Streacom FC5: A Chassis To Build A Completely Fanless PC, Great For Linux HTPC/SteamOS PCs

Setting up the custom CPU cooler/heatpipe array was quite easy with this board and didn't run into any issues. From there the install process was smooth. The main obstacle with the FC5 Alpha is certainly just getting the CPU cooling setup and after that it's a similar install process to other low-profile ATX cases.

In the time I've been using the FC5 Alpha, the case has worked out well and for at least this lower-end Athlon 5350 setup I haven't run into any obstacles. This Kabini quad-core APU has a 25 Watt TDP, so it's on the lighter end, but still I rarely saw the CPU temperature get above 45°C during load.

After having this case for a few weeks, I'm quite happy with how the build turned out (sans the unsupported issues with my original Bay Trail attempt). The Streacom FC5 Alpha is built very well (the build quality is on par with my favorite SilverStone products), the fanless CPU cooler seems rather flexible for different CPUs/motherboards, and this chassis offers a plethora of 2.5/3.5-inch storage options whether you are building a large living room PC, SOHO file server, etc.

Streacom products can be found at Amazon.com among other retailers. The similar FC5 EVO chassis sells for $250 USD while at other Internet retailers (including NewEgg) the FC5B-ALPHA-OPT will set you back around $290 USD. That would be about my one gripe with the case is the rather high price tag.