SilverStone Fortress FT01 Mid-Tower Case Review

Exterior Impressions cont.


The front of the Fortress FT01 looks very simple. You’ll notice that SilverStone left only the essentials on the front fascia. A single power button and LED naturally blend in about half-way up the case.

When looking head-on, the only hint to the brand of this case is the small trademark snowflake on the intake grille. It would have been nice to see SilverStone include or make available some brushed aluminum CD drive bezels to make drives stand out less in the FT01.


The I/O ports and reset switch can be found at the top of the FT01. Two USB ports, a FireWire port and the essential AC97 audio connections are included. Although the ports are exposed and easily accessible, it would have been nice to see them concealed behind a pop-up door similar to the TJ09 and TJ10. It just seems that SilverStone went to so much trouble to make the front of the case look so subtle and understated that the top appears “busy”.

Toward the rear of the case, the massive 180mm grille can be found. Although many cases have top exhaust fans, the sheer size of the grille hints that this is not your average fan. At first glance, most will assume that this is an exhaust, not an intake opening.


At the bottom of the case, you’ll find a large grille for the PSU intake. SilverStone has included a good-sized dust filter for it and has sized it well for larger PSUs so those with 120 or 140mm bottom mounted fans should line up well. Heavy-duty rubber feet are included to keep vibration down and keep the FT01 planted firmly on the floor.