Silverstone’s latest retro PC case shrinks all the way down to MicroATX
We’re absolute suckers for retro vibes right here at PCWorld. What can I say, we’re outdated and solely getting older. So yeah, we love Silverstone’s FLP sequence, sue us. However these large beige packing containers are providing some flexibility that trendy circumstances typically lack whereas sticking with extensive ATX compatibility. What’s to not love? The latest providing will get slightly smaller, however nonetheless affords signature exterior bay choices.
The Silverstone FLP03 broadly sticks to the identical vertical mid-tower format because the FLP02, however shrinks it all the way down to MicroATX. That’s slightly smaller than a normal tower setup, however not fairly all the way down to small kind issue builds. (You possibly can, after all, stick a Mini-ITX motherboard in there if you would like.) In response to the spec sheet proven on the Silverstone Expo 2025 occasion in Akihabara, and noticed by Twitter/X consumer Hito, this new case nonetheless has a formidable setup of three 5.25-inch exterior bays. These are those principally used for CD and DVD drives, and which have largely disappeared from trendy PC circumstances.
As Tom’s {Hardware} notes, the FLP03 case appears in any other case equivalent to the FLP02, sacrificing some inside 3.5-inch storage choices and cooling fan house to shrink the case vertically. It’s “simply” 456mm tall, in comparison with 494mm for the FLP02 (17.95 inches and 19.45 inches, respectively). The demo unit was exhibiting off the older design’s bodily lock, swap, and LED numeral show.
In response to Silverstone’s personal specs, the FLP03 could be very barely deeper than the FLP02 at 477mm, and solely a bit thinner at 220mm. That smaller quantity imply it might maintain just one 180mm fan on the entrance (or 140/120, presumably) as an alternative of two 120mm followers, and a smaller 120mm fan on the rear. The highest can deal with three 120mm or two 140mm followers, which might translate to a 360mm-long radiator setup, although that will block the highest 5.25-inch bay. (Sorry for the combination of models right here, PC circumstances are bizarre like that, particularly for one so deliberately “retro.”)
The FLP03 can deal with a 412mm-long graphics card, which is definitely a very good bit longer than the FLP02’s 386mm most — I’m guessing there have been some revisions made with some gamer suggestions right here. That may, theoretically, make the newer case even higher for a high-powered construct, with the unlucky limitation of a MicroATX motherboard, typically tougher to search out and dearer than a normal ATX setup.
The FLP02 nonetheless appears to be pending a wider launch, as I’m not seeing it in the stores anyplace, although a couple of specialty shops like MicroCenter are promoting the unique horizontal FLP01 case, which you can even get as a MainGear pre-built PC. Right here’s hoping that each one three get higher availability someday subsequent yr.
