Introduction
Today we take a look at a home theater computer case, one with several key innovative features. The F12C by Streacom is designed to be for the high-end market for these kind of cases, and with its all metal construction – it does not disappoint. With support for motherboards ranging from Mini-ITX all the way up to full-sized ATX boards; and an exterior constructed from thick 4mm premium grade extruded and sandblasted aluminum panels, it creates a simple but timeless design. With a unique hardware mounting system, and an equally innovative top panel release mechanism; this case is guaranteed to be an attractive spectacle for anyone interested in the design aspect of computer cases.
Streacom’s take on the F12C
“The F12C is our first case designed to accept all standard ATX hardware, but of course being Streacom, the design is anything but standard. The ultra-minimalist exterior is made from 4mm thick premium grade extruded aluminium panels which are sandblast finished to create this simple but timeless design.
The unique design isn’t just skin deep, we have developed a new drive and fan mounting system that does away with traditional fixed location bays, making this case incredibly adaptable and configurable. Drives and fans can be mounted anywhere along both sides of the case and at virtually any orientation. This allows you to mix, match and perfectly position drives and fans for optimal cooling and hardware compatibility.
There is an additional upper mounting rail which is designed for fans and water cooling radiators, and combined with side panel venting, provides incredible amounts of cooling potential. Fan grills have been specially chosen to filter dust whilst maximising airflow and can all be externally removed for easy cleaning.
The open internal structure and flexible design allows for oversized PSU’s, 310mm long expansion cards, and 140mm + 2x120mm water cooling whilst still maintaining a footprint of just 420x320x184mm, making it perfectly suited for the high end home entertainment system.”
Packaging and Specifications
The front of the box is minimalistic in nature, just like the case itself. With the company name clearly in the upper right corner, and then the model and description in the opposite corner down below.
Turning the box slightly, we can see that the black is merely a cover over the top of a cardboard box.
One neat thing about the packaging, is the handle that is included for carrying it at the top.
Specifications
Chassis Material: Premium Grade (6063) All Aluminium, 4mm Thick Extruded Panels
Available Colours: Silver / Black – Sandblast Finish
Motherboard Support: Full ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX
Drive Capacity: MAX 24 x 2.5″ or 12 x 3.5″ (with ITX), MIN 2 x 2.5″ + 5 x 3.5″
Front Ports: None
Expansion Slot: 7 x Full Height Expansion Cards (MAX 310mm)
GPU Support: Full Height, 2nd slot or above when using Upper Fan Rails
Cooling: Multiple 80, 92, 120 & 140 Fans (Not Included)
Max CPU Cooler Height: 135mm
External Dimensions: 440 x 320 x 184mm (W x D x H, Including Feet)
Internal Dimensions: 432 x 310 x 168mm (W x D x H)
Power Supply: Full ATX, no Length Restrictions(Not Included)
Remote Control: FLirc or IRRC Solution (Not Included)
Net Weight: 4.4KG
Closer Look
Once we get the case out of the box, we can see the front panel. You’ll notice a few things here, the sleek curves, simple feet, lack of front I/O ports, a lone power button and power LED on the left, and on the right is an infrared sensor window.
If we slightly rotate the case, we can see the top; with three separate grills for airflow spanning nearly the full length of the chassis.
Moving around to the left and the right sides of the case, we see two smaller airflow grills on both sides; and you can see a further close-up of the curves.
Included with the case are your standard screw sets, and a manual. One thing we noticed lacking was zip ties, which typically you see included with cases. This means that any and all case management is up to the builder.
Here we have up close views of the grills themselves.
Pulling the grills off the side of the case, we can see they are actually made up of two components, a fine wire mesh that is then secured with a magnetic metal ring around it.
Here we can see the power button and the LED up close. The feel is solid and what you’d expect from a quality case manufacturer.
Here is the IR window on the right side. (No receiver is included, however the option is nice)
Moving towards the back of the case we see on the left a slot for a full-sized ATX power supply, the rear I/O plate, and then up to seven expansion slots available.
The expansion slots are gorgeous, and the finish is fantastic.
Here we can see the ‘thumbscrews’ you use to open the top panel. Both sides turn towards the left in order to unlock.
Once you twist both of them, the top panel comes off (with some effort we might add). Here we see the side with the screw.
Here is the nut that is located on the top panel itself.
Before we head inside the case for a look, let’s take a look at the bottom. There are ventilation holes around where the motherboard would be located, providing some extra exhaust for the hot air assuming you have maintained a positive pressure inside the case.
Heading towards the interior of the case, we first start with the adjustable rails located here in the center of the case. These rails can be slid back and forth to allow for mounting of various sized radiators, be it all in one solutions, or custom watercooling loops.
Here we see the other side of the bracket. On the right hand side we see long and slender black metal pieces – those are the unique and innovative pieces that allow for such a modular configuration inside of the F12C. We’ll get to those more later.
Around the back side of the case, we see what the inside of the expansion slots look like. Easily removed and reusable metal slots cover each hole in the rear of the case.
Here are shots of the front left side of the case, the power and LED buttons.
Here we have a diagram of the modular bracket and the retention clips. Installing hardware into them is easy, however getting the clips to secure to the case can be tricky. For more information on this system, here is the link for the product manual: http://www.streacom.com/downloads/ug/f12c_150407.pdf
Here we can see multiple 2.5” HDD’s attached to the universal brackets.
The brackets are not called universal without due diligence. Here we have a 140mm fan attached to them, ready to be secured into the case.
The Build
System Components Used
- ASRock FM2A88X-ITX+ Motherboard
- AMD A10-7850K Processor
- AMD Radeon R9 8GB 2133MHz DDR3 Memory
- EVGA Nvidia GTX 760 ACX Graphics Card
- Corsair AX750 w/ Sleeved Cables
- Samsung mSATA SSD
- Western Digital Blue Hard Drive
- Noctua NH-L9a CPU Cooler
Here is the completed build. Aside from having a hard time getting the retention clips to seat correctly, the build went by without a single snag or issue. The case is extremely roomy, and easy to work in.
Here we see a 3.5” WD HDD secured in a vertical position using just one of the brackets, rather than two brackets to secure up to 3-6 drives as shown previously.
With zero cable management built into the case, you’re left to do your own thing when it comes to how they’re seated. Zip ties here could rapidly become your best friend, however as stated previously – none are included.
Another thing about the build, is that the motherboard did not fully secure against the I/O backplate, something that hasn’t happened in another case before. Not a practical issue at all, just something that we noticed.
If you were content with less physical storage, you could also use this entire bottom for a 240mm radiator, thus filling up more space internally.
Bonus Gallery
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
The Streacom F12C is clearly an HTPC case designed for the future, with fantastic minimalistic design principles, and a supremely modular interior layout. It’s amazing sandblasted finish, entirely metal construction, and versatility will clearly give it an edge in comparison to the competition. With the included ability to support full length graphics cards, an IR receiver, and 240mm radiators – I can’t think of a case that typically sees these kind of options together.
Overall the case is very well thought out, and aside from the sometimes hard to use retention clips, lack of zip ties included, and lack of cable management options – it’s hard to find fault with it at all. While I do believe the universal mounting system could still be refined in a few ways, as long as you’re not trying to constantly change the internal layout of your build – it’s well worth the effort for the modularity that the design brings to the table.
The lack of USB ports on the front is a bit disconcerting, however with the ability to support 24 2.5” HDD’s, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about storage space, providing you have the money upfront to take care of your storage needs.
I would have a hard time not recommending this case to people who like a minimalistic design, and are looking for ‘the’ media case to finish off their entertainment center. This case has already found a home; and soon will have a remote pointing at it daily. The Streacom F12C can be found at Newegg for $275.00. The price is steep, but the quality is there to justify the price.
Pros
- Full sized GPU support
- Amazing finish
- All metal construction
- Optional IR receiver
- Extremely modular interior
- Minimalistic design
- Long motherboard standoffs
- Innovative panel release
- Innovative universal mounting
- Easily removed grills for cleaning
- Radiator support
- Supports full sized ATX power supply
Cons
- Lack of front USB ports
- Lack of cable management options
- No zip ties included
- Retention clips are hard to use
