaking giant heatsink, no need for excess side panel fans. Add sound-dampening material and fan filters, and I think Silverstone has given the consumer everything they’re looking for except a free beer with it.
Just so you understand, this is not my review. I am simply of the opinion that my staff member Will is correct in awarding this case the Awesome Hardware Award. Plus it is an enthusiasts case considering the features and construction. Not all enthusiast cases are meant for gaming, some are for design, cool and quiet, etc. As for features, you may be right, more and more cases on the market are coming with advanced features, so in this case you are paying for the material and construction.
Considering the rear 120, front 120, and top 120 a side mounted 120 is superflous. Also this case has a unibody design, find that on a another sub $300 case. You may want to also note the fan filters, side mounted window, side mounted hard drive rack, and additional wiring options, and noise reduction foam. I will admit the video card clearance may be an issue but my staff did not find it to be a problem. Perhaps you are simply looking for a diamond ring for the price of a cubic zirconia? I suggest you take a look at some wonderful options from the sub $30 category instead of the high end aluminum cases on the market. in my opinion this case, all things considered, definitely deserves the Awesome Hardware Award.
Jason, this is not an enthusiast chassis. Let’s compare Apples to Apples. If given a choice would you prefer the model you reviewed or a CoolerMaster Aluminum ATCS 840 with optional clear side panel which should be less money. My main beef with your review is that there are not enough features for the money. The ATCS840 has larger fans, removable motherboard tray, independent GPU cooling, CPU cooler cutout, etc. IF the Silverstone had those features then I would say you had a winner, but it doesn’t, so you don’t.
Considering the rear 120, front 120, and top 120 a side mounted 120 is superflous. Also this case has a unibody design, find that on a another sub $300 case. You may want to also note the fan filters, side mounted window, side mounted hard drive rack, and additional wiring options, and noise reduction foam. I will admit the video card clearance may be an issue but my staff did not find it to be a problem. Perhaps you are simply looking for a diamond ring for the price of a cubic zirconia? I suggest you take a look at some wonderful options from the sub $30 category instead of the high end aluminum cases on the market. This case, all things considered, definitely deserves the Awesome Hardware Award.
For 275 dollars I would have expected far more features for the Fortress FT-01. A removable motherboard tray is a lacking feature and failure of a cutout for easy CPU cooler replacement is bad. No possibility for side panel fans and will not accept an extended ATX motherboard. There is barely 12 inches of clearance for a video card. Sorry but my personal rating of this chassis is a bare satisfactory. No, it’s not worth the money and should never have received an AWESOME HARDWARE rating