Silverstone Fortress FT05 Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 05.11.14
The Fortress FT05 is the latest model from from SilverStone that got added to their well known case series. The product features a unique design and since it's a SilverStone case, it should also come with impeccable build quality. A very interesting feature is, that the motherboard has been rotated by 90° in order to make use of the chimney effect. For a price of 150 Euro, this sound like a really interesting product, doesn't it?
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Today, we will be checking out the latest mid-tower Fortress case from Silverstone, the model SST-FT05B.
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Preview
Specifications
| Model | SST-FT05B (black) SST-FT05S (silver) SST-FT05B-W (black + window) SST-FT05S-W (silver + window) |
| Case Type | Mid-tower |
| Dimensions | 483 x 221 x 427 mm |
| Material | Steel, plastic |
| Color | Black |
| 5.25'' drive bay | 0 |
| 3.5'' drive bay | 2 |
| 2.5'' drive bay | 2 |
| Expansion slots | 7 |
| Form factors | SSI-CEB, ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX |
| Cooling |
Top: 1x 120mm Bottom: 2x 180mm (Included), 600/900/1200rpm, 17/25/34dBA Downward compatible with 120mm fan x 3, or 140mm fan x 2 |
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Bundle
overview |
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| The Silverstone Fortress FT 05 comes beautifully wrapped in a black envelope fabric. The actual box is made out of cardboard with all the basic informations printed on it. Inside, we found the Fortress FT 05 safely placed inside two big pieces of styrofoam, so that even the roughest shipping will not leave any scars on it. Along with the case itself, the bundle also includes an instruction manual, screws and a catalogue of other Silverstone products. | |||
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Product overview
overview |
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Silverstone's new Fortress FT 05 is a
mid-tower case with a rather unique design, but in line with other
products from the same series. A closer look at the materials used
reveals that Silverstone decided to use high quality plastic as well as solid steel, providing
the enclosure with good stiffness and a solid frame. Apart from that the paint used,
is
of excellent quality and the attention to detail is always staggering with cases
coming from SilverStone. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Installation
overview |
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| The
interior of the
Silverstone Fortress FT 05 is quite spacious, even though you might think it is not due to the layout.
The motherboard tray comes with pre-soldered standoffs, which will make
putting your motherboard in place a piece of cake. There is also a big opening behind the
CPU socket, so that you can install aftermarket cooling systems without having to take the whole motherboard off.
The motherboard tray features openings for routing cables and since
there is a lot of space between the motherboard tray and the right panel
it is possible to use that additional space for further cable
management. As noted above, the motherboard has been rotated by 90 degrees clockwise. The HDDs and SSDs can be placed without any difficulty into the Silverstone's cage positioned above the power supply or, alternatively, behind the motherboard. Given the vertical "orientation" of the case, you will have no problem with oversized graphics cards or big and tall air coolers. However, we suggest to use a power supply with a maximum length of 165mm in case you want to preserve the HDD cage. |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Ventilation options
overview |
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| The cooling part of the Silverstone Fortress FT 05 includes two 180mm fans at the bottom of the case. These are both AP-181 fans, which can be controlled by two three-way mini-switches, that can drive them between 600, 900 and 1200rpm. Since the intake is from the lower part of the case, Silverstone has equipped the bottom part of the case with a huge washable dust filter. In the upper part of the case you will be able to find a slot for the installation of a 120 millimeter fan. If you love liquid cooling systems, the bottom part can house a 360 millimeter radiator and you can also place a 120mm unit in the upper part of the case. We like the overall flexibility you get with this case in terms of cooling, although SilverStone is making use of a rather unusual layout. | |
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| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |
Conclusion
| General | + | - | |
| Silverstone has created an overall good product with a classy design. The Fortress FT05 is characterized by an elegant shape and uses a sophisticated and excellent cooling solution. The build quality is in perfect Silverstone style, with high quality materials and attention to detail. Only few external corners looks too sharp in our opinion. In addition, the bundle is rich and you get two 180 mm fans which are already installed at the bottom of the case. |
- Bundle -Slot-in |
-Price | |
| Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics | + | - | |
| The build quality is always good with Silverstone and it is something that we certainly did not have any doubt about in the first place. The interior comes painted in black completely and there are no sharp edges. All the panels are covered with soundproofing material, which is black and thick. In terms of ergonomics we appreciate the presence of loopholes and tool-less systems. However, we would like to find tool-less mounting for the hard drives or for graphics cards as well. The paint-job is solid and hard to mess up, but on the other hand it happens just too quickly that this case is full with fingerprints. | - Space - Handles - Fan controller |
- Only 2x HDD 3.5" - Fingerprints |
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| Design / Layout | + | - | |
| Of course, the design is always a matter of taste but in our opinion, Silverstone has created a product with a very classic design which you will either end up loving or hating. At the lower bottom part of the case there is a reflective stripe that further enhances the external appearance of the FT05. The cooling solutions in the Fortress FT 05 case are innovative and functional. The "chimney" design with a 90 degree rotated motherboard is very interesting and internally offers plenty space for the installation of components. This model is also suitable for the lovers of liquid cooling systems, since on the bottom part has enough room for a 360 mm radiator while the top part can house a single 120mm radiator. | - Design |
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| Recommendation | + | - | |
| The official price of the Silverstone Fortress FT 05 is 148.90 Euro. The FT05 is basically the same case like the Raven RV05 from Silverstone, but with different exterior, which costs about 100 Euro. Therefore the FT05 is almost 50 percent more expensive than the RV05, which is definitely too much in our opinion. Nevertheless, should be looking for a well thought case with elegant looks and shouldn't you have to worry about spending about 150 Euro, then you can definitely consider this model. | -
Gamers |
- Price
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| Rating | |||
| The Silverstone Fortress FT 05 gets good 3.5 out of 5 stars. | |||
| Page 1 - Introduction | Page 5 - Installation |
| Page 2 - Preview | Page 6 - Ventilation options |
| Page 3 - Bundle | Page 7 - Conclusion |
| Page 4 - Product overview |