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Cases Silverstone FT03 build (now turning into post your pics of FT03 builds thread)

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Lankius Maximus, 8 Feb 2011.

  1. MODZERO

    MODZERO Minimodder

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    Thanks, I'm pleased with it. I've just had some 25mm spacers fabricated to fit between the rubber feet and the case, this will lift the case allowing me to fit another two 80mm noise blocker fans to the 160 rad, I've cut the dust filter in two and added new magnets so the PSU and dual 80's are using separate filters.

    I'm also planing on removing the top Cluster 120mm fan (the one fitted outside the case) and replacing it with something a little more powerful. the two 120mm and the bottom two 80mm fans are all PWM controlled via the motherboard.

    It's cool and quiet with good temps for two small rads, after a few hours gaming both CPU/GPU sit around 52'c. However the coolant temps are high, both rads and the fittings are hot to the touch hence the intentions to add the second pair of 80mm's and a higher performing 120mm.

    J.
     
  2. Parge

    Parge the worst Super Moderator

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    Well, they are supposed to be hot to the touch! Just means your Rads are doing their job. As long as the heat is there and not on your CPU/GPU then alls good!

    Remember that if you have push pull fans, then ideally they should both be the same make and model. If not you'll get buffeting sounds as air is being pushed or pulled in faster on one than the other.

    Might not be your thing, but have you thought about cutting a side panel to show off all your awesome work?
     
  3. MODZERO

    MODZERO Minimodder

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    Good call, I'd not thought about buffeting.. I'll leave the clusters then.. My main worry was the pull fans on the 160mm RAD, the shape of the Noise Blockers doesn't create a perfect seal to the RAD and with them being in a pull config it's clear not all the pulled air is coming through the RAD. Step 1 then, I'll add the two push NB fans to the underside.

    I've ordered a new rear side panel from Silverstone its coming from Germany, the rear side panel fits the same as the front side panel but without the plastic dust filter it'll allow me more freedom with my design. I'll be sending that away for a full length window. Thought about adding a second window to the front panel to show the loop from a different angel but to be honest I think it'll spoil the case design.

    If only Enermax did a 120mm White/white LED PWM performance fan.

    J.
     
  4. Parge

    Parge the worst Super Moderator

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    What like this one?
     
  5. MODZERO

    MODZERO Minimodder

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    lol, the description says they are brand new.. but I'm pretty sure their the ones I'm already using..

    Thanks thou.. if they are 'new' I shall order a pair.


    EDIT: No info on the Enermax website about new models. they appear to be the same.

    J.
     
  6. Gabedamien

    Gabedamien What's a Dremel?

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    No email contact for this user... :sigh:

    Iskara, if you ever come back here and read this, how are your temps with the ASUS DirectCU II card? Are you OCing your CPU?

    I'm curious because people have pointed out that the ASUS airflow design is not a perfect match to the Silverstone FT03, but I love the ASUS cards for their noise and temp performance. I'm interested in how well your card works in that setup vis-à-vis fan RPMs, GPU/CPU temps, perceived turbulence inside the case, etc. Any input you might have would be welcome as I am strongly considering the GTX 670 for my FT03.
     
  7. Iskra

    Iskra What's a Dremel?

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    Hi, I've tried to get an average for baseline temps on my build but room temps have been crazy over here.

    With a room temp of 27ºC with case fans @ 80% I get a idle temp of 35ºC for the Gpu and 37ºC for the cpu.

    On load after 2 hour session of borderlands (not the most demanding game I know) max temps the Gpu reachs get around 79ºC but immediatly after exit to desktop it shows around 56ºC. Cpu reachs Max of 59ºC with an average around 50ºC.

    I haven't perceived any turbulence but with the default Silverstone fans it get's audible, not noisy but audible.

    All temps @ default speeds, no overclocking yet sorry.

    Hope it helps.

    Iskra
     
  8. Gabedamien

    Gabedamien What's a Dremel?

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    Wow, great (and quick) reply! Thanks!

    Those numbers look fine to me. :thumb: I will be using a supposedly-better (air) cooler, the Silver Arrow, which will almost certainly require removing the diagonal mid-chassis fan & bracket. I'm also getting a DirectCU II 670, which is a different card. AND I intend to OC my 3770K CPU from 3.5 to 4.2 GHz. And I may even be replacing the remaining two chassis fans anyway. So there are way too many different variables there to know what exactly I should get.

    But I think the point stands that cooling in the FT03 with an Asus DirectCU-style card can work at a totally reasonable level.
     
  9. Iskra

    Iskra What's a Dremel?

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    You're welcome. No complaints on the directcu cooling from me. The 670 is actually a cooler gpu and the Directcu cooling in that card is superior to the one the 560ti has so I believe you shouldn't have any issues.

    Iskra
     
  10. MODZERO

    MODZERO Minimodder

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    I've just bought an EVGA GTX670 4GB + EK Block and Back Plate for my FT03 build, Since posting those photos I've made a couple other changes too. I'm looking forward to seeing how the 670 fairs against 580 I did have, temp wise. I'm the lower TPD will see a drop in temps. I'll post some photos after It's fitted (Thursday).

    J.
     
  11. faugusztin

    faugusztin I *am* the guy with two left hands

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    So you like circles you say ? :D
     
  12. Gabedamien

    Gabedamien What's a Dremel?

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    Hello all! This was one of the threads I used for research, so I figured I'd stop by and report on my successful first build, an mATX Hackintosh in the FT03T.

    The full thread is over at TonyMaxX86, but here is a pic and short summary, plus additional specific notes on my FT03T:

    [​IMG]

    Intel i7 3770K OC'd to 4.2 GHz
    ASUS Maximus V Gene mobo
    Venomous X Black cooler
    ASUS GTX 670 DCII video card (non-top)
    16GB Corsair 1600 MHz RAM (low profile CAS10)
    Corsair AX650 PSU
    240 GB 6GBs SSD, 128 GB 3GBs SSD, 2 x 1.0 TB Green HDDs
    Noiseblocker PWM fans
    Acoustic damping foam
    Etc.

    NOTES ON FT03T: Good news, my FT03T came with the upgraded USB 3.0 header pre-installed! Man, that USB 3 cable was long and inflexible, though... major pain to fit with everything else.

    No indications of the poor QC (uneven gaps, stripped paint, bare wires etc.) that some people had with earlier FT03 models.

    The bottom filter is still a joke - too bendy, the magnets too weak, and it doesn't perfectly cover the bottom ports (two very small gaps). The side panel filter is also stupid, it takes so much effort to snap on and off that it is easier to simply remove the whole side panel. Plus the bottom half has no actual dust filter (just the open grid pattern), presumably to allow PSU exhaust, but in practice this means that dusty air flows in through that section more readily than it is filtered through the top section.

    The GPU exhaust bracket is too close to my Venomous X, and that cooler isn't even the widest you can get; a consequence of the socket position on 1155 mobos, esp. ASUS mobos. Luckily, the 80mm multiframe M8-P noiseblocker fan I got allows its corner section to be removed, and the other corners are flexible; by bending the CPU heatsink fan clip, I was able to cram the GPU fan against the heatsink enough that I could screw in the fan bracket. Kludgy but functional.

    Care had to be taken exactly where and how I installed my acoustic foam (AcoustiPack ULTIMATE, in thin and thick varieties). I eventually settled on the back inside panel (thin foam), component side panel (sections of thick foam plus a block of thin foam where the GPU exhaust bracket faces), and front panel (thick foam on the open innermost portion, and thin foam where the panel faces the steel frame bars of the case itself). I didn't put foam on the drive side panel, both to keep passive cooling for the drives intact and because that side is positively crammed with PSU cables.

    [​IMG]

    I love the case although I recognize it has many quirks and foibles. To me it was worth it to do something a bit offbeat and unique, but it was occasionally frustrating. If I could go back and change one decision, it would be to have gotten the Silverstone Gold Evo 750 PSU and the PP05 short cable kit; would have made my build much easier. As it is, it worked out eventually.

    [​IMG]

    Check out the TonyMac thread for more details. I'll be happy to answer any questions or comments here, though. Cheers! —G
     
  13. MODZERO

    MODZERO Minimodder

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    Thought I'd post these images, before the Titan goes on water tomorrow:

    My FT03 at i47.

    [​IMG]
    ...

    GTX580

    [​IMG]
    ...

    GTX670

    [​IMG]
    ...

    GTX TITAN (AIR)

    [​IMG]
    ...


    GTX TITAN (WC)

    IMAGE COMING TOMORROW

    I've ordered a pair of Corsair SP120 high static pressure fans to replace the Emermax Clusters, I wish Corsair had done a fan with a similar white LED to the Emermax but I fear I'll need to extra performance from the SP120's once the TITAN is WC'd.

    J.
     
  14. Chris_Waddle

    Chris_Waddle Loving my new digital pinball machine

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    That's a lovely build Joe, very impressive. Looking forward to seeing your Titan's performance
     
  15. MODZERO

    MODZERO Minimodder

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    TITAN WC FT03

    [​IMG]
    ...

    [​IMG]
    ...

    [​IMG]
    ...

    [​IMG]
    ...


    I'm utterly useless with a camera it seems.. (iPhone) it took me most of the day to get the TITAN onto water.. I had a nightmare when removing the heatsink.. my shitty screwdriver rounded off two of the screws on the PCB.. my heart sank and so I nipped out for resources.. but mehhhh.. got them out and got the block on.. score! I replaced the Emermax fans with the new Corsairs which I'm loving but my motherboard (Gene IV-Z) has a **** limitation where by the two CPU fan headers (the ones I use for push/pull on the top rad) are RPM controllable only for PWM fans.. all the headers on the board are 4-PIN yet the other 3 headers can also control 3-pin fans... makes sense.. SO WHY PUT TWO HEADERS THAT DON'T SHARE THAT SAME ABILITY!

    Ballache..

    So I've had to use the bundled adapter..

    Anyway...

    There it is..

    J.
     
  16. Guest-16

    Guest-16 Guest

    Hack - that's an absolutely beautiful FT03! Love the window. Mind if we steal those pics and use them on ROG site? :D Can you take some more of the innards too?
     
  17. Parge

    Parge the worst Super Moderator

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    Agreed SUPER lovely build there Hackjoe - could you give us a few more deets about your cooling setup?
     
  18. Kronos

    Kronos Multimodder

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    I have an almost new FT03 up for sale. http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=257707 if anyone is interested? I went back to the Lian Li (in sig) as I must admit that I do like my bling, LED fans and a glowing fan controller with I might add a rather fancy set of LED case feet.
     
  19. bdigital

    bdigital Is re-building his PC again

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    Whereabouts are you Joe? Il come over with the camera kit and we can get some pro shots done ;)

    Having said that i doubt you need any help from me, if you can achieve those with an iphone i reckon you know what your doing already. Great build.
     
  20. Kronos

    Kronos Multimodder

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    Did you cut the window yourself and what are the dimensions and what about the window itself how is that fixed to the case?
     
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