FT03 Gaming rig...

pieplough · 28 Aug 2011 at 17:24

Having bought a second hand Fortress FT03 from a friend the wait was finally over to get some kit to put inside it.

Delivery yesterday morning...

Asus ROG Maximus IV Gene-Z, i5 2500K, 8GB Kingston Hyperx Grey, slot load slimline DVD and the awesome looking Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro. All for my Fortress FT03.

Couple shots of the components

Awesome looking motherboard.

Sadly no shots of it being built... by this point the swearing had began. The Dark Rock is a PITA to fit

Booted first time with no problems

I can't be the only one who makes this much mess when building... can I?

Thanks goodness she didn't see it like that

After a heavy tidy up...

Overall I'm very pleased, making the jump from a Q6600 to sandybridge has been a fairly big leap in terms of power plus its in such a neat package. Running very cool and quiet on stock speed (about 32 idle and 50 in game) so hoping to get a nice overclock on it.

The only thing left to do is replace the chassis fans with something a little quieter and to get overclocking

N19h7m4r3 · 28 Aug 2011 at 17:36

That's a really nice little setup alright.

I just don't like how tall that Chassis is, although at least it's still really narrow. Can squeeze that in plenty of places.

Speed · 28 Aug 2011 at 19:49

Very nice, did a very very similar build myself a few days ago, same case, motherboard. How are you finding GPU temps? I found that CPU temps were excellent, but even with the angled 120mm swapped for two flat 80mm fans the GTX570 temps were not great.

Might be down to the GTX570 itself, not sure.

RJC · 28 Aug 2011 at 19:50

Nice setup

I do the same with the boxes

pieplough · 28 Aug 2011 at 20:54

Cheers guys

I will have to check my GPU temps in game tonight and see how hot they get.

Edit: After a BFBC2 session the max GPU temp is 69 pretty great tbh. Considering its been OC'ed also.

setter · 28 Aug 2011 at 21:59

Sweet system mate, 69c on an oc'd gpu is very good. If i leave mine on auto fan, in minutes in bc2 theyre in the low 80's. Great for warming the feet though lol.

Kanifee · 28 Aug 2011 at 23:16

Very nice set up mate, been eying up the FT03 for a while, when i take the leap to i5 or AMD BD ill be seriously considering Micro Atx for this case alone.

the small footprint is very appealing and being silverstone build quality is a given, the only thing that worrys me is sound, do you think the design of the case acts as a speaker for fan noise, general design seems as though it would lend itself as natural amp for internal noise spewing it upwards into the room?

as said above V.nice build and hope you enjoy! love the cooler too they look very cool.

pieplough · 29 Aug 2011 at 00:04

Hi Kanifee, the build quality is superb. I came from a CM 690 (first one) which was a bit rough compared to this.

The case is not very noisy, the standard Silverstone fans are not the quietest however I have them turned down via the mobo settings. I wouldn't say the design has any acoustic issues if anything it makes it quieter as the fans are away from the intakes themselves which is what usually makes the most noise.

I will no doubt be swapping the fans for something a little quieter, the Be Quiet fans on the CPU cooler have impressed me so maybe get 2 of them.

And yeah I'm enjoying it, cheers!

Speed · 29 Aug 2011 at 00:10

The black is definately better than the Silver, having seen and used the Silver one I wouldn't suggest it. The white plastic makes it look a bit cheap tbh.

I was getting temps of 89c (HWMonitor) under 3DMark Vantage 3 loop run, what was strange was the CPU temp was excellent. I switched the 120mm angled fan to two 80mm fans and temps went down to 86c. To be honest I think it is just the particular GTX570 I have.

Unfortunately the customer changed his mind on the build and the FT03 is on its way back to the retailer next week. On the plus side I have a TJ08-E on the way and it is excellent having used one recently.

khemist · 29 Aug 2011 at 20:15

Snarf!.

grumpybeard · 29 Aug 2011 at 21:04

Nice build to see pieplough, all looking great.

Ive just ordered this case for a HTPC build, really looking forward to getting hands on with the build. Ordered some apache black super silent fans to replace the standard.

Will be putting in a passive sapphire ati 6670 card, will keep the angled 120mm and monitor temps, if too high may switch to the two more direct 80mm fans. What gpu you got in there?

Enjoy your new toy!

pieplough · 29 Aug 2011 at 22:07

khemist said:
Snarf!.

INDEED! Cheers for the bargain price on the case Khem!

grumpybeard said:
Nice build to see pieplough, all looking great.

Ive just ordered this case for a HTPC build, really looking forward to getting hands on with the build. Ordered some apache black super silent fans to replace the standard.

Will be putting in a passive sapphire ati 6670 card, will keep the angled 120mm and monitor temps, if too high may switch to the two more direct 80mm fans. What gpu you got in there?

Enjoy your new toy!

Nice fans, should be good in your case! I've got a GTX 460 1GB with a small oc on it and after an hour of BF:BC2 my gpu temp was 69 so I imagine your 6670 will be fine

Just need to get my head round the mobo for OC'ing, so many settings... not got a clue anymore!

spike2011 · 30 Aug 2011 at 06:59

Nice setup thanks for posting still think I will be getting a shuttle myself for my new build but you silverstone FT03 has a very small footprint will check it out more.
Wonders how cheap you got the case lol.

pigzippa47 · 9 Oct 2011 at 16:53

OP, or anyone else:

Will the larger cards fit in SLI on this mobo? (esp GeForce GTX 570)

I'm putting together a setup very similar to op, but I want the option to expand to dual 570s. It appears they'll fit in the FT-03 (albeit warmly) but I haven't found anyone who can confirm they'd fit on the Gene-Z (or this weeks announced Gene-Z/Gen3).

Many thanks for the pix OP, glad to have real-world numbers for heat too!

Xelene · 14 Oct 2011 at 19:42

I'm eyeing one of these up as a combo gaming rig / htpc for the living room and my 720p plasma. As it's a fairly low resolution and i'm trying to keep it cheapish it doesn't need super power components. The alternative is the Fractal Define Mini which is a lot cheaper, but not as ingenious.

pieplough · 14 Oct 2011 at 19:48

pigzippa47 said:
OP, or anyone else:

Will the larger cards fit in SLI on this mobo? (esp GeForce GTX 570)

I'm putting together a setup very similar to op, but I want the option to expand to dual 570s. It appears they'll fit in the FT-03 (albeit warmly) but I haven't found anyone who can confirm they'd fit on the Gene-Z (or this weeks announced Gene-Z/Gen3).

Many thanks for the pix OP, glad to have real-world numbers for heat too!

Hey man, didn't see your post until now. I think you would fit 2 (dual slot) cards on this mobo. Would be a very tight fit in this case though.

sldsmkd said:
I'm eyeing one of these up as a combo gaming rig / htpc for the living room and my 720p plasma. As it's a fairly low resolution and i'm trying to keep it cheapish it doesn't need super power components. The alternative is the Fractal Define Mini which is a lot cheaper, but not as ingenious.

I would say go for it, the build quality and style of the FT03 is fantastic. Would totally recommend!

meansizzler · 19 Oct 2011 at 04:09

Built FT03 month ago

Asus P8P67-M Pro
i7 2600K
8 GB RAM
2 x GTX 570 in SLI
Coolermaster GX 750 with 1200rpm Scythe Fan at 7V
Slot load dvd

Cooling

Replaced case fans with
3 x 120mm Enermax T.B Silence, 2 @ 5V, 1 @ 7V
92MM Nexus at 5V

Zalman CNPS10X Passive CPU Cooler

Xelene · 25 Oct 2011 at 21:17

pieplough said:
I would say go for it, the build quality and style of the FT03 is fantastic. Would totally recommend!

I did, its worked out okay with some big caveats. Cant recommend this case to0 anyone.

Tute · 25 Oct 2011 at 21:51

Not bad at all, but the FT03 does very little for me sadly. Looks a bit like a fridge?

Hyburnate · 25 Oct 2011 at 21:57

I love this case so much more than the Skeleton, but I don't think I could put up without seeing the components.