Streacom FC8 ALPHA Series Fanless Home Theatre Aluminium Chassis
The FC8 Alpha, once again sets the benchmark for small, sleek, powerful and silent computing.
Features
- Fully fanless HTPC chassis
- 100% aluminium with a fine sandblasted finish
- Ideal for media centre system
- Compatible with Mini ITX motherboards
- Supplied with four direct touch heatpipes for superior CPU cooling
- Two front USB 3.0 ports
- Available with or without an optical drive slot
The FC8 Alpha is more than just the next iteration of the FC8 product line, its a massive redesign which subtly refinements to its form and function. With its stylish understated looks, the Streacom FC8 is a case that would complement the audio visual experience in any home. Thanks to its specially designed fanless CPU cooling system, the FC8 offers totally silent cooling. The finely sandblasted aluminium cabinet is beautifully finished and will look at home in any audio visual system or home theatre.
The chassis is supplied with a fanless CPU cooler that is designed to passively cool CPU’s that have a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 95W or lower. The chassis can do this with the use of heatpipes that attach to the CPU cooler and then onto either side of the chassis which features large aluminium heatsinks that naturally dissipate the heat - providing silent cooling of the CPU!
The heatsink has been re-tooled to be sleeker, easier to clean, more balanced and ready for future heatpipe configurations. The top panel is now a single piece extrusion, making is virtually unbreakable, and the venting holes have been removed and replaced with a stealth side vent which reduces internal dust and improves convection airflow.
The drive tray has been totally re-design making it easier to install yet more versatile than ever, and now supports up to a maximum of 5 x 2.5” drives! The tray also features variable drive position and orientation mounting, so you can optimally position your drives.
As with all Alpha cases, USB3.0 is native and the power LED is now a subtle pure white. The heatpipes and mounts have also been updated for easier installation.
Recommended Components
Streacom have a comprehensive build guide that provides general tips and suggestions on what should be considered when building in a Streacom case and how to achieve the best results.
Motherboard and CPU - The FC8 is only compatible with Mini ITX motherboards. Depending which motherboard you opt for will determine which CPU to use. The case is capable of cooling virtually all CPUs that have a TDP of 95W or lower.
One important point to note when selecting a motherboard is that the board must not have the 24-pin ATX connector located under the heatpipes otherwise the Nano PSU adapter will obstruct the them and it will prevent the CPU block from being fitted.
If there are any partial obstructions in the path of the heatpipes then it is possible to use only two heatpipes for 65w (or lower) processors.
Note: Although the overall cooling ability of the case allows the use of 95W processors we would strongly advise using a processor with a TDP of 65W or lower to avoid using more power than a Nano PSU can provide.
Power Supply - We recommend using a fanless the Streacom Nano PSU which can provide up to 160W of power. This is more than enough to power a CPU that has a TDP of around 65W along with suitable peripherals. It is recommended not to overload the number of peripherals; a few HDD/SSDs, a TV tuner and obviously a motherboard should not be a problem for this miniature PSU.
Optical Drive - The FC8WS does not accommodate an optical drive.
Remote Control - If you wish to take control of the PC with the use of a remote control, then look no further than the Streacom Flirc IR receiver. It is designed to fit all Streacom chassis and will work with virtually any remote control.
Thermal Paste - These cases are supplied with thermal paste.
| Specifications | FC8WS ALPHA Silver | FC8WS ALPHA Black |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer Product Code | ST-FC8S-ALPHA | ST-FC8B-ALPHA |
| Chassis Material | Premium Grade (6063) All Aluminium, 4mm Thick Extruded Panels | Premium Grade (6063) All Aluminium, 4mm Thick Extruded Panels |
| Available Colors | Silver / Black – Sandblast Finish | Silver / Black – Sandblast Finish |
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX | Mini-ITX |
| Drive Capacity without optical (WS) | 2x 2.5” + 2x 3.5” or 5x 2.5” or 3x 2.5” + 1x 3.5" * | 2x 2.5” + 2x 3.5” or 5x 2.5” or 3x 2.5” + 1x 3.5" * |
| Drive Capacity with optical (OD) | N/A | N/A |
| Front Ports | 2 x USB3.0 | 2 x USB3.0 |
| Expansion Slot | 1x Low Profile Expansion Card | 1x Low Profile Expansion Card |
| Cooling | Heatpipe Direct Touch 4 Pipes – Recommended CPU TDP 65W, Max TDP 95W with good airflow | Heatpipe Direct Touch 4 Pipes – Recommended CPU TDP 65W, Max TDP 95W with good airflow |
| Socket Compatibility | Intel LGA1151 and AMD FM1/2, AM2/3/4 † | Intel LGA1151 and AMD FM1/2, AM2/3/4 † |
| Supplied Heatpipe version | ST-SH2 | ST-SH2 |
| Dimension (W x D x H) | 240 x 250 x 100mm | 240 x 250 x 100mm |
| Power Supply | Nano PSU (Not Included) | Nano PSU (Not Included) |
| Remote Control | Streacom Flirc (Not Included) | Streacom Flirc (Not Included) |
| Warranty | 24 months | 24 months |
| EAN barcode | 8718469090976 | 8718469090969 |
- *Depending on hardware configuration, i.e. heatpipes / CPU location
- †AM4 users require the ST-AM4 bracket
| Specifications | FC8WS ALPHA Silver | FC8WS ALPHA Black |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer Product Code | ST-FC8S-ALPHA | ST-FC8B-ALPHA |
| Chassis Material | Premium Grade (6063) All Aluminium, 4mm Thick Extruded Panels | |
| Available Colors | Silver / Black – Sandblast Finish | |
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX | |
| Drive Capacity without optical (WS) | 2x 2.5” + 2x 3.5” or 5x 2.5” or 3x 2.5” + 1x 3.5" * | |
| Drive Capacity with optical (OD) | N/A | |
| Front Ports | 2 x USB3.0 | |
| Expansion Slot | 1x Low Profile Expansion Card | |
| Cooling | Heatpipe Direct Touch 4 Pipes – Recommended CPU TDP 65W, Max TDP 95W with good airflow | |
| Socket Compatibility | Intel LGA1151 and AMD FM1/2, AM2/3/4 † | |
| Supplied Heatpipe version | ST-SH2 | |
| Dimension (W x D x H) | 240 x 250 x 100mm | |
| Power Supply | Nano PSU (Not Included) | |
| Remote Control | Streacom Flirc (Not Included) | |
| Warranty | 24 months | |
| EAN barcode | 8718469090976 | 8718469090969 |
- *Depending on hardware configuration, i.e. heatpipes / CPU location
- †AM4 users require the ST-AM4 bracket
Customer Reviews
Great product and attention to detail
This case is beautifully engineered - it was my first small form factor build, but if anything I found it easier than builds I’ve done with larger cases.
The packaging is great, with the product really well protected, and every component clearly labelled. With this and the instruction manual that has both very clear pictures and descriptions, no need to worry about putting the wrong screw in the wrong hole!
A few tips from my experience:
* Be ready to use plenty of thermal paste. In the grooves where the heat pipes sit above the CPU, and where they contact the side of the case, aim to make a thin but continuous line of paste. (I started building systems when you were always advised to be sparing with paste, and in my first attempt with this case I didn’t use enough.) This is the one place where the pictures in the manual could be clearer.
* Recently Streacom changed the stock heatpipes to have a shallower rise - so they contact the side panel next to the lower line of screw holes (not the upper line as the manual shows).
* For an socket AM4 AMD processor, you need a different CPU mount (sold separately for a few pounds here). I wouldn’t be surprised if Streacom start including it as standard, but for now, there you are.
* A 65W CPU should be ok at moderate load and with cool ambient temperatures. If you push it harder, or the ambient temperature is higher (hello summer 2018!) you may be at the limits of stability - my Ryzen 2400G struggled under heavy load. Also, the chipset will get hot, and an M.2 drive on the underside of the board will get very hot.
* An undocumented feature of this fanless case is that, if you have less than two drives, you can quite nicely rig a 12cm fan to the underside of the drive tray :) It will get inflow from the back of the case, and push air through the perforations on the bottom. If you can live without absolute silence, this is worth considering.
Overall a 5* product which is obviously designed by a team that really care about it, and is a great product within the inevitable constraints of size and fanlessness.
Great fanless chassis.
Installation was very straightforward, with only the heatpipes being a wee bit fiddly.
Heat dissipation was adequate for a Core i3 8100 but that only has a TDP of 65W. Not sure how it would fare with a CPU with a higher TDP. I have no GPU or drives installed either, so there is little additional heat generated within the case.
We haven't received any reviews of this product yet.
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“Great.”
“A very efficient company with an eye for detail. Considerate and friendly. And a very quiet pc!”