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Silverstone FT02 vs RV03

11K views 26 replies 8 participants last post by  Sazexa 
#1 ·
I've been considering getting a new case, and it's stuck between one of these two. I need help deciding.
The items will be going along with the purchase of these is an NZXT Hue, Asus Xonar Essence STX, possibly some fans and a CPU heatsink, and everything in my "Saiyra" build, viewable in the signature.

Pros for the FT02
I like the idea of a FT02 because it will flow with my set up nicer, in my opinion.
The FT02 will fit better under my desk.
It has the acoustic-dampening foam.
It has three bottom fans.
It will fit in a better spot for cables at my desk area.

Cons for the FT02:
I dislike the idea of the PSU hanging as it will.
Obviously the price.
I would have to sell my H100 and get a new heatsink/fan, as I don't see an H100 working in a FT02 without replacing the bottom fans. And I think three 180mm's will perform better than one 180mm (under the drives) and three 120mm's where the other two would.


I do like the Raven, also though.

Pros for the Raven:
Much cheaper.
I like the internal layout a bit more. Hiding the wiring side of the PSU, and placing the drives behind the motherboard, seem kind of cool.
Seems like though it only has two bottom 180mm fans, it has potential for more airflow.
I could use my H100 with it, I believe, by placing the radiator on the front 5.25" fan mounts.

Cons for the Raven:
It wouldn't fit perfectly under the desk. It would stick out of under the desk by a few inches.
It would not flow as well with my furniture/room.
The window is smaller.
If I did continue to use an H100, I believe I would not be able to use my fan controller, CD/DVD drive, and the NZXT Hue I plan I purchasing.
If I use the Raven, I have to place it on the right side of my desk for the window to be visible, which is more difficult for wiring and stretches out wires. I also prefer the sub woofer on my right side, and it would be on the left with the RV03.
 
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#2 ·
you have obviously done your research so i'll just address the con's
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sazexa View Post

Cons for the FT02:
I dislike the idea of the PSU hanging as it will.
Obviously the price.
I would have to sell my H100 and get a new heatsink/fan, as I don't see an H100 working in a FT02 without replacing the bottom fans. And I think three 180mm's will perform better than one 180mm (under the drives) and three 120mm's where the other two would.
the PSU hanging is not an issue. IF it really bothers you that much. the case does come with a velcro strap as well as a plastic holder that you can mount to hold the PSU's weight. however, there are no PSU on the market that is heavy enough that you have to worry about 4 screws not being able to hold the weight of the PSU
smile.gif
the chassis is strong enough that you wont have to worry about the weight of the PSU doing any kind of damage to itself or the case.

price wise, it's one of the most expensive cases on the market today... IF you appreciate the design, however want a cheaper option, there is always the RV02-E which has the identical subframe as the FT02, just doesnt have the nice aluminum unibody wrapping it around front bottom and back. styling of the RV02-E is similar to the RV03, so you shouldn't have a problem if you are already considering the RV03. HOWEVER, in the LONG run (i have cases that are more then 10 years old that i'm still using) the PRIMARY determining factor in keeping a case is based on cooling capacity and styling, NEITHER is an issue for the FT02. you will actually appreciate the classic styling of the FT02 more as you get older so you'd likely keep the FT02 for more then 10 years whereas the plastic and the sharp lines on the RV02/RV03 will look "aged" by then. so amortized over 10 years, the price difference is really very small and you'll likely be looking to replace the RV03/RV02 in about 6 years because you are sick of its styling
biggrin.gif


now... onto the MAJOR con that you missed
biggrin.gif
(even tho it does apply to the RV03 also) you MUST be VERY careful in your GPU selection. not ALL GPU coolers are compatible with the vertical mounting system of the FT02/RV02/RV03... if you already have a GPU that you are going to use and it's NOT compatible with the vertical mounting, then you will be better off going with a conventional case rather then the rotated mobo mount system.

H100 does NOT perform better then any of the high end air cooling HSF's. in fact, in a FT02, i'm willing to bet that any of the top air coolers will out perform a H100 given the airflow design of the FT02 (intake to exhaust distance of less then 13 inches and it's a straight airflow path with no obstructions AND considering the intake fans are 180mm.. but you know that already.. yes it's a pain that you have to try to sell the H100, but eventually your ear will thank you because the air cooler will be much quieter.

BTW you are mistaken on some of your pro's on the case,

the FT02 is a VERY deep/long case. so if you are worried that the RV03 will not fit under the desk, the FT02 will absolutely not fit under the desk
biggrin.gif


the effects of the acoustic foam is minimal, if at all noticeable. the foam they used are not of the best quality and has little to no effect in terms of noise dampening. i bought the one w/o window because it has more of the foam inside (more foam where the window would have been) and i can honestly say there is practically no difference in noise level.

a major pro you missed on the FT02 is the aluminum unibody chassis. aside from being major contributing factor to its sexy looks, it's also significant in that it covers the entire bottom of the chassis. that means even if you put the case on carpet, the intake vents will not be covered up by carpet, whereas on the RV02/RV03, the feet will partially sink into the carpet and the carpet hair will ride up to the intake vent and provide worse airflow (can be fixed by putting a piece of wood under the case...)

personally I prefer the FT02 due to it's tight airflow design. the RV03 has too many "leakage" points for both noise and air pressure to bleed out. whereas the FT02 has no additional leakage points and all of the air is flowing where it's supposed to to remove the heat generated by the computer. HOWEVER, both cases will perform well and it's up to you to decide what you want. do you want a case with a classic styling that you grow into. or do you want a case with sharp styling that you will eventually grow out of
smile.gif
 
#3 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by psyclum View Post

you have obviously done your research so i'll just address the con's
the PSU hanging is not an issue. IF it really bothers you that much. the case does come with a velcro strap as well as a plastic holder that you can mount to hold the PSU's weight. however, there are no PSU on the market that is heavy enough that you have to worry about 4 screws not being able to hold the weight of the PSU
smile.gif
the chassis is strong enough that you wont have to worry about the weight of the PSU doing any kind of damage to itself or the case.
price wise, it's one of the most expensive cases on the market today... IF you appreciate the design, however want a cheaper option, there is always the RV02-E which has the identical subframe as the FT02, just doesnt have the nice aluminum unibody wrapping it around front bottom and back. styling of the RV02-E is similar to the RV03, so you shouldn't have a problem if you are already considering the RV03. HOWEVER, in the LONG run (i have cases that are more then 10 years old that i'm still using) the PRIMARY determining factor in keeping a case is based on cooling capacity and styling, NEITHER is an issue for the FT02. you will actually appreciate the classic styling of the FT02 more as you get older so you'd likely keep the FT02 for more then 10 years whereas the plastic and the sharp lines on the RV02/RV03 will look "aged" by then. so amortized over 10 years, the price difference is really very small and you'll likely be looking to replace the RV03/RV02 in about 6 years because you are sick of its styling
biggrin.gif

now... onto the MAJOR con that you missed
biggrin.gif
(even tho it does apply to the RV03 also) you MUST be VERY careful in your GPU selection. not ALL GPU coolers are compatible with the vertical mounting system of the FT02/RV02/RV03... if you already have a GPU that you are going to use and it's NOT compatible with the vertical mounting, then you will be better off going with a conventional case rather then the rotated mobo mount system.
H100 does NOT perform better then any of the high end air cooling HSF's. in fact, in a FT02, i'm willing to bet that any of the top air coolers will out perform a H100 given the airflow design of the FT02 (intake to exhaust distance of less then 13 inches and it's a straight airflow path with no obstructions AND considering the intake fans are 180mm.. but you know that already.. yes it's a pain that you have to try to sell the H100, but eventually your ear will thank you because the air cooler will be much quieter.
BTW you are mistaken on some of your pro's on the case,
the FT02 is a VERY deep/long case. so if you are worried that the RV03 will not fit under the desk, the FT02 will absolutely not fit under the desk
biggrin.gif

the effects of the acoustic foam is minimal, if at all noticeable. the foam they used are not of the best quality and has little to no effect in terms of noise dampening. i bought the one w/o window because it has more of the foam inside (more foam where the window would have been) and i can honestly say there is practically no difference in noise level.
a major pro you missed on the FT02 is the aluminum unibody chassis. aside from being major contributing factor to its sexy looks, it's also significant in that it covers the entire bottom of the chassis. that means even if you put the case on carpet, the intake vents will not be covered up by carpet, whereas on the RV02/RV03, the feet will partially sink into the carpet and the carpet hair will ride up to the intake vent and provide worse airflow (can be fixed by putting a piece of wood under the case...)
personally I prefer the FT02 due to it's tight airflow design. the RV03 has too many "leakage" points for both noise and air pressure to bleed out. whereas the FT02 has no additional leakage points and all of the air is flowing where it's supposed to to remove the heat generated by the computer. HOWEVER, both cases will perform well and it's up to you to decide what you want. do you want a case with a classic styling that you grow into. or do you want a case with sharp styling that you will eventually grow out of
smile.gif
The hanging PSU doesn't bother me much.. I just think it looks a bit odd. But when I look at builds of the FT02 I do like it, though it's different.

I like them both, but I think I like the FT02 better for appearance.

Now, my GPU's are NOT single fan, rear-exhaust type cards, but I do believe the air pressure from the bottom fans, and laws of heat rising, will still let the cards dissipate heat better than a conventional case. I also believe my cards pull air into the heat sink, so the fans will probably be able to push air off of the cards, if anything. In most conventional cases I've used, the front intake fans are just too far from the GPU's to really effect them much anyways. So, I think with there being just a few inches between my cards and the 180mm's, they'll still cool much better over-all.

I know the H100 doesn't, but I got it for $50 brand new, box sealed. So I jumped the gun and went for it. I can probably sell it, as used, for more than I bought it. I do think the NH-D14 is a marvelous heatsink, and I know top ones will perform better in this case. I just need to figure out what fans I intend to slap on the NH-D14 and the rear exit slot. I know the Noctua ones are pretty good, but they're just so ugly in my opinion.
tongue.gif


I did the measuring, the FT02 is deeper, but not taller. Because of a cable-managing shelf-system in the back of my desk, the height of the RV03 would make it forward a bit too far, but the FT02 should fit nicely. Almost flush against the wall, but it should still fit.

Any foam is better than no foam! Does the case drive mounting slots have anti vibration pads, I think I read somewhere it did. Also, does it come with anti-vibration pads for fans too? If not, I can just tighten them a bit more, or use some old ones I have.

I do like the Chasis. I may even consider going silver, to match my silver Vaio. But I think black would be better, any scratches (though I doubt I'll make any) would be better-hidden on black than silver. I have hard wood floors, so carpet is no worry.

I liked the idea of the FT02 for airflow more myself. It seems that it flows better, and smoother, and has less distance to travel.

Thanks for the detailed response, friend!
I think I will get that FT02. Maybe an NZXT hue also. I'd love to make that window glow purple.
 
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sazexa View Post

Now, my GPU's are NOT single fan, rear-exhaust type cards, but I do believe the air pressure from the bottom fans, and laws of heat rising, will still let the cards dissipate heat better than a conventional case. I also believe my cards pull air into the heat sink, so the fans will probably be able to push air off of the cards, if anything. In most conventional cases I've used, the front intake fans are just too far from the GPU's to really effect them much anyways. So, I think with there being just a few inches between my cards and the 180mm's, they'll still cool much better over-all.

it's more about heatpipe and cooling fin orientation on the GPU cooler. might want to let us know what brand/model GPU you have so we can let you know if it's compatible with vertical mounting or not.

I know the H100 doesn't, but I got it for $50 brand new, box sealed. So I jumped the gun and went for it. I can probably sell it, as used, for more than I bought it. I do think the NH-D14 is a marvelous heatsink, and I know top ones will perform better in this case. I just need to figure out what fans I intend to slap on the NH-D14 and the rear exit slot. I know the Noctua ones are pretty good, but they're just so ugly in my opinion.
tongue.gif


it depends on how much OCing you intend to do and how anal you are about keeping temps low but you might actually be able to do passive cooling with something as powerful as the D14. as for the 120mm exhaust fan on the top of the FT02... personally i removed the fan and just kept the 120mm fan grill on there. you need to remember the FT02 is designed from the ground up as a positive pressure case. so exhaust fan on the system is irreverent since air will naturally flow out of that big 120mm opening anyway... there is very little reason to even put a fan there unless you are looking for some kind of color scheme on the LED lights

I did the measuring, the FT02 is deeper, but not taller. Because of a cable-managing shelf-system in the back of my desk, the height of the RV03 would make it forward a bit too far, but the FT02 should fit nicely. Almost flush against the wall, but it should still fit.

well as long as you've already measured... i'm just saying there aren't too many cases on the market today that is as deep as the FT02
biggrin.gif
and you do need "some" room in the back because the cables does come out of the back of the case via the top of the case.

Any foam is better than no foam! Does the case drive mounting slots have anti vibration pads, I think I read somewhere it did. Also, does it come with anti-vibration pads for fans too? If not, I can just tighten them a bit more, or use some old ones I have.

as i mentioned, the effectiveness of the foam is barely noticeable. but yes there are rubber mounts on the HDD cages. not on the fans tho.

I do like the Chasis. I may even consider going silver, to match my silver Vaio. But I think black would be better, any scratches (though I doubt I'll make any) would be better-hidden on black than silver. I have hard wood floors, so carpet is no worry.

one of the major flaws of the FT02 is poor paint job
biggrin.gif
one of my side panel corner already has chipped paint in one of the corners. (from me resting the side panel on that corner when i'm working inside the case
tongue.gif
) doesn't bother me that much, but just so you are aware that chipped paint in areas like corner's and where you screw the panel on is a common complaint on this case. i intend to go to a auto body shop and pick up some touch up paint for mine. color wise, the black is a much better color to go with since the silver is kinda miss matched.

I liked the idea of the FT02 for airflow more myself. It seems that it flows better, and smoother, and has less distance to travel.

yah the RV03 airflow scheme kinda got screwed up by all the idiot feedbacks of people that want to put 20 fans in their system.... why put 20 fans in a system when 3 does the job fine?.... at least that's how i see it. a classic case like the FT02 is something silent that you want to put next to your $30.000 audiophile stereo system and looks like it belongs there... not something "plasticy" and looks like a decepticon is about to pop out of it
biggrin.gif


Thanks for the detailed response, friend!
I think I will get that FT02. Maybe an NZXT hue also. I'd love to make that window glow purple.
you are welcome
 
#7 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by psyclum View Post

it's more about heatpipe and cooling fin orientation on the GPU cooler. might want to let us know what brand/model GPU you have so we can let you know if it's compatible with vertical mounting or not.

it depends on how much OCing you intend to do and how anal you are about keeping temps low but you might actually be able to do passive cooling with something as powerful as the D14. as for the 120mm exhaust fan on the top of the FT02... personally i removed the fan and just kept the 120mm fan grill on there. you need to remember the FT02 is designed from the ground up as a positive pressure case. so exhaust fan on the system is irreverent since air will naturally flow out of that big 120mm opening anyway... there is very little reason to even put a fan there unless you are looking for some kind of color scheme on the LED lights

well as long as you've already measured... i'm just saying there aren't too many cases on the market today that is as deep as the FT02 biggrin.gif and you do need "some" room in the back because the cables does come out of the back of the case via the top of the case.

as i mentioned, the effectiveness of the foam is barely noticeable. but yes there are rubber mounts on the HDD cages. not on the fans tho.

one of the major flaws of the FT02 is poor paint job biggrin.gif one of my side panel corner already has chipped paint in one of the corners. (from me resting the side panel on that corner when i'm working inside the case tongue.gif ) doesn't bother me that much, but just so you are aware that chipped paint in areas like corner's and where you screw the panel on is a common complaint on this case. i intend to go to a auto body shop and pick up some touch up paint for mine. color wise, the black is a much better color to go with since the silver is kinda miss matched.

yah the RV03 airflow scheme kinda got screwed up by all the idiot feedbacks of people that want to put 20 fans in their system.... why put 20 fans in a system when 3 does the job fine?.... at least that's how i see it. a classic case like the FT02 is something silent that you want to put next to your $30.000 audiophile stereo system and looks like it belongs there... not something "plasticy" and looks like a decepticon is about to pop out of it
My cards are Radeon 6950's. Three copper heat pipes, pretty good heat sink, and the fans, as I said, draw air into the card, I believe. But the back of the card has open slots to let air flow into it through the heat sink. As you can see in the picture below, the heatsink is lined up so air from the back of the card can flow right out the rear (or top, in this case) of the computer chasis the card is in. So, I think it will work fine with these cards. Maybe not as well as reference, single fan rear-exhaust cards, but it should work nicely.


I myself am not a big over-clocker. Stock always seems to perform well enough for me. I do like low temperatures, though I don't OC, to keep noise levels down. If I can find a quality, quiet, purple LED that isn't clear acrylic all the way around, I might get that. As I said, I might use the NZXT Hue for purple lighting. But we'll see about that. And I'd need at least one fan on the NH-D14, otherwise my motherboard cries about no CPU fan.

Right where the cables come out, would lead into the opening to put cables into the shelf under my desk, so, it should work good. According to my measuring.

That's alright. The fans are probably fine, but I have anti-vibration mount hole covers if need be.

I have access to paint shops/spray areas that could treat the material. Lucky me. ;]

And that's another thing I was considering. The FT02 will, as I said, go much nicer with all of my equipement and room in general than a RV03/2 would.
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by senna89 View Post

FT02 is much better in all.
RV03 is only a super cheaper version of RV02, semply design, limited internally, less dense dust filters and cheaper plastic, all top cover included.
I figured this when researching the case.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bl4ckdr4g0n View Post

A friend of mine had RV02 and moved up to RV03 and having seen both in the flesh I can say I preferred RV02 but both are good cases. RV02 is more refined, better quality does your budget cover it though?
I can afford it. I just have to wait another week or so to be able to grab a heatsink with it.
 
#9 ·
And I suppose, lastly to mention, my PCI slots follow as:

1. Likely to remain unused, possibly used by an NZXT lighting strip if I decide on one other than the Hue.
2. GPU1
3. GPU1
4. Empty, for ventilation.
5. GPU2.
6. GPU2.
7. Xonar Essence STX.
 
#10 ·
Having gone through a bunch of high end cases like the 800D, TJ07, CL M8, this will be my next choice for my build. It's compact in size to where it fits easily under my desk or even on top without it looking stupid. It's just as elegant on the outside as the other cases mentioned but in a smaller size, and the vertical mounting is something I think is a good idea and I personally want to try. I've always stayed away from mid-towers because how generic and ugly most of them are. But the FT02 is different, which I like, a lot, and that's why it's going to be my new case!
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by senna89 View Post

???
what means ?
the case will accept E-ATX.
Quote:
Originally Posted by psyclum View Post

physically fit, but not ideally. FT02 only has 7 expansion slots which means the 8th slot is more or less useless in the FT02. also the board will be blocking your 5.25 bays which render them semi-useless. the chassis is not designed to hold E-ATX nor does it advertise as such.
My motherboard is an E-ATX board and it only has 7 PCI lanes. So it would fit.
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sazexa View Post

My cards are Radeon 6950's. Three copper heat pipes, pretty good heat sink, and the fans, as I said, draw air into the card, I believe. But the back of the card has open slots to let air flow into it through the heat sink. As you can see in the picture below, the heatsink is lined up so air from the back of the card can flow right out the rear (or top, in this case) of the computer chasis the card is in. So, I think it will work fine with these cards. Maybe not as well as reference, single fan rear-exhaust cards, but it should work nicely.


that card should work fine. the "bottom" heatpipe (when mounted vertically) is going to be somewhat useless since it's abit far from the heat source and there may be abit too much vertical climb for the liquid to work against, but the superior cooling performance of the FT02 should be able to compensate for that.

I myself am not a big over-clocker. Stock always seems to perform well enough for me. I do like low temperatures, though I don't OC, to keep noise levels down. If I can find a quality, quiet, purple LED that isn't clear acrylic all the way around, I might get that. As I said, I might use the NZXT Hue for purple lighting. But we'll see about that. And I'd need at least one fan on the NH-D14, otherwise my motherboard cries about no CPU fan.

personally, i dealt with this problem by using a fan controller (rheosmart6) it basically take the CPU PWM header and control the 3 x AP181's with it. (using the middle AP181's RPM as the feedback to the mobo since it's the fan directly blowing on the CPU HSF ) I still kept a slow spinning (900RPM) fan on my CPU cooler tho or the AP181's will spin up too often and it does get noisy if they spins up. I keep the AP181's on low so the max RPM they can spin is 700RPM which even at full blast the noise level is bearable. you have to keep in mind that the AP181's are NOT silent. it's quiet for the amount of air they push, but it's not "quiet" when they are on full blast so i would definitely recommend a fan controller of some sort so you can operate them at 500RPM (pretty much silent at that speed) when you aren't gaming. your goal is to keep the noise level of your system below that of your central AC system so when your AC is on, you don't hear your computer at all.

Right where the cables come out, would lead into the opening to put cables into the shelf under my desk, so, it should work good. According to my measuring.
That's alright. The fans are probably fine, but I have anti-vibration mount hole covers if need be.

the noise from the fan is not really from the vibration. it's more of a bearing and air moving sound. you'll understand what i mean when you hook it up. it's loud because of the amount of air that is moving not because it's vibrating the chassis.

I have access to paint shops/spray areas that could treat the material. Lucky me. ;]

damn lucky bastard
biggrin.gif
do let us know the exact color match so we know what to ask for when we go to a paint shop to ask for touchup paint
tongue.gif
like i said, it's a fairly common complaint among FT02 owners

And that's another thing I was considering. The FT02 will, as I said, go much nicer with all of my equipement and room in general than a RV03/2 would.
overall, I think you'll enjoy the FT02 much more so over time then the plastic look of the RV03. all current FT02 are sold with USB3 headers. i bought mine during the last black friday sale and it's already a USB3 unit so you shouldn't have to find a replacement kit for it.
 
#18 ·
Also, I'd like to point out, as I said, some E-ATX motherboards will fit in the case. Newegg's page says the case allows for "12 x 11 inch" motherboards maximum.
My motherboard is 12 x 10.6", so I think I should be fine.
As we see here, directly off of Silverstone's side, they address 12" x 10.6" ASUS ROG motherboards and compatibility within the case. This board is the same dimensions as mine.


But thanks again, Psyclum. You've done some serious convincing for me to get this case. ;]
 
#21 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eduardv View Post

Welcome to the club,.i have the FT02 and it's the best case i have ever owned, it's possible that you will never have to change your case ever again
smile.gif
Unless, of course, a new motherboard standard comes in to play which doesn't comply with ATX mounting positions. ;]

But I will stop by the clubs. I am seriously excited for this case. Now before I purchase it, what fans fit on the bottom other than 180mm's

I think I saw somewhere it is possible to fit four 120mm's also?
Not that I would change them, just out of curiosity,
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sazexa View Post

Unless, of course, a new motherboard standard comes in to play which doesn't comply with ATX mounting positions. ;]
But I will stop by the clubs. I am seriously excited for this case. Now before I purchase it, what fans fit on the bottom other than 180mm's
I think I saw somewhere it is possible to fit four 120mm's also?
Not that I would change them, just out of curiosity,
the only serious attempt to overthrow the ATX specification was intel's BTX specification. currently only servers and workstations use BTX specification (specifically DELL workstations and servers) ATX has been around since 1995.... it's NOT going away anytime soon
biggrin.gif
EVERY computer on the consumer market today uses ATX
smile.gif
(yes even mac's use ATX these days
biggrin.gif
) i seriously doubt ATX will ever be replaced due to the sheer size of its install base. it dominates the entire market with maybe 99.99% market share
biggrin.gif
the only none compliant form factor are in the extreamly small form factor or "appliance" class computers.

as for switching out the fans. it's not really recommended. technically speaking you CAN mount 120mm/140mm fans, but only through modding and that takes away the innate advantage of the airflow design in the case. as for other 180mm fans you can use, there are only silverstone and phobya fans that i'm aware of so choices are definitely limited. fortunately, the stock fans aren't bad. so there isn't much reason to replace them in the 1st place.
 
#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sazexa View Post

Unless, of course, a new motherboard standard comes in to play which doesn't comply with ATX mounting positions. ;]
But I will stop by the clubs. I am seriously excited for this case. Now before I purchase it, what fans fit on the bottom other than 180mm's
I think I saw somewhere it is possible to fit four 120mm's also?
Not that I would change them, just out of curiosity,
Well the case cmes equipped with 3 air penetrators Ap121 fans, supeb for cooling evry component in your rig.unless you want to mount a watercooling setup.
 
#24 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eduardv View Post

Well the case cmes equipped with 3 air penetrators Ap121 fans, supeb for cooling evry component in your rig.unless you want to mount a watercooling setup.
actually it comes with AP181's not AP121's. 181's are 180mm fans not 120mm fans. that's why most people fail to realize just how powerful of an air cooling case the FT02 is
biggrin.gif
they think it's got 3 small fans when in reality they have 3 huge fans
biggrin.gif
 
#25 ·
I was actually in this situation not long ago, and due to space restrictions chose the RV03 over the Fortress. I am very impressed with it so far. I have a non-reference card with a dual fan setup similar to the OP and my max temps while 1080p gaming have been 71c. During heavy video work when my cpu is stressed to the max my cpu temps still only just get over 80c, and that's with my sad 28c ambient temps in my room. The airflow design works great imo.

I run the fans on low when possible, as at high they are VERY loud on high but I do have my case sitting right next to me on my desk. Under a desk may be better in that respect. And I quite like the look of it. Yes it's a bit plastic looking but it has that mean business look I like. I will upgrade to a FT02 if a change of desk/furniture allows later on though.
 
#26 ·
i vote for ft-02. i have one and couldnt love it anymore. I stuck with air cooling for a long time then noticed people putting in water cooling loops with the magicool 180 dual or triple rads.. Now i have a water cooling setup in it and it performs well, cleans up real nice, and the cable management for me is really good. just my 2 cents
 
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