Streacom DB4 Fanless Aluminum Chassis Review

Today we are reviewing Streacom's DB4 Fanless ChassisStreacom might not be a big name in the enthusiast community but, when it comes to fanless / silent computing, the company has built a solid reputation over the last six years. In addition to fanless chassis, the company also manufactures fanless power supplies and a host of accessories for it broad range of cases.


Article Image



From the company's "About Us" page:
Streacom was founded in 2010 by a small but experienced team that shared a common vision of producing uniquely designed and engineered computer cases. With our head office in Holland and manufacturing base in China, we entered the market by focusing on SFF and passive cooled products all made from premium grade aluminum. This combination of premium quality and compact design has established Streacom as a global player in the PC component market and earned us a reputation for making stylish well-crafted products. Our mission is to design, engineer, manufacture and supply a range of computer products and accessories that push the boundaries of form, function, quality and value.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Article Image



The subject of today's evaluation is the Streacom DB4 fanless chassis. From the company's product page:

The DB4 is a design masterpiece featuring a bisymmetrical design that blurs the lines between technology and art. Every element of this case subtly screams premium, from the 13mm thick extruded aluminum side panels to the precision CNC’d internal frame, all perfectly blended together with our characteristically understated design tone. Key to its design are the identical sides of the case which serve both as the striking monolithic exterior and the convection surface (or heat sink) for component cooling and is the basis of its fanless operation.


Initial inspection confirms the company's claims of being a very handsome chassis with a minimalistic design and a unique artistic style. That said, let's dig into this chassis and see if it is as functional as it is stylish.



Article Image

PRODUCT PACKAGING:

The Streacom DB4 was shipped in its bare product packaging and, aside from a few minor scuffs acquired during the shipping process, the case arrived without so much as a scratch. The outer packaging is constructed of single-walled folded corrugated cardboard that is glued along the seems The overall measurements are 13"H x 13.5"L x 13.5"W.


Article Image Article Image


Article Image Article Image


The inner packaging is all black with features the name and company logo printed in white. The overall measurements of this inner box is 12"H x 13"L x 13"W. The case itself is shrink wrapped in thick plastic and held in place by extremely thick black closed cell foam inserts.


Article Image Article Image


While we normally do not talk about packaging beyond a basic description, size and condition when it arrives, we wanted to take a moment to say that the packaging for the Streacom DB4 is easily the best we've ever seen. The outer box protects the internal packaging. The extremely thick closed cell foam inserts protect the actual case and the way the inner packaging "unfolds" to give you access to the DB4 is genius.

TESTING METHODOLOGY:

As many of you know by now, we take a two-pronged approach to our case reviews. The reason for this is simple; a case that would be more than adequate for the average user may not work as well for the enthusiast and vice versa. When it comes to cases, it's obvious that a "one size fits all" approach just isn't going to cut it.  Our case testing consists of two complete hardware configurations, one for the average user and one for the enthusiast. While the average user may use only a single graphics card, hard drive, and large cooler, enthusiasts more often than not push the limits of case design with multiple GPUs, a stack of hard drives, and cooling solutions that vary from mild to wild.

We have test fit industry standard hardware, multiple GPUs, hard drives, self contained water cooling solutions, as well as large DIY dual slot radiators commonly used by water cooling aficionados. We do this because, although manufacturers may say that a case is specifically designed for gamers and enthusiasts, the term is broad enough that it warrants additional testing to validate those claims. Let's talk about the hardware we use for case testing. For case reviews, you aren't looking for the latest, greatest, fastest hardware on the market. With that in mind, we selected some of the biggest, hottest, and loudest hardware found to test with for fitment issues, thermal properties, vibrations, and noise levels.

The thermal characteristics of a case not only depend on the initial layout and design, but also on what kind of hardware you are using and how much of it is being put in the case. A case that has great airflow with a single GPU might not cool so well when loaded up with two or more graphics cards and a handful of hard drives. We monitor temperatures two ways; manually with a custom built unit capable of reading up to eight temperatures simultaneously as well as with CPUID's Hardware Monitor. This ensures that our readings are accurate and reliable. Leads from our temperature probe are physically attached to various points in the system allowing us to double check all of our temp readings. To get the system up to temperature, we run Prime95 and Furmark simultaneously for 60 minutes before we start taking any readings. This allows the system to level off after reaching max temperature.

ACCESSORIES

The accessories for the Streacom DB4 come in a plastic wrapped black box secured inside a compartmentalized section of closed-cell foam packaging that is used to prevent the case from being damaged. Inside you will find the usual zip ties, various screws, motherboard stand-offs, the heatpipe assembly for your CPU, a thermal pad, a small tube of thermal paste and the user's manual.


Article Image


EXTERIOR:

The Streacom DB4 features 13mm thick extruded aluminum side panels attached to a CNC'd aluminum frame. The chassis measures 10.25"W x 10.25"L x 10.75"H (including the case feet). The case has a bare sandblasted finish inside and out. Something you can't tell from the pictures is that, for a case this size, the DB4 it is deceptively heavy. The bare chassis weighs in at almost 17lbs.


Article Image Article Image Article Image


The black acrylic top panel of the chassis is devoid of any features other than four small screws that hold the panel in place. The top panel is slightly indented on all four sides, presumably to allow heat to escape the chassis. It should also be noted that the top panel has a matte finish on the top side with a shiny finish underneath. Personally, I liked the shiny side out so I flipped the panel.


Article Image Article Image Article Image


Since all four sides of the DB4 are identical, there really isn't a front, side or back of the chassis, allowing you to orientate the case any way you see fit. All four sides of the DB4 chassis are made of 13mm thick extruded aluminum that acts as a heatsink for your CPU (more on that later). The bottom of the Streacom DB4 is where you will find the motherboard I/O area, two expansion card slots and an opening for ZF240 or Nano Series power supply (not included), two USB 3.0 ports and power button and power LED.


Article Image Article Image Article Image


There are two large stylized aluminum feet with rubber padding that elevate the case approximately 1/2" off your desk. The height and design of the aluminum feet prevents the use of some DVI cables and USB sticks. We recommend using 90 degree connectors where possible and a stand alone USB hub. Something else we found rather odd, the power LED is extremely bright. If you are using the DB4 as a HTPC or the light bothers you, we recommend covering it or not plugging it in to the motherboard.


Article Image Article Image 


The Streacom DB4 is a fanless chassis so that means there is no real need for a filtration system. While small amounts of dust may enter the chassis through the small cut-away areas in the top panel of the chassis, an occasional dusting would prevent dust build up.


Article Image


As always, the "look" of a case is subjective and will vary from person to person but, I think it is safe to say that the Streacom DB4 has a very artistic and stylish look. Where the Streacom FC9 Alpha we looked at a few months ago looked right at home in a tower full of high-end A/V equipment, the DB4 could be placed anywhere and look fantastic. The fit and finish of the panels is excellent. In fact, we would go as far as to say that the design and styling of this chassis is some of the best we have ever seen.


Article Image Article Image


Finally, to give you an idea of the size of the Streacom DB4, I put it side by side with my trusty Corsair 250D home theater / gaming PC. As you can see, the DB4 is a good deal smaller than the 250D, allowing it to fit in much smaller spaces.

INTERIOR:

Even though the Streacom DB4 is small chassis, specifically designed to work with mini-ITX motherboards, it has a surprising amount of room on the inside. The removable motherboard tray acts as a divider that creates two separate compartments. Along the edge of the frame you will find a number of multi-purpose brackets that can be used for hard drives, SSDs and to mount a PSU.


Article Image Article Image Article Image


Article Image Article Image Article Image


Article Image Article Image Article Image


Article Image Article Image Article Image


According to the spec sheet provided by Streacom, the DB4 can accommodate up to five 3.5" or twelve 2.5" drives or a combination of both. In addition to the mounting locations in the motherboard tray for two 2.5" drives and a single 3.5" drive, you can also use the multi-purpose brackets to mount additional 2.5" and 3.5" drives in a variety of locations along the frame of the chassis. The installation of a ZF240 power supply (not included) takes away from the total number of drives you can install in the DB4 but, all things considered, we were still able to install a SSD and three 3.5" spinning disks with an internally mounted PSU.


Article Image Article Image


Article Image Article Image


Installing the heatpipe heatsink looks like a daunting task at first but, if you have a basic knowledge of how a heatsink works, it's really not that difficult. First of all, it is always a good idea to install the heatsink, heatpipes and fasteners WITHOUT thermal paste as a test fit to get a rough idea how everything is going to fit. Once you have the layout down, apply the thermal compound to the heatsink / heatpipes (we used a small paintbrush for application), get the assembly in place and then tighten everything down.

*IMPORTANT* Streacom includes a thermal pad with the DB4 that, while it works, it doesn't provide the same level of performance as a quality thermal compound. If you are using a CPU with a TDP of less than 66W, the thermal pad will be fine at the expense of higher CPU temps. Any processor with a higher TDP than that (up to 110W) we highly recommend using a quality thermal paste instead of the included thermal pad. Also, when applying thermal compound, you need to apply it to the area between the heatpipes and the aluminum block as well as the mating surface between the block and the side panel of the DB4.


Article Image Article Image


Article Image Article Image Article ImageArticle Image Article Image Article Image


Because the Streacom DB4 is a fanless system, it has no mounting locations for fans. That doesn't mean you can't install components with fans, but it does defeat the purpose of a "fanless" chassis. As you can see from the pictures, even with a basic system configuration, the inside of this chassis can get cramped in a hurry once you start adding drives, discreet GPUs and other components. Cable routing can also be an issue, depending on the system configuration. Careful planning and component selection is a must for a clean system installation.


Article Image Article Image


Article Image Article Image


Streacom sells optional accessories for this chassis that allows you to add a slot loading disc drive to the DB4 as well as a heatpipe cooling upgrade for the CPU. If you have plans to use this chassis for a HTPC or gaming rig, the ability to add extra cooling and a Bluray drive might be something you are interested in.


Article Image Article Image


The Streacom DB4 is intended to be used with the ZF240 or Nano Series PSU, both are sold separately. The ZF240, the only PSU Streacom sells powerful enough to run our test system, will set you back an additional $175. Other small form factor fanless PSUs will fit in the DB4 but it is mainly a matter of trial and error and will depend greatly on your system build.

COOLING:

As always, we are breaking down the cooling section of this evaluation into several parts so that we may adequately cover each section separately. We looked at stock fan cooling, all-in-one water cooling solutions, DIY enthusiast water cooling, and the ins and outs of each along with any issues we encountered along the way. The Streacom DB4 does not accommodate aftermarket cooling or all-in-one water cooling solutions so testing will be limited to the factory heatpipe assembly that is integrated into the chassis.

FAN COOLING:

Our "smoke test" is used to demonstrate the amount of air a case is capable of drawing in and from how far away. If the design of a case restricts its ability to draw in the cooler outside air, thermal performance can suffer as a result. Simply put, this is a basic flow test of sorts. Obviously we are unable to perform a flow test on a fanless chassis so we are bypassing this portion of our review process. The same can be said about air coolers. This is a fanless chassis with a heatpipe HSF that is integrated into the chassis' frame.

TEMPERATURE TESTING:


STANDARD CONFIGURATION:

With an ambient room temperature of 24C / 75F, our standard hardware configuration test system generated the following temperatures:


Article Image


The Streacom DB4, in standard hardware configuration, performed extremely well for a fanless system. Sure, component temperatures are going to be higher than a system with active cooling but the temperatures we saw here today are definitely in line with other fanless systems we have tested in the past.


Article Image

ENTHUSIAST CONFIGURATION:

Rerunning our tests in enthusiast trim, with the ambient room temperature once again at 24C / 75F, our test system generated the following temperatures:


Article Image


Adding a discreet GPU to the Streacom DB4, along with an additional two 3.5" 7200 rpm hard drives definitely added heat to our test system but not as much as I had expected. The 84W TDP of the Intel Core i5-4670K processor we used for testing is definitely above the recommended TDP 65W but, even so, the heapipe system kept temperatures under control. Obviously using a processor with a TDP of 65W or lower, or the addition of the optional LH6 CPU heatpipe kit, would definitely bring CPU temperatures down. Had our load temperatures been closer to our processors 98C max temp we would have definitely opted for the LH6 CPU heatpipe kit. Also, as we have stated in the past, since the DB4's case also functions as its heatsink, ambient temperatures and system placement have a huge impact on the cooling performance of your system. The better your airflow and ambient temperatures, the better the cooling results.


Article Image

SOUND LEVELS:

The benefit of a fanless system is the fact that it doesn't generate any noise. Even during our enthusiast testing, the vibration caused by spinning hard drives and the small fan on our GTX 960 didn't produce enough noise to be audible, even when you are within inches from the chassis.

Article Image


Normally we take sound level readings from four feet from the case with two off-the-shelf dB meters from two different angles but, since there is nothing to generate any sound and the chassis did not rattle or vibrate, there really was no point in trying to take dB readings.

MODABILITY:

The question of whether or not a case is a good candidate for modding is highly subjective and varies on a case by case basis. As modders ourselves, more often than not, a plain case that offers a "blank slate" to express our creativity is preferable to a case with large pre-cut side windows, pre-installed 200mm LED fans and so on. It has been our experience that, aside from some very specific projects, most modders prefer not to spend extra money on features they are simply going to cut off and remove anyway.


Aside from maybe having the DB4 powder coated or anodized, there is absolutely no reason to do anything to this chassis. This modern art design of the case looks fantastic and literally looks right at home just about anywhere. The DB4 can be used as a stand or, if you really wanted to go geeky, you could add a quiet 200mm - 250mm fan to the top of the chassis and it would look like a giant CPU heatsink sitting on your desk.


Article Image Article Image Article Image





CONCLUSION:

Everything about the Streacom DB4 impressed us. Sure there were a few minor things that bothered us like the inability to use longer USB sticks, the extremely bright power LED was a bit off-putting and fanless systems aren't for everyone. If you are shopping for a chassis like the Streacom DB4 that can double as piece of modern art, the price tag will not bother you at all. Everyone else might find the $299 price tag with an additional $175 for a power supply a bit much.

Now that we have that out of the way, lets move on to the many things we loved about the Streacom DB4. First of all, the benefits of a completely silent case are too numerous to count. The sound deadening qualities of the thick extruded aluminum panels is fantastic, making this chassis ideal for home office use, HTPC or any other environment where silence is a priority.

With the heatsink assembled and installed properly, cooling performance, even with an Intel Core i5-4670K processor with a 84W TDP, was very good. Especially considering this is a passively cooled fanless chassis. We emphasize "properly assembled and installed" because you wouldn't believe how many times we have seen heatpipe assemblies put together without thermal compound between the pipes and the heat exchanger blocks. Everyone remembers to put thermal compound on the CPU and between the heat pipe assembly and the side of the case but totally forget to use thermal compound on the heatpipes themselves. Proper heat transfer between the heatpipes and the aluminum blocks is critical to achieving the lowest system temperatures possible.

Let's talk about the looks and feel of the Streacom DB4 shall we? The top notch build quality of the DB4 not only looks fantastic, it actually helps prevent the chassis from humming, rattling or vibrating during operating, even under full load. Everything about this chassis screams luxury and elegance. This is not a chassis you would put under a desk or in an A/V cabinet with your other components. The DB4 deserves to be on display no matter how you decide to use it.

Those of you wanting a cool and silent HTPC can opt for a CPU with a lower TDP and add the optional optical drive kit. Gamers on the other hand can get the best of both worlds by bumping up the GPU to a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and add the LH6 CPU heatpipe kit for additional cooling capacity.


Article Image




BOTTOM LINE:

Surviving our enthusiast testing process isn't a chore to be taken lightly. Every case that comes through our labs is thoroughly examined, pushed to the limit, and tested in ways that we feel gives you an accurate assessment of the product's ability to perform in the manner you would use it at home. Simply put, Streacom has done it again. If you want to build a HTPC, or small form factor PC, that is as much a showpiece as it is a computer case, it would be hard to find a better case than the DB4.


The Streacom DB4 is expected to ship in January with a retail price of $299.99