Introduction

When I think of the Fortress naming from SilverStone, I first think full tower and the design implementations that both previous FT0x versions had. The FT01 was ahead of its day and offered wire management, great air flow, tool-free features, and a very sexy to look at exterior. The second reincarnation of the Fortress was the FT02, which took the FT01 and the Raven and mixed them up to make a pretty awesome case with a ninety degree motherboard tray alignment, while keeping most of the original ideas. Externally the FT02 was far superior to the sleek lines of the FT01 with its redesigned all aluminum exterior.

With what we are about to see, it is likely to change your perception of what the Fortress name is now, rather than what it used to be. Keeping with some of the important features that sold previous Fortress chassis', this new incarnation keeps the aluminum exterior and the rounded corners of the originals. It also keeps the terrific air flow that SilverStone is known for inside the chassis, and even plays off of the Raven and has a ninety degree rotation of the motherboard tray that allows heat to rise and exit via convective principles. With the aid of the fans there is no way for the heat to go but up.

We are going to be taking a look at the SST-FT03 in black today. While the chassis does keep a lot of the feature set and things we expect from SilverStone, what threw me the curve ball was that this chassis is for Micro ATX motherboards or smaller, only! - While the earlier Fortress chassis' were a huge success in both meanings of the word huge, times are changing and the inevitable shrinking of technology is getting greater. With that in mind, SilverStone really rethought the Fortress design and delivers high quality we expect in an odd shaped tower with a minimal footprint. I hope at this point I at least have you interested. Even if I don't, I still suggest you take the time to see everything that SilverStone has to offer in the newest of the Fortress series.