Micro Center was recently running a promotion where you could buy an Athlon X2 for ~$65 or a Phenom II X2 for ~$99 and get a free 760G motherboard with it. So my fiancée and I drove an hour from CT to Boston to go see what we could grab. Unfortunately they were out of the motherboards available for the promotion, but we decided to poke around for a while before leaving (by the way, EVERYONE should have a significant other that's into computers, it owns).
Our poking around (and trip overall) paid off. I looked over their computer case displays, since that's my favorite part of building a system, and was disappointed at how plasticy everything was... except for one, a lone Silverstone Fortress (original). It was the only case that didn't have a price tag, or even a name tag, so I decided to talk to an associate just to see how much they were asking - after all, you never know, they might only want $100 for it, right?
...Right. He didn't know what it was, so he asked me if I did. I told him it was a Silverstone Fortress / FT01, but when he searched their database he couldn't find it. So instead, he pulled up the only possibly match he could find - a Silverstone PS02B. He said he found the case, it was $69.99, and he would check in the back to see if they had any left. I told him that he had pulled up the wrong case (there was a picture of it and everything, which clearly didn't match), but he said it was the only Silverstone they had listed and not to worry about it. To my dismay he came back and said they didn't have any left. I asked if I could buy the display model, since it only had a few minor scuffs, and he consulted a manager. After checking it over thoroughly I determined that it was in immaculate shape save for a couple of marks on the right side panel (which have since rubbed off). The manager didn't care about the product discrepancy and said I could have it for $56, probably just to clear some shelf space.
So we walked up to the registers with him, and I couldn't help grinning from ear to ear. We waited patiently as he printed a clearance item ticket, and in the mean time I pulled up Newegg's listing for the Silverstone FT01 on my phone to show my fiancée, since she wasn't completely sure what the hype was all about. By the time we paid, we were both walking out with huge grins.
So I now have a FT01 and FT02 both sitting next to me, and I'm contemplating what I want to do. I actually think I'm going to retire the FT02, since it's a little big for the area I have it in. It's a GREAT case, and I'll miss the cooling capacity, but mid towers are more my style. The FT01 is also almost completely aluminum, and hence much lighter, while the FT02 has a lot of steel.
In the end, thank you to the random helpful Micro Center employee, and thank you to the manager. A perfect (though no box / accessories) FT01 for $56? You guys just made my day.
Cliffs:
- Drove an hour from CT to Boston to go to Micro Center
- Found Silverstone FT01 on display with no name / price tag
- Inquired, was offered the display case as is for $56
- Win.
Our poking around (and trip overall) paid off. I looked over their computer case displays, since that's my favorite part of building a system, and was disappointed at how plasticy everything was... except for one, a lone Silverstone Fortress (original). It was the only case that didn't have a price tag, or even a name tag, so I decided to talk to an associate just to see how much they were asking - after all, you never know, they might only want $100 for it, right?
...Right. He didn't know what it was, so he asked me if I did. I told him it was a Silverstone Fortress / FT01, but when he searched their database he couldn't find it. So instead, he pulled up the only possibly match he could find - a Silverstone PS02B. He said he found the case, it was $69.99, and he would check in the back to see if they had any left. I told him that he had pulled up the wrong case (there was a picture of it and everything, which clearly didn't match), but he said it was the only Silverstone they had listed and not to worry about it. To my dismay he came back and said they didn't have any left. I asked if I could buy the display model, since it only had a few minor scuffs, and he consulted a manager. After checking it over thoroughly I determined that it was in immaculate shape save for a couple of marks on the right side panel (which have since rubbed off). The manager didn't care about the product discrepancy and said I could have it for $56, probably just to clear some shelf space.
So we walked up to the registers with him, and I couldn't help grinning from ear to ear. We waited patiently as he printed a clearance item ticket, and in the mean time I pulled up Newegg's listing for the Silverstone FT01 on my phone to show my fiancée, since she wasn't completely sure what the hype was all about. By the time we paid, we were both walking out with huge grins.
So I now have a FT01 and FT02 both sitting next to me, and I'm contemplating what I want to do. I actually think I'm going to retire the FT02, since it's a little big for the area I have it in. It's a GREAT case, and I'll miss the cooling capacity, but mid towers are more my style. The FT01 is also almost completely aluminum, and hence much lighter, while the FT02 has a lot of steel.
In the end, thank you to the random helpful Micro Center employee, and thank you to the manager. A perfect (though no box / accessories) FT01 for $56? You guys just made my day.
Cliffs:
- Drove an hour from CT to Boston to go to Micro Center
- Found Silverstone FT01 on display with no name / price tag
- Inquired, was offered the display case as is for $56
- Win.
Last edited:
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