SilverStone Fortress FTZ01 Review

Performance Analysis

As the FTZ01 is the first case to run through our new high-end GPU low profile mini-ITX test gear, we have limited comparison results, but perhaps the most important question we set out to answer is whether it can handle a mildly overclocked system and a high-end GPU. Here it passed with flying colours, keeping our overclocked CPU well below 80°C on a fairly warm 25°C day here in the UK despite the fact we only used a small low profile air cooler.

The GPU result was acceptable too - there was a good 10°C or so in upright mode before out GTX 980 may have dished out some throttling, but with anything less toasty there's plenty of cooling on offer. However, as we suspected, there was a difference between upright mode and horizontal mode, with the GPU delta T rising by 5°C. It's far from a major issue but this does close the gap to possibly losing performance due to throttling, although we suspect many other mini-ITX cases would fair much worse here.


As final proof of the FTZ01's good cooling credentials, you can see our older results for the RVZ01 using our previous test kit here - top of the chart results in both tests using a near identical layout and cooling system to the FTZ01 means that the latter is likely to perform just as competitively.

Conclusion

SilverStone has created what we think is an even better version of the RVZ01 with its new Fortress mini-ITX case. The FTZ01 is well-made, good-looking, versatile and sports excellent air cooling. It's so good in fact that even with a small third party low profile cooler, you'll still be able to apply moderate overclocks to your CPU.

There's plenty of space for a hefty PC too - three SSD mounts, a hard disk mount and room for high-end GPUs too plus even space for an all-in-one liquid cooler if you have a small GPU. There's next to no space for custom water-cooling systems and the aluminium unibody design adds significantly to the price, which is much higher than the near-identical RVZ01. However, if the latter was a little too plastic-laden for your taste and you're still after a small, but very well-featured premium mini-ITX case for a gaming system, the FTZ01 is definitely for you.