Streacom FC5A Fanless Chassis Review

That’s right you read it correctly, a fanless chassis. The FC5A is a new breed of computing taking out the fans and incorporating a fanless, therefor silent system. With a thin sleek design it gives thought to the old Dell Optiplex’s we saw in school’s, libraries and offices except with a lot more style and grace.OVERVIEW

The FC5A is a 100% aluminum chassis that as you can see is a minimalist design that fits mITX, mATX and ATX boards.  Geared towards building a HTPC this chassis is definitely not one for intense gaming. The sheer size and composition of the FCA5 can tell us that components will be limited and you will need to do a little research before you start putting this build together.

Offered with or without an optical drive bay and in silver or black there are few options for you to look through. There’s not too much to say about this one right away so follow along as we get a closer look at the FC5A.

UNBOXING, CONTENTS AND PRICING

In a black briefcase style carrying box the FC5A name is clearly displayed with the 3D cube logo on the packaging. There is not much more for information on the packaging making this chassis’ packaging lacking effectiveness to draw people in if displayed on a retail shelf.The FC5A box contains the chassis itself as well as an instruction manual, screws, CPU cooling assembly (AMD as well as Intel options). The sand blasted matte finish keeps a textured look to the chassis while keeping it fingerprint free. The overall dimensions are 440 x 330 x 60mm. Along the front face of the chassis you will see on the left side the power button and LED above it as well as on the right hand side an IR window for any remotes you may use if you take the HTPC (home theater personal computer) route.The FC5a has a beautiful modern touch to its appearance. Alon the top you’ll see air ventilation holes as well as fins along the sides lined front to back. These fins aren’t just aesthetically pleasing but are also part of the chassis’ form factor as a heat sink. Around the back of the chassis you’ll see opening for the I/O shield of your motherboard, a pci-e slot as well as a small hole for the PSU cabling.The top panel pops off with the loosening of four Phillips-head screws (two per side between the fins). The interior shows the included I/O wiring for two USB 3.0 ports as well as the power switch.

      At the time of this review the Streacom FC5 was found on Amazon for $275. This is quite a steep price considering it doesn’t include the required nano PSU which will add on an additional $130. Streacom was kind enough to include their Nano 160w  PSU for our review.