SilverStone Fortress FT01 Case
A Closer Look |
| It is time to jump into the SilverStone Fortress FT01 and see what it made of and what makes it standout from other cases. Starting off at the top towards the front of the case we see that it has the now common expansion port tray. For those that place their PC on the floor you will have easy access to two USB 2.0 ports, one IEEE1394 (firewire), one audio and one Mic plugs. Also located up here is the reset button.
 Moving towards the rear of the case we get to see the top fan air intake. Did you say air intake? Yes I did! Normally everything that we have been told that the top fan should be an exhaust is now twisted backwards. This is part of the positive air flow setup SilverStone is introducing to the rest of the world. Under this wide open messed covered hole is a 180 mm intake fan and get this is only running at 700 RPM speed and with a noise level of just 18dBA.
  Click to enlarge
Let continue our look at the fans by jumping to the lower front section of the case. Here we see the same kind of setup for the front fan as the top fan. A 180 mm, 700 RPM, 18dBA fan draws in air threw a removable / cleanable filter that cools the hard drive area.
  Click to enlarge Taking a small look up we are presented with the on/off button and the hard drive indicator light.  Five drive bays are at your disposal and can be removed within minutes. The covers are made from aluminum and are full size. The one thing that I did notice was that they did not match the rest of the case. The two trim pieces that run along the drive bays have a rough look to them and the sidepanels have a grain running horizontal while the bay plates have the grain going vertical and are a slightly different color. Not a big issue for some but those of use that like to have our PC’s looking the best they can be; it might be irritating.  Done away are the sharp pointed corners at the top and bottom of the case. They have been replaced with nicely curved trim pieces. This kind of subtle touches can create a new look and feel for a case that you may not notice at first but once you start looking at it and working with it it make itself apparent. Plus if you have even bumped you head, leg or arm into those dang sharp corners them you will appreciate this touch even more.  The side windows is place on the outside of the case and is attached with eight screws for easy removal if need. This has been a trend on the last few SilverStone I have looked at. This may be a new design choice for them. On one case it needed to be placed on the outside as the side panel was very close to a support bracket. The windows has beveled edge and has been polished to a clear finish. You can purchase the FT01 with or without a side window, so don’t think you are locked into a window.  At the rear of the case we can see how the motherboard and power supply unit are laid out. Directly across from the I/O port area is a 120mm, 900 RPM, 18 dBA exhaust fan. Below the fan is open air flow area that has 1/8 in squares punched out.  If you intend to make this a water cooled system SilverStone has provided a way for your to run your hoses through the case. Using rubber grommet plugs that have pie slice cut flaps in them allow you to route your hoses safely through the case wall and still have a good air tight fit. The holes can accommodate 3/4 inch O.D. (outside diameter) hoses with ease.   Each of the seven metal expansion plates are stamped out with a series of 1/8 inch holes to work with the new air flow design of the case.
 Located at the bottom of the case is where the power supply unit lives. Cut out of the aluminum is a large hole and mounting holes to allow any power supply to be installed. The cut out takes uses of the power supplies own cooling features to allow it to run at its own efficiency.  Located below the power supply is a frame and filter setup. This helps keep the dust where it suppose to be, outside of your case. A tight fit is ensured to the fan side of the power supply that creates a duct effect that directs the cool air from outside the case, passes it threw the power supply and out the rear. This never allows the hot air from the power supply to mix with the other air inside of the case.
 The removal of the side panels is literally a snap. Located at the top rear of the FT01 are two levers. These levers are used to lock and unlock the side panels into place. With the levers in the down position a small tab sticks though the lever that will allow you to place a small lock or plastic tie wrap though to keep others out of your case. This is a nice security feature if you like to go to large multi day LANs and you really don’t want your hardware accessible while you are away. A few thumb screws are also included to insure that the panels can not come off during transit.  click to see locking feature
Five drives can be installed into the Fortress FT01 with ease and I mean ease. Once you remove two screws from the faceplate that you want out all you have to do is slide your drive in until it is flush and then secure it to place with a snap. More on this feature is in the install section.  There is no need to worry about adding screws to the right side of the drives as there is a tension tab that holds the drive in place along with the lock mechanism. This by far the easiest setup i have seen for installing your CD/DVD drives.
A total of seven hard drives can be install in the case. Plastic holders are used to make swapping drives in and out ease and quick. The two cages can be used as they are in the default setup or you can remove either one to make a custom setup to your liking.
 Here we can see the cables that come down from the ports located at the top of the case. If you notice the cables are coming in through a grommet lined notch behind the hard drive cage. Three of these holes are there for you to use to route any cable that you might want to hide. There is enough room to run just about any size cable. It is a bit tight but with a little effort you can have a very clean looking system.   |
